Preservation and Access in China: Possibilities for Cooperation.

This report summarizes visits by a group appointed by the Library Resources Panel of the Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People's Republic of China to libraries, archives, and other institutions in China from September 19 to October 12, 1991. The objective of the visits was to explore the feasibility of a project to enhance the quality of and access to select materials in China. Summaries of the visits to the following institutions are provided: (1) Sichuan University Library, Chengdu; (2) Sichuan Provincial Library; (3) Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences; (4) Chinese Academy of Sciences (Academic Sinica), Chengdu; (5) Sichuan Provincial Archives; (6) Chongqing University Library; (7) Chongqing Municipal Archives; (8) Chongqing Municipal Library; (9) Wuhan Municipal Library; (10) Wuhan University Library, Wuhan; (11) Fudan University, Shanghai; (12) Shanghai Municipal Library (Shanghai Public Library); (13) Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS); (14) East China Normal University, Shanghai; (15) National Library, Beijing; (16) The China National Microfilming Center; (17) Chinese Academy of Sciences; and (18) Peking University Library. It was concluded that two major factors must be considered when working with Chinese institutions on cooperative projects involving new technology: (1) the highly centralized organization of academic institutions, including libraries; and (2) the unavailability and high expense of equipment. (MAB)