CIAS Prestigious Resources

　CIAS has a collection of information resources from areas worldwide obtained by staff members as area studies researchers utilizing their unique perspectives and networks. A part of these resources have been made available at the CIAS library. Other resources have been entered in a database using the latest area informatics techniques promoted by CIAS. The main collections are introduced below.

【Attempts to retain,share,and make modern use of historical materials】

Malay Periodicals Collection

　It includes ten Malay periodicals published in the mid-20th century in Malaysia as well as their digital data. In the past, materials on Islam in Southeast Asia, especially literature in Jawi (Arabic alphabet for writing Malay and Indonesian), were not systematically collected and organized anywhere in the world. With the comprehensive acquisition of these materials, this collection has become an extremely important primary reference for research and education on Southeast Asia.

　With the Malay magazine Qalam (1950 to 1969) in particular, we have undertaken such initiatives as publishing Roman alphabet transliteration versions and creating an online public database of articles. We are currently creating a database that allows searching across 1,001 titles of Malay magazine articles.

Turkestanskii Sbornik Database

　This collection comprises Central Asia-related publications after the Central Asian conquest of the Russian Empire and during the period between the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Originally intended as an encyclopedia on Central Asia for Russians, it is one of a kind in the world as a collection. All 594 volumes at the Alisher Navoi State Library of the current Republic of Uzbekistan have been digitized in cooperation with the library, and the CIAS library holds the CD version. CIAS is currently creating a database of the entire collection in addition to organizing the bibliographic information.

【Valuable Primary References】

Sendero Luminoso-related Documents

　Peruvian journalist Gustavo Gorriti compiled a microfilm collection of documents from the 1960s to the 1980s. This collection features the internal documents of Sendero Luminoso (the Maoist guerrilla insurgent organization that started an armed conflict in Peru in 1980) and his affiliated organizations, including those under Luminoso’s predecessor, as well as records prepared by the army and police. This compilation is considered the most comprehensive collection of references related to Sendero Luminoso. Princeton University took the actual documents donated by Gorriti in the early 1990s and turned them into microfilm to make them available for browsing at their library as “Documenting the Peruvian Insurrection.” Instituto de Estudios Peruanos in Peru, which had received its microfilm version and made it available for use in Peru, donated a copy of the microfilm to CIAS on the basis of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in 2010. CIAS is currently considering making these valuable references available by obtaining agreement from the Instituto de Estudios Peruanos in Peru and Princeton University Library.

【An attempt to visualize the learning activities of pioneers in area studies by using the area informatics approach】

Yoneo Ishii Collection

　This collection of materials, such as books, research documents, and photographs taken in the study area, was compiled between 1957 and 2010 by the late Yoneo Ishii (1929–2010), a professor emeritus at Kyoto University. Among them, about 10,000 items are shelved at the CIAS library to reproduce his home library down to the order of books. The collection includes important literature on Southeast Asian studies, including the history of Thailand, and linguistic studies, among others. A database and virtual bookshelf that enables ontological search based on keywords extracted from bibliographic information was also released in 2014.

【Videos and films from around the world as area studies materials】

Malay Local Movie Collection

　This collection is a database of feature films mainly consisting of movies produced in Malaysia (Federation of Malaya) after 1933. It also includes unscreened works, such as television and short films. More than 90% of the approximately 1,200 feature film titles produced in the Malaysia area—from classic Malay movies by P. Ramlee, who was called “the father of Malay movies,” to the new wave of Malay movies typified by Yasmin Ahmad and to even recent films co-produced with such countries as Japan— are available in electronic media.

Thai Video Collection

　A collection of Thai visual materials, such as movies (many VCDs and recently popularized DVDs), are held at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) library (approximately 800 titles) and the CIAS library (342 titles), each along with related literature and posters. This collection includes local blockbusters and feature films released in Japan as well as local folk art, documentary films, preaching by prominent Buddhist monks, and even footages of the coronation of Rama VII and IX (the current king) and videos (copies) recorded by Rama VII himself.

Tamil Language Film Collection

　The CIAS library holds 150 Tamil-language films (produced from the 1960s to the 1990s) donated by Dr. M. Nadarajah. The library has also jointly created a brief note on the content per movie with the Public Media Agency in Malaysia and is currently preparing an online Tamil-language film database available to the public, through which users can search by title, director, actor, and other credited professionals involved in filmmaking.

【The World’s Leading Collection】

The Kyocera Collection British Parliamentary Papers

　This compilation of references contains a total of 12,000 volumes of various documents submitted to the British Parliament (House of Commons documents from 1801 to 1986 and the House of Lords documents from 1801 to 1922). It is a nearly complete collection with the least number of missing or damaged volumes compared with all other existing British Parliament documents held at the former British Board of Trade. The collection is held at the Kyoto University Library. The online version of the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers is available on campus. A database of extracted illustrations is also available.

The CIAS database can be accessed here: http://www.cias.kyoto-u.ac.jp/database/