Richard C. Rudolph East Asian Library

The East Asian Library was established in 1948 to support UCLA's teaching and research programs in East Asian studies. The library selects, organizes and makes available Chinese-, Japanese- and Korean-language materials, and its staff provides reference and instruction services to optimize access to and use of the collections.

History of the Library

Dr. Richard C. Rudolph (1909-2003), chair of the UCLA Department of Oriental Languages — now the department of Asian Languages and Cultures(opens in a new tab) — was instrumental in establishing what was formerly known as the Oriental Library. Dr. Rudolph became one of the first Fulbright Scholars to travel to China to study archaeology, and during his time there, he made research and book purchases for the library. This period saw great political turmoil and upheaval in China because of the civil war. Despite this, Rudolph traveled to major cities purchasing books, and staying one step ahead of the fighting between the Communist Party and Nationalist Party armies.

In the wake of the Communist takeover, Rudolph hurriedly combed through bookstores in Beijing and Chengdu for reference works, encyclopedias and large collected works known as collectanea — all of them original wood-block-printed books. He left China in June 1949 and the People’s Republic of China was founded on October 1, 1949. On his way home, he was also able to purchase more books in Japan. Along with books he bought in Berkeley, the more than 10,000 Chinese books purchased by Rudolph formed the foundation for what is now the 10th largest East Asian Library in North America.

In 1948, the Oriental Library was installed in the basement of the Powell Library building. It provided both a basic reference collection and a cultural retreat for faculty and students on campus. In 1971, after the second phase of the Research Library building was completed , the library moved to its current location — the second floor of the Research Library. On April 10, 1981, Richard C. Rudolph Oriental Library was formally named in honor of Rudolph's most substantial and distinguished efforts in the building of the collection. In 1990, the name of the Library was changed again to the East Asian Library to accurately reflect its collection of Chinese, Japanese and Korean materials and the name of the program the Library supports, East Asian Studies.

Supporting Opportunities

The East Asian Library is one of the most comprehensive and frequently used East Asian collections in North America, as well as the largest East Asian collection in Southern California. The growth of the collection highly depends on the support of faculty, students and their families, staff, alumni and friends of the UCLA Library.