The Char Collection and the Char Study Room were established by a donation to the Library from Tin-Yuke and Wai Jane Char. The Char Collection and the Char Room feature books and artifacts on Asia and the Pacific.
The personal collection of Mr. and Mrs. Tin-yuke Char is located in the Char Room at Kapiʻolani Community College Library. It contains over 800 books and journals in both English and Chinese, including the Chars' own publications. The Collection reflects the Chars' wide-range of interests in China, from scholarly works to popular readings, such as Chinese philosophy, religion, genealogy, history, language, literature, food and herbal remedies, and the arts, including Peking opera, Hakka folk songs.
The strengths of the Char Collection are Chinese history, literature and language, and genealogy. The history collection, mainly in English, focuses on the ancient and modern history of China, social life and customs of Chinese, and politics and governments in China. The literature and language collection, mostly in Chinese, covers classical works, including poetry, fiction and drama; contemporary literature from Taiwan and China; language textbooks used by colleges and universities in the United States; and Chinese-English dictionaries, including Cantonese and Hakka dialects. The Chinese genealogy collection, though small in quantity, is the jewel of the Char Collection. This collection reflects Mr. and Mrs. Char's interest in and devotion to the study and research of genealogy that concentrated on the history of the Chinese in Hawaii and Chinese immigration to Hawaii.
The Chars also donated to the Kapiʻolani Community College Library their personal papers, correspondence, family mementos, art works, selected manuscripts, and other items. (click the tab above to see the art works and mementos)
NOTE: The Char Collection is a divided collection. Materials that were part of Mr. and Mrs. Char's personal library are located in the Char Room and do not circulate. Materials purchased with funds from the Char Endowment are also part of the Char Collection, but they are shelved with the General Collection and may be borrowed.
BAMBOO PATH LEADING INTO TRANQUILITY,
stone rubbing from calligraphy of K'ang Yu-Wei in Liu Garden
(Mr. Char brought this home in 1930 from Soochou)
"Like the bamboo path life leads mysteriously to
new vistas and unknown turns"
woven bamboo path scroll & ceramic vase with dry bamboo
woven portrait of a woman dressed in traditional Chinese costume (left)
Chinese calligraphy couplet "hui duan qi zhen, lunna qi wu" (left), "ting qi zhen yu" (right)
Gifts of (from left): Beijing University, Aichi Kokusai Gaigo College (Japan), A chief engineer at Ministry of Geology (Beijing),
and Yunnnan Institute of the Nationalities
Gifts of: Lily Sui-Foung Sun
"the bird being the spirit that flies from your land to our land
bringing the people of Hawaii closer to the people of Aotearoa"
(green Nephrite Jade stone made and blessed by an elder of the Maori People)
Gift from Te Whare Runanga o Otautahi - Christchurch Polytechnic
(compiled by Sachiyo Fujita, Char Asian-Pacific Librarian: 7/9/2003)
Mr. and Mrs. Tin-Yuke Char, in addition to creating an endowment to supplement the library's Asian-Pacific acquisitions, also donated funds to establish the Char Asian-Pacific Study Room.
Although the Char Room is open for individual study and reading, the Chars did not want this room to be simply a quiet place to study. They wanted the Room to sponsor lectures, displays, presentations, forums, workshops, exhibits, cultural events, studies, conferences, and other dynamic, interactive activities to focus community attention on Asia and the Pacific.
The Kapi`olani library shares this vision, and has invited distinguished and influential leaders from the community to serve as an advisory committee to help us plan and implement appropriate programs. The committee includes business leaders, judges, educators, diplomats, and other prominent figures.
Through the Char Room and the Char Committee, the library intends to foster its program of internationalism, and enhance the awareness in our students and the community of the continuity between the historical past and the current events transpiring in Asia and the Pacific.
As a result of the mission and plans for the Char Room, special events will be held there from time to time. Also, the Char Committee will hold its regular meetings there. These and other activities will be scheduled by the library administration, and may limit the Room's availability for individual study.
Also, much of the Chars' personal library, along with manuscripts for several of their books, correspondence, and other personal effects are kept in the room. At the Chars' request, these materials are restricted to the Char Room. An item may be removed for photocopying downstairs, but the user must sign for the item and return it immediately.
Due to the special nature of the Char Room and its contents, it is not an appropriate location for any meetings or activities other than those specifically relating to the Char Room programs. Exceptions must be approved by the Head Librarian.
Char Room hours will vary according to the availability of staffing. Persons requesting materials from the Char Room when it is closed should be encouraged to return when the Room is open or to make an appointment.
Char materials do not circulate.
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For more information about the Char Room or any of its projects send us an email to charroom-l@lists.hawaii.edu or contact the Head Librarian at 808-734-9267.
The Char Room is currently closed. Please contact us at charroom-l@lists.hawaii.edu for more information.
For more information about the Char Asian-Pacific Study Room and Collection, please contact us at charroom-l@lists.hawaii.edu.