21,500 square feet, three-storey, wireless-networked
20 public workstations, 15 loaded with language training software for Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, and Punjabi
15 partitioned carrels for quiet study
2 seminar rooms, one seating 10 persons and another 14, are available for meeting and group study. One room is equipped with a television, DVD player and projection screen.
1 humidity-and temperature-controlled vault, measuring approximately 1,000 square feet, designated for rare and delicate materials.
3 display windows for showcasing the library’s resources and activities.
At the time of celebrating its 50th birthday in 2010, the Asian Library has designated several projects and priorities that will provide a sound platform for serving an increasingly global community of researchers. One of the priorities is to repurpose the space and facilities.
The changing nature of campus and community users’ needs, in tandem with the Asian Library’s commitment to preserve its precious historic holdings for future generations makes renovation of the Library a key priority. A feasibility study envisages a user-focused layout that maximizes space to house the growing collection and showcase rare and special holdings as well as accommodate increasing community use.
UBC Asian Library Feasibility Study
The structure housing the Asian Library is an iconic presence on UBC’s Point Grey campus. Our plan to renew the interior of the building will honour the past, while embracing a user-centred future. The proposed design addresses the need to preserve the Library’s rare and historic holdings, and make accessible its much-utilized collection – in an environment with a renewed ambiance that welcomes and accommodates the increasingly technology-based needs of students, researchers and the community.
The re-conceptualized layout will also provide a sense of openness, and promote exchange between librarians and people who come to consult their expertise and collections. Other areas will be dedicated to study, and contemplation. Rare and unique holdings will be showcased, and a Family History Research and Resource Centre will attract researchers from around the globe, as well as individuals and families to learn about the trans-Pacific migration from Asia.
Today’s actions position us to capitalize on tomorrow’s opportunities. A renewed Asian Library will open new possibilities as a bridge between Asia and the West, a portal to rapidly evolving information emanating from dynamic societies, and a gathering place for community and discovery.
We invite you to partner with the Asian Library in exploring these possibilities, as a leading global resource for connection with Asia’s past, present and future. The Asian Library is ready to embrace that role, ready to make its place among the best.
Opportunities
Family History Resource Centre
A centerpiece of the Asian Library’s engagement with researchers and community is the planned Family History Resource Centre – a project dedicated to inspiring learning about family history and genealogy of immigrant communities. The centre will preserve, digitize, and make accessible historical materials and databases that help answer questions such as, why your family came to Canada. What, and who did they leave behind? What was their experience and what was it like for them to leave their homeland?
It is vital to learn these stories and pass them on to future generations. The stories of many ethnic communities in Canada, particularly in their early years, are still largely unknown and untold. They need to be preserved and accessible to families and researchers alike, so that the roots and early struggles of these immigrants are not forgotten, and are regarded as a natural part of the history of Canada.
We invite you to explore how your family’s historical papers may form part of the Family History Resource Centre. Help connect your community with its own history, and help communities and researchers explore the common threads of the immigrant experience.
Asian Library Learning Commons
A user-centred space on the upper floor of the Asian Library will be dedicated to interactive study and learning. A 21st century gathering place, it will integrate scholarly resources, information technology, expertise, instruction, and study space. The Learning Commons at the Asian Library will provide an inclusive and stimulating learning environment of shared purpose and discovery for students, researchers and community.
For more information about this project, please contact:
Shakeela Begum
Director of Development, UBC Library
Library Development Office
Tel: 604.822.8926
Email: shakeela.begum@ubc.ca
Eleanor Yuen
Head, Asian Library
Tel: 604.822.5905
Email: eleanor.yuen@ubc.ca
People
