“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” - Jorge Luis Borges
Since its establishment at East China Normal University in 2013, the NYU Shanghai Library has been providing faculty, students and staff with a full range of reference services, including electronic resources, global delivery, citation inquiry and instruction. After relocating to NYU Shanghai’s campus in Pudong in 2014, the Library joined forces with Pudong Library--one of the largest libraries in China--connecting both local and NYU Shanghai communities with opportunities for sharing education and research.
Masters' Words—Faculty Speech Series
Jointly launched by the two libraries in February 2016, the Masters' Words—Faculty Speech Series set the stage for professors from NYU Shanghai to deliver thematic academic research on various topics in the form of accessible public lectures. To date, the lectures have covered culture, finance, economy, geography, mathematics, and politics, and have been well received by a growing public audience.
The series was opened by Lena Scheen, Assistant Professor of Global China Studies, with a lecture about her research into Shanghai’s past, present and imagined future, explored through the personal accounts from Shanghainese people who have lived through the city’s most transformational period.
Other lectures have included the personal experience and research of Zhang Jun, professor of physics and mathematics, who conducted experiments in the Antarctic, as well as a literary comparison of Junxiang Ji’s The Orphan of Zhao and Shakespeare’s Hamlet, presented by Lecturer Chen Lin, based on western and eastern cultural perspectives.
In February 2018, the Pudong Library looks forward to welcoming Visiting Assistant Professor Alvin Chen, who will give a talk on the legacy of digital culture and science education.
Volunteers of the English Corner
Organized by the Pudong Library, the English Corner is where local elementary and middle school students come to gain an understanding of multicultural perspectives under the English language tutelage of NYU Shanghai student volunteers.
Coordinating with Pudong Library staff, volunteers hold biweekly activities including planned readings and discussions that have ranged from elephant protection to Greek mythology, recreational mathematics, and more.
“Volunteer work is not easy, but I find the experience very rewarding. It allows me to reflect on how volunteering can impact youth education,” said Ruiyu Wang ‘21, team leader of NYU Shanghai’s English Corner volunteers.
Sharing Resources Through Interlibrary Loan
Resource sharing is another collaborative benefit between the libraries, and since September, the Pudong Library has been regularly loaning between 500 to 1000 new Chinese books to the NYU Shanghai Library, with new books circulating every six months.
The Pudong Library has also granted the NYU Shanghai community a special channel for library card application--granting access to all of Shanghai’s libraries and services, including borrowing books without a deposit.
To apply for a card, simply email a request to the NYU Shanghai Library at shanghai.library@nyu.edu.
For the Library’s 2018 schedule and more information please click here.