Overview
The Korean Collection of the Harvard-Yenching Library, established in 1951, is now regarded as a premier research collection for Korean studies in the United States. At present, the collection consists of more than 215,000 volumes of monographs, 1,200 periodicals, and more than 8,500 reels of microfilm. The scope of the collection is wide, ranging from archaeology to contemporary economic development, with an emphasis on the humanities and social sciences. Among its unique features are a group of genealogies and official examination rosters from the 17th century, which form an indispensable source for the study of social mobility in traditional Korea; a large collection of literary writings by individual authors in classical Chinese 文集; and a comprehensive collection of books, journals, government documents, and other materials on Korea’s post-war economic development. It is the primary collector at Harvard of Korean-language newspapers, most of which are on digital and microfilm. More than 7,000 volumes of North Korean publications are currently held, and every effort is being made to build this aspect of the collection. In conjunction with the Korean-language holdings of the Harvard Law School Library, the Rübel Asiatic Research Collection of the Fine Arts Library, and the Harvard Map Collection, the Korean Collection of the Harvard-Yenching Library plays an important role in supporting all Korea-related teaching and research activities at Harvard. It is also a member of the Korean Collections Consortium of North America supported by the Korea Foundation of Seoul, Korea. Questions and comments, including requests for materials and inquiries about how to use the collection, should be directed to Mikyung Kang, Librarian for the Korean Collection, at 617-496-1079 or mlkang@fas.harvard.edu.
