25 Preparing for the Job of an Area Studies Librarian

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Introduction

This chapter explores the often-overlooked yet vital role of the area studies librarian in academic libraries. As an undergraduate student, you may have known that the area studies librarian is a type of subject specialist. They work on supporting the institution’s instruction and research in a specific foreign region, language, and culture, with a focus on social science and humanities studies. You may also have interacted with these librarians at your institution, who might have introduced library resources in your classes, answered your queries, or assisted with your assignments and research projects. However, these interactions only reveal some aspects of this multifaceted profession.

The first section below describes the role of an area studies librarian based on recent job postings. This provides a basic understanding of their professional expectations both within and outside the library. While the data comes from various disciplines and institutions across the United States, it provides a broad outline of the responsibilities and qualifications required by different area studies librarian roles. The second section presents four specialists’ job descriptions, essential skills, and advice for aspiring area studies librarians. Whether the job postings intimidate or intrigue you, their experiences and insights will help you assess your current knowledge and plan to acquire relevant skills in your Library and Information Science studies.

A Sketch of Area Studies Librarianship: What Do These Jobs Have in Common?

There are few job openings for area studies librarians each year, partly due to the profession’s highly specialized nature and the diminishing area studies programs in US colleges—a field that grew rapidly during the Cold War era. Even so, we found 10 job postings for area studies librarians from various disciplines and institutions in 2023. By examining the common requirements in these postings, we can offer a general perspective on the responsibilities and expertise common to area studies librarians. Regardless of your primary area of interest, this should provide a basic understanding of the discipline’s current state.

The table below uses data collected from 10 job postings advertised online during the year 2023. These job openings include:

• East Asian Studies Librarian, Oberlin College (posted June 27)
• Japanese Studies Librarian, Stanford University (posted July 5)
• Librarian for South and Southeast Asia, Harvard University (posted August 10)
• Chinese Studies Librarian, University of Chicago Library (posted August 24)
• Chinese Studies Librarian, University of Toronto (posted August 29)
• Visiting Central Asia Reference Specialist, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (posted October 6)
• Romance Languages and Literature Librarian, University of Chicago Library (posted October 19)
• Middle East and Islamic Studies Librarian, UNC Chapel Hill (posted October 26)
• Asian Studies Librarian, UNC Chapel Hill (posted October 26)
• Africana And Francophone Studies Librarian, University of Wisconsin-Madison (posted November 3)

Table 1. displays the most frequently mentioned job responsibilities in the job postings. We can make several observations from the items that are often repeated:

1. The role of an area studies librarian is incredibly diverse. They take part in reference and instruction, collection development, liaison, outreach, library administration, cataloging, and digital resource development. This might seem like multiple academic library positions combined into one, as an area studies librarian is expected to take on all library duties related to their specified geographical region.
2. Duties related to collections—including assessment, acquisition, preservation, and promotion—are frequently mentioned in job postings. This suggests that the role of an area studies librarian is largely centered around collection management. Their responsibility is to ensure the library’s collection effectively supports the teaching and research mission of their institution.
3. Instruction and Reference Services are also key responsibilities of an area studies librarian. They collaborate with faculty members in language and area studies to create instructional plans, ensuring that the library’s resources adequately support these objectives. In addition, area studies librarians respond to reference questions about the library’s resource from the campus community and beyond.
4. Collaboration is vitally important for area studies librarians. Most job postings specify that these librarians serve as liaisons between the library, students, faculty members from various programs, donors, on-campus research centers, researchers outside the institution, and partner institutions worldwide. This requirement underscores why networking and collaboration are common duties in all the job postings we analyzed.

Please note that individual job postings may differ based on the discipline’s characteristics, specific requirements of the library or institution, and the job level. Nonetheless, their shared aspects can still provide a general idea of the day-to-day responsibilities of area studies librarians.

Furthermore, Table 2 shows the qualifications frequently mentioned in these job postings. Although individual postings may list additional desired qualifications, we only collect those that are required and appear in at least two different job postings.

Three basic qualifications are required for all 10 jobs. They are:

1. An ALA-accredited master’s degree in library and information science, or equivalent education and training. Some jobs explicitly state that a Ph.D. in the relevant field, such as history or literature of the relevant region, can be considered equivalent.
2. Proficiency in speaking and writing in at least one of the common languages used in the relevant region is required. Most job postings indicate a preference for candidates who demonstrate proficiency in multiple languages.
3. Excellent communication skills and the ability to work in a team are essential. This is not surprising given the area studies librarian’s role involves extensive liaison and communication with library colleagues, faculty, students, staff, vendors, donors, partner institutions, and researchers from around the world.

