Scope and Contents
Correspondence with Tibetan language scholars, Tibetan religious and government officials, and others, 1937-1988; and related materials, 1950s-1980s, including research materials, notes, writings, and translations by Needham; subject files about Diluv Khutagt, Anzhai Li, Edna Bryner, and Tibetan materials in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library; clippings, other printed materials; photographs; and artifacts relating to Tibet, Tibetan literature and art, and Needham's curatorship of the Beinecke Library's Tibetan collection. Correspondents include Bstan-'dzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIV, and his representatives; Tsipon Shuguba and members of his family; and Chögyam Trungpa.
Dates
- 1937 - 1988
- Majority of material found within 1950 - 1988
Creator
Language of Materials
Chiefly in English; some materials in Tibetan.
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Wesley E. Needham, 1991.
Arrangement
Organized into three series: I. Correspondence, 1937-1988. II. Other Papers, circa 1950s-1988. III. Textiles and Objects, circa 1950s-1988.
Extent
20.6 Linear Feet (50 boxes)
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Abstract
Correspondence with Tibetan language scholars, Tibetan religious and government officials, and others, 1937-1988; and related materials, 1950s-1980s, including research materials, notes, writings, and translations by Needham; subject files about Diluv Khutagt, Anzhai Li, Edna Bryner, and Tibetan materials in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library; clippings, other printed materials; photographs; and artifacts relating to Tibet, Tibetan literature and art, and Needham's curatorship of the Beinecke Library's Tibetan collection. Correspondents include Bstan-'dzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIV, and his representatives; Tsipon Shuguba and members of his family; and Chögyam Trungpa.
Wesley E. Needham (1903-1992)
Wesley E. Needham (Yale 1954 MA honorary), scholar of Tibetan art, language, and literature, and Adviser in Tibetan Literature, Yale University Library, 1953-1992. Needham also worked for Bullard's furniture store in New Haven, and he was an architectural draftsman for James Gamble Rogers, New York City, 1929-1930s, participating in the construction of Yale University buildings including Trumbull College, Sterling Memorial Library, the Hall of Graduate Studies, and the Law School.
Processing Information
This collection consists of materials formerly classed as part of the Tibetan Collection; no uncataloged call number was assigned. In 2013, the collection received a baseline level of processing, including rehousing, minimal organization, and numbering of containers. Most folder titles were based on information provided by the donor or assigned by the Library for a preliminary box-level list created in preparation for exhibit loans to Sterling Memorial Library in 2012. Some names were updated to conform to Library of Congress name authorities. Folder titles were not verified against contents. Some materials originally housed with this collection, including the Edna Bryner Papers (Tibet Mss 65), uncataloged Tibetan manuscripts, Kanjur wrappings, and Beinecke Library bookplates, were removed for separate processing.
- Art, Tibetan
- B. Zhamsranzhav, Dilav Khutagt, 1884-1965
- Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
- Bryner, Edna, 1886-1967
- Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIV, 1935-
- Buddhism -- China -- Tibet Autonomous Region
- Flags -- Tibet -- 20th Century
- Li, Anzhai
- Needham, Wesley E., 1903-1992
- Photographs -- Tibet -- 20th Century
- Tankas (Tibetan scrolls)
- Tibet Autonomous Region (China)
- Tibetan language -- Study and teaching
- Tibetan literature
- Trungpa, Chögyam, 1939-1987
- Tsipon Shuguba, 1904-1991
- Yale University. Library
- Title
- Guide to the Wesley E. Needham Papers
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- by Karen Spicher
- Date
- 2013 December
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.