AsianDOC Electronic Newsletter 1:3 (October 1998)








The Essential Asian Studies Resources
Jun-Aug 1998

Edited by Dr T.Matthew Ciolek,
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies (RSPAS),
The Australian National University, Australia.

The Asian Studies WWW Monitor ( http://coombs.anu.edu.au/asia-www-monitor.html) is an electronic journal which is published since June 1994 by the RSPAS, ANU and which regularly monitors new developments in the Asian Studies' cyberspace.

The Monitor acts as a current awareness bulletin for a broad range of readers: academics, students, librarians, journalists, business people, government administrators and the wider community. All sources of online information reported by the 'Monitor' are inspected and rated on a 5 point scale [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal] in terms of their scholarly/factual quality and usefulness to the social sciences studies of the Asian continent, its regions and countries.

Data collected by 'The Monitor' indicate that, at present, about 55% of the networked Asian Studies materials are worthy of a serious attention. This is an improvement over the situation some 18 months ago on the Asian Studies WWW sites, when the percentage of worthwhile materials was oscillating around the 40% mark.

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                           Table 1
         The Quality of Asian Studies WWW Resources
[187 materials (1 Mar 98-31 May 98) considered for publication in
                  "Asian Studies WWW Monitor "]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Essential                 24            13%
V.Useful                  24            13%
Useful                    57            30%
Interesting               17             9%
Marginal                  11             6%
Useless *                 46            25%
rating not available       8             4%
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Total                    187           100%
--------------------------------------------------------------------
* rejected (i.e. very bad, useless, irrelevant) materials
Src: Ciolek, T.Matthew. 1998. Table 034, Asia Web Watch: a Register of Statistical Data.
http://www.ciolek.com/Asia-Web-Watch/main-page.html

This regular column of the AsianDOC Electronic Newsletter has the pleasure of listing those Asian Studies resources which have been submitted to the Monitor during the previous 3 months and which received a rather rare 'Essential' rating.

The most valuable online materials which came to our attention during the period 1 June 1998 - 1 September 1998 are:

27 Aug 1998
H-Bahai Discussion List
H-Net, Humanities & Social Sciences On-Line, USA.
Self-description: "H-Bahai encourages scholarly discussion of the culture and history of The Baha'i Faith and makes available diverse bibliographical, research, and teaching aids. [...] H-Bahai maintains a Digital Publication Series (http://h-net2.msu.edu/~bahai/index/pubs.htm) consisting of 'Occasional Papers on Iranian Religions'; of 'Occasional Papers in Shaykhi, Babi and Baha'i Studies'; of shorter 'Research Notes in Shaykh i, Babi and Baha'i Studies'; of 'Documents on the Shaykhi, Babi and Baha'i Movements'; of 'Translations of Shaykhi, Babi and Baha'i Primary Texts'; and of the 'H-Bahai Digital Library', including 'Sources in European Languages' and 'Sources in Arabic, Persian and Turkish'."
URL http://h-net2.msu.edu/~bahai/
Link submitted by: Juan Cole (jrcole@umich.edu)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Corporate Info.

25 Aug 1998
South Asia Diaspora
Library, University of California, Berkeley, USA.
Self-description: "We are collecting memorabilia, personal papers, correspondence, photographs, early publications, ephemera, posters, newsletters of early community organizations, and realia of the early South Asian immigrants to the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world. "
Site contents: Archive of the South Asian Diaspora; Bibliographic Guides; Essays; Electronic Resources; Photographs/Documents/Maps; Diaspora Project Database; Web Art Exhibit: India 50 Presents The Indian Emigre, A Photo Story.
[The site is an official Associate of the Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library (http://coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVL-AsianStudies.html) - ed.]
URL http://library.berkeley.edu/SSEAL/SouthAsia/diaspora.html
Link submitted by: Suzanne McMahon (smcmahon@library.berkeley.edu)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Online Guide

