How the Korean Digitization Projects Support Learning, Teaching and
Research at the University of Toronto
Hana Kim, Korea Studies Librarian
Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library, University of Toronto, Canada
hn.kim@utoronto.ca
Paper presented at the Fourth World Congress of Korean Studies, Seoul, Korea,
September 21-23, 2008.
The Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library at the University of Toronto is rich in unique research
resources relating to Korean Studies. Over the years, the East Asian Library has undertaken
numerous initiatives to digitize research information for the purposes of preservation enhancing
access. These initiatives have helped to facilitate access to important library resources for
students and faculty and strengthened the relationship between the East Asian Library and the
academic community.
This paper focuses on four major Korean digitization projects: the digitization of Toronto KoreanLanguage Newspapers, the North Korean Digital Photograph Collection, the Reverend Bayliss
Collected Works, and the Korean Farming Reports. The first of these projects is already
complete, while the others are still in progress. The aim of this paper is to describe how these
digitization efforts support learning, teaching and research relating to Korean Studies topics at
the University of Toronto as well as the Korean Studies scholars around the world.
1) Toronto Korean-Language Newspapers
The project of digitizing the two newspapers Minjoong Shinmoon (Minjung sinmun) and The
New Korea Times was the first such project ever undertaken by the East Asian Library. In April
2004, the National Institute of Korean History approached the East Asian Library to propose the
digitization of one of the Library's holdings: Minjoong Shinmoon (Minjung sinmun). This was
part of a five-year project of the National Institute of Korean History (NIKH) begun in 2001 to
collect materials relating to Korean history published overseas. After reviewing the Korean
collection at the Library, the Library also suggested including The New Korea Times in the same
project. This digitization project was an international collaborative project funded by the NIKH.
The two newspapers were digitized by the Collection Digitization Department of the University of
Toronto Libraries from April 1, 2004 through January 31, 2005 and uploaded in April 2006.
The National Institute of Korean History was founded by the Republic of Korea in 1946 as an
independent official agency. The NIKH is a government organization responsible for
investigating, collecting, and compiling historical materials relating to Korea.
Both newspapers had been donated on an ongoing basis to the East Asian Library by the
publishers. To Korean immigrants in Canada, those two newspapers are crucial sources of
information on the evolution of Korean politics in both North and South Korea. They are also
important research tools in the study of Toronto's Korean immigrant community. Therefore,
Korean Studies scholars and students now have easier access to these materials to examine
the construction of identities amongst the Korean-Canadian community in Canada.
Image 1: Minjoong Shinmoon
Image 2: The New Korea Times
Minjoong Shinmoon (December 1989 – March 1993) was a weekly newspaper published and
edited by Chul-ki Chung. This paper introduced Korean culture and heritage to the second
generation of Koreans in Toronto. It frequently commented on violations of human rights in
South Korea and advocated reunification with North Korea.
The New Korea Times (May 1982 – May 2003) was a weekly publication containing news from
Korea and also featuring articles on the Korean-Canadian community.
These digital newspapers are accessible from the websites of the University of Toronto
Libraries’ Local Digital Special Collections1 and the East Asian Library2. The collection features
approximately 7,420 pages.
1
URL: http://content.library.utoronto.ca/resources/collections/local-collections
Image 3: Toronto Korean-Language Newspapers3
In 2005, the NIKH sent a further 14 microfilm reels of the Minjoong Shinmoon (Issues cover
from 1979 to 1989) to the East Asian Library. With the addition of these microfilms, the East
Asian Library now has access to the missing years of the newspaper’s publication, and
therefore, the Library now holds almost all issues of the Minjoong Shinmoon in either print,
digital and microfilm format.
2) North Korean Digital Photograph Collection4
2
URL: http://www.library.utoronto.ca/east
3
URL: http://link.library.utoronto.ca/eal/web/digitization/korean/
4
I would like to acknowledge the contributions of Hyun-Duck Chung, who was a Faculty of Information
Studies (FIS) Practicum student at the University of Toronto for the “Developing the North Korean Digital
Origins of Collection
The collection of 153 oversized print photographs of North Korea was part of a larger donation
made by Mrs. Young Kahng in 2002 in memory of her late husband, Won-jin Kahng5. The
collection originated from her husband, who had accumulated a large collection of materials
relating to Kim Il Sung (Kim Il-sŏng), Kim Jong Il (Kim Chŏng-il) and North Korea in general.
