The Challenge - Stanford University Libraries & Academic ...

Focus on South Asian Studies There is a new multidisciplinary
emphasis in South Asia on campus, as evidenced by the inauguration
of the Center for South Asia in 2006. Correspondingly,
there is growing student and faculty demand to broaden
our Area Studies collection scope to include South Asian materials.
For example, Tibetan studies – with its rich tradition of
manuscript transmission dating from the seventh century – is
a relatively new academic focus at the Department for Religious
Studies and Center for Buddhist Studies. The Libraries
are responding to this development with important acquisitions
of vernacular sources, some as original editions, some
as microform facsimiles, and many electronic resources (such
as the Digital Tibetan Library, an ongoing digitization project
by The Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center). Furthermore, the
Asian Studies program has been enriched by a timely gift of a
new book fund in Burmese studies, the Steeve and Helen Kay
Book Fund.
Wojciech Zalewski
Bibliographer for Religious Studies
Combating HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa Timely and
accurate information is vital to the success of an innovative
project at Stanford: “Combating HIV/AIDS
in Southern Africa: The Treatment Revolution and Its
Impact on Health, Well-Being and Governance.” Based
on the 2005 Group of 8’s commitment to put 10 million
people infected with HIV/AIDS on treatment within
five years, this project will research the impact of this
treatment revolution on health, well-being and governance
in sub-Saharan Africa. Supported by the Libraries’
African Collection, 10 Stanford faculty and instructors
teach related courses on African health issues, of
which the fight against HIV/AIDS continues
to occupy center stage.
Karen Fung
Curator, African Collection
Top
Meyer Library computer
clusters provide
a variety of specialized
software, as well
as peer consulting
from expert student
workers.
Middle
Leaf from Tibetan
prayer book.
Bottom
J. Henry Meyer
Memorial Library is
swarmed by bicycles
during Dead Week.
Opposite Left
Tibetan monk praying
as he reads scripture
similar to facing
image.
Opposite Right
Digitizing a fragile object
in the Preservation
Digital Imaging
Facility.
Middle Eastern Film Series Throughout the academic year, the
Libraries’ Islamic and Middle Eastern Collections sponsored
a series of showings of feature films from the Middle East,
one of which was the Egyptian hit film The Yacoubian Building.
Through the auspices of Abderahman Salaheldin, Consul
General of Egypt in San Francisco, its director, Marwan
Hamed, and its star, renowned actress Yousra, were invited to
a reception in the Munger Rotunda. Guests viewed a short film
by Mr. Hamed and participated in a panel discussion at which
the director and actress addressed issues of free speech and
film making in the Middle East, from practical matters such
as the impact of financial restraints on directors to universal
questions such as the role of women in film and society.
John Eilts
Curator, Middle East Collection
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