Deep cultural ties between Hawaiʻi and French Polynesia were highlighted during French Polynesia President Moetai Brotherson鈥檚 visit to the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 on February 25.

While in Honolulu for , hosted by the East-West Center, Brotherson made time to connect with 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补, including a visit to the library鈥檚 internationally recognized collections.

Pacific Collection librarians Eleanor Kleiber and Stu Dawrs, along with Hawaiian Collection Librarian and department chair Jodie Mattos, showcased rare and historic materials related to French Polynesia. Items included: 18th-century works from Captain Cook鈥檚 voyages, 1844 correspondence from the Queen of Tahiti to King Kamehameha III, signed editions of Hawaiʻi鈥檚 Story by Queen Liliʻuokalani, and two editions of Brotherson鈥檚 own novel, Le Roi absent (The Missing King).

“It was an honor to welcome President Brotherson, and a joy for us to share items from our collections that highlight the historical and cultural connections between Hawaiʻi and French Polynesia,” said Kleiber. “He seemed to appreciate seeing these items our library has curated to represent the strong connections between our islands.”

University Librarian Clem Guthro added, “Our collections are vast, global and contain a multitude of treasures that support research, scholarship and teaching. Welcoming visitors from abroad to our collections extends their global reach. Visitors like President Brotherson become our ambassadors; sharing their experiences with our library when they return home, and knowing we are a resource to them.”

Brotherson has served as president since 2023 and is known for promoting sustainable development, cultural preservation and regional cooperation across the Pacific.

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The Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu visited the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 on January 23, for an official tour of the library鈥檚 , offering a close look at rare materials that illuminate centuries of Philippine history and global connections.

Led by Philippine Consul General Arman Talbo, who took office in March 2025, the delegation of 17 consulate staff members was guided by Philippine Studies Librarian Elena Clariza through selections from the Philippine Rare Collections. Highlights included rare maps of the Philippines dating from the 1500s to the 1700s, Philippine Revolutionary Papers from the Spanish colonial period in the 1800s, and a U.S. military photo album documenting Samar Island in the 1940s.

The Samar album is a joint acquisition of Hamilton Library鈥檚 Russian Collection and Philippine Collection. It documents daily life on the island and U.S. naval operations during World War II, while also reflecting Samar鈥檚 unexpected global ties. Following the Bolshevik Revolution, the island later became a refuge for an estimated 6,000 White Russians—the deposed czar鈥檚 supporters who opposed the Red Soviets and fled Russia after World War II.

Talbo described the visit as “calm, inspiring, and quietly powerful,” noting the personal resonance of the materials. He shared that he may have identified a long-lost ancestor while viewing photographs in the Samar album.

The visit highlighted the international significance of Hamilton Library鈥檚 Philippine Collection and its role in preserving and providing access to historical materials that deepen understanding of Philippine history and its global intersections.

Read more at .

After touring three University of Hawaiʻi community colleges last fall, —interactive exhibits exploring sovereignty and life force—are expanding across 东精影业 libraries statewide this spring. Developed by , a network of Hawaiian language, culture and ʻ腻颈苍补-based education organizations, the exhibits will rotate through , , , and from January through early April.

The exhibits center on Hawaiian history, while inviting communities to actively engage with ea (life, air, breath, sovereignty, rural, independence). This semester marks the first time the activations will rotate simultaneously across multiple islands, amplifying messages of ea and aloha ʻ腻颈苍补 (love of the land) while uplifting Hawaiian history, culture and language.

The initiative began during a K奴kalahale E Hoʻi N膩 Wai culture-based professional development training, where Windward CC librarians explored ways to indigenize library spaces. The idea quickly spread across the 东精影业 system, evolving into a coordinated, multi-campus effort.

“I was so inspired by the campus libraries tour last semester that I wanted to make sure that every 东精影业 library had an opportunity to showcase the beautiful activations and educate our communities that the ea of this ʻ腻颈苍补 still exists through our history, culture and language,” said Kawena Komeiji, Hawaiian initiatives librarian at 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 Hamilton Library.

The exhibit, which toured , and in the fall, is made possible through partnerships with and Kanaeokana.

