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International Programs

Yale University Library's resources span the globe, encompassing the vast diversity of history, culture, and geography. We have outstanding international collections in over 300 languages and hundreds of Library staff members support the University's international projects. Yale Library is a repository of last resort for materials from many places and in many languages that may not otherwise survive. We are dedicated to collaborating with colleagues from around the world to ensure ongoing access to cultural documentation in print and digital form. Yale Library brings in librarians and scholars from overseas and is also a sought-after destination for a growing number of international librarians through fellowships and internships. The Library strongly supports Yale University's growing international programs by expanding resources and opportunities for international collaborations and through providing material and staff resources to Yale faculty, students, and staff. There are many funding opportunities related to international programs across the Library system. 

The Library seeks expendable gifts and grant support at all levels. We also seek to meet substantial endowment goals to ensure the continuity of our International Programs. Among our priorities are:

AMEEL (gifts towards a $2 million endowment goal)

The Arabic and Middle East Electronic Library (AMEEL) is the project umbrella for a series of major initiatives undertaken by the Library, many in partnership with libraries and information providers in the US, Europe and the Middle East. The program's mission is to develop an infrastructure for integrating digital content from diverse sources; to build and expand capacity for Arabic full-text scanning; to create significant amounts of scholarly, digital, fully searchable content; to make these materials available through an easy to use Web portal; and to develop technologies and protocols that facilitate interlibrary lending among US and Middle Eastern libraries.

Area Studies Collection Endowment Funds

Among the many initiatives for which funding would be especially welcome are those relating to the world regions of Africa, East Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, South and Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, particularly related to Arabic, Islamic, and Persian cultures/languages. (gifts towards a $1 million endowment goal)

Cultural Heritage Online Collections

Among the unique cultural heritage collections we seek funding to digitize and make available worldwide are those of rare Chinese books, collections from Jewish communities around the world, Latin American pamphlets and statistical data sets, theatrical prints, missionary postcards from Africa and Asia, and musical scores. ($gifts and grants per project of $50,000 and up )  Among a wide range of materials are the following examples:

  • Rhodesian pamphlets from the UDI (United Declaration of Independence) period (1970s/1980s)  (ca. 100 volumes)
  • Chinese Rare Book Collection (1,000 volumes)
  • Joel Sumner Smith original collection of Slavic language materials, the first Slavic collection assembled in the United States, over 100 years ago (ca. 90,000 volumes)
  • Vietnamese "Nom" script materials, in collaboration with the National Library of Vietnam
  • Jewish Communities of the World Collection (20-40 linear feet of materials)
  • The Economic Growth Center Collection in the Social Sciences Library and Information Services  (50,000 volumes)
  • The Latin American Pamphlet Collection in Manuscripts and Archives. 10,000 pamphlets.
  • American Oriental Society Collection (ca. 190 volumes).
  • Jewish Communal Registers Collection ( 9.25 linear ft in bound volumes)
  • Peter Parker Collection and Associated Pamphlet Reports from the Canton Hospital Missionary Society ( 20 linear ft of documentation)
  • International Public Health Posters (400 pieces)

International Travel Fund

The Library seeks funding for support of international travel by Library staff to conduct important work overseas and to maintain a network of international relationships. (gifts and grants of $100,000 and up)

International Program Support Activities

The Library seeks to create and sustain a highly visible programmatic activities focused on and around international issues, including named fellowships/internships; named lectures; annual conferences; workshops; and exhibits; and to sustain/staff these activities. (gifts and grants of $100,000 and up)