25 Aug 1998
Human Rights in China (HRIC)
Human Rights in China (HRIC), New York, NY, USA
Self-description: "An international non-governmental organization founded by Chinese scientists and scholars in March 1989. HRIC monitors the implementation of international human rights standards in the People's Republic of China and carries out human rights advocacy and education among Chinese people inside and outside the country."
Site contents: About HRIC; Current Human Rights Situation in China; 'Human Rights Forum' and other HRIC publications; Human Rights Educational Materials [United Nations Documents]; Take Action!; The HRIC Gopher.
[Online materials are available in English and in Chinese (GB & BIG5). The crisp, factual and fast-loading site was established with support from the Olof Palme Foundation - ed.]
URL http://www.hrichina.org
Link submitted by: S. Beach (mrswang@aol.com)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Corporate Info.

18 Aug 1998
WWW Hmong Homepage
www.hmongnet.org, USA
Self-description: "The WWW Hmong Homepage is a collection of resources relating to Hmong history, culture, language, and current events."
Site contents: Current Events and Announcements; Top Picks; General Information About Hmong People and History; Hmong Creative Works: Papers, Opinions, Essays, Stories, and Poetry; Hmong History; Hmong Culture and Traditions; Hmong Organizations and Conferences; News and Mailing List Resources; Publications Resources for the Researcher; How to Help.
[The site is an official Associate of the Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library (http://coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVL-AsianStudies.html) - ed.]
URL http://www.hmongnet.org/
Link submitted by: Craig D. Rice (cdr@stolaf.edu)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Online Guide

12 Aug 1998
Olive Tree Chinese Literary Magazine
Olive Tree Literature Society, USA
Supplied note: "An electronic Chinese literary magazine that has been in existence for five years, originally as a poetry journal, now as a general literary magazine including fiction, essays and criticism as well. The editorial board and growing pool of contributors span the globe [...]. Olive Tree's website also serves as an up-to-date, selective guide to Chinese language resources relating to the creation, study and appreciation of literature."
[An elegant site entirely in Chinese (Big5, GB, HZ and postscript formats) - ed.]
URL http://www.wenxue.com
Link submitted by: Charles A. Laughlin (charles.laughlin@yale.edu)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Study

10 Aug 1998
Chinese and Japanese Art History WWW Virtual Library
Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, USA
Self-description: "This site provides information on symposia, conferences, grants and other items of interest to graduate students of Chinese and Japanese art history. I first established this page in May 1996, and update it roughly twice a month."
Site contents: Positions Available; Calls for Papers; Conferences, Symposia, Seminars, Lectures; Graduate Student Directory; Fellowships and Grants; Links to other websites related to Asian art.
[The site forms an official section of the Asian Studies WWW VL (http://coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVL-AsianStudies.html) - ed.]
URL http://pages.nyu.edu/~boc7379/
Link submitted by: Nixi Cura (boc7379@is.nyu.edu)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Online Guide

03 Aug 1998
East Timor Website
East Timor Relief Association (ETRA), Australia
Supplied note: "The ETRA website provides extensive coverage of all aspects of the East Timorese people's struggle for self determination, peace and democracy. Background and up to date information, including the latest from inside East Timor, United Nations and other international initiatives and intereviews and speeches from East Timorese leaders. Also links to all East Timor related sites, and an extensive network of organisations working on East Timor. ETRA is an East Timorese NGO, and brings particular focus to developments within the Asia-Pacific region."
URL http://www.pactok.net.au/docs/et/
Link submitted by: Kieran Dwyer (kierand@zip.com.au)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Online Guide

