Ann Marie Davis
The Ohio State University Libraries. Associate Professor, Japanese Studies Librarian
Katherine Matsuura
Harvard University. Japan Digital Scholarship Librarian
Sugiyama Yukari
Yale University Library. Librarian for Discovery and Metadata Assessment
Opportunities for Global Collaboration in Collection Discovery: The Notable Japanese Collections Dashboard Project
Where do scholars go to find the most comprehensive list of collections in North America or other regions of the world? How can librarians and resource specialists provide such lists while adapting to changing trends in Japanese Studies? Addressing these issues, our presentation discusses the Notable Japanese Collections (NJC) Dashboard, a digital collection discovery initiative and tool that identifies and promotes distinctive Japanese Studies collections in North America. Through our working group with the North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources (NCC), we have developed an online database that aims to showcase all notable print and digital materials (including unprocessed or partially processed collections) across the continent. Our presentation will introduce this online platform, demonstrate how it works, and discuss how it has evolved since its conception during the pandemic. In the past year since the dashboard’s launch, the list of collections has increased from 93 to 210, and the site has attracted over 1600 visits from 26 countries (as of May 2023). In the coming years, we aim to further build and promote this database to scholars and colleagues in Japanese Studies. In addition to elaborating on project challenges, goals, and outcomes, we look forward to engaging our colleagues at EAJRS on the possibility for similar projects in Europe and the potential for trans-continental collaboration.