In this collection of essays written by the former head of the Library of Congress Chinese Collection, Chi Wang chronicles the modest beginnings of the Chinese Collection at the Library of Congress and his crusade to transform it into the largest collection and Chinese cultural presence outside Asia.

For anyone who has ever wondered what goes on inside the marble walls of one of the country’s oldest federal institutions, Wang relates an insider’s account of the major milestones and changes to the administration of the Collection over the years. Readers will be surprised not only to learn about some of the rare and priceless books that have found their way to the Library of Congress but also by the candor with which Wang shares his story about serving under three different Librarians of Congress, each with a different mandate and mark they wanted to leave behind.

Building a Better Chinese Collection for the Library of Congress has value as American library history but also serves as a useful introduction to Chinese historical archives and libraries. Select writings discuss publication and personnel exchanges with Chinese academic libraries, Chinese character encoding and library automation, and publishing activities in China.