Exhibit dates and locations

Ka 尝腻 Kealaiwikuamoʻo Ea and Ka 尝腻 碍奴ʻ辞办辞ʻ补 – A journey centered on Kamehameha III and his vision of an independent l膩hui (group):

• January 12 – February 6: 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 Hamilton Library, 东精影业 West Oʻahu Campbell Library
• February 9 – March 6: Kauaʻi CC Library, 东精影业 Maui College, 东精影业 Hilo Moʻokini Library

Ka Malu ʻUlu o Lele – Explores Lahaina鈥檚 sacred history and cultural resilience:

• February 9 – March 6: 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 Hamilton Library, 东精影业 West Oʻahu Campbell Library
• March 9 – April 3: Kauaʻi CC Library, 东精影业 Maui College

Ruth 碍别ʻ别濒颈办艒濒补苍颈 – Honors Princess Ruth Keanolani Kan膩hoahoa 碍别ʻ别濒颈办艒濒补苍颈 and her commitment to ʻ艒濒别濒辞 Hawaiʻi (the Hawaiian language), tradition and her people:

• January 12 – February 6: Kauaʻi CC Library, 东精影业 Maui College
• February 6 – March 6: 东精影业 Hilo Moʻokini Library
• March 9 – April 3: 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 Hamilton Library, 东精影业 West Oʻahu Campbell Library

The University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 joined a global network of leading research libraries with the opening of its Taiwan Resource Center for Chinese Studies (TRCCS) on November 17. As the 55th overseas partner in Taiwan鈥檚 National Central Library (NCL) TRCCS program, Hamilton Library expands its international collaborations and access to resources supporting China and Taiwan studies.

Through the partnership, NCL provides Taiwan-published monographs, digital archives, bibliographic databases and other scholarly resources. Hamilton Library has already added nearly 400 titles to its collections and now offers full access to NCL鈥檚 electronic resources.

东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 Interim Provost Vassilis Syrmos highlighted the significance of the partnership during the opening ceremony event. “This collaboration will foster new opportunities for dialogue, scholarship and exchange for years to come,” he said.

NCL Director-General Han-Ching Wang, who traveled from Taipei for the ceremony, emphasized the shared role of Taiwan and Hawaiʻi in the Pacific. “We aim to build upon this TRCCS to strengthen the academic connection between Taiwan and Hawaiʻi,” she said.

The opening also builds on a relationship that stretches back to the 1960s, when early East–West Center exchanges helped shape Hamilton鈥檚 China Collection. Recent discussions led to formal invitations in 2024 and this fall鈥檚 launch.

A delegation from NCL toured Hamilton鈥檚 collections, which included a plaque unveiling, signing of partnership agreements and exchange of gifts.

“The TRCCS aligns with our mission to foster international scholarship and build meaningful collaborations that benefit our students and faculty,” said University Librarian Clem Guthro.

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It鈥檚 American Archives Month, and the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 is playing a key role in expanding public access to congressional history archives.

Hamilton Library received $200,000 in federal funding to help digitize the as part of the American Congress Digital Archives Portal (ACDAP)—the first-ever online platform to bring together congressional archives from across the country. Led by (WVU) Libraries, the project aims to make these important but scattered records freely accessible to the public while supporting civics and history education for K–12 classrooms.

Preserving Hawaiʻi鈥檚 congressional legacy

The funding will allow Hamilton Library to digitize thousands of Hawaiʻi-related congressional documents, including more than 800 photos from the papers of Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, speeches from Sens. Hiram L. Fong and Spark Matsunaga, and materials from Reps. Thomas P. Gill, K. Mark Takai, Neil Abercrombie, Pat Saiki and Kaialiʻi Kahele. The project is expected to be completed by December 2026.

“This project takes some of the most sought-after documents from our library鈥檚 congressional collections and makes them accessible to the world,” said Dawn Sueoka, congressional papers archivist at Hamilton Library鈥檚 . “It also helps researchers to understand the work of Hawaiʻi鈥檚 members of congress in the context of the archives of their colleagues, like former (House) Speaker Carl Albert and Sen. Bob Dole.”

Suyeoka and project partners were featured in a for educators produced by the Dirksen Congressional Center. She also plans to collaborate with the next summer to develop a high school curriculum based on Hamilton Library鈥檚 contributions to the portal.

Expanding national access to civic history

The ACDAP project helps remove long-standing barriers to accessing congressional materials, which—unlike presidential papers—are spread across many institutions. Danielle Emerling, associate director of WVU Libraries鈥� West Virginia & Regional History Center, said the effort helps people better understand Congress and makes more archives and civics education resources available.

