Luce/ACLS Digital Archives Mapping Project Publishes Open Database Resource Guide for China Studies

ACLS is pleased to share a new resource guide on open databases for China studies as part of the Luce/ACLS Digital Archives Mapping Project, an initiative of the Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies. The resource guide highlights the growing number of online repositories that offer free access to large primary source sets for China studies research across a range of subfields. Many of the databases listed in this guide represent the collective contributions of multidisciplinary project teams who have worked to sustain the field at a time of rising access barriers and external challenges to the study of China.
 
The Open Database Resource Guide builds directly on the work of the China Studies Libraries Working Group convened by ACLS in May 2024. In those proceedings, the working group advocated for the creation of an open database web directory in response to sustainability concerns about the field’s reliance on commercial database vendors. This resource guide will be updated periodically and aims to serve China scholars and libraries with limited institutional access.
 
The Open Database Resource Guide was edited by Joshua Seufert, China Studies Librarian at Princeton University, and Luo Zhou, Librarian of Chinese Studies and Coordinator for the East Asian Collection at Duke University, with assistance from ACLS Special Projects Researcher JM Chris Chang.

About the Mapping Project

The Luce/ACLS Digital Archives Mapping Project launched in 2024 with the aim of preserving and expanding access to primary materials that are vital to the advancement of the China studies field. The project website will launch in winter 2025 with an expanded directory and additional resources for researchers and librarians. The Mapping Project is generously supported by the Henry Luce Foundation.