Taiwan Resource Center for Chinese Studies opens at Hamilton Library, strengthening its international profile
UH Mānoa Hamilton Library joined an international network of leading research libraries across Asia, Europe and North America on Nov. 17 with the opening of its Taiwan Resource Center for Chinese Studies (TRCCS). As the 55th overseas partner in Taiwan’s National Central Library (NCL) TRCCS program, Hamilton expands its global collaborations and access to resources supporting research in Chinese studies and the broader Sinophone world.
“The TRCCS aligns with our mission to foster international scholarship and build meaningful collaborations that benefit our students and faculty,” said University Librarian Clem Guthro.
Through the TRCCS initiative, NCL provides partner libraries with Taiwan-published monographs, digital archives, bibliographic databases and other scholarly resources. The global network connects leading research libraries and strengthens the visibility, accessibility and impact of Chinese-studies scholarship.
“The National Central Library is dedicated to advancing Chinese and Taiwan studies globally,” said NCL Director-General Han-Ching Wang, who traveled here from Taipei for the ceremony.
“Taiwan, much like Hawaiʻi, occupies a key position in the Pacific, underscoring our important mission to serve as a critical bridge for Chinese and Taiwan studies by establishing this TRCCS,” she said. “We aim to build upon it in the future to strengthen the academic connection between Taiwan and Hawaiʻi.”
Expanding & promoting collections
Through the new partnership, Hamilton Library has added nearly 400 titles—about 450 volumes—to its collections and now offers full access to NCL’s electronic resources. To promote engagement with the collection, the new TRCCS publications are now on display in the Asia Reading Room. Guthro supported the purchase of two monkey pod bookcases, custom made by local wood worker Todd Blankenship, to feature these books. Additional publications will be added going forward, further expanding the breadth of materials available to UH Mānoa scholars.
Hamilton will also join NCL’s Union Catalog of Chinese Rare Books, an international cooperative bibliographic platform that broadens global access to pre-modern Chinese texts. By contributing its rare holdings, Hamilton enhances the visibility of its ancient Chinese book collection and supports worldwide scholarship in classical Chinese studies.
Strengthening a long-standing partnership
Hamilton Library’s relationship with NCL dates back to the 1960s during the early East–West Center era, when academic exchanges helped shape its China Collection. Discussions about establishing a TRCCS began in 2019, and NCL’s formal invitation in October 2024 launched the planning that led to this fall’s opening.
“Today’s ceremony reflects a long-standing—and growing—relationship between Hawaiʻi and Taiwan, rooted in shared academic interests, cultural ties and mutual respect,” UH Mānoa Interim Provost Vassilis Syrmos said in his remarks. “This collaboration will foster new opportunities for dialogue, scholarship and exchange for years to come.”
Wang praised UH Mānoa for its partnership. “For many years, our institutions have engaged in a successful exchange of publications,” she said. “This TRCCS and the Union Catalog of Chinese Rare Books elevate your important role within the NCL network of global partners supporting our commitment to international cooperation.”
Celebrating the newest TRCCS
Before the ceremony, the NCL delegation toured Hamilton’s Russian Far East, Hawaiian & Pacific, and Asia Collections to learn more about the library’s distinctive international research strengths.
Hawaiian Collection Librarian Kapena Shim opened the ceremony with an oli, followed by remarks from Syrmos, Wang, Guthro, and Chinese Studies Librarian Dongyun Ni. Wang and Syrmos unveiled the TRCCS plaque in the Asia Reading Room.
After signing the TRCCS partnership agreement and the agreement to join NCL’s Union Catalog of Chinese Rare Books, Wang and Guthro exchanged gifts. Wang presented facsimile editions of two significant texts from NCL—the earliest surviving two-color printed edition of the Diamond Prajñā-pāramitā Sūtra (《金剛般若波羅蜜經》), and the national-treasure-level Song-dynasty Annotations on the Poetry of Su Dongpo (《註東坡先生詩》)—along with a ceramic plate decorated with auspicious persimmon and magpie motifs. Guthro presented Hamilton Library gifts and books about its collections.
Distinguished guests included Jerry Chang, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Honolulu, and Hawaiʻi State Librarian Stacey Aldrich. UH Mānoa Center for Chinese Studies Acting Director Baoyan Cheng and Asian Studies Department Chair Cathryn Clayton also attended.
Coordinating a successful launch
“This collaboration reflects months of close coordination and highlights the strength of our collections, faculty partnerships and commitment to cross-cultural research,” said Ni, who spearheaded the project. She thanked the colleagues and student assistants who supported the launch—coordinating international shipments, preparing gifts, assembling displays, and handling Chinese-language cataloging, labeling and access preparations.
“I’m grateful to my colleagues in the Asia Collection, the Hawaiian & Pacific Collection, library administration and many others whose work contributed to a successful opening ceremony,” she said.
