Our Collections

 

General Collections

The primary collecting strengths of the Southeast Asia Division follow closely the historical development of scholarly programs at the University of Michigan as well as the present research needs of faculty, students, and the wider public.

The Southeast Asia collection stands as an integrated part of the research resources available at the Hatcher Graduate Library. The collection consists of monographs, seriels, newspapers, magazines, microforms, audio and video tapes, CD-ROMs, and any other available media. The collection can be accessed through both the Graduate Library's online database (Mirlyn), and the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC).

Related Collections

The Asia Library, with its extensive Chinese and Japanese collections, helps support the students and scholars with their background work on China and Japan's historical influences on Southeast Asia. The Asia Library also serves as a location to consult the current research being conducted by Chinese and Japanese scholars working on Southeast Asian topics.

The Business Library holds the majority of business books written in English related to Southeast Asia.

The Law Library holds an extensive collection of legal documents which form the foundation presently governing the Philippines. Other Southeast Asian Countries are also represented.

The Map Library has a substantial collection of atlases and topographical maps for the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Through the generosity of L.A. Peter Gosling, Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan, older Southeast Asian maps in varying scales with an emphasis on Malaysia are also available for consultation.

The Music Library contains a collection of audio tapes from the different provinces of Indonesia. Tapes from the Philippines and Thailand are also well-represented. The Stearns musical collection of instruments includes Southeast Asian musical instruments which further supports the audio collection.

Special Collections

The Thai (Gedney) collection consists of over 6,000 monographs, serials, and manuscripts concerning all aspects of Thai culture. Of particular interest is the period 1920 - 1954, with an emphasis on Thai language, literature, religion, and history. Primary emphasis of the collection is on religion, mostly Buddhism, and history, concentrating on the various activities of the kings of the Chakri dynasty. Within the subject of religion, there are also a significant number of Khmer and Pali-Thai manuscripts. The majority of this collection is fully cataloged and accessible in Mirlyn (Hint: type k=Gedney)

The John Thierry collection consists of sculpture, monographs, and a multitude of slides and photographs encompassing the develoment of art throughout Asia, particularly the art of Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia. The sculpture is held at the University of Michigan's Museum of Arts. The monographs are housed in both the Hatcher Graduate Library and the Fine Arts Library. The extensive slide collection is also housed in the Fine Arts Library.

The David J. Steinberg Philippine Collection: Professor Steinberg has donated his extensive primary source materials on the Philippines to the University Library's special Philippine Collections. The Steinberg collection focuses on the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during WWII. These materials will greatly expand and provide continuity beyond the current collection which ends in the 1930s. A scholar researching WWII and beyond will gain a balanced view of both the Philippine perspective and Japanese point of view. Other materials in this collection include transcribed notes and audio tapes of interviews conducted by Professor Steinberg with elites in the Philippines.

The Philippine Worcesters collection is held in two locations on campus: the Special and Rare Books section of the Hatcher Graduate Library and the Michigan Bentley Historical Library. Both collections focus on the involvement of Americans - especially Michigan natives - in the Philippines. The Worcester collection contains diaries, government proclamations, manuscripts, and artifacts. The artifacts and slide collection of ethnic minority groups are found in the Museum of Anthropology and the Kelsey Museum.

The Labadie collection contains significant documentation from the Communist Party of the Philippines and the National People's Army. Also covered by Labadie is the period of martial law and the on-going struggle of the Moro Bangsa Army. This collection includes not only publications originating in the Philippines but also publications generated by support groups residing in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. Representations of underground publications from the Philippines, Burma (Myanmar) and Indonesia are currently being developed.