November 29, 2021

My Journey as a Japanese Collection Student Specialist

Note: This article, which first appeared in the Spring-Summer 2021 issue of the Tateuchi East Asia Library Newsletter, provides a student employee’s perspective on remote work during the pandemic. Whether working remotely or on-site, student employees played an important role in maintaining library services while our physical spaces were closed to users.

Miyano Sato

It has been a blast working for Tateuchi East Asia Library as a Japanese Collection Student Specialist. I joined the Tateuchi EAL community in the fall of 2020. Working remotely from the very beginning was exciting yet challenging. In a nutshell, some things went smoothly, while others went less well due to miscommunications and differing assumptions. Actually, I view such challenges positively, recognizing that this moment of remote work provides a great opportunity to reflect on the form of the library and how we can adapt to the new normal.

What is the new normal for you? To me, it’s the do-everything-online mentality. The UW Libraries wants sources to be accessible and easy to use online. One of my responsibilities as a Japanese Collection Student Specialist has been to create appealing digital content, such as promotional materials on social media and recordings on YouTube, relating to the library’s events and new resources. There are two things that I have cared about most when sharing information with users in the digital sphere: a sense of belonging and authenticity.

SENSE OF BELONGING

Event poster created by SatoUniversity of Washington

During the pandemic, many people have struggled to find a sense of belonging. I have felt the same way myself when seeking connections within UW learning communities. I am grateful that I have been able to promote Tateuchi EAL events on social media for those, like me, who want to make connections and learn new things. To make the library’s online workshops and events appealing and welcoming for students, I have valued their feelings when creating promotional communications on social media. In the design of posters and Facebook posts, I have paid close attention to how viewers might feel when images meet their eye. I use eye-catching colors and fonts to create a positive impression of the event and enable viewers to feel and know what it will be about. My social media posts begin and end with friendly expressions in a personal tone, encouraging viewers to engage with the posts and participate in events. For instance, I always start with casual greetings, my name, and my title. At the same time, I include welcoming notes such as “UW library is here to help you” to show advocacy.

AUTHENTICITY

During this time of disinformation and misinformation turmoil, the UW libraries has worked hard to provide access to quality information resources. I have learned that authenticity of information is a key to providing better learning experiences for all. One of my responsibilities has been to transcribe recordings of TEAL Digital Scholarship for East Asian Studies Workshop Series events, for uploading to YouTube. This experience has changed my view of accessibility and authenticity 180 degrees. I initially thought that simplifying words and expressions would make it easier for viewers to quickly skim through and understand the content. However, I realized that abbreviated captions can omit authentic information, such as that conveyed about speakers’ personalities through interjections such as “um” and “uh”. So, I began to transcribe speakers’ every utterance, including interjections between sentences and repeated words.

Editing a video using YouTube StudioUniversity of Washington

Reevaluating the role of digitized resources and services—including e-books, e-articles, and online events—will allow the UW Libraries to improve the accessibility and quality of its materials, and in turn improve higher education itself. Although it is still hard to feel at ease in our hearts due to the precarious pandemic situation around the globe, I am grateful to have been part of Tateuchi EAL at this moment, learning new perspectives and sharing them with you all. I am excited to keep contributing to the UW community in this way and to adapt, for the better, to the new normal.