Home / Office of the Dean of University Libraries / FAQ: Tateuchi East Asia Library Reorganization

FAQ: Tateuchi East Asia Library Reorganization

See also the official UW Libraries public statement on the reorganization.

 

Is the number of librarians working in support of UW East Asian studies being reduced? No.

  • The changes to supervisory lines do not reduce the number of staff supporting East Asia studies and collections.
  • UW Libraries is currently hiring additional staff to work on site in the Tateuchi East Asia Library.
  • East Asia Studies librarians are continuing to actively build physical collections, develop and sustain partnerships, and work directly with their departments and faculty.

Is the TEAL library being downgraded or "dismantled" in any way? No.

  • The reorganization is not reducing any Tateuchi East Asia Library collections, services and support. Characterizations that make such claims are not supported by the facts and are not accurate.
  • UW Libraries has invested in and will continue to cultivate investment in Tateuchi East Asia Library for the long-term benefit of UW students, faculty and our broader community.

Is there a "UW committee" being formed to review the reorganization effort?

  • No. there is no such committee bring formed by or sanctioned by UW leadership on this matter. As stated in other public UW leadership communications, "Dean Neame has the full support of UW leadership in the decision to reorganize reporting lines."

Can students, faculty and community members still meet with and get help directly from UW East Asian subject librarians? Yes.

  • The same librarians remain in their positions to provide consultations, meetings (in-person AND online) and engage in community outreach with their East Asian studies departments and communities.
  • Users who want to consult a subject librarian in their own language will still be able to consult with those librarians through a variety of channels including consultations in-person or online.
  • These staff will continue to prepare requested materials, teach classes, hold workshops and other activities in service of East Asian studies and in collaboration with faculty, students and community members.

Will the reorganization impact funding for TEAL and/or changes to the Tateuchi East Asia Library endowment? No.

Is the Library “throwing away” 30,000 TEAL books? No.

  • Weeding or culling books is a process ALL libraries go through, typically on an annual basis, and across all units/subjects. As space is finite, and we continue to add tens of thousands of new resources each year, transitioning books out of circulation is routine, but no one library is weeding out 30,000 books, and annual weeding processes have nothing to do with the reorganization of TEAL staff.
  • This process is guided by clear evaluation guidelines and with input from stakeholders.  Learn more.
  • This process is not at the expense of preserving our rarest and unique materials, but rather expands our ability to maintain those special collections while adding to all collections as time goes on.

Why did you make this change without more community input and engagement?

  • It is not policy to discuss matters of human resources with faculty or community members, especially, as stated many times before, the services of the library will not be impacted.
  • We have and will continue to encourage faculty to reach out with questions, which we have answered routinely, and will continue to answer as they come to us.

Why is this change necessary?

  • The intent of these changes is to strengthen and improve the overall function and services of the Tateuchi East Asia Library based on a wide range of factors, including input from Tateuchi East Asia Library staff and academic library best practices.
  • Through this new reporting structure, library staff will be better supported through position-specific growth and development in proximity to supervisors and peers, leading to overall improvements in service of Tateuchi East Asia Library collections, service, and instruction.

 

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