Other necessary qualifications encompass a wide range of library experiences—collection development, instruction, reference, outreach, cataloging, and working with digital resources, among others. Feeling overwhelmed by the complexity of area studies librarianship? Guidance from specialists in the field can provide valuable insights to help you better prepare for the job.

What Do Specialists in the Field Say?

Four subject specialists from the International and Area Studies Library at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have kindly shared their expertise in area studies librarianship. The information was collected between November 1 and December 12, 2023, through in-person discussions and email exchanges. Their generous support is deeply appreciated.

The Expertise of Area Studies Librarians

Speaking of the core expertise of area studies librarians, Atoma Batoma, the African Studies librarian, mentions the significance of fostering various collaborations. He regularly communicates with faculty members and students to ensure the University Library offers ample bibliographic resources for Africanists. Also, he works with the Center for African Studies to highlight African culture, history, and sociopolitical conditions. Batoma also attends various national and international events such as African Librarians Council meetings and African Studies Annual Meetings to stay current in the field and network with other professionals.

In addition, international buying trips provide area studies librarians with a valuable opportunity to enhance the library’s collection and forge global partnerships. For instance, Batoma recently traveled to Togo and Benin to seek out unique materials that might otherwise be overlooked by vendors. This trip allowed him to connect with local university professors and information professionals from national libraries. These experiences not only guide future acquisitions but also present opportunities for the University Library to organize events and collaborative projects with these institutions.

Joseph James Lenkart, the head of UIUC’s Slavic Reference Service, emphasizes the importance of reference skills and knowledge as key expertise of area studies librarians. To provide effective reference services, librarians need a comprehensive understanding of their library’s collection. Additionally, area studies librarians can greatly benefit from a thorough knowledge of scholarly communication. This encompasses understanding how research resources are organized, published, and cataloged, as well as the publishing history and book trade specific to a certain language and region.

Lenkart also agrees with the aforementioned multifaceted nature of area studies librarianship. While it seems hard for a librarian to carry so many layers of duties, he states that area studies librarians must stay critical and on top of the trends in the field. For example, collection development is invariably a significant duty. Although vendor platforms appear to largely facilitate annual acquisition tasks, area studies librarians shouldn’t allow vendor choices to shape the collections they manage. Instead, subject specialists need to continuously adapt to the evolving scholarship and information services.

Laila Hussein Moustafa, the Middle Eastern and North African Studies Librarian, emphasizes the role of area studies librarians in preserving cultural heritage by acquiring digital proficiency and using technological tools. Having engaged in multiple projects on and beyond campus in assessing, preserving, and digitizing Arabic manuscripts, she indicates that the core skills of an area studies librarian encompass data management, digital humanities tools, and a deep understanding of digital preservation. A solid comprehension of metadata, HTML, and coding skills has significantly benefited her work in manuscript and archive preservation, as well as in offering related instructions and reference services.

Bing Wang, UIUC’s Chinese Studies librarian, considers a keen awareness of current and future scholarship an essential ability for area studies librarians. She suggests that librarians need to stay abreast of research trends and be attentive to future research topics. Considering that most recent research projects are interdisciplinary, with researchers increasingly eager to cross traditional boundaries between humanities and sciences, librarians should also develop cross-disciplinary research skills.

Advice for LIS Students Interested in Area Studies Librarianship

Atoma Batoma’s advice for LIS students is to start study foreign languages early on and familiarize themselves with information and communication technology. These skills enable area studies librarians to build relationships with communities worldwide.

Joe Lenkart advises LIS students to continuously develop their strengths in order to stand out from job competitors from other disciplines, such as PhDs in area studies. While the advanced knowledge and extensive research experience of academics-turned-librarians may seem desirable, concrete library skills and experience are irreplaceable assets that LIS graduates bring to the table. Meanwhile, he also stresses the importance of conducting research and publishing in peer-reviewed journals as a means to further develop professional skills and competence.

Laila Hussein Moustafa encourages library professionals to think outside the box, asserting that no background or degree alone is sufficient for fostering global perspectives and adapting to the changing landscape of the academic library. She advises LIS students to actively acquire technology skills, stay updated with trends, and learn as much as possible about coding and new developments in the tech world. Beyond the iSchool, online learning platforms like Khan Academy can remain their best bet for lifelong learning.

Bing Wang advises LIS students to foster a deep academic knowledge background of the languages, histories, cultures, and current conditions related to the area studies that they plan to pursue. She also suggests library professionals to keep up with evolving academic fields and think beyond disciplines. Librarians need to promptly understand and respond to emerging research topics. They should also consistently step out of their comfort zones to explore more fields of study. This approach enables them to better support community members toward potential directions of exploration.