Giacomo Sotti ’27 receives Yale student employee award for work on Beinecke Library exhibition

A part-time Yale Library job earned Giacomo Sotti ’27 a deeper knowledge of Japanese history, transferable research skills, an appearance in a Japanese television documentary—and, most recently, a special award.  

Sotti was one of ten undergraduates recognized on May 4 by Dean Pericles Lewis with the Y-Work Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Student Employees. He was honored for his work as a student curatorial assistant for “Textured Stories: The Chirimen Books of Modern Japan”, an exhibition that drew thousands of visitors to Beinecke Library during the 2025-26 academic year.

Sotti was nominated for the award by Haruko Nakamura, Yale’s librarian for Japanese Studies and co-curator of the exhibition with Yoshitaka Yamamoto, assistant professor in East Asian Languages and Literatures.

In her nomination letter, Nakamura praised Sotti’s exceptional “commitment, reliability, and professionalism.” 

Sotti enhanced bibliographic data for nearly 170 potential exhibition items, researched the provenance of books being considered for display, and photographed delicate collection materials. His photographs became an essential tool for Yamamoto, who worked on the project remotely from Japan before joining the faculty at Yale.

“This role demanded exceptional organization, self-direction within a special collections environment, and precise communication,” Nakamura wrote. “Giacomo’s contributions were not merely supportive; they were critical to the successful development and documentation of the entire exhibition.” 

When Sotti began work, he was enrolled in a class on the Meiji restoration with Daniel Botsman, Sumitomo Professor of History, and the exhibition work extended his classroom learning. “I really enjoyed being able to learn about the Meiji restoration, transnational exchange, and early perceptions of Japan through this project,” he said. “As a student of Japanese history, being able to handle these books physically, as well as research into their history and how they are made was a really valuable experience.”

While he was working on the project, NHK, the Japanese national broadcaster asked to shoot a segment for a documentary program on Chirimen books. Nakamura and Sotti were both interviewed and featured in the documentary. “That was really cool, although my Japanese teachers were a little disappointed I had spoken in English and been dubbed over in Japanese!”  Sotti said.  

The experience “affirmed my interest in studying history, and specifically Japanese history,” said Sotti, who is also studying computer science at Yale. Looking forward to his senior thesis, he noted that “working on a long term project like this exhibition gave me some great transferable skills.”

The job also gave Sotti a deeper understanding and appreciation of library resources at Yale. “The libraries are there to be used,” he said. “A lot of students don’t know just how easy it is to check out books from the library, request interlibrary loans, use BorrowDirect, etc. I became much more familiar with this system in my time at Beinecke, but really, all students should be using these resources more!”

The Y-Work award, created by the Yale College Dean’s Office and the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid in 2018, celebrates the positive experiences of student workers and their significant contributions to the offices and departments for which they work.  Read more about the 2026 Y-Work award winners.

Watch a video interview with Sotti about being a student curatorial assistant. 

—Patricia M. Carey

Photo credits: Y-Work Awards: Allie Barton; Exhibition Photos: Mara Lavitt