Content and Scope
The donated collection consists of over-sized print photographs in both colour and black and
white ranging from 9¼" (23.5 cm) – 19½" (49.5 cm) in width and 7" (17.8 cm) – 19½" (49.5 cm)
in height.
The prints are accompanied by 13 over-sized sheets of English and Korean text providing a list
of captions pertaining to a particular image (or sometimes two images). Each caption is
matched to the corresponding image using a number. A set of small floor plans, indicating the
relative location of each numbered image, is also part of the collection. There are no negatives
for any of the images. The large size of the photographs and the accompanying materials
suggest that the collection was originally used to form some sort of an exhibition. The
photographs are organized into 8 thematic sets, each falling under a specific heading.
Image 4: Timeline
Digital Project
Photograph Collection” project from September to December 2006. Some of her report is included in the
present paper.
5
The donation consisted of 440 titles (752 volumes) which included books, audio and visual cassettes,
and several reels of 35-mm film and photographs.
In 2005, three years after the donation, the photograph collection was digitized in order to
provide improved and continued access to the collection. The digitization was done in
collaboration with the Collection Digitization Department of the University of Toronto Libraries.
In the Fall of 2006, other issues were also undertaken, such as an environmental scan of digital
image collections for best practices, attempting to clear copyright issues, establishing contexts
for the images, researching ways of conserving photographic materials, and creating metadata
for each image.
Digital Image File Size
600 dpi standard, uncompressed TIFFS and JPEG
A001-0-0
A001-1-0
A001-2-0
A001-3-0
A001-x-0
700 x 1,010 pixels
800 x 1,155 pixels
900 x 1,299 pixels
1,000 x 1,443 pixels
75 x 108 pixels (thumbnail size)
The Metadata Database
Metadata can be defined as “structured information used to find, access, use and manage
information resources primarily in a digital environment” (International Encyclopedia of
Information and Library Science, 2003, as cited in Inter, Lazinger, & Weihs, 2006).
The Library of Congress (LC)’ Prints & Photographs Reading Room was chosen as a model for
developing a metadata set for the East Asian Library collection because LC is an authoritative
body, had one of the most extensive types of catalogue records, and offered guidelines on
cataloguing graphic images.
The metadata developed for the project will be used to create catalogue records for individual
images in the future, providing access points through the University of Toronto Library’s OPAC.
Metadata records were developed through a combination of gathering available information and
creating appropriate information about each image. For instance, the captions that originally
came with the photographs formed one metadata element. Other elements such as the Date or
Publication Information were gathered through research. Elements such as Title, Summary,
and Romanization of Korean text were created for each image by the metadata cataloguer. To
maintain consistency, the following standards and guidelines were consulted and used: LC’s
Thesaurus for Graphic Materials and accompanying guidelines on describing and indexing
images, LC Authorities for subject headings, and AACR2R for descriptive elements.
Microsoft Access Database
The metadata records have been stored as an MS Access file due to the advantage of being
able to modify and add to the database according to future need as processing of the collection
advances.
Copyright Issues
1) North Korean Copyright Law
Publishing the North Korean digital photograph collection online presents a number of
challenges in obtaining copyright clearance. First of all, little was known about the copyright
ownership of the photographs. Scarce information was gathered from the donor and it was not
assumed that the collector (the donor’s husband) had ever personally held the copyright
ownership to the materials.
Also, since the collection seemed to suggest an exhibition, it was questionable whether any of
the photographs have been published. Fortunately, the University of Toronto Library collection
included a number of printed pictorial works published by the Foreign Languages Publishing
House (FLPH). The pictorial works produced by the FLPH generally follow a thematic sequence
that is closely reflected in the East Asian Library collection. For copyright purposes, it is
important to note that “[a]ll publishing houses in North Korea are owned by the party, the cabinet
or a social organization; individuals are not allowed to organize or operate publishing houses”
(North Korea Handbook, 2003, p. 424).
2) Canadian Copyright Law
In Canada, “Copyright comes into existence automatically, at the time the work was created,
and, in the case of most works, it continues until the end of the calendar year in which the
author of the work dies (regardless of whether the author has sold or assigned the copyright in
the work or not), and continues for an additional period of 50 years.
