Background

The NCL established a preparatory office in Nanjing in 1933. The library's collection got its start with over 46,000 books from the old Ministry of Education File Archives in Beijing and over 1,000 volumes of palace examination policy questions from the Qing Dynasty (1644~1908) transferred by the Ministry of Education. The preparatory office later purchased a batch of ink rubbings from the collection of the late Qing Dynasty collector Meng Chi-hsun. The preparatory office also purchased a small number of rare books. The most important of these had escaped from Japanese-occupied Shanghai during the war. In addition, the preparatory office also purchased ink rubbings from the collection of Shang Cheng-tsao. These exquisite rubbings included many works of Chou Hsi-ting, and some works of Jung Keng and Wu Chung-hsi, among others. The library accepted the very valuable collection of Chen Chun after the defeat of Japan, and purchased many rare and valuable books from the market as well. The library has adopted several different approaches to enlarging its collection after relocating to Taiwan.

The NCL has an impressive collection of rare books. Its approach to digitization is to first work out a plan, focus on the most distinctive items first, and prioritize the needs of academic researchers. To promote research on Ming Dynasty historical materials and encourage more people to take an interest in traditional literature, the library will first digitize Ming-edition works of Ming writers.

Although the NCL originally planned to establish the NCL Rare Books Collection Image System, in consideration of the fact that our entire rare book collection has been photographed and is recorded on microfilm, we have decided to produce the "NCL Rare Books Collection Image System Forerunner System." This system will have a series-type format and contain books selected by topic. Seventeen compilations of prose and poetry by early Ming Dynasty writers have been selected for testing. These materials are available to readers though the library's LAN, and some content can be accessed via the Internet (http://www.ncl.edu.tw/flyweb/ncl-book/index.htm). Due to funding restrictions, however, the library has not continued to develop this system.

Our long-term plan for the digitization of the NCL Rare Books Collection initially emphasizes the completion of tasks in successive stages. Emphasis is on progressing in a logical order without attempting too large of a scale. The library needs to complete the drafting and revision of relevant standards, guidelines, procedural steps, and methods. Since it will be necessary to handle original books many times, rare Song-edition books will not be digitized in the initial stage. Since the project will last for five years, the library is first selecting materials with topical and academic value, and which highlight the distinctive features of our collection. Work will proceed one entire unit at a time so as to better and assess the results. Furthermore, the library hopes to cooperate more closely with other research organizations to achieve greater resource sharing. To satisfy readers' needs, we may gradually expand our efforts and speed up project implementation in the future. In accordance with this reasoning, we currently plan to digitize approximately 6,000 rare books from the NCL collection and perform regular reviews and revisions.

The illustrations in old books possess great artistic value. Beyond their functions of appreciation and providing models for copying, these illustrations also serve as rich sources of information on life in ancient times, and can shed light on society, customs, institutions, and culture in old China. This library consequently plans to embark on the full-scale collection, scanning, and archiving of rare-book illustrations. This work will be carried out in conjunction with a similar project at the National Palace Museum. Ink rubbings are an important source of information for research on ancient texts and history. The elegant characters recorded in rubbings can be of considerable value to the publishing and advertising industries. The NCL therefore plans to establish a database of ink rubbings in the library collection in conjunction with a similar project at the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica.

The NCL has offered a remote access library service on a trial basis since February 1998. This full-text service allows readers to access the text of periodicals, government reports, overseas reports, contemporary literature, historical materials, and other resources in the NCL collection over the Internet. The trial attracted widespread praise from readers in Taiwan and overseas. However, a lack of funding during the trial limited the amount of periodical literature that could be scanned, reducing its usefulness to readers requiring up-to-date information. The library would therefore hopes to implement the program on a full-scale through the ongoing digitization of its periodical and newspaper collection. Doing so would enable the permanent preservation of important academic works from many countries and provide an invaluable resource for continuing education.

Appropriate computer systems, a sound management system, sufficient storage space, hardware, facilities, and resources (including manpower and funding) are needed for a large-scale digitization program. Intellectual property rights are not a big issue for classical literature and some local documents, as it is generally sufficient to just note the source of the literature cited. While IPR may likewise not be a problem for early periodicals and newspapers, IPR must be respected for other types of works. The NCL has taken pains to follow the proper procedures in accordance with the Copyright Law and Archives Law and all materials are handled according to law before their publication on open networks.

Common digital archive files produced by the NCL are provided to network users for free citation. For-profit entities that wish to cite information must obtain a letter of authorization from the NCL and must note the source of the citation. Files in the national archives framework and which are used for archival purposes are not available for public use at this time.