Japanese Studies in the United States: Continuities and Opportunities Patricia G. Steinhoff

What Has Changed in 2005? Category Japan Specialists 1,2241,5521,284 Doctoral candidates Programs 108 (286) 247 (440) 184 (348)

What is Left?  Solid core of committed Japan specialists  Steady supply of new doctoral candidates  Existing programs dramatically stronger More faculty More faculty More disciplines More disciplines More staff More staff More courses More courses More complex organizations More complex organizations

Japanese Studies Programs  Institutions with Japanese Studies programs 184  Japan specialist staff at institutions1,652  Programs with more than 12 staff 42  Courses concerning Japan5,374  Japanese language courses (37%)1,757  Japanese Studies courses3,617  Japanese libraries with > 40,000 volumes 30

Change at Two Levels  Societal and Global Changes Technological Change now Pervasive Technological Change now Pervasive New Resources Based on Technology New Resources Based on Technology Personal, Direct Access to Resources Personal, Direct Access to Resources  Changes Within Japanese Studies Generational Shift Generational Shift Increased Japanese Language Skills Increased Japanese Language Skills Intellectual Paradigm Shift Intellectual Paradigm Shift

Uses of Computer, 1995 & 2005 Do not use computer English wordprocessing Japanese on dedicated word processor Japanese wordprocessing communication Access English databases from US sources Access English databases from Japanese sources Access Japanese databases from US sources Access Japanese databases from Japanese source Access online library catalogs Quantitative data analysis Store personal research data, English Store personal research data, Japanese

New Uses of Computer, 2005 Access English websites Access Japanese websites Access English news Access Japanese news Access online discussion groups Access online academic journals Share or transmit image or sound files Listen to music or watch video or film Play online games in English--3.7 Play online games in Japanese--1.0 Create English spreadsheets or databases Create Japanese spreadsheets or databases Create and maintain my own website Produce teaching materials about Japan--55.5

Use of Japanese Databases Have Used in Japan 41.8% Have Used in US 37.8% Have Not Used, Would Like to Use 20.0% Cost too High or No Access 3.9% 3.9% No Interest 18.7%

Source of Research Materials Personal Collection 90.2% Institution’s Collection 78.9% Other Institution’s Collection 78.7% Data Respondent Collected 48.2% Internet Resources 43.3% ILL or Document Delivery 37.3% Government Materials 34.9% Private Collections 25.7% Ordered Online 19.0% Private or Commercial Databases 13.3%

Must Read to Keep Up Japanese Language Material Books Journal Articles Government Documents Newspapers and Magazines Visual Materials Online News Online Discussion Online Journals Quantitative Data Technical Reports

Three Paradigms Language and Area Studies Cultural Studies Economic Competition

Language and Area Studies  Study Japanese Language  Plus Japan through various disciplines  Includes humanities and social sciences  Places Japan specialists in disciplines

Economic Competition Paradigm  Japan as #1vis-a-vis the US  Japanese as economically useful  New forms of knowledge needed  New forms of delivery required  Social sciences and professions Economic Competition Language and Area Studies

Cultural Studies Paradigm  Blurs disciplinary lines  Subcultures, popular culture as key themes  Research models from humanities  De-emphasizes social science disciplines Language and Area Studies Economic Competition Cultural Studies

Implications for Japanese Libraries  Societal and Global Changes Direct access to information anywhere Direct access to information anywhere Problem of isolated scholar access decreases Problem of isolated scholar access decreases Librarians as information specialists Librarians as information specialists  Changes within Japanese Studies Broader demand for Japanese materials Broader demand for Japanese materials Demand for new types of materials Demand for new types of materials