August 7-10, 2006 Thirty Chinese archivists will visit Yale University as guests of the Manuscripts and Archives department. They will be in the United States to participate in the Joint Seminar on Archival Methods, a formal program established in 1999 between the University of Michigan’s Bentley Historical Library and the State Archives Administration of China (SAAC). The seminar and visit to Yale are intended to introduce young Chinese professionals to the current practice and theory of archival administration in the United States. The thirty delegates come from throughout China and are selected by the SAAC based on their knowledge of archival administration in China and their ability to understand and speak English.

This year the seminar is scheduled to take place from July 23 through August 15. The first portion of the program will take place at the Bentley Historical Library. The second portion of the program is participation in the annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists in Washington, DC. The program continues thereafter at Yale University, where the theme will be “Yale and China.” University Secretary Linda Lorimer, along with University Librarian Alice Prochaska and Carrie S. Beinecke Director of Manuscripts and Archives Richard Szary, will welcome the Chinese archivists to Yale. Planned sessions will explore American archival practices by focusing on the preservation and documentation of American-Chinese interaction and history, primarily in Manuscripts and Archives, but also including the Divinity Library and the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. In addition, scholars Beatrice Bartlett, Janet Chen, and Pierre F. Landry will present on their research in Chinese history and culture. The seminar concludes with a visit to New York City by the delegation.