What's in Pinyin, What's in Wade-Giles

Some Terms and Concepts

The conversion of catalog records in the East Asia Library takes place in an order determined by three elements: (1) class of material (monograph or serial), (2) type of record (electronic or print, full or brief), and in some cases (3) location of materials within the library.

Online records are electronic and are found in the UW Libraries online catalog as well as in Worldcat. Paper-based records (also called manual records) refer to fully cataloged and brief acquisitions records which are only in the card catalog.

A full catalog record has complete bibliographic information and a complete call number. This is in contrast to a "brief record" (also called an acquisitions record) which contains only basic author, title, and publication data. In the East Asia Library, pre-cataloged materials on floor 1 are represented by brief records.

As far as pinyin conversion is concerned, an important distinction is that full online catalog records have complete coding and have been converted by computer software while brief records (both electronic and paper-based) must be converted manually one at a time.

Most full online catalog records for monograph materials have been converted to pinyin by computer and are in the UW online catalog. Manual conversion will be done on an ongoing basis for electronic brief catalog records and paper based full and brief records.

The three tables below contain a summary of what type of materials have been converted to pinyin and what still remains in Wade-Giles. Dates are offered only as general guidelines.


Monograph Materials

Books, Microforms, Video and Audio Recordings, CD-ROMs, and Atlases

In Pinyin

In Wade-Giles

Notes

Most full catalog records for books, media, CD-ROMs, and atlases

Some brief records for pre-cataloged books processed prior October 2000

All brief acquisitions records created after February 1, 2001

All manual records for books in the Ch'iu classification (card catalog)

Brief records for pre-cataloged books and media materials processed prior to February 1, 2001

Records for Japanese and Korean books on Chinese topics may include Wade-Giles elements regardless of record type or location

Full catalog records for microform materials (non-serial)

Some online brief records for microform materials

Most online and manual brief records for microform materials (non-serial)

Approximately 20% of the Chinese microform collection is online. The majority of records are in paper format in Wade-Giles



The majority of records for Chinese serials are in brief electronic form and are being converted manually along with a small number of full catalog records. This is basically being done in alphabetical order by location. All serial titles in West Stacks (the main serials stack on the ground floor of Gowen Hall) are being converted first. When this location is completed, remaining titles in storage areas will be converted. If a title is in West Stack and also in storage, the record will be converted to pinyin in the first phase of the project. However, if all issues of a title are in a storage area, the record will remain in Wade-Giles until phase two of the project begins.

Periodicals

Journals, Magazines, Yearbooks, and Newsletters

In Pinyin

In Wade-Giles

Notes

Records for periodicals in West Stacks as converted in phase 1 of the project


Brief acquisitions records for new titles ordered after February 1, 2001

Records for titles in Kane Hall not yet converted during phase 2 of the project (phase 2 is currently underway)


Records for titles totally in storage areas, regardless of alphabtical order


Small number of periodical records for titles on microfilm processed or acquired after February 1, 2001

Most records for periodicals in microform

The majority of records for periodicals in microform are still in Wade-Giles and will be changed to pinyin in a separate phase of the conversion project


Newspapers

In Pinyin

In Wade-Giles

Notes

Most current and ceased newspapers in print format

Some records created before February 1, 2001

Isolated records still in Wade-Giles will be changed to pinyin as encountered

Some newspapers in microform

Most newspapers in microform

Records for newspapers in microform will be changed to pinyin in a separate phase of the conversion project


Back to pinyin conversion page
Last modified: Tuesday August 19 2008