Hamilton Library has participated in the ACDAP initiative since 2023, alongside other national partners.

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Powerful ea (sovereignty, life, breath) activations (interactive exhibits) honoring Hawaiian history, resilience and culture are transforming the libraries at Honolulu, Kapiʻolani and Windward Community Colleges this fall.

“The word ‘activations’ is deliberate, chosen as a call to activate鈥攖o activate ea, ʻike (knowledge), ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, community, consciousness, each other,” said Erica T. Dias, Kapiʻolani CC Hawaiʻi-Pacific resources librarian. “Rather than viewing as static displays, the ea activations are designed to stir reflection, dialogue and engagement.”

Cindy Texeira, Hawaiʻi specialist librarian at Windward CC, added, “By sharing these activations in our libraries, we hope to bring ʻŌiwi voices to the forefront while deepening the sense of place that guides our work.”

The series features three major works that rotate through the campuses:

Luka Keʻelikōlani

Honors Princess Ruth Keanolani Kan膩hoahoa Keʻelikōlani, who embodied unwavering commitment to ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language), tradition, and her people.

• Honolulu CC: September 15–October 10
• Windward CC: October 13–November 6

尝腻 Hoʻihoʻi Ea (Hawaiian Restoration Day)

A journey centered on Kamehameha III, Kauikeaouli, and his vision of an independent l膩hui (nation).

• Kapiʻolani CC: September 15–October 10
• Honolulu CC: October 13–November 6

Ka Malu ʻUlu o Lele

Explores Lahaina鈥檚 sacred history and cultural resilience.

• Windward CC: September 15–October 10
• Kapiʻolani CC: October 13–November 6

A ‘call to action’

“This is more than just a display with the powerful moʻolelo (stories) and imagery, it hit me as a call to action,” said Honolulu CC student Hanalei Chai. “Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani stood firm for our identity, and her courage awakened me to do the same.”

Manuwai Peters, facilitator of Kanaeokana, a network of more than 170 schools and organizations dedicated to excellence in Hawaiian education, said, “We echo our excitement with this new usage of the activations at our community college libraries.”

Windward CC Cohort & Online Programs Counselor M膩hiehie Garrett added, “In a time where being Hawaiian is being challenged (again), it is empowering to walk around campus and be engulfed in experiences where being Hawaiian is not only appreciated but celebrated. We cannot control how our students feel about themselves as Hawaiians off-campus, but we can ensure that the interactions they have on campus make them proud of who they are and of their l膩hui (people, nation).”

The initiative began at a (culture-based professional development) training, where Windward CC librarians reflected on ways to indigenize library spaces. Guidance from Kanaeokana facilitator Makana Garma helped shape the direction of the ea activations, which are scheduled to proceed to additional 东精影业 campuses in spring 2026.

The welcomed 185 archivists and cultural heritage professionals from 35 countries September 8–11 for the first Hawaiʻi-based joint conference of the and the , held at the East-West Center.

• Related 东精影业 News story: Global conference to tackle climate change, media preservation, February 11, 2025

Centered on the theme “A Loss of Place,” the gathering examined how climate change transforms landscapes, challenges cultural identities, and impacts media preservation, with international partners including UNESCO, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, and national archives and libraries worldwide.

东精影业 President Wendy Hensel opened the conference at the Imin International Conference Center. “In Hawaiʻi and across the Pacific, we know that there are significant challenges with climate change, the fight for cultural identity, and amplifying voices that, too often, go unheard,” she said. “The work that you do in preserving those voices, protecting and sharing these stories, ensures that memory endures and that wisdom is not lost.”

东精影业 leadership, systemwide support

东精影业 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 Library and Information Sciences program and the were among the conference鈥檚 financial sponsors. and faculty played key roles in planning, and presenters and volunteers came from across the 东精影业 System and Hawaiʻi.

Participants took part in a workshop at the at 东精影业 West Oʻahu, toured , and explored Hamilton Library鈥檚 Asia, Hawaiian, Pacific, and University Archives collections. They also visited key cultural sites, including Bishop Museum, the Jaku鈥檃n Japanese Tea House at the East-West Center, and the .

