Readers in the north-east can get a taste of the Far East following a donation of Japanese books to the Sir Duncan Rice Library.
The Nippon Foundation, a charity for social innovation, has donated books from a list of 100 titles to the University of Aberdeen as part of a project called Read Japan.
The books, all of which are in English, cover a wide range of subjects including Economy and Business, History, Literature and Arts, Politics and International Relations, and Society and Culture.
The library was alerted to the opportunity to expand its collection of Japanese texts by Dr Lukas Pokorny, Bruce Lecturer in East Asian Religions, and the selection includes diverse subjects which will be of interest to scholars and readers across many disciplines, ranging from the Tokugawa Religion to modern Manga.
Janet Mackay, Information Advisor at The Sir Duncan Rice Library, worked to coordinate the application to the Nippon Foundation, and has liaised with the foundation over several months, culminating in the delivery of the books on January 25.
She said: “I was so pleased when I heard that our application for this generous donation of books had been accepted. Different aspects of Japanese culture are taught and researched in various departments of the University so our readers will feel the benefit of these books from the moment they reach the shelves.
“We are already very fortunate to have rich collections within our Libraries, Special Collections and Museums, the Nippon Foundation has very kindly enabled us to extend these collections even further.”
These collections may be browsed in our online catalogue at http://aulib.abdn.ac.uk/F/?func=find-b&request=donated+by+nippon+foundation&find_code=WRD
The books are now available to borrow.