2025.05.27
The Library at NTHU has recently launched the Digital Archive and Open Reading Library, a free online platform open to the public.
Commercial e-book platforms have been springing up like mushrooms after the rain, but rare books that are out of print or have never been officially published can still be hard to find. With this situation in mind, the Library at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan has recently launched the Digital Archive and Open Reading Library, a free online platform open to the public without registration, making available a wide range of original written materials, including research reports, biographies, and historical accounts.
Head librarian Dengsung Lin (林登松) said that valuable information contained in materials such as handwritten notes, online posts, and local publications are easily lost to time if not properly preserved. The platform is currently collecting unpublished and out-of-print materials, as well as previously published works if the contributor holds the rights and grants permission for open access. For example, Jiaxin Camellia, co-authored by the award-winning horticulturist Tsan-Yu Tsai (蔡燦玉), is now available on the platform. This work documents more than 850 varieties of camellia native to Taiwan, and states that the Xiangshan district of Hsinchu accounts for 70% of Taiwan's camellia production.
Lin said that the platform differs from commercial platforms in its emphasis on maintaining free access to a permanent collection, with contributors authorizing the Library to preserve the work and make it accessible to the public for non-commercial use, while retaining the copyrights. The collection currently includes works in education, popular science, the arts, and local history, including 16 titles by former NTHU president Chung-Laung Liu (劉炯朗) as well as The Secret Book of Tuning by physician and musician K. Tsai (蔡克信).
In the platform's NTHU Area are found materials such as handouts, notes, and essays by faculty, staff, students, and alumni, which serve as a valuable addition to the university's historical and cultural record. Examples of works found in this section are reports from the NTHU's International Volunteer Team and NTHU president Jiun-San Shen's (沈君山) memoirs. Also found here are works by corporate authors such as the Chunghwa Post and the China Petroleum Corporation, allowing public access to information that was originally only circulated internally.
Additional highlights include two out-of-print historical works by Professor Cheng-Chung Lai (賴建誠), an emeritus professor of the Department of Economics, titled Braudel's Historiography Reconsidered and Annales: Economies Societes Civilisations. Lai sees this platform as a written version of YouTube, encouraging public participation and the spread of knowledge.
At the opening ceremony, Lih J. Chen (陳力俊), president of the Taiwan University System and former president of NTHU, said that the platform gathers scattered material and organizes it into high-quality e-books that can be legally obtained, an innovative approach fully in line with NTHU's policy of open access, adding “This is great news for book lovers!”
The Library is currently inviting submissions from the public. Submissions may include original works or previously published materials, as long as the author has authorized them for public online access on the platform. The platform is sponsored by J.K. Lin (林錦坤), former senior vice president of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.
At the opening ceremony for the Archive (left to right): Chien-Ping Lee (李建平) of Academia Sinica, J.K. Lin (林錦坤), Lih J. Chen (陳力俊), Dengsung Lin, and former director of research and development Ci-Ling Pan (潘犀靈).
Special guests at the opening ceremony for the Digital Archive and Open Reading Library.
Dengsung Lin explained that the platform is built on three key principles: permanent preservation, copyright protection, and free public access.
Chen said that the Archive is great news for book lovers.
Special guests at the opening ceremony for the Digital Archive and Open Reading Library.
Lin said that the Archive intends to increase access to materials hard to find elsewhere.
The Library is currently soliciting submissions from all sectors, and everyone is welcome to make a submission.
The Library at NTHU has recently launched the Digital Archive and Open Reading Library, a free online platform open to the public.
At the opening ceremony for the Archive (left to right): Chien-Ping Lee (李建平) of Academia Sinica, J.K. Lin (林錦坤), Lih J. Chen (陳力俊), Dengsung Lin, and former director of research and development Ci-Ling Pan (潘犀靈).
