Background

The field of China studies faces a growing set of challenges. State censorship, heighted geopolitical tensions, and the lasting effects of the pandemic have exacerbated longstanding barriers to research at a moment when scholarship on China has never been more crucial. With the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, ACLS has been working closely with scholars, experts, and practitioners in China studies to study impactful interventions that respond to the collective needs of the field. Building on these efforts, ACLS launched the China Studies Digital Mapping Project in 2024 to organize support for scholars and institutions engaged in research amid a uniquely challenging environment. The initiative is funded by a $3 million extension grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to support the Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies through 2028.

In May 2024, ACLS convened a working group of leading China studies librarians to study a cross-institutional framework for common access and and resource-sharing. One of the outcomes of this meeting was the creation of the Open Database Resource Guide, edited by Joshua Seufert (Princeton University Libraries) and Luo Zhou (Duke University Libraries). The Mapping Project website builds on this work by providing a searchable directory of repositories with additional collection information that will be expanded over time. The website also offers a list of library partners at insitutions with significant China studies collections who offer walk-in service to researchers without affiliation. Future updates will include a new section of articles, tutorials, and templates detailing digital workflows for researchers and data librarians to be launched over the next year.

The Mapping Project website was built by ACLS Special Projects Researcher JM Chris Chang with expert assistance from Marii Nyrop, the Senior Research Data Engineer at NYU Libraries. Morgan Day, ACLS Program Coordinator for International Programs, provided art direction. The template for the Airtable database that maintains the directory was originated by Paula Curtis. The website is built with Jekyll using the Minimal Mistakes theme, and uses the Pagemaster plugin by Marii Nyrop for collection generation.


The American Council of Learned Societies

Formed a century ago, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a nonprofit federation of 81 scholarly organizations. As the leading representative of American scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences, ACLS upholds the core principle that knowledge is a public good. In supporting its member organizations, ACLS expands the forms, content, and flow of scholarly knowledge, reflecting our commitment to diversity of identity and experience. ACLS collaborates with institutions, associations, and individuals to strengthen the evolving infrastructure for scholarship.


The Henry Luce Foundation

The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to deepen knowledge and understanding in pursuit of a more democratic and just world. Established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc., the Luce Foundation advances its mission by nurturing knowledge communities and institutions, fostering dialogue across divides, enriching public discourse, amplifying diverse voices, and investing in leadership development.