A dynamic organization devoted to library services for the East Asian studies communities in North America since 1958.

About CEAL

Welcome to Council on East Asian Libraries (CEAL)!

Who we are?

Council on East Asian Libraries (CEAL) is a standing Committee of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS). It was founded in 1958 as the Committee on American Library Resources on the Far East (CALFRE), building on earlier organizations going back to 1948. For more information about CEAL history, please refer to “Organizing for East Asian Studies in the United States: The Origins of the Council on East Asian Libraries, Association for Asian Studies” authored by Eugene W. Wu and published on Journal of East Asian Library, no. 110, October 1996. The video of “Life of the Council on East Asian Libraries” reflects recent development up to 2013.

What we do?

The objectives of CEAL are to serve as a forum for discussions about issues of common concern relating to East Asian libraries and East Asian Librarianship, to formulate programs for the development of East Asian library resources, services, and systematic organization of all types of recorded information and knowledge, and to promote interlibrary and international cooperation in East Asian librarianship.

CEAL Membership

CEAL membership is open to all current AAS members who pay CEAL annual membership dues (currently USD $30.00). In addition to its Executive Board, CEAL currently has nine standing committees and several taskforces. CEAL members are encouraged to serve on committees and taskforces and to run for office on the Executive Board.

Organizations sharing CEAL’s objectives may become affiliates of CEAL or its committees, subject to the approval of the Executive Board. Applications for affiliation or renewal should be submitted to the CEAL President with a statement of purpose, rationale, and other relevant information about the organization.

CEAL Publications

CEAL publishes Journal of East Asian Libraries (JEAL), a peer-reviewed online journal published semiannually in February and October. The entire set of back issues of JEAL (1963 – current) is available online at http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jeal/.

CEAL also conducts and publishes annual statistics on collections, budgets, staffing, and services in East Asian libraries in North America. All historical and current data are available online in the CEAL Statistics Database at https://ceal.ku.edu/.

Connecting CEAL virtually

  • The CEAL listserv is for discussions and communications among CEAL members.
  • News section provides updates on topics of interest.
  • Jobs section post job opportunities in East Asian librarianship.
  • Member Spotlight section introduces CEAL members, both old and new, to the community.
  • For more information about CEAL, please visit its web site at https://www.eastasianlib.org.

Inquiries may be directed to:

Su Chen, CEAL President (2024-2026)

suchen11@library.ucla.edu