Call for Participants: Japan Past & Present 2027 Library & Information Specialist Professionalization Workshop

The Yanai Initiative for Globalizing Japanese Humanities and Japan Past & Present’s Library Services Team are pleased to invite applications to participate in our 2027 hybrid Library & Information Specialist Professionalization Workshop, to be hosted at UCLA on February 20 and 21, 2027, and conducted in both English and Japanese.

This workshop will provide an opportunity for Japanese Studies librarians; information specialists and library staff who engage with Japanese resources; and aspiring area studies library and information science specialists to engage in critical discussions and hands-on learning with colleagues from around the world. Speakers and workshop leaders will address issues related to Japanese copyright law, image use, digital tools for library resource management, digitization processes, and more.

Speakers include:

• Ryō Akama (Professor, Ritsumeikan University)

• Adam Lisbon (Associate Professor; Japanese & Korean Studies Librarian, University of Colorado, Boulder)

• Shōji Yamada (Professor, International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken)

• Jennifer Berry (Rights Manager, National Museum of Asian Art)

• Dawn Childress (Librarian for Digital Collections and Scholarship, UCLA)

• Tomoko Bialock (Japanese Studies Librarian, UCLA) 

• Shirō Yukawa (Lecturer, Bonn University)
  

While the workshop will be held in a hybrid format, the Yanai Initiative will sponsor in-person participation for a limited number of librarians, library staff, archivists, and other information professionals who would especially benefit from direct participation and the networking opportunities the workshop presents. We look forward to welcoming to the UCLA campus participants based at diverse institutional contexts around the world, and at various stages in their careers, from aspiring information specialists to those with years of experience. Any specialist responsible for Japanese-language materials at their institution is welcome to apply, regardless of their background. The workshop will include time for discussion of library and information sciences as they pertain to the Japanese humanities more broadly.

The Yanai Initiative will provide travel and accommodations for participants who are selected to participate in person at UCLA.

Applications, which may be in English or Japanese, should consist of the following:

1. A statement of Interest (approximately 400-500 words in English or 800-1000 characters Japanese) explaining how this workshop will benefit your professional development, including, if relevant, any challenges to information specialist training and/or Japanese resource access at your current institution.

2. A CV of no more than 2 pages

Please submit your documents to Japan Past & Present Operations Leader Dr. Paula Curtis (admin@japanpastandpresent.org). 

Applications will be reviewed, and notifications sent out, by the end of November. Please address any questions to Dr. Paula R. Curtis (admin@japanpastandpresent.org).

Deadline:

November 16, 2026, 11:59pm PT
November 17, 2026, 16:59 JT