ASU Scholarship Showcase

Introduction: The Arizona State University (ASU) Library chose to particulate in the Ithaka S+R research study on Asian Studies faculty’s research practices and needs. The rationale for the study was as follows:

Asian Studies covers a diverse and vital world region that in recent decades has had major centers of both development and conflict. Although different from one another, these fields indicate the importance we place not only in traditional arts and sciences fields but also in the sciences, professions, and area studies that will continue to be important for our society and our universities. This study will generate a richly illustrated description of the field’s practices and needs and make actionable recommendations for how libraries (and others) can best support their research going forward.

The ASU Library is one of 19 university libraries selected to participate in the study. Among the selected libraries were Harvard University, Indiana University, UCLA University, University of Washington, Colorado University, University of Maryland, and University of Texas. Each university was responsible for interviewing 15 scholars involved in Asian Studies using a set of semi-structured interview questions. The identity of the scholars was kept anonymous. Each interview was recorded and transcribed. Each institution will write a report (to be placed in their university repositories) which will be passed up to the Ithaka S+R team who will write a report summarizing the entire project.

This local research project was implemented by a researcher at ASU with guidance on the research methodology and data analysis provided by Ithaka S+R. The ASU researcher participated in an Ithaka S+R training session which encouraged consistency across all the participating institutions. This report is organized This report is organized into seven sections providing an overview of Asian Studies at ASU and a discussions of the issues resulting from this study. Lastly, recommendations for the ASU Library to support Asian Studies.

Arizona State University is embracing new ways of thinking about how open stacks can make books active objects of engagement for a new generation of students, rather than risk becoming mere backdrops for study spaces. By taking a deliberate design approach to answering the question of which books and where, ASU Library seeks to position print collections as an engagement mechanism. This chapter presents the transformative potential of open stacks, along with planning for access, assessment and inclusive engagement. The authors describe how ASU Library is using a major library renovation project as a catalyst to explore these ideas, and propose a pathway to developing shared solutions for more effective use of library collections.