Miriam SEEGER, Modern China Studies Librarian 

What do you do at the Library?

I joined the Library in October 2021 as Modern China Studies Librarian. My responsibilities include collection development and management as well as liaison work for modern China studies. This includes supporting the faculty by building up a collection meaningful for their research and teaching needs as well as supporting faculty and students by providing research consultation or training sessions. I am further engaged in outreach activities with relevance to Modern China studies.

The second area of my responsibilities is managing and developing different Modern China studies special collections of the Library. Most well-known among these is the Universities Service Centre (USC) for China Studies Collection with its extensive holdings of material relevant for studying the history, society, economy, and political institutions and administration of the People’s Republic of China. Together with a team of library staff I maintain the daily operation of the USC Collection and support students, faculty and visiting scholars in their research by providing information services tailored for their specific needs.

What is your educational background and work experience?

My educational background is twofold, Chinese studies – with a focus on modern / contemporary China – and library and information science. When I was studying Chinese studies at Heidelberg University, Germany, I was working at the library of the Institute of Chinese Studies and later at the University Library. After obtaining my MA and PhD degree at Heidelberg University in Chinese studies, I decided to bring my previous working experience to a more professional level. I undertook  a post-graduate two-year master's degree program for library and information science at Berlin State Library together with Humboldt University’s Berlin School of Library and Information Science.

Before I had the opportunity  to join CUHK Library, I was a Subject Specialist Librarian for Chinese Studies at Berlin State Library’s East Asia Department. In this position I was  involved in collection development and research support as well as coordination of a project and web-portal called CrossAsia that provides nationwide access to electronic databases and open access tools for digital scholarship with relevance to East Asian studies.

You are most welcome to contact me for any modern China studies collection-related issues.
 (852) 3943 1521    miriamseeger@cuhk.edu.hk