Welcome!
This guide provides an introduction to selected electronic resources for Korean studies. Most are available online, but some are digital products in other formats (e.g. CD-ROM) are also included. Please note that this is not intended to be a comprehensive list and that some sites may require subscription or registration. The majority of resources selected are primarily or entirely in Korean.
For more information on scholarly resources for Korean studies available at Harvard, please contact Mikyung Kang, Librarian for the Korean Collection of Harvard-Yenching Library or the Harvard-Yenching Library reference desk.
Research Guides for East Asian Studies
The following guides may be helpful to students and scholars of East Asia:
Harvard Library Collections
A number of libraries collect Korean language and Korea-related materials at Harvard.
Harvard-Yenching Library: Extensive Korean-language collection as part of holdings on East Asia. Humanities and social sciences.
Fine Arts Library: The Rübel Asiatic Research Collection holds materials in Korean and other East Asian languages on East Asian art. Fine Arts also collects Western-language works on East Asian art.
Data and Government Information Collection at Lamont:Collects a wide range of publications from the US government, including translations of East Asian media, as well as foreign government, UN, census, and other materials.
Harvard Law School Library: Foreign Law collection includes some materials in Korean, as well as writings in other languages on international law.
Tozzer Library: Anthropological and ethnographic materials, including many on East and Inner Asia.
Widener Library: Materials in Western languages on Asia, including Korea.
Countway Library of Medicine: Medical and public-health resources, including some publications in Korean.
Andover-Harvard Theological Library: Collects on religion and philosophy, including those of East Asia, in Western languages. Also holds a number of missionary publications and papers.
Korean Studies at Harvard
The following institutes and departments sponsor Korea-related events and courses:
- Korea Institute A central site for information about Korean Studies at Harvard, including talks, courses, scholarships, visiting scholars and so on.
- Asia Center Information about Asia-related events, publications, scholarships, and resources at Harvard.
- Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations East Asian studies faculty and subject language courses.
- Harvard Art Museums -- Korean Art Collection strong East Asian art collection, including Korean paintings and ceramics. Periodic Korea-related exhibitions and events.
- Committee on Regional Studies -- East Asia Master's program in East Asian studies.
- Harvard East Asia Society Sponsors events for graduate students in East Asian studies and organizes an annual graduate student conference.
Romanization
Although it is increasingly possible to search for materials in library catalogs, bibliographies, and of course online using East Asian scripts, knowledge of romanization is still very helpful. For example, romanized searches in library catalogs may allow you to retrieve materials in characters, Korean alphabet (han'gul), and Western-languages, or let you search for items from older bibliographies which often lack East Asian scripts.
In the case of Korean, the romanization system widely used by libraries in the United States (McCune-Reischauer) differs from the various systems employed at different times by Korean governments. It may also differ from the system taught in Korean language classes.
The following links provide information about romanization of Korean.
Korean McCune-Reischauer Romanization
Online tool converting hangul to McCune-Reischauer romanization. Created by Korean Studies librarians in North America.
LC (Library of Congress) and ALA (American Library Association) Romanization Table for Korean
Detailed explanation of the guidelines that many American libraries use to romanize Korean works for cataloguing purposes.