What can I do with a B.A. in Japanese Studies?

Institution: George Washington University
Location: Washington, DC
Type: Part-Time
Education: MA required, MLS preferred
Deadline: Oct. 23, 2015
Posting Number: F000794

Contract Type:
Time-Limited Appointment (provide appt period) – 11/01/15 – 10/31/16, Renewable Appointment (initial appt period) – Annually

Proposed Start Date:
11/01/2015

Position Description Summary:
The George Washington University Libraries seeks candidates with a deep academic interest in contemporary Okinawa and Japan. The incumbent will join the staff of the Global Resources Center (GRC), a dynamic, multidimensional program whose members actively engage in shaping distinctive collections and services that reflect the University’s growing and rapidly evolving international focus.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:
The Librarian for the Okinawa Collection and Japan Resource Center is responsible for developing, planning and managing the services and collections of the OC/JRC to include: identifying and acquiring resources in English, Japanese, and other languages relevant to the study of the region; providing research and instructional support; processing non-English-language content, and developing, evaluating and managing strong interdisciplinary collections. The GRC is open to the public, with outside researchers and analysts as frequent guests.
The incumbent will be a member of the OC/JRC advisory board, conducts ongoing outreach to faculty, students and researchers, develops associated programming, and actively promotes the content and services of the OC/JRC to communities within and outside GW.

GRC staff members work in collaboration with the broader GW Libraries community to develop coordinated services and collections. These include the Reference Services and Education and Instruction Group, the Resource Description Group, the Special Collections Research Center, and collections librarians offering related services.

As a member of the Global Resources Center team, the OC/JRC librarian will participate in the ongoing development of GRC collections and services, and may actively engage in development activities and grant writing. The position reports to the Director of Global Resources.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Graduate degree in a social sciences or humanities discipline, with an emphasis on East Asia and with coursework relevant to the study of Japan;
• Reading and writing fluency in Japanese.

Desired Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Library Science from an ALA-accredited institution, or similarly appropriate/equivalent advanced degree (e.g. MLIS, MIS, etc.);
• Experience working with students and faculty in a college or university setting;
• Experience living, studying, and or working in Japan;
• Creative programming (donor events, exhibit openings, etc.) experience;
• Experience identifying, collecting and making available academically relevant content;
• Ability to conduct classroom instruction;
• Demonstrated success in developing outreach initiatives in support of academic priorities;
• Excellent oral and written English-language skills.

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: The George Washington University actively engages Washington, DC and the world. Our location in the heart of Washington places us at the core of U.S. government, policy, law and diplomacy. Strong, dynamic relationships between the University and its neighbors make GW a destination for internationally-focused researchers and analysts. The University’s academic community plays a pivotal role in establishing these relationships. Of note are GW’s globally-focused curricula spread throughout the university’s schools, departments and programs; the top-ranked Elliott School of International Affairs; and sponsored research efforts such as the Rising Powers Initiative, the Memory and Reconciliation in the Asia-Pacific research and policy project, and the US-Japan Legislative Exchange Program.

THE LIBRARY: The Fundamental vision of the George Washington University Libraries is to sustain and expand our intellectual partnerships with faculty and students across and beyond the university. From scholarly communication and open access initiatives to embedded instruction, and distinctive, specialized collections the GW Libraries plays a critical role in advancing the University’s strategic vision, including its long history of support for the University’s globally-oriented mission. Launched in the 1970s as the Sino-Soviet Information Center, the Global Resources Center (GRC) is now a significant research support arm of the Libraries. The GRC includes six specialized resource concentrations that parallel the university’s international priorities. These include the Japan Resource Center (JRC); China Documentation Center; Taiwan Resource Center; Korea Resources section; the Resource Center for Russia, Eurasia, Central and Eastern Europe; and the Middle East and North Africa Research Center. The GW Libraries is also an active member of the Washington Research Library Consortium, a nine-member non-profit corporation with a strong track record of successful partnerships and shared collecting.

Through generous support from the Okinawa Prefecture Government, the library has established the new position of Librarian for the Okinawa Collection and Japan Resource Center and a related content acquisition fund to support the development of strong Okinawa-focused resources to be identified through close collaboration with faculty, students, outside researchers and analysts, as well as an advisory board to be established. The Okinawa Collection and JRC’s expanding content will support the study of international and domestic policy, economics and society, history, culture, language, and linguistics as they relate to Okinawa and by extension Japan.

Full details on HigherEdJobs.org.