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

Institution: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Department: Richard C. Rudolph East Asian Library
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Type: Full Time
Education: MLS or coursework toward MLS; or MA in Asian Studies with library experience
Application Due: 02/20/2014

Description of Institution and Library

As a partner in creating and disseminating knowledge, the Richard C. Rudolph East Asian Library (EAL) supports world-class research and instruction for UCLA’s East Asian Studies program. The library houses over 744,000 volumes in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages, which includes books, microforms, newspapers and serials, in the humanities and social sciences. The EAL currently receives over 2,000 serial titles and has access to 48 licensed databases online. The East Asian collection is strong in Chinese archaeology, religion (especially Buddhism), folklore, fine arts, pre-modern history and classical literature. The Library’s Japanese collection, with over 278,958 items, is strong in Buddhism, fine arts, literature, history, and folklore, while growing in modern intellectual history and cultural studies. In recent years, through collaboration with the Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies, the Library was able to acquire a number of notable collections, including the purchase of the Prange Collection (a microform set that reproduces 13,783 magazines and 18,047 newspapers published in Japan between 1945 and 1949); the donation of over 8,000 volumes from the Takabatake Collection from Japan; a donation of rare 1950 wire recordings of Japanese popular music; and the acquisition of the Hashikura collection.

The UCLA East Asian Library is among the top ten East Asian academic research libraries in North America. It currently has a staff of 3 FTE librarians, 3.75 FTE library assistants, and a number of student assistants.

Position Duties
The individual appointed to this position will provide academic support to faculty and students who are engaged in research, teaching, and learning in Japanese Studies. The incumbent will collaborate with other EAL librarians and staff as well as with the UCLA Library community at large to support the information needs of our primary constituents. Reporting to the Head of the EAL, the successful candidate will assume the following responsibilities:

Engagement and Service: Engage with faculty and students to have a thorough understanding of their teaching, learning, and research needs; become embedded in methodology and bibliography classes to offer services where teaching takes place; keep abreast of program changes and translate faculty and student needs into collection development policies and actions; collaborate with faculty to integrate information literacy skills into the curriculum; develop and deliver library instruction to support teaching, learning, and research; collaborate with faculty and librarians in the design, implementation, and maintenance of online tools and services that meet the needs of both discipline-specific and interdisciplinary research communities; collaborate with faculty, librarians, and students to develop digital projects, research initiatives, programs, and exhibitions.

Collection Development and Management: Provide leadership for collection development and management of the Japanese studies collection; establish priorities for the collection and periodically review and assess the collections’ needs; stay abreast of scholarship in the field and develop collections that support teaching, learning, and research; pay particular attention to new areas of development for the Terasaki Center and for the field in general; seek grants and other development opportunities to acquire collections; review original Japanese language cataloging and authority records.

Outreach and Collaboration: Seek opportunities to engage with local community organizations to promote Japanese collections held at the UCLA Library; identify grant opportunities and seek funding to support EAL community-centered initiatives and projects; reach out to the local community and organizations within Los Angeles to develop special collections that support teaching and research needs.

Professional engagement: Represent the UCLA Library in regional, national, and international professional organizations of relevance to Japanese or East Asian studies; participate in conferences and classes to build additional skills and update knowledge of changing technologies and developments in the field of Japanese studies librarianship; participate in regional, national, and international consortial collaborations.

Required Qualifications

• ALA-accredited Master’s Degree in Library and Information Sciences OR significant graduate-level coursework toward such a degree OR equivalent education and experience (subject expertise combined with professional library education and/or experience).
• Minimum three years’ experience working in an academic or research library.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to user-centered library services.
• Demonstrated evidence of initiative and flexibility.
• Excellent organizational, time, and project management skills.
• Capacity to thrive in the exciting, ambiguous, future-oriented environment of a world-class research institution and to respond effectively to changing needs and priorities.
• Demonstrated commitment to professional development and service through strong interest in local or national committee work, research and publication.
• Ability to meet the University of California criteria for advancement and promotion of librarians.
• Ability to work with faculty, students, and staff from diverse cultural backgrounds in a dynamic and complex environment within a large organization.
• A thorough understanding of research and teaching needs.
• A thorough understanding of publication trends and characteristics in the field, particularly scholarly publications in the arts, humanities and socials sciences.
• Fluency in Japanese.

Desired Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a humanities or social sciences discipline, with an emphasis on East Asian or Japanese studies, or equivalent knowledge in a related field of study combined with library experience.
• Record of teaching, scholarship, and active leadership in professional organizations.
• Experience performing reference, instruction, and collection development in related subjects in an academic or research library.
• Experience creating subject or course guides.
• Knowledge of one or more East Asian language, such as Chinese or Korean.
• Experience assessing, evaluating, and negotiating licenses for digital resources in East Asian studies.
• Experience collaborating with academic or research institutions in Japan for material or staff exchange.
• Experience cataloging Japanese materials.

General Information
Professional librarians at UCLA are academic appointees. Librarians at UCLA are represented by an exclusive bargaining agent, University Council – American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT). They are entitled to appropriate professional leave, two days per month of vacation leave, one day per month of sick leave, and all other benefits granted to non-faculty academic personnel. The University has an excellent retirement system and sponsors a variety of group health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans in addition to other benefits. Relocation assistance provided.

Appointees to the librarian series at UC shall have professional backgrounds that demonstrate a high degree of creativity, teamwork, and flexibility. Such background will normally include a professional degree from an ALA-accredited library and information science graduate program. In addition to professional competence and quality of service within the library in the primary job, advancement in the librarian series requires professional involvement and contributions outside of the library, and/or university and community service, and/or scholarly activities. Candidates must show evidence or promise of such contributions.

Full details at HigherEdJobs.com.