The library holds a collection of Korean rare books and special materials, including the Yi Sŏng-ŭi Collection, Sin sosŏl, and Conant Collection which are valuable resources for Korean Studies. These non-circulating materials are housed in ReCap and can be accessed by appointment by CU students, faculty, and staff, and non-affiliates. For more details, please consult 'Make an Appointment & Request Items" under the Rare Books, Special Collections & Archives.
This collection consists of materials related to Korea, donated by Theodore Richards Conant in 2008. Mr. Conant was dispatched to Korea as a member of the United Nations Korea Reconstruction Agency (UNKRA) in 1952. During his nine-year stay in Korea, he collaborated with Hyŏng P’yo Lee and other Korean producers to create newsreels, documentary films, and propaganda for the United Nations, broadcasting companies, and the US Army. He also produced independent documentary films.
Mr. Conant donated his entire collection on Korea, which includes 250 books and serials, 123 film reels, over 120 audio and music reels, over 1,300 photographs, and other printed materials such as scenarios, correspondence, pamphlets, and newspaper clippings. These materials primarily focus on the Korean War, Korean films, and Korean art.
Since 2010, the library has collaborated on digitization projects with the Korean Film Archive (KFA) and Korea University. As a result, 108 film reels, over 120 audio reels, and over 1,300 photos have been digitized. The remaining film reels, audio reels, discs and videotapes were digitized through the AMI Mellon Project. The 123 digitized films and 120 audio reels are now accessible via the Digital Library Collection (DLC) portal at CUL. The digitized photos and printed archival materials will also be available via DLC soon.
The Sin Sosŏl Collection consists of 155 exceptionally rare early twentieth-century traditional-style Korean popular novels. These novels were published in Korean script during the Japanese occupation and printed in thin booklets. Some novels are unique, with no other known copies in existence. These materials were previously microfilmed by the International Data Corporation and subsequently digitized by Brill International Publisher, making them accessible through the "Colonial Period Korea" database.
The Yi Song-ŭi Collection, acquired in the late 1960s, comprises 517 titles across 1,857 volumes. Yi Song-ŭi, an antiquarian book dealer in Seoul, was widely recognized as a leading authority on early movable type printing in Korea.
This collection includes 459 works printed with movable type (both wood and metal), 46 woodblock-printed titles, and 12 manuscripts. Hosed in over 700 cases, these materials are printed on traditional Korean paper made from mulberry tree fiber. A highlight of the collection is the inclusion of two early printed volumes (volumes 9 and 10) of "Yongbi Ŏchonga", published in the late 15th century.
37 titles across 94 volumes from this collection were digitized through a collaborative digital project with the National Library of Korea, and the full-text of the digitized titles is now freely accessible through CLIO and KORCIS.