Annotated list of the best digital resources for sinologists as of 2014.

Tools in the traditional library include interactive catalogs on computer work stations, microfilm readers, photocopiers and so forth to allow users to search and access its collections, as well as in limited ways also compile their own collections of information. Similarly, the digital library provides integrated software systems, tools, and fonts in general to enable users to work with the collections with search and access procedures considerably more powerful than the traditional library. In particular, though, the digital library goes far beyond the limited traditional tools of a library in its enabling of users to creatively interact with the digital collections and reference materials, as well as generate new user-defined collections for their own private purposes. The simplest level of functionality includes extraction of images and composing sequenced slide-shows on line, while more advanced features are, for example, the ability to make HTML pages drawing upon library resources, compile private dictionaries, create new videos from segments of existing videos and so forth. This site also provides a suite of Tibetan fonts along with software developed by THDL that enhances the use of these fonts both in word processors and on the Web. Together these tools aim to help other projects and individuals take advantage of technical work done by the Library, as well as provide a way to facilitate communication, exchange, interoperability, and project building among all scholars, students, and others interested in Tibet and the Himalayan regions. In particular, the Library is committed to developing digital tools to assist the teaching of Tibetan and Himalayan languages, literatures, environments, and cultures. The evolving multilingual capacity of the digital library system also offers the promise of a single integrated library that serves different communities with distinct language bases, as well as promote communication between them. There are six (6) overarching types of tools, all of which have been developed with an eye toward balancing the power of the latest technology against the need to reach the broadest possible audience. Technical Requirements for Using THDL From the Field to the Web Technologies used in THDL Software designed by THDL Fonts and input tools

South Asia Resource Access on the Internet (SARAI), also known as the South Asian Studies Virtual Library, was developed and hosted at Columbia University Libraries between 1994 and 2017. This page provides historical background on SARAI, and a list of archived websites. (Please note that archived websites may load more slowly than live websites.) SARAI started as the South Asia Gopher (SAG), which was publicly accessed by Gopher or telnet connection to the Columbia University host. The SAG was developed by David Magier, then South and Southeast Asian Studies Librarian and Director of Area Studies at Columbia University Libraries. As of March, 1994 (see H-Asia announcements by Magier on March 9, 1994 and on October 30, 1994), this "in progress" site included: A) Bibliographic resources listing major international South Asia library collections, and links to the University of Wisconsin South & Southeast Asian Studies Video Archive catalog; B) links to international online resources in Australia, India, Germany and the United Kingdom; C) listings of South Asia related Usenet newsgroups, listservs, mailing lists, and bulletin boards; D) South Asia electronic text archives and listings of software and fonts for displaying and printing South Asian texts; E) South Asia teaching resources; F) an International Directory of South Asia Scholars of individuals identifying themselves as being involved in South Asian Studies, who had filled out a form distributed by email as in this August 15, 1995 H-ASIA log); G) a Directory of South Asia Research Institutes; H) specialized databases and archives on such topics as census data, environment, and health; I) a (then forthcoming) Grants Directory under the editorship of Itty Abraham (a Social Science Research Council program director).

The Digital South Asia Library (DSAL) provides digital materials for reference and research (dictionaries, gazetteers, photographs, prints, drawings, maps, statistics, bibliographies, indexes, books, and journals) on South Asia to scholars, public officials, business leaders, and other users. This program builds upon a two-year pilot project funded by the Association of Research Libraries' Global Resources Program with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Participants in the Digital South Asia Library include leading U.S. universities, the Center for Research Libraries, the South Asia Microform Project, the Committee on South Asian Libraries and Documentation, the Association for Asian Studies, the Library of Congress, the Asia Society, the British Library, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, MOZHI in India, the Sundarayya Vignana Kendram in India, Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya in Nepal, and other institutions in South Asia. The original Web design for the Digital South Asia Library and the Digital Dictionaries of South Asia was by Rebecca Moore.

The Columbia Research Guide For Modern Tibetan Studies was compiled by Gray Tuttle, Leila Hadley Luce Assistant Professor of Modern Tibetan Studies, and published for use on Library Web by Lauran Hartley, Tibetan Studies Librarian. It is a navigational tool for library patrons at Columbia University and elsewhere to access bibliographies and other noteworthy resources covering a wide range of subjects in the field of Tibetan Studies. Drawn from an extensive syllabus compiled by Professor Tuttle for his seminar “Sources for Modern Tibetan History,” the Guide in its current version is exceptionally strong in its survey of resources for historical research. The homepage provides additional links for other subjects: History, Social Sciences, Religious Studies, Language and Literature, Art, and Music. Many sections are still under development, and it is our hope that advanced graduate students or other scholars might contribute bibliographies for their areas of specialty, or suggest useful titles not mentioned here. Dr. Benno Weiner, for example, authored a critical survey of Chinese-language sources for the local histories of Tibetan areas in the People's Republic of China (PRC), while studying in the graduate program.

Includes various indexes, dictionaries, literature, and many more other resources. DDB

Digital Himalaya is a project to develop digital collection, storage, and distribution strategies for multimedia anthropological and ethnographical information from the Himalayan region. Digital collections feature different media, including visual and audio collections, covering the geographical areas and ethnic populations of the Himalayas; issues of Himalayan journals; maps; and bird reports from Nepal.