University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Main Library, USA
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Main Library is located on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in Urbana, Illinois, the United States of America. The Thammasat University Library owns several books published by the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
Among them is the copy of a Ph.D. dissertation in law, A comparative study of confession law: the lesson for Thailand regarding the exclusionary rule and confession admissibility standard.
Copies of this thesis are available in the Theses Stacks of the Sanya Dharmasakti Library, TU Faculty of Law, Tha Prachan campus. Its author is Police Colonel Siriphon Kusonsinwut, Deputy Commander of the Criminal Affairs and Litigation Division of the Royal Thai Police. Dr. Siriphon has participated in seminars at the German-Southeast Asian Center of Excellence for Public Policy and Good Governance (CPG), based at the TU Faculty of Law.
A Doctor of Juridical Science degree thesis (J.S.D.) in the TU Library collection also originated at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. It is Consumer bankruptcy in Thailand by Dr. Kanok Jullamon, who works for the Thailand Bankruptcy Division of the Supreme Court Office of the Judiciary.
After studying at the Illinois Program in Law, Behavior, and Social Science at the University of Illinois College of Law, Dr. Kanok has been associated with Thailand Court of Justice where he drafts and reviews court decisions and orders for justices in the areas of bankruptcy and business reorganization. Dr. Kanok earned a bachelor of laws degree from Chulalongkorn University and master of laws degrees from New York University and the University of Chicago, before receiving his doctorate from the University of Illinois. Dr. Kanok has written extensively on consumer, business, and international bankruptcy as well as foreign court and case management.
An impressive collection
As the website of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Main Library explains, the library
holds more than 14 million volumes and 24 million other items and materials in all formats, languages, and subjects, including 9 million microforms, 120,000 serials, 148,000 audio-recordings, over 930,000 audiovisual materials, over 280,000 electronic books, 12,000 films, millions of pages of manuscript materials, and 650,000 maps.
Among its treasures is a copy of The Birds of America, an illustrated book with hundreds of hand-coloured, life-size prints by the naturalist and painter John James Audubon, published in the early 1800s.
Among other special collections is one dedicated to the 20th century American poet and biographer Carl Sandburg, who was born in Illinois. The TU Library owns a copy of Sandburg’s celebrated two-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln. It was donated to the TU Library by Ajarn Adul Wichiencharoen and is shelved in the Adul Wichiencharoen Room, Underground 2 level, Pridi Banomyong Library, Tha Prachan campus. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Main Library also possesses a noteworthy collection of the writings of Winston Churchill, the British statesman, army officer, and author. The TU Library owns several books by and about Winston Churchill.
Library innovations
One of the interesting ideas in collection development advanced by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Main Library is its collection of Faculty Bookplates.
When ajarns at the university receive tenure, meaning that they acquire a permanent post as professor, or when they are promoted in rank, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Main Library celebrates the occasion. Professors are invited to commemorate the library’s status as a laboratory for faculty as they engage in scholarship… a record of intellectual achievement and an archive of all that we have attained. In 2000, Professor Paula Kaufman, then University Librarian, started a program in which each University of Illinois professor at a career advancement milestone is invited to choose a book to be acquired by the library. These are given bookplates, small printed labels pasted in the book, listing the faculty member’s name, rank, and year of selection. This program has continued through the current leadership of Professor John Wilkin, Dean of Libraries and University Librarian.
Based on the choices from last year, professors often select books that were important to them when they were growing up. Professor Xiaoling (Clara) Chen, Professor of Accountancy and Lillian and Morrie Moss Distinguished Professor at the Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Department of Accountancy chose The Story of the Stone by Cao Xueqin, translated by David Hawkes. Considered one of China’s finest novels. The Story of the Stone was recently acquired by the TU Library in the same translation. It is shelved in the Fiction Stacks of the Pridi Banomyong Library.
Professor Chen explains:
This enthralling 18th-century classic is the best Chinese novel of all time. It introduced me to the poetry, philosophy, norms, and aesthetics of ancient China as well as the intricacies of human relationships. The author’s profound compassion for women and egalitarian values were far ahead of his time.
Another University of Illinois ajarn decided to propose for library acquisition on the occasion of his promotion The Singapore Story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew.
Professor Huck Beng Chew of the Department of Aerospace Engineering notes:
The Singapore Story provides firsthand insights into how Singapore — my home country — transformed from a little known island nation into a powerhouse. My formal education in Singapore has allowed me to pursue my dreams here in Illinois.
The TU Library owns a number of copies of this book, which may be consulted at General Stacks of the Boonchoo Treethong Library, Lampang campus; the Pridi Banomyong Library; the Professor Direk Jayanama Library, Faculty of Political Science, Tha Prachan campus; and the Puey Ungphakorn Library, Rangsit campus.
Professor Julie Cidell, who teaches in the Department of Geography and Geographic Information Science, selected upon her promotion the fantasy novel The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley, stating:
This was my favorite book when I was growing up. I didn’t appreciate until I was older how unusual Aerin was as a feminist heroine. But she was always an inspiration, whether fighting dragons or coping with her lack of social skills. I still re-read this book now and again when I need support.
There is a copy of this novel in the TU Library collection, shelved in the General Stacks of the Pridi Banomyong Library.
Professor Stephanie Craft, Department Head and Professor of Journalism at The College of Media chose the book Public Opinion by the American writer, reporter, and political commentator Walter Lippmann. This work offers many insights about social psychology, politics, and government. Professor Craft notes:
I first encountered this book in graduate school and have returned to it time and again, fascinated by how timely, even urgent, the concerns Lippmann identifies continue to be for journalism and democracy a century later.
A copy of this book is shelved in the General Stacks of the Pridi Banomyong Library.
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)