Sessions

From Foundations to Frontiers: How to help our Chinese American community

• Ray Zeng, Director of Programs and Key Initiatives, Committee of 100

Ray Zeng, director of programs and key initiatives of the Committee of 100, will present From Foundations to Frontiers: Chinese American Contributions to the Fabric of America, an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report that has been commissioned by the Committee of 100. Built on unique data development, analysis, and economic modeling, expert interviews, and literature reviews, the report examines 175 years of Chinese American contributions to, and challenges within, the U.S. society. Committee of 100 has turned the report into a series of campus discussions giving the highlights of the content, and then 'opening the floor' for a discussion on how the Chinese American can move forward. 

Ray Zeng is the director of Programs and Key Initiatives at Committee 100. Ray oversees the organization’s main programs including the Next-Generation Leaders program, China Scholars Program and the From Foundations to Frontiers report. Ray brings a diverse cross-sector of insights through her work at Christie’s and Kearney; she has also facilitated cross-cultural business dialogues between China and Europe and staged an exhibition on U.S.-China relations at the grass-root level. More recently, Ray served as the Development and International Relations Director for Si-Yo Music Society Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational and cultural organization dedicated to inspiring a global community with classical music.

Ray graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell College, with double majors in Economics and Psychology, and an Art History minor. She holds an M.A. in International Development and International Economics from Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies. She completed an executive program in Arts & Cultural Strategy at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Policy and Practice and holds a certificate in Social Enterprise Management & Impact Investing from Middlebury College.

Information Consulting and Special Collections Services at Two Academic Libraries in China

• Michael B. Huang, SUNY Distinguished Librarian & Director of Global Library Initiatives, Stony Brook University

• Yulin Xiong, Associate Professor, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China; Visiting Scholar, Stony Brook University Libraries

• Yuanming Song, Subject Librarian, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Visiting Scholar, Stony Brook University Libraries

The mission of the Stony Brook University Libraries’ Global Initiatives is to strengthen international ties among libraries and librarians worldwide for the promotion of international education, understanding, and peace. We strive to promote student and faculty achievement and preparation for global competitiveness in collaboration with the Office of Global Affairs and Stony Brook University academic and clinical departments and centers at home and abroad.

Since its inception in September 2014, the Office of Global Library Initiatives has worked closely with academic and clinical departments and the Office of Global Affairs to identify international initiatives, programs, and activities in order to focus the Library’s efforts to the areas that are most critical to SBU success. 

We have initiated and developed relationships with research libraries that support the global mission of Stony Brook University and initiated sustaining international collaborations. We have expanded information exchange and visiting scholar programs. Before and during Covid-19 pandemic, we have provided reference, research services, and library instruction to SBU’s global campuses (SUNY Korea, Stony Brook Institute at Anhui University) and research facilities, e.g. Centre ValBio on the edge of Ranomafana National Park in Madagascar. 

Before the pandemic, the Office of Global Library Initiatives hosted a number of visiting scholars from around the world. Yulin Xiong and Yuanming Song are the two newest visiting scholars at the Stony Brook University Libraries since the pandemic and travel restrictions were eased. It’s my pleasure to introduce them to our Northeast Chapter community so that we can have an open exchange of ideas and information and best practices in librarianship. 

IJoL: A Publishing Platform for Scholarly Communication and Professional Development

• Yongming Wang, The College of New Jersey

The International Journal of Librarianship (IJoL) is a CALA-sponsored, peer-reviewed online journal of research and discussion in the areas of theory and practices of library and information science.  Since its inauguration in 2016, IJoL has published more than one hundred articles that includes research papers, case studies, field reports, and commentaries, etc. Its authorship consists of more than 300 authors around the world. This presentation will focus on the history of the journal, editorial structure and process, authorship, and the opportunities of professional development for all librarians and information practitioners, including CALA members. (https://journal.calaijol.org) 

Breaking Cultural Boundaries: Establishing Strong Relationships with Your Library Team

• Jane Jiang, Director of Libraries, Union College of Union County, NJ

The presentation will focus on the challenges that Chinese American librarians face when working with colleagues from diverse cultural backgrounds. The presentation will examine the specific barriers that may exist and provide strategies for overcoming them to establish a strong relationship with the library team.

We will discuss the importance of effective communication, active listening, and cultural awareness in establishing positive relationships with diverse colleagues. The presentation will provide examples of successful approaches for breaking cultural boundaries in library settings.

Ta-men (Ta们) : Amplifying the voices of Chinese women and sexual minorities from Princeton University Library

• Yuzhou Bai (Chinese Language Cataloging Specialist, Princeton University)

In this lightning round presentation, I am excited to preview a special project that I’m co-leading at Princeton University Library. Over the past few decades, the library’s Chinese collection has made great efforts to acquire books, manuscripts, and periodicals that shed light on the public and private lives of women and sexual minorities in modern China. I will cover the selection criteria for this collection, share certain highlights from this collection, and introduce how we collaborate with researchers in and beyond Princeton to curate and promote the collection.

ChatGPT and the future of library services

• Moderator:  Charlotte Cotter, Library Assist, Fairbank Center Collection at the H.C. Fung Library, Harvard University

Panelists: 

• Sunny Chung, Health Sciences Librarian, Health Sciences Library, Stony Brook University

• Cindy Li, Associate Director for Library Tech & Innovation, Pratt Institute

• Hong Yao, Director, Technical Services, Queens Public Library

• Erica Yuen, Reference / Public Services Librarian at the Newton Free Library

• Yang Zeng, Director, Flushing Library ,Queens Public Library

The Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese American Family

• Leung family (Sarah, Kaitlin, Bill, & Judy)

Join us for a talk with Judy and Bill Leung and their daughters Sarah and Kaitlin—authors of the newly released New York Times bestselling cookbook, The Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese American Family. The Leung family will chat about how they develop recipes and give a behind-the-scenes look at what it was like writing and photographing a cookbook together. 

Sarah and Kaitlin Leung, along with their parents Bill and Judy, are the creators of The Woks of Life. Founded in 2013, The Woks of Life began as a quest to document one family’s history through food and has become the most popular online resource for Chinese cooking in English, recording generations of recipes for millions of home cooks. The Leungs are the authors of The New York Times and USA Today bestselling cookbook, The Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese American Family. They have been featured on PBS, the Food Network (digital), Magnolia Network, and Good Morning America (digital), as well as The New York Times, Eater, and many other publications. The Leung family lives in New Jersey, along with a small herd of animals, where they cook, write, and photograph recipes together—and continue their eternal debate over what's for dinner.