The William J. McCarthy Family Endowed Collection in Chinese Studies was established in 1986, by the late Mr. McCarthy. Bill (’60) worked in the banking industry in Washington, D.C., and Ashtabula, Ohio. He retired as president and chief executive officer of ABS Industries. At Notre Dame, he was a past chairperson of the Hesburgh Libraries Advisory Council. He is survived by three daughters—Julie Larkin (’90), Molly Matthews, and Anne Venters—and his wife, Bonnie.

With the installation in spring 2012 of the first East Asian studies librarian, the Hesburgh Libraries are working to refine this collection to more effectively meet the needs of faculty and students. The McCarthy Endowment has allowed for response to increasing demand for materials in Chinese studies. Purchases have included subscriptions to sources of official news and analysis of events in mainland China, communist and exile opposition publications, the leading independent Hong Kong newspaper, and an important Taiwanese newspaper. It has also provided support in continuing subscription to the full-text database of the Wenyuange edition of Emperor's Four Treasuries, and in acquiring research materials in literature, history, and religion, such as a 142-volume set of Fu Xihua’s Classic Chinese Drama Collection, a full-text database for a historical newspaper, and the journal Religions in China.