The establishment of the Dr. You Bao Shao Overseas Chinese Documentation and Research Center at Ohio University Libraries in 1993 was a major milestone in an attempt to systematically collect, organize, and preserve the valuable historical documents to facilitate research on the origin, reasons, patterns, struggle, ingenuity, culture, society, economic impacts, politics, and contributions of Overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia.  This attempt is the result of the foresight of Dr. You Bao Shao who saw the importance and growing interest in the study of Overseas Chinese as a new academic and multi-discipline field.  At the Ohio University Libraries, we saw that such an undertaking complements our effort to further expand our world-renown Southeast Asia Collection.  Over the years, even under financial and staffing constraints, we have devoted major efforts to strengthen the research resources and have made significant progress in this far-reaching, monumental work.

        Now, the convening of the International Conference of Institutes and Libraries for Overseas Chinese Studies held for the first time on the Ohio University campus is another giant step toward furthering our aim to promote international cooperation among all institutes and libraries for Overseas Chinese studies in the world with an emphasis on identifying and implementing cooperative endeavors.

        We are most grateful for the overwhelming response and support received.  This conference proceedings represent the papers and reports from scholars and practitioners in the field from institutes and libraries around the world.  It is a truly international gathering for scholarly exchange of information on works in progress.

        It is our sincere hope that this Conference will not only be a beginning of our joint efforts on a worldwide scale but also be an important step to set a strategic agenda for close cooperation and coordination in the 21st century.  The Conference is seen as the opening of a new chapter in the cooperative and coordinated development of worldwide resources for Overseas Chinese studies.

        I am honored to be asked to write this preface for the proceedings.  It is only appropriate that I also acknowledge the contributions of many individuals at Ohio University who have strongly supported the Center over the years.  President Robert Glidden is to be thanked especially for his unyielding support throughout the years.  Ms. Julia Zimmerman, Dean of the University Libraries, has seen the importance of the Center and has been very supportive ever since assuming the Deanship last August.  Ms. Lian The-Mulliner, Curator of the Center for International Collections and founding Head of the Southeast Asia Collection, has done much to build the Overseas Chinese collection long before the Shao Center was established.  Dr. Liren Zheng, the Daniel Shao Endowed Curator of the You Bao Shao Center for Overseas Chinese Documentation and Research Center, is responsible for the planning, development, and operations of the Center and is instrumental in organizing this Conference.

        To Dr. You Bao Shao, our founder, and his son, Dr. Daniel Shao, both of Hong Kong, we are most grateful for their most generous gifts to endow the Center as well as the Curatorship.

        Also, our gratitude should be extended to many of the other unsung heroes who have worked hard behind the scenes to make this Conference successful.  To all the invited speakers and participants, we want to express a heartfelt welcome and our appreciation.