The Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) at the University of Wisconsin—Madison is delighted to announce that the “East Asia in Wisconsin Library” program, now in its third year, is accepting applications. Full details, ideas for materials and programming, and a link to the application can be found at https://eastasia.wisc.edu/eainwisconsin.
Launched in 2020 as a way for CEAS to continue to fulfill its educational mission despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the program offers grants of up to $1,000 per library to augment collections with East Asia-related materials, and to design new book clubs and other programing with an East Asian theme.
More than 29 libraries in 12 different library systems throughout Wisconsin received grants through this program in 2021-22.
Examples of how libraries used the grant include:
- New mini collections on Korean K-pop, Japanese manga, East Asian cookbooks, and materials about Tibetan culture.
- Classes and workshops on East Asian Lunar New Year traditions, Japanese origami, and Chinese calligraphy.
- Book talks for all ages on award-winning titles like Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko and George Takei’s They Called Us Enemy.
“This grant is a way for our center to help library patrons across the state have access to the latest in current events, reference materials, children’s books, literature and film about East Asia,” said CEAS assistant director Laurie Dennis. “Hustisford Community Library used their grant to create 15 kits on East Asian themes consisting of canvas tote bags each containing two books and one DVD that could be checked out for four weeks at time. That’s just one of the many creative ways our Wisconsin libraries helped patrons learn more about East Asian cultures.”
CEAS once again partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the Wisconsin Library Association, and the Cooperative Children’s Book Center to plan and promote this program.
The East Asia in Wisconsin Library Program is partially funded by a Title VI grant from the US Department of Education.