CEAL 2020

Meeting Schedule

Plenary Panels

CEAL Plenary: Strengthening the Organization and Empowering CEAL Members to Meet the Challenges of the Digital Age

Plenary I : Challenges and Opportunities of Digital Scholarship for East Asian Studies and Libraries

Keynotes

Peter Bol (Charles H. Carswell Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University)

Abstract: The goal of a cyberinfrastructure is, minimally, to make the metadata content of online systems in a particular field mutually visible. Taking Chinese studies as an example, it is easy to explain why we need to do this. It is far less easy to show how this can be accomplished and how it can be sustained. I will consider three options that have emerged since the March 2018 Shanghai conference on cyberinfrastructure for historical China studies.

Challenges of Interdisciplinary Education for Digital Humanities

Chao-Chen Chen (Professor of Library and Information Studies and Vice President of Academic Affairs, National Taiwan Normal University)

Abstract: Reacting to the double challenge of a declining birthrate and the dawn of the age of artificial intelligence, Japanese universities have started a discussion on the possibility of abolishing their humanities departments. Can digital humanities be the answer? Can humans be both sensible and rational, possessing a humane heart and a scientific mind at the same time? Is interdisciplinary study truly feasible? What kind interdisciplinary environment of the university should have for digital humanities? This is the biggest challenge for not only the fields in humanities and the fine arts, but also digital humanities and scholarships in the digital age.

Taking Stock of Technology Sustainability for the Humanities: A Funder’s Perspective

Patricia Hswe (Scholarly Communications Program Officer, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation)

Abstract: A technology infrastructure that accommodates the necessary stages of a digital research workflow for the humanities has effectively been in place for the last ten to fifteen years. What’s next—or what should be next? Some provocations and possibilities are offered in this talk, with particular reflections on sustainability challenges for digital scholarship infrastructure and services in libraries.

Q & A

Plenary II : Building Leadership Competencies for East Asian Librarians to Meet the Challenges and Opportunities Of the Digital Age

Keynotes:

Leading A Shared Vision of Enterprise Digital Scholarship and Digital Integration

Xuemao Wang (Vice Provost for Digital Scholarship and Dean of Libraries, Univ. of Cincinnati)

Abstract: The presentation will introduce University of Cincinnati’s enterprise digital scholarship and digital integration vision and practices. The presenter will also share leadership experience and lessons learned in the planning process particularly in alignment with the university's strategic directions.

The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with One Step: Practicing True Leadership

Maureen Sullivan (Past ALA President and Library Educator and Organization Consultant)

Abstract: Lao-Tzu offered this prophetic advice a long time ago. In the past six or seven decades a number of individuals have studied leadership in practice and many have identified competencies that correlate to effective leadership. Much of this good work has been accomplished at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in the United States. Maureen Sullivan's remarks will include discussion of the core competencies of effective leadership and presentation of a model developed at CCL for leaders to use as a guide for their leadership journey. She will describe the four essential skills of True Leadership and offer her guidance for determining your "one step."

Q & A

Poster Session

CEAL 2020 Poster Session

Establishing new collections via interdepartmental collaboration
Eric Buckenmeyer (Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison)
In spring 2019, I worked with Yoriko Dixon to prepare a collection of Japanese nishikie and other ephemera for digitization and publication on the University of Wisconsin's Digital Collections Center (UWDCC) website. Though Yoriko, who purchased the materials, belongs to the International Studies Unit, the materials were housed in the Special Collections department, and digitization and publication were handled by the UWDCC. We also consulted with Karen Rattunde, the digital metadata strategist, and Jesse Henderson, the head of the UWDCC, on how to organize the information Yoriko and I wished to append to the collection as metadata. I personally was responsible for acquiring letters of support from professors regarding the materials we wished to digitize, which were a prerequisite for the UWDCC’s digitization process. I learned from the collaborative process that the most important thing in order to accomplish large projects in major library systems is the boldness to inquire of one’s fellow librarians about issues within their purview. Beyond that, one must also be able to communicate effectively and consistently with relevant librarians to make sure that everyone is kept abreast of the project’s progress so that everyone will be ready to execute their assigned task when necessary. In this way, librarians can prepare for the digital future by recognizing that in large institutions, they can rely on each other’s strengths in areas about which they know little.

