(The following text is an excerpt from the book Chinese Americans in Irvine 1971-2021.)
Before the internet became widespread, it was not easy in Irvine in the 1970’s for Chinese students or immigrants to get to see Chinese movies or read Chinese books. In the 1980’s, the University Park branch of the Orange County Public Library (OCPL) first established a Chinese language section to provide spiritual sustenance to Chinese immigrants. The person who made it possible was then branch manager, Carin Sung.
The University Park branch opened in Irvine in 1975. Carin was working at headquarters in cataloging and applied for a transfer to the public service department so as to fulfill her wish to serve the community. She assumed the role of head librarian of the branch. It had only been a few years since the building was completed and the library in operation. According to the 1980 census, the population in Irvine was about 60,000, of which 7,798 were foreign- born, 12.6% of the total.
Carin, head librarian of the branch for over ten years, says visitors to the library were not only students and teachers, but also included entrepreneurs, investors, housewives, retirees, job-seekers, and the homeless. Until the internet became common, those who wanted to look up stock information had to go to the library. One of the head librarian’s jobs was to propose new services to fulfill the needs of the residents.
Carin discovered that many area Chinese retirees who were living in their children’s households were somewhat depressed, having left their familiar homeland and were facing language and cultural barriers. She therefore took it upon herself to drive to the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles to borrow Mandarin language films. Much to the pleasure of the local Chinese residents, the library started monthly showings of Chinese movies.
After a good deal of effort on Carin’s part, OCPL decided to allocate funds for the purchase of Chinese language books. She went to the Evergreen Bookstore in Monterey Park to place orders, and to organize the first Chinese language section in the branch library. She recalls that the most popular titles were wuxia (martial arts superhero) novels . The most sought-after titles rarely had a chance to return to the stacks; there was usually a long waiting list.
Carin Sung also has a long-standing relationship with the South Coast Chinese Cultural Association/Irvine Chinese School (SCCCA/ICS). Although she has no children, Carin used to attend the Sunday adult brush painting class at ICS. She also arranged for artists to hold exhibits at the library. She served as Chair of the SCCCA Board 1981-82.
To acquaint other ethnic groups with Chinese culture, Carin once obtained from the Chinese consulate a loan of dozens of traditional Chinese costumes. These costumes and accoutrements ranged from the Han, Tang, Yuan, Ming, Qing Dynasties to the cheongsam of today. She arranged for their display at the Irvine library and Laguna Woods. Parents of ICS students were mobilized to model them on the runways to the thrill of the viewers. The parents participated in cultural exchange, and the community got to know the Chinese residents better.
In recognition of her success at the branch library, on her return to headquarters, Carin was asked to take part in establishing the Aliso Viejo branch. Many of the OCPL branches now have, not only a Chinese language section, but also other language sections. This development aligns with the multicultural trend that has been taking place over the past decades. (English translation by Sally Feng)
Orange County Public Libraries (OCPL) established a Chinese language
section inside the University Park branch In the 1980’s (Courtesy ofOCPL OC Stories collection)
1980 年代初，橙縣公共圖書館在爾灣市的 University Park 分館開闢第一個中文圖書專區
網際網路尚未普及的 70 年代，華人留學生、移民想看華語電影或中文書報、雜誌並不容易， 1980 年代初，橙縣公共圖書館在爾灣市的 University Park 分館開闢第一個中文圖書專區，提供華人移民所需的精神糧食，當時推動這項創舉的就是擔任該分館館長的宋惠雲。
橙縣公共圖書館於 1975 年在爾灣 University Park啟用爾灣市第一座社區分館，原本在橙縣公共圖書館總部負責圖書編目與分類工作的宋惠雲，為了達到直接服務社區的心願，申請轉到公共服務部門，80 年代初出任大學公園分館館長，當時這座分館落成啟用才數年。根據 1980 年的人口普查，那時爾灣市總人口約六萬，其中外國出生的居民有 7,798 人，約佔全市12.6%。
擔任大學公園分館館長十餘年的宋惠雲說，使用公共圖書館的除了教師、學生之外，還有企業家、投資人、家庭主婦、退休人士、求職者以及無家可歸的遊民。早年網際網路尚未普及時，一般人查股票相關資訊都要上公共圖書館，作為分館館長的任務之一，就是儘量想辦法提供居民需要的新服務。
宋惠雲發現，爾灣附近一些住在子女家的退休華人，離開熟悉的母國，面對語言及文化的隔閡，心情上難免苦悶。於是她就自己開車去向洛杉磯的領館借國語片，每個月在圖書館放華語電影，受到附近華人居民歡迎。
在宋惠雲的努力下，橙縣公共圖書館決定撥出購置華文圖書的經費，宋惠雲就去蒙特利公園市的長青書局訂書，著手規畫橙縣第一個附設中文專區的社區圖書館。她回憶說，當時圖書館的中文書以武俠小說最搶手，熱門的中文小說很少有機會被擺回書架上，總是有許多人排在等候借閱的名單上。
宋惠雲與爾灣中文學校也有深厚的淵源，雖然她自己無子女，宋惠雲每週日都加入爾灣中文學校的成人國畫班，也曾安排華人藝術家到圖書館舉辦畫展，並於 1981-1982 年間擔任南海岸中華文化協會理事長。為了向各族裔人士介紹中華文化，宋惠雲曾向洛杉磯辦事處借來幾十套精美的歷代傳統服飾，先後在圖書館及 Laguna Woods 退休社區舉辦歷代中華服裝展演，動員爾灣中文學校的學生家長登台走秀，從漢唐元明清到現代旗袍禮服，讓觀眾大開眼界。這些靠義工主辦的社區活動，不但有助於促進文化交流，也加深了華人居民對爾灣的認同。
由於宋惠雲在社區分館的服務績效，後來她再回到橙縣公共圖書館總部，投入籌建 Aliso Viejo 社區分館的工作。現在橙縣公立圖書館許多社區分館中，除了中文專區之外，還可見到各種外文專區，反映出橙縣人口數十年來逐步多元化的趨勢。（蕭迪玉撰文）