12 Jun 1998
Mirrors of the Heart-Mind: Tibetan Art Exhibition
The Huntington Archive, The Ohio State University, USA
Supplied note: "An on-line version of the Tibetan art from The Rezek Collection exhibition scheduled to open on June 13th 1998 at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, St. Francis College, Loretto, Pennsylvania, USA. On-line exhibition contains 85 images with didactic text and 45 essays written by guest curators. Subject matter includes: Adi Buddhas, Arhats, Bardo, Bhaishajayaguru, Bodhisattvas, Buddhas, Herukas, Prajnas, Jina Buddhas, Mandalas, Protective Deities, Ritual Implements, Shakyamuni Buddha, Stupas, Sukhavati, Teachers, Tara."
[Another superbly crafted and curated information system by the world's leading team from The Huntington Archive. An image-intensive site, esp. the top page - ed.]
URL http://kaladarshan.arts.ohio-state.edu/exhib/sama/samaintr.html
Link submitted by: Janice M. Glowski (glowski.1@osu.edu)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]:

12 Jun 1998
Modern Chinese Literature and Culture
Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, The Ohio State University, USA
Supplied note: "This is the website of the journal 'Modern Chinese Literature', which is in the process of moving from the University of Colorado to The Ohio State University. The journal is the leading English-language forum for scholarship in the field of modern Chinese literature. With the publication of Vol XI, the journal will change its name to 'Modern Chinese Literature and Culture', marking a shift in editorial direction toward a broader cultural studies approach. In addition to basic information on the journal itself, the website contains a 'Bibliography' (http://deall.ohio-state.edu/denton.2/biblio.htm), perhaps the most extensive English-language bibliography of studies related to modern Chinese literature and media."
[The Journal web pages are, at present, uneventful. However, the Bibliography is truly excellent - ed.]
URL http://deall.ohio-state.edu/denton.2/mclc.htm
Link submitted by: Kirk A. Denton (denton.2@osu.edu)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Corporate Info.

09 Jun 1998
City/Buildings Image Archive
University of Washington, Seattle, USA
Supplied note: "Prof. Meredith Clausen, who teaches history of architecture at the University of Washington, is creating an electronic photo archive on "Cities and Architecture" that is world-wide in scope. [...] While the archive is still in its beginning stages, it has the potential to grow in ways that will benefit all of us, and it can grow through donations of images by you who would use the material."
Site contents: Information is organised into four layers (1) Country; (2) City or Location; (3) Subject; (4) View, Detail.
Geographic coverage (Asian countries as of 09 Jun 1998): Afghanistan; Bhutan; Burma; China; Hong Kong; India; Indonesia; Iran; Japan; Malaysia; Nepal; Pakistan; Russia; Taiwan; Thailand; Tibet; Uzbekistan
Each photograph is annotated according to the following schedule: slide number; file format; subject; detail; nation; city; state; site; date; architect; materials; type; keywords; photographer; copyright holder; photographer's reference no.; transmission data; date of photograph; source.
[A paragon of clarity, online efficiency and good housekeeping - ed.]
URL http://www.washington.edu/ark2
Link submitted by: Daniel Waugh (dwaugh@u.washington.edu)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Documents

01 Jun 1998
China - New Resources
University of Michigan Library, Ann Arbor, USA
Self description: "[A] catalog of existing resources on China. Many of the resources referenced here do not focus solely on China, but they contain valuable material or citations related to China."
Site contents: Daily News on China, Taiwan & Hong Kong; General Information & Data on China, Taiwan & Hong Kong; Web Resources in The U. of Michigan Campus; Other Web Sites on China, Taiwan & Hong Kong (directory, library, database, business, commercial, new & notable); Indexes & Databases in The U. of Michigan Campus; Net Publications & Indexes on China, Taiwan, Hong Kong; Centers at the U. of Michigan; Q & A about our site & others; Search Links in 'China: New Resources'; MIRLYN, the U. of Michigan Libraries' online system.
[Uses frames. Not for readers with simpler versions of the browser software - ed.]
URL http://asia.lib.umich.edu/china/index.htm
Link submitted by: Toasia (toasia@umich.edu)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Online Guide

Copyright © AsianDOC Electronic Newsletter Vol. 1 No. 3 (October 1998). All rights reserved. This Web page may be linked to any other Web pages. Contents may not be altered.

URL http://asiandoc.lib.ohio-state.edu/v1n3/rev/essasr.html

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