In October 2024, I was invited to travel to Japan to meet with librarians and library students to discuss data management and the sharing support offered by libraries in the U.S., as well as to learn how librarians in Japan are approaching data services. My trip was sponsored by Professor Emi Ishita of Kyushu University, who previously led a delegation of Japanese librarians to the University of Michigan during my time there, as well as a second delegation that visited the University at Buffalo in June 2024. Some of you may recall meeting her and her two colleagues during their visit.
During my trip, I met with librarians from Tokyo University, Chiba University, Kyoto University, and Kyushu University. The Japanese government is mandating that all federally funded researchers make their data publicly accessible, similar to the requirements in the United States. While data services in Japan are not yet as developed as they are in the U.S., academic libraries are eager to learn from our experiences and strategies for responding to this growing demand. Although they are in the early stages, I noticed many similarities between the U.S. and Japan in how libraries are assessing the support needed for data sharing and planning service development. Increasingly, the data service community in the U.S. recognizes the need for a broader institutional approach to supporting data, not just one led by libraries—a perspective echoed by many of the Japanese librarians I spoke with.
I was honored to present at a symposium hosted by Kyushu University, where I shared highlights from my career. This was an enjoyable opportunity for me to reengage with parts of my past that I had not thought about for a while. My “greatest hits” presentation, as I like to call it, was recorded and is available to watch in the video below.
Following my presentation, I participated in a panel discussion with two librarians from the University of Edinburgh, who were also featured at the symposium.
I also guest lectured for library students at Kyushu’s iSchool about data services librarianship. This was a challenging endeavor as I had to stop teaching frequently so that the translator could communicate my words to the students in Japanese. The students were engaged and asked insightful questions, making the experience especially memorable.
I spent a summer in Japan way back in 1991 and earned a master’s degree in East Asian Studies in 1995, so being able to return to Japan was a dream come true. I was able to do some sightseeing, including visiting an amazing bamboo forest outside of Kyoto and the Dejima outpost, which was Japan’s only contact with the western world for the 200 years when all foreigners were expelled from the country. I even got a chance to have dinner with the family that I lived with in 1991.
I am so grateful to have had this opportunity. It was the trip of a lifetime.