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Donation of Japanese Books Awarded to Library
(Posted: November 20, 2009) (Printable Version)
The Boreham Library at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith is now a little fuller with the addition of a collection of books on contemporary Japanese culture. The books are the product of the “100 Books for Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture” project sponsored by the Nippon Foundation.
The collection of 61 titles, in subjects including government, industry, international relations, economics and finances, pop culture, family and society, anime and manga, film, literature and history arrived at the library Nov. 17.
“The Nippon Foundation has been very generous with the types of materials they have sent to us,” said Dr. Ray Wallace, provost and senior vice chancellor. “We are excited to add these materials to our library and look forward to further interactions with this foundation.”
Application for the donation was begun by Takeo Suzuki of Fort Smith, executive director of international relations. Additional application materials were provided by Dr. Wallace and Wilma Cunningham, director of library services, both also of Fort Smith.
The books from the Nippon Foundation will be shelved in a special section in the Library Reserve Room, room 102. Materials in the Boreham Library are available to all UA Fort Smith students, faculty and staff, as well as cardholders of the Fort Smith Public Library and the Sebastian County Library in Greenwood.
“These donated books will help our library patrons, students, faculty, staff and the general public gain further knowledge into this very interesting culture,” said Dr. Wallace. “Japanese language, literature, art and history contain many teachable moments for our institution.”
This donation from the Nippon Foundation is yet another example of UA Fort Smith’s ongoing effort to create and improve scholarly ties with Japan and other Asian countries. UA Fort Smith partnered with the Japan Outreach Initiative in August to bring a coordinator to campus for a two-year term in order to promote relationships between the United States and Japan.
“We are also hosting Yoko Kowata as a Japanese program coordinator from the Japan Foundation and the Laurasian Institution for the next two years,” said Suzuki. “This book collection will add extra value to her outreach efforts to the campus and the community.”
The original catalog of 100 books was created by the Nippon Foundation to help correct a lack of understanding of contemporary Japan in many countries. Libraries around the world were encouraged to apply to receive any of the books on the list to help improve selections on Japanese studies.
The Nippon Foundation was established in 1962 as a non-profit, philanthropic organization active in Japan and abroad to bolster the domestic development of Japan. Since then the Foundation has expanded its activities to include education, social welfare and public health.
| Article by: Jessica Martin, Public Relations Assistant | |
| Photo(s) by: Jessica Martin |
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