DIY: value-added archive processing through effective collaboration
Jianye He and Fumei Chen Lin (UC Berkeley)
The strategic significance of acquiring and processing of distinctive archival collection has been recognized by research libraries. However, lack of archivists makes it challenging for the East Asian libraries in the United States to provide timely access to their special collections, especially when digitization is not immediately available. By sharing our recent experience in collaboratively processing an important archival collection, we suggest that it is not only possible for East Asian librarians to play archivist’s role, but also we can add more value to the processing.
The C.V. Starr East Asian Library, UC Berkeley received a sizable and highly valuable archival collection from Chee Kung Tong (致公堂,also known as Chinese Freemasons) of San Francisco in May, 2018. Founded in 1848 in North America, this Society was well-known for its early support to Dr. Sun Yat-sen and Chinese revolution. The collection of the archives contains over 5,000 items, covering over 100 years. It is of significant interest to scholars in modern China history, secret societies and oversea Chinese studies, etc. To make this important collection accessible to researchers, we work together to process the archives collaboratively with our own strength: one is as a subject librarian that is perceptive of researchers’ needs, and the other as an experienced cataloger with previous archive processing experience. By consulting faculty, researchers and archivist, and particularly by time-consuming close reading of pieces of archives, we figured out the processing guideline, designed working spreadsheet, created a classification scheme, and finally finished a finding aid draft.

The Evolving Responsibilities, Roles and Competencies of East Asian Studies Librarians: A Content Analysis of Job Postings from 2008-2019
Tang Li (Univ. of Southern California)
Xiang Li (CU Boulder)
This study examines job postings for East Asian studies librarians to investigate changes and identify trends in the profession. A collection of 62 job postings from academic libraries in the U.S. and Canada in 2008-2019 was analyzed to identify characteristics and changes in the job responsibilities and qualifications. The findings demonstrate that major responsibilities for East Asian studies librarians have expanded to include collection development, reference & research assistance, instruction, liaison work and outreach. Relation building and collaboration are emerging roles for East Asian studies librarians. The study also reveals that skills and abilities have been progressively required more than knowledge and experience for East Asian studies librarian positions. In addition, top frequently required abilities and skills are generic and behavioral. The results of this research are of practical relevance to subject specialists in other subject areas.

Using Blog Posts for Professional Development and Team Building for Students, Interns and Other Staff Members
Kana Jenkins (Univ. of Maryland)
The Gordon W. Prange Collection, University of Maryland Libraries, launched its blog (in English and Japanese) in July 2013. Since then, more than 400 posts have been published on a range of topics, including staff favorites from an exhibition, new acquisitions, the status of digitization projects, and announcements for research grants. In addition to being one of the core outreach tools for the Collection, the blog has also functioned as an opportunity for professional development and team building for the Prange Collection staff.
Each staff member is strongly encouraged to write blog posts on their expertise. Student assistants and interns are also invited to participate. They reflect on their work experience in the Collection and publish a post, or a series of posts, on a research project using Prange Collection materials. For Japanese-major student assistants, writing blog posts in English and Japanese is also a good opportunity to add translation experience to their resumes. Working collaboratively to run the blog program has also functioned as a strong team-building vehicle.
This poster explores various examples of how Prange staff members use the blogs for professional development, training, mentoring, and team building. The poster also shares practical tips on how to strategically operate and maintain the blog program, demonstrating that it need not be overly time-consuming.

Leveraging the role of subject liaison as a catalyst for curriculum improvement
Wei Wang (Univ. of Virginia)
Media Chinese is an upper-level language course. Over the last couple of years, the faculty had changed it into theme-based sessions, using documentary films, audio materials and online resources to supplement her lectures. However, what the language professor most wanted was live expert lectures by native speakers who are specialists in the given subjects. Although UVA has been developing interdisciplinary classes co-taught by professors from different departments and schools, informal collaboration on teaching among the faulty doesn’t happen very often. One factor is that even though teaching in the same university, the faculty in different departments or schools don’t necessarily get to know each other. As the liaison to the Dept. of East Asian Language, Literature and Culture, as well as the East Asian Center, which crosses departments and schools, I’ve got to know the faculty in various disciplines. Through the support of our library’s Course Enrichment Grant (CEG), I was able to bring a Sociology professor (who specializes in China, also a Chinese native), and the language professor together, and incorporate the expert lectures (delivered in Chinese) into the Chinese language course. In the process of planning the new lectures, we also built information literacy and educational technology into the course. In fall of 2019, the Media Chinese had the following new elements added:
• Two lectures on One Belt One Road Initiative by the Sociology professor, with the Library helped select appropriate reading material in Chinese and provided the resources.
• Three short library instruction sessions, coordinated with the lectures and focusing on the resources in Chinese, offered throughout the semester to develop students’ information literacy competencies.
• Two sessions of media technology workshop taught by the Library’s Education Technologist to help the students produce more professional video segments for their final class project.

Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of UCI’s East Asian Collection
Ying Zhang (UC Irvine)
Year 2020 will mark the 30th anniversary of UC Irvine Libraries’ East Asian Collection (EAC). In the East Asian culture, something or somebody of thirty-years old symbolize maturity and success. The Libraries has decided to launch a series of activities to celebrate the milestone anniversary, which include (1) a six-month long (April-October 2020) library exhibit with an opening night featuring keynote speeches, EAC treasure viewing, East Asian food tasting and culture performance, (2) interviews with founding and current faculty, campus/library administrators, and other constituents, and (3) special guest lectures in spring.
The poster will serve three folds, first as a bold and loud announcement to the CEAL community, second as a snapshot of some UCI EAC treasures especially for CEAL members who won’t be able to see in person to have a preview, and three as a venue where CEAL colleagues will have an opportunity to record collectively perceived values and visions for EAC/EAL and EA studies library professionals on a delicate oriental style memo book that I will bring to the meeting and then bring back to be displayed on the exhibit.

