Asian Studies librarians will teach graduate seminar this fall

Seven librarians stand in front of the Asia Collection stacks at Hamilton Library.

Hamilton Library Asia Collection Librarians (L-R): Monica Ghosh, Lynette Teruya, Makana Kirkey, Elena Clariza, Patricia Polansky, Dongyun Ni, and Mitsutaka Nakamura. Not pictured here: Ellie Kim (see below).

This fall, the Library and Information Science (LIS) and Asian Studies programs are reviving a team-taught graduate seminar in a substantially revamped form: LIS 645/ASAN 705: Research Resources for Asian Studies Collections. The course was spearheaded by Monica Ghosh and Patricia Polansky in collaboration with the LIS program chair, the Asian Studies director, and the History Department chair. It will be co-instructed by Ghosh and Polansky, alongside six other area specialists.

Closeup of woman standing with Paris in the background. — *Ellie Kim*

The course offers students a rare, in-depth look at area studies librarianship, exploring the history, development, and ongoing relevance of specialized collections—both traditional academic and community-based—across a wide range of languages and formats. Weekly sessions cover Asia General, Russia in Asia, China, Japan, Okinawa, the Philippines, South Asia, Korea, and Southeast Asia, each led by a librarian with deep subject and language expertise, including Dongyun Ni, Mitsutaka Nakamura, Lynette Teruya, Elena Clariza, Ellie Kim, and Makana Kirkey. The seminar last covered this full range of areas over a decade ago, and this iteration adds Okinawa as a distinct focus area for the first time.

Beyond building foundational knowledge of print, electronic, and vernacular-language resources, the seminar gives special attention to collections built in partnership with local Hawaiʻi heritage and diasporic communities. It also examines how colonial histories have shaped—and continue to shape—knowledge production and access. Students will also engage with decolonial approaches to collection development, description, and community collaboration.

The course reflects a growing recognition that area studies expertise is best taught by practitioners immersed in the collections and communities they serve.

The course will meet weekly on Wednesdays from 1-3:30 p.m., and is offered in a hybrid format. Registration is available through the UH Mānoa STAR System at hawaii.edu/myuhinfo/registration.