FACULTY & AP POSITION REQUEST
Proposing Division,
Unit, Group or
Individual
Asian Library, Area Studies Division
Proposed Title
Japanese/Korean Studies Librarian
Faculty Rank
Tenured or Tenure-Track Assistant Professor or above
Estimated Salary
$47,000+ or appropriate to experience and rank
Potential sources of
funding for position
Anticipated vacant faculty position as of 8/15/10
Reports to
Head, Asian Library
Recommended time
frame for filling
(immediate need, 6
months, 1 year, etc.) and
explanation
In anticipation of the departure of our Japanese Studies
Librarian by August 15, 2010, I propose to fill the position
with expanded responsibility to include Korean Studies by
fall 2010 to ensure continued service. A search for a
permanent replacement would need to start as soon as
possible in order to have this position filled by August 16,
2010, as a search usually takes 6 months from the time the
search committee has been appointed. This is a critical
faculty position that serves not only the Department of East
Asian Languages & Cultures and the Center for East Asian
and Pacific Studies but also a large number of faculty and
international student body on campus and community users
in Champaign-Urbana and the State of Illinois. The impact
of delaying or not filling this position would be devastating
to the campus Japan/Korea related program as it would
render extremely limited support for teaching and research in
the area. It would be detrimental to the Library as
supplemental collections and processing support from Title
VI funds would not be forthcoming; external funding
opportunities to the Library would be substantially reduced
for lack of a professional librarian in the area.
The strategic goals that are specific targets for this position
are:
1) Collect materials in all formats and in all areas of interest
Position Need &
Rationale: explain how
this position contributes
to the Library’s strategic
goals
to UIUC Japan/Korea faculty and students to meet current
and emerging needs of Library users.
2) Lead in strengthening programs that develop students’
abilities to access and use Japan/Korea related information
effectively and efficiently.
3) Expand the Library’s services to scholars and librarians
around the world. Raise the Library’s profile nationally
and internationally among scholars, librarians, and
university administrators.
While a Japanese Studies Librarian has been in place with
the University Library since the inception of the Asian
Library (formerly the Far Eastern Library) in 1965, there has
not been a Korean Studies Librarian on the faculty (except a
brief one and half year visiting Korean position funded by
the Title VI grant). Japanese studies has also been an
important and established discipline on campus; Korean
studies, however, is an emerging field in the study of
Northeast Asia across the country. While emphasis should be
placed on Japan studies, potential candidates with dual
language and subject expertise in Japan and Korea would
receive favorable consideration. The proposed position of
combined Japan/Korea specialist, with 2/3 time devoted to
Japan and 1/3 time devoted to Korea, will support the
campus programs in the Department of East Asian
Languages & Cultures (EALC), the Center for East Asian
and Pacific Studies (EAPS), the Japan House, and essentially
will provide resources and services related to Japan and
Korea in any discipline at UIUC. The University is also a
member of the consortium governing the Inter-University
Center for Japanese Language Studies in Yokohama, Japan.
Currently, the department offers the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
major and minor, Master of Arts (M.A.), and Doctor of
Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in both Japanese and Korean
studies. Other Japan and Korea related studies are offered
through different campus units.
Brief position
description and job
duties
A successful candidate would be able to contribute to the
Library’s strategic goals listed above and beyond.
Under the direction of the Head of the Asian Library, the
Japanese/Korean Studies Librarian is responsible for the
development and management of the Japanese and Korean
studies collections and services in support of the campus
programs in these two areas.
The Japanese/Korean Studies Librarian will:



Identify, evaluate, and select Japanese and Korean
studies materials/information sources in all formats;
Develop and manage acquisitions and collections of
Japanese and Korean studies;
Develop and maintain relations with vendors and
How might this position
evolve to meet
continuing Library
needs in 5-10 years?
Library EC, rev. Sept. 2006
publishers of Japanese and Korean research
materials;
 Provide bibliographic, instructional, consultation and
reference services to faculty and students;
 Initiate and manage gifts and exchange activities;
 Identify/select materials for transfer to offsite
storage;
 Perform original and complex copy cataloging of
Japanese and Korean language publications;
 Develop and maintain web-based information and
online research guides for Japanese and Korean
resources;
 Support digital scholarship on Japanese and Korean
studies;
 Serve as liaison to Japanese and Korean studies
faculty and students;
 Promote outreach activities to Undergraduate
students;
 Initiate and maintain local, national, and international
partnerships;
 Train and supervise staff/student assistants;
 Other related duties as assigned.
With the continuing growth of Japanese studies and
emerging Korean studies on campus, demands for service in
these two areas will remain strong and likely increase over
the next 5-10 years. This strategic position covering both
Japanese and Korean studies will fulfill the increasing needs
of the faculty and students who may not have been
adequately served in the past. I also envision this position
will evolve from serving users from more print-based
collections and services to more content-based electronic
collections and services as the fields mature over the next 510 years. The librarian will play an important role in
identifying, evaluating, and recommending information
sources crucial to the teaching and research needs of the two
programs. The librarian may also identify content for
digitization of a portion of our collections. Assessment of
both collections and user needs will be extremely critical to
meet Library goals in the next decade.