The Ohio State University Libraries invites applications and nominations for the position of Japanese Studies Librarian to join a substantial, responsive and high impact area studies program which strongly supports research and teaching at the University. The Japanese Studies collection is relevant and distinctive, reflecting the prominence of the University’s East Asian Studies Center, the Institute for Japanese Studies and the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures (DEALL). The Japanese Studies Librarian is a critical partner for these dynamic programs and leads the Libraries’ engagement and collection building in these areas to advance discovery and learning in a globalized, information-rich environment. The Japanese Studies Librarian is responsible for outreach activities, collection development, and research services that cultivate relationships and enhance teaching, learning, and research in the East Asian Studies Center, the Institute for Japanese Studies and DEALL. The Japanese Studies Librarian also builds partnerships to participate in shared practices that connect the Libraries’ learning environment, expertise, resources, and services with constituent needs.
Responsibilities:
• Actively engages and communicates effectively with faculty, students, and staff in assigned areas, developing strong working relationships and serving as liaison to the East Asian Studies Center (a pioneering U.S. Department of Education National Resource Center), to the Institute for Japanese Studies, to faculty in DEALL and to a variety of other programs with interest in Japanese Studies.
• Engages with faculty, students and other scholars to provide proactive Japanese Studies research support and innovative instruction in collaboration with the Libraries’ Teaching and Learning, Research Services and Digital Content Services departments.
• Builds and manages a distinctive, interdisciplinary, responsive research collection in Japanese and related East Asian areas in support of distinguished academic and teaching programs and promotes current services and collections. Assesses user needs to develop and maintain relevant, high-quality services and collections.
• Be knowledgeable about and be able speak to a range of library issues, including scholarly communication, copyright issues, digital initiatives, the development of new online tools, and the integration of information literacy skills into the curriculum.
• Analyzes trends in East Asian Studies Center, the Institute for Japanese Studies and DEALL teaching and research programs, stay abreast of scholarship in the disciplines themselves, and use this knowledge to respond to departmental needs.
• Actively develops regional, national and international partnerships and collaborations to advance the strategic directions of the Libraries, representing OSU in forums such as the Council on East Asian Libraries (CEAL) and the North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources (NCC).
• Supports and engages in fundraising, grant writing, marketing and outreach that strengthen the Libraries’ programs, in partnership with Advancement, the East Asian Studies Center and DEALL.
• Provides direct supervision of the East Asian Studies Program Assistant. In consultation with the Head of Area Studies and the Associate Director for Special Collections and Area Studies writes position descriptions, hires, assigns job responsibilities, coaches and mentors, conducts performance evaluations, and facilitates staff development and training opportunities.
• Participates proactively on library-wide committees, task forces and teams. Seeks opportunities to engage with local community organizations to promote Japanese collections.
• Collaborates with other subject, area studies and special collections librarians to develop interdisciplinary solutions to integrating distinctive intellectual content and services into the academic environment.
• Contributes to developments in the field of area studies librarianship through active professional engagement and research, presenting and publishing in appropriate venues.
Required qualifications:
• Accredited MLS or a PhD obtained by time of appointment required.
• Solid command of the history and major trends in research and scholarly publishing in East Asian Studies, especially Japanese Studies and the history of Japan, including digital resources, and with vendors able to supply appropriate materials from a variety of sources
• Excellent language skills in Japanese
• Excellent communication skills in English
Preferred qualifications:
• Experience as a Japanese or East Asian Studies librarian, or a comparable combination of academic and professional experience
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and creatively in a collaborative and complex environment
• Evidence of both professional initiative and flexibility
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and collegially with a diverse population
• Experience in developing and delivering innovative instruction and research support services
• Experience in using bibliographic utilities and databases to search non-Roman scripts
• Ability to identify and work with materials in other languages relevant to East Asian Studies, such as Korean or Chinese.
About the OSU Libraries Area Studies Program:
The OSU Libraries has built strong and deep area studies collections in association with the programs of OSU’s distinguished Title VI Area Studies Centers and related departments of language, literature and culture. As Ohio State aspires to be a globalized academic institution committed to responsible international engagement and its Office of International Affairs aims to “foster excellence in the study of languages, the history of arts and cultures and their societies, and international security,” Area Studies librarians partner to advance knowledge building in today’s dynamic and diverse global information environment.
About The Ohio State University:
Founded in 1870, The Ohio State University is a world-class public research university and the leading comprehensive teaching and research institution in the state of Ohio. With more than 63,000 students (including 56,000 in Columbus), the Wexner Medical Center, 14 colleges, 80 centers and 175 majors, the university offers its students tremendous breadth and depth of opportunity in the liberal arts, the sciences, and the professions.
The Ohio State University Libraries contribute to the University’s eminence as dynamic partners and campus leaders in advancing inquiry and discovery for OSU, the state of Ohio and for an ever expanding community of world scholars. Additional information about The Ohio State University Libraries is available at http://library.osu.edu.
Rank/Salary:
The position is a full-time, permanent, 12-month tenure-track faculty appointment and reports to the Head of Area Studies. Salary and faculty rank are dependent on qualifications and experience.
Benefits:
The University offers competitive benefits in the form of 22 days’ vacation, 15 days’ sick leave, 10 holidays, hospitalization, major medical, surgical-medical, dental, vision, long-term disability insurance, and life insurance at 2.5 times one’s annual salary. State and alternative retirement choices are also available. For a summary of benefits, see: http://hr.osu.edu/hrpubs/ben/fs-bensummaryreg.pdf.
Application:
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Preference will be given to applications received by January 5, 2015. Please send cover letter, CV, references, and salary history and requirements to Kelly Rose at rose.900@osu.edu. Please include Japanese Studies Librarian in the subject field.
Contact Information: Kelly Rose, Human Resources, 1858 Neil Avenue Mall, Columbus, OH 43210, 614-292-5917
The Ohio State University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation or identity, national origin, disability status, or protected veteran status.
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