Chinese is one of the oldest written languages still in existence, and Mandarin Chinese has the greatest number of native speakers with over a billion speakers as well as being widely used in over 30 countries. As Chinese influence on the global economy grows, it has gradually become an increasingly important communication medium of commercial and cultural interactions for myriad industries throughout the world, especially in Asia. However, the number of students continuing in majoring and minoring in Chinese at Middlebury College has decreased as students rise into upper level courses due to the difficulty of the language. The design of the new Library for Chinese Studies will further support and promote the teaching of Chinese language study and other Asian cultural studies and strive to maintain and increase the number of Chinese majors.