Des Jardin, Molly

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2019 - 20202
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  • Publication
    Leveraging Local Networks and International Partnerships in Japanese Collection Development
    (2019-01-01) Des Jardin, Molly; Williams, Michael P
    This chapter details the development of the Penn Libraries’ Japanese Naval Collection, from its inception in our student’s scrapbook discovery to the iterative process of searching for and purchasing other Imperial Japanese Navy Training Fleet materials and related items, and encompasses promotion of the collection online by making digital facsimiles available and posting about its context and import on social media. Here, we re-envision the acquisitions, cataloging, digitization, and promotion process as the result of a network of individuals (both inside and outside the library) collaborating toward a shared vision of special collections. We have been integrating processes rather than functioning as a unidirectional assembly line in which component parts can be passed down a pipeline. Through this network of individuals, who share their complementary but unique skills and knowledge, formerly compartmentalized area studies materials can be more cohesively unified into a global collection and can enhance the value of the library’s distinctive special and research collections in an increasingly international context.
  • Publication
    Building a Japanese Manga Collection for Non-Traditional Patrons in an Academic Library
    (2020-03-30) Williams, Michael P; Des Jardin, Molly
    This chapter describes how the Penn Libraries began collecting Japanese- and Korean-language comics, focusing largely on manga from Japan aimed at engaging language students and instructors with Japanese library materials. These patrons are a non-traditional demographic typically not targeted by Japanese-language collecting in academic libraries. Penn’s initial approach to this collection has likewise been non-traditional, as we looked to fan and commercial portals for popular audiences to assess the pulse of contemporary publishing in Japan, rather than relying solely on library-facing resources such as WorldCat or publisher advertisements. We advocate for a holistic approach to collecting manga that embraces: dialogue with previously underserved patrons; surveys of varied online sources like marketplaces, fan websites, and social media; and active awareness of current, socially relevant topics in Japan. The methods we describe to identify, catalog, and provide bibliographic access to Japanese comic material in a library setting can be applied even in libraries that do not have staff with expertise in the language. We encourage other libraries to explore partnerships with institutions like the Penn Libraries in their communities or via interlibrary lending, who have the staff expertise and resources to develop more extensive Japanese-language manga collections. In turn, institutions such as ours have an opportunity to serve as leaders in collecting and making their collections available to the broader community.