When the East Asian Studies Center at The Ohio State University received a U.S. Department of Education grant to support language and area studies part of the more than $2 million award established a regional campus partnership program that included the campus libraries. Over the first two years of the four-year grant the Lima Campus Library has been steadily building its East Asian children’s book section to bolster the resources available to elementary and secondary teachers in the area. 

“Purchasing children’s book is a brilliant use of these grant funds. Language and cultural connections aren’t things that should be suddenly thrust on people when they are older; it should be part of a lifelong learning process,” said Dr. Mitchell Lerner, professor of history and director of the East Asian Studies Center. “If we are to prepare this nation for our increasingly globalized world, we should endeavor to introduce people to different cultures and regions throughout their lives.”

The 85 books already added to the collection include a variety of topics from art to history, but the bulk fall into the children’s literature category and expands both the collection and the possibilities for the teachers training at Ohio State Lima. Lima Campus Library Director Tina Schneider has been selecting carefully from both award-winning books and those on the short lists for the awards.

“This opportunity significantly broadens the choices patrons have in selecting their materials,” said Schneider. “It widens our understanding of the world around us, it enhances our appreciation of East Asian cultures, and it helps our future educators learn how to bring the world to their students.”

The future educators are already benefiting from the new additions. Dr. Leah Herner-Patnode has incorporated an East Asian unit into her children’s literature classes, which is designed to give students a chance to analzye, interpret and evaluate major forms of human thought, cultures and expression through the lens of children’s literature.

“Having access to this collection enhances my class,” Herner-Patnode said. “I had them sample a variety of books. We also pulled books specifically about the Japanese Internment camps and discussed how we could use them for social studies instruction.”

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Three Ohio State Area Studies Centers were awarded more than $5.5 million in U.S. Department of Education grants for the next four years. These awards support language and area studies learning and provide grant opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and professional school students. Read more.