Chinese Rare Book Cataloging: New Tools for Ancient Materials
Jian Lee (Univ. of Washington)
Digital technologies can make the challenges of cataloging Chinese rare books easier while improving the accuracy of collection descriptions. Cataloging such books requires specialized expertise of Chinese language, history, and culture to identify publication dates and to provide an accurate description of physical items and book contents. Standard cataloging trainings do not typically include the unique subject matter of rare book cataloging. For instance, as the Chinese cataloger in the East Asia Library at the University of Washington, I received no formal training and relied solely on the Cataloging Guidelines for Chinese Rare Books.
Recently, the East Asia Library brought in a rare book expert to lead a Chinese ancient book bibliography project, which has provided valuable cataloging guidance. This project will compile rare books in the library’s collection and create accurate descriptions of titles and classification matters. It has also entailed the use of rare book references and databases, such as the Chinese Academic Library and Information System Union Catalog of Rare Books, an online database of ancient Chinese publications, to verify editions, publication dates, and other matching criteria. These materials not only help researchers, but also catalogers without subject matter expertise, by using digital technology to compare library collections with electronic databases, which eases the difficulty in identifying editions, publication dates, and appropriate classification of rare books.
This poster will explore online resources and how to use them to assist catalogers who lack rare book expertise to catalog them. The presentation will also evaluate current cataloging guidelines. Visitors to the poster should leave with a better understanding of the technologies available to increase the accuracy and quality of rare book descriptions.

Using Non-English Sources in Academic Research
Risa Hatanaka and Josh Chan (Univ. of British Columbia)
As of 2019, it is estimated that there are now 362 East Asian Studies programs and more than 700 East Asian Studies scholars across Canada and the United States. Although scholarly interest in East Asian Studies continues to grow and expand in both countries, few research studies have explored how East Asian Studies scholars locate non-English language sources for their research projects. For this reason, we will address the following research question: What information-seeking strategies do scholars use when they conduct academic research in East Asian languages? This poster presentation draws upon a capstone project of two MLIS students from The University of British Columbia. We conducted semi-structured interviews with two scholars (one specializing in Pre-modern Chinese literature, and the other in Pre-modern Japanese Literature) who search for and engage with Chinese and Japanese-language sources in their research work, along with two Asian Studies librarians. The findings of the recorded interviews were analyzed using directed content analysis; the inquiry drew upon prior work that distinguished different kinds of information seeking strategies used by language scholars, and how they shifted between these strategies according to the types of information sources available/preferred. While we recognize the growing impact of digital and electronic resources in East Asian Studies, the results of our study showed consistency with recent studies that concluded that print materials, not electronic ones, remain the primary format sought by East Asian Studies scholars. This knowledge, combined with the specific information-seeking strategies used by East Asian Scholars can help system designers, publishers, aggregators, and support providers to better meet the needs of these unique groups of information users.

Contemporary Chinese Village Gazetteers Data (CCVG Data)
Yuanziyi Zhang (Univ. of Pittsburgh)
In July 2018, the East Asian Library (EAL) of the University of Pittsburgh Library System (ULS) initiated the Contemporary Chinese Village Data (CCVD) project to create an open-access online dataset of statistics selected from the library 鈥檚 collection of Chinese village gazetteers. This unique initiative has produced a dataset of significant value to the humanities and social sciences based on Chinese village gazetteers, which include quantitative and qualitative data critical to supporting Chinese studies in fields such as politics, economics, sociology, environmental science, history, and public health. The first 500 villages鈥?data were opened for access in October 2019 http://www.chinesevillagedata.library.pitt.edu In March 2020, a dataset including statistics from 1,000 villages will be made available via the ULS digital collections website. In this poster session Ms. Zhang, a student assistant for the project, will introduce how this project initiated, the working procedure and outcome, the collaboration between librarians and scholars, the feedback from users, the significance for teaching and research, the challenge, etc. This poster will cover issues related to East Asian libraries' initiatives and services from all aspects of technical services, public services, cooperative activities, etc.

CCM Program

CJM Program

2020 | Online Program

CEAL Plenary: Strengthening the Organization and Empowering CEAL Members to Meet the Challenges of the Digital Age

CEAL 2020 Poster Session

2020 CCM Program for CEAL annual meeting

Theme: Digital scholarship and Chinese studies

Committee on Japanese Materials (CJM) 2020