“I thought it was a great opportunity to bring people here to showcase the library and our collections, and also focus on Hawaiʻi and the Pacific,” said David Rowntree, digital preservation librarian at Hamilton Library and local organizing chair.

University Librarian Clem Guthro added: “We are a major research university, and we鈥檙e doing work that isn鈥檛 being done elsewhere in the world. Having conference attendees experience 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 and Hawaiʻi allows our work to be known and our reputation enhanced.”

This article by Windward CC specialist librarian Cindy Texeira and her daughters, Kainani and ʻAulani Wagner, students in 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 Library and Information Science program, was first published in .

Academic libraries have long reflected Western models of knowledge and order through their values, systems, and structures. They can be sterile and intimidating places, especially for those whose histories and voices have been marginalized.

At Hale Laʻakea library at Windward Community College in ahupuaʻa Kāneʻohe, our goal is to create a space where Native Hawaiian students feel a sense of belonging—a place rooted in aloha ʻāina, ʻike kūpuna, and ea (sovereignty).

Decolonizing the library means acknowledging and undoing the colonial structures embedded in how we organize information, provide services, and occupy space. It is an ongoing process that requires us to question what voices are prioritized, who feels welcome in our spaces, and what cultural values are reflected or erased.

This fall, Hale Laʻakea will host a series of powerful activations (interactive exhibits) from Kanaeokana that invite patrons to connect, reflect, and engage in spaces of ea.

The first, “Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea,” is a digital journey through primary texts, visuals and audio centered on Kamehameha III and his vision of an independent l膩hui. It highlights true historical accounts of his leadership and includes perspectives from both K膩naka and non-kanaka allies.

Next, “Ka Malu ʻUlu o Lele,” explores Lahaina鈥檚 sacred history and cultural resilience. Learners will journey through moʻolelo and mele rooted in the legacy of Kihawahine, the shade of the ʻulu groves, and the call to restore wai and ea to Lele.

The final activation, “Luka Keʻelikōlani,” invites visitors into the world of Princess Ruth Keanolani Kan膩hoahoa Keʻelikōlani, also known as Luka or Ruta, an aliʻi wahine who embodied unwavering commitment to ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, tradition, and her people.

Though she was trained in Western ways, she chose to speak only Hawaiian as an act of resistance and required those around her to do the same. This activation mirrors her firm stance. All content is presented in Hawaiian, with English translations available by QR code. The space invites us to ask, “He aha ka hana a Ruta? What would Ruth do?”

From August through November, these activations will rotate between the Windward CC, Honolulu Community College, and Kapiʻolani Community College libraries, allowing the broader community to engage in meaningful moments of learning and intention-setting. Contact each library for more information about dates/times.

Hale Laʻakea continues to evolve. ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi was added to print and digital signage, art pieces throughout the library reflect Native Hawaiian voices, service-learning opportunities are offered through archival translation work and cultural exhibit development, and we hosted a Keiki Reading Day, welcoming ʻohana from our community to listen to moʻolelo from k奴puna and other Native Hawaiian storytellers.

Windward CC students can borrow cultural resources, including ʻukulele, ʻohe kāpala (kapa-making stamps), and traditional games like k艒nane and h奴. We are also in the planning stages of a lumi 驶ohana, a space for parents and their keiki to read, study, and play together in a culturally grounded environment.

The University of Hawaiʻi has received a $150,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation鈥檚 Public Knowledge program to plan for a social media archive that preserves 贬补飞补颈ʻ颈鈥檚 digital history and centers on Native Hawaiian voices.

The project, Kaʻohipōhaku (gathering rocks or stones), is a collaboration between the 东精影业 West Oʻahu James & Abigail Campbell Library, 东精影业 Maui College library and 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补.

“Kaʻohipōhaku will bring together Native Hawaiian activists and web/social media archivists to start the discussion on what a social media archive, rooted in ʻāina (land) and guided by the l膩hui Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Nation), could look like,” said principal investigator Kawena Komeiji, Hawaiian Initiatives librarian at 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 Hamilton Library and the former Hawaiian Pacific resources librarian at 东精影业 West Oʻahu.

Komeiji said the effort rebalances how history is preserved, and is significant to 东精影业 and the broader Hawaiʻi community.

“It aims to put mana (power, authority, privilege) and ea (sovereignty, independence) back into the hands of the Native Hawaiian community. In the past, collections in libraries and archives were created with