There are some notable exceptions to this rule however. One such exception relates to
photographs, which are protected by copyright from the time the photograph was taken, up until
the end of the calendar year in which the photograph was taken, and for an additional period of
50 years (that is, the termination date of copyright protection for photographs is linked to the
date the photograph was taken, and not the date of the photographer’s death).”
Because North Korea is a foreign country, international copyright treaties need to be considered.
Copyright ownership of foreign works is considered only if a given country is party to the Berne
Convention or the World Intellectual Property Organization Agreement. North Korea has been a
member of WIPO since 1978, but has only recently joined the Berne Convention in 2003.
WIPO’s country profile for North Korea presents a gap in their “Copyright and Related Rights”
section, which simply reads “Information not available.” What is certain, however, is that at least
some of the images are not in the public domain, and therefore permission from the copyright
owner must be obtained before reproducing the collection online. At present, the Korea Studies
Librarian is attempting to confirm copyright ownership of the photographs through a Japanese
vendor of North Korean materials, and a North Korean vendor. Initial responses from the
vendors have been enthusiastic about providing their services but vague about handling
copyright issues in an authoritative manner, and suggest the need for strategic negotiation in
working with them.
The Complexity of Handling Copyright Issues
There are two other layers of complexity in handling copyright issues for the East Asian Library
collection. One is that the collection deals with photographic images, and this area of copyright
appears to be less clear than that for text publications. The second is the digital format of the
project. Although the exceptions included in the Canadian Copyright Act (2006), such as Fair
Dealing and Educational Institutions, can allow some flexibility for libraries to make published
material accessible to its users, the applicability of such clauses to digitization is unclear.
Although there is some guidance on what constitutes valid reasons for reproducing materials
using photocopiers and for collection management purposes, there is no explicit consideration
of producing copies for digital collections online.
At present the priority is to confirm copyright holdings by the Foreign Languages Publishing
House, directly or indirectly through a vendor. Negotiating the right to allow reproductions of the
materials online may require legal consultation. Alternatively, the outcome of the project may be
limited to providing access through the University of Toronto Library’s OPAC and providing an
image database restricted to local searching by primary users of the university. In addition,
insufficient funding to obtain copyright of the photograph collection poses another problem.
FADIS6: As An Alternative Solution?
FADIS (Fine Art Digital Imaging System) is a content management system initially conceived as
a means of managing digital images for the Department of Art at the University of Toronto for
the teaching, studying and researching of art, architecture and visual culture, combining digital
management of electronic resources with a courseware system and providing an intuitive
interface that reflects higher educational teaching needs. Access to this system is restricted only
to the University of Toronto students and faculty members.
As it effectively restricts access to the images to the University of Toronto community, FADIS
could be a possible solution for copyright protection of the North Korean Photograph Collection.
However, complicated issues arise when Korean scholars around the world wish to access this
rare photographic collection on North Korea. Their needs cannot be met unless this collection is
made more widely accessible to those outside the University of Toronto Community.
Future Phases
Digitizing the images serves as one means to preserve the visual content of the collection while
at the same time facilitating access to the material. Using the digital surrogate images will
lessen the need to handle the original materials and the wear and tear that accompanies it.
A new practicum project will take place from January to April 2009 in which the images will be
catalogued and the original photographs will be preserved.
Benefits
It is felt that this project will be beneficial to many people, including those in the fields of Korean
Studies, Political Science and Economics and other fields. A fully catalogued digital photograph
collection would be useful to support the growing Korea Studies curriculum, in light of the
establishment of the new Centre for the Study of Korea at the Munk Centre for International
Studies of the University of Toronto (as well as other departments such as Fine Arts). The
materials fall under the collection responsibility of the East Asian Library of the University of
Toronto as part of the Korean Collection Consortium of North America, to acquire materials in
Korean military science and history. And finally, another broader audience would be the general
public in providing historical resources that relate to an important topic in international relations
and current affairs.
3) Reverend Bayliss Collected Works
6
URL: http://fadis.library.utoronto.ca
Image 5: Reverend Bayliss’s Donation
In 1994, Reverend Bayliss of the United Church of Canada donated his personal collection of
materials on Korean human rights to the East Asian Library. The donation consists of various
types of documents such as newsletters, personal letters, human rights reports and
miscellaneous documents related to Korea.
The earliest document can be dated back to the late 1970’s and the latest to in the 1990’s.
