Jidong Yang joined the University Library on July 1, 2008 as Head of the Asia Library. He comes to U-M from the University of Pennsylvania Library where he served as Penn's first Chinese Studies Librarian. Among his many accomplishments at Penn, Jidong significantly increased collection holdings, managed a major retrospective conversion project, created a web gateway to Chinese collections, and greatly expanded the Library's instruction program in support of East Asian studies.

Jidong completed his B.A. in History and M.A. in Chinese History at Beijing University. He received his M.S. in Library and Information Science from Rutgers University and Ph.D. in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. An active scholar and teacher, Jidong's publications and presentations span a range of topics in Chinese history and literature, including particular focus on the application of technology and digital content to research in Asian Studies. His professional affiliations include the Council on East Asian Libraries, the Association for Asian Studies, the American Historical Association, and the American Library Association.