Some of them were published in South Korea and translated into English, but most of them
were published in North America by people concerned about human rights suppression in South
Korea. Many of the publishers were either a branch of church groups, or joint church
associations. For example, the North American Coalition for Human Rights in Korea (now
known as The Korea Church Coalition for Peach, Justice, and Reunification), was formed by
Roman Catholics and Protestants. They were concerned about human rights in South Korea,
and supported the Korean democracy movement.
The East Asian Library has been working on The Reverend Bayliss Collection since September
2006. The Library sorted the materials chronologically and summarized the contents of each
document, inputting the metadata to an Excel file. At present, the Library has completed the
first phase of the project.
Currently, this project is still in its intermediate stages. The Korea Studies Librarian is
undertaking research for the second phase of the project which may entail creating a database
and uploading images of each document in the collection. Due to copyright issues, the Korea
Studies Librarian is currently researching other institutions’ practices with similar types of
collections. The expertise of specialists in this type of subject matter will also need to be
consulted.
4) Korean Farming Reports
Image 6: Korean Farming Reports
On October 6, 2006, Mr. Samuel Sukhong Min (閔碩泓) and Mrs. Yunice Kyungnam Min
(Maiden name: Kyungnam Yun, 尹慶男) have donated some 282 Korean farming reports to the
Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library. Mr. and Mrs. Min inherited these materials from the father
of Mr. Min, Min Kyŏng-hwi (閔庚煇, 1903-1978), who was the former director of Namsan Public
Library in Seoul, who received them from his mother, Yu Chin-gyŏng (兪鎭卿, 1879-1973).
These documents were submitted by each tenant farmer(小作農 sojangnong) to their landlords,
presumably from the late Chosŏn dynasty (1890’s) until the end of Japanese Colonial rule in
1945. However, in the Chosŏn dynasty the tenant farmers were mostly illiterate, so these
reports were written by a nonggam (farm overseer) on their behalf.
Although it is unclear which ancestor of Mr. Min was the recipient of these documents, two of his
ancestors are most likely to have been landlords. It may have been either Min Pyŏng-sŏk
(閔丙奭, 1858-1940), the Home Secretary of the Palace during the Chosŏn period, or it may
have been Min Hyŏng-gi (閔亨基, 1880-1912), the grandfather of Mr. Min, who was royal
secretary of the Bureau of Secretariat (祕書院 Pisŏwŏn).
Mr. Min is a member of the Sambangp'a (三房派) branch of the Yŏhŭng (驪興) Min family. This
family is a well-known one in Korean history and included the following two famous historical
figures from this family who had a significant influence on the Korean history:
•
Queen Min (明成 皇后 Myŏngsŏng Hwanghu, 1851-1895) - wife of King Kojong (高宗,
1852-1919), the 26th King of the Chosŏn dynasty
•
Min Yŏng-hwan (閔泳煥, 1861-1905) - a civil minister and a patriotic martyr in the late
Chosŏn dynasty who protested against the Ŭlsa Treaty with Japan in 1905. Once the
treaty was arranged, he showed his devotion to the Korean nation by committing suicide.
For this reason, original source material on this family such as these reports is especially worth
preserving.
Although Mr. and Mrs. Min are strongly attached to these reports, they donated them to the East
Asian Library in order to provide the University of Toronto community invaluable historical
sources on the rural conditions during the late Chosŏn dynasty.
This project is still in its very early stages. The Academy of Korean Studies is interested in
translating there original documents from the classical Chinese into Korean and providing
interpretation. However, it is still unclear from which side the funding for the digitization of these
materials will come.
The above is a brief outline of the Korean digitization projects currently being undertaken at the
Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library of the University of Toronto. It is hoped that by continuing to
facilitate wider access to such unique materials in the library’s collection, we will contribute to
the overall worldwide knowledge base on Korea. At the same time, we continue to learn and
deepen our knowledge of the issues involved in digitization, a key area which will undoubtedly
become increasingly important as we seek to foster Korean Studies scholarship in the 21st
century.
Bibliography
Lazinger, Susan i, and Jean Weihs. "Metadata." International Encyclopedia of Information and
Library Science. Ed. John Feather and Paul Sturges. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2003.
North Korea Handbook. New York: M. E. Sharpe, 2003.
Richard, Hugues G., and Laurent Carriere. Canadian Copyright Act annotated. Scarborough,
Ont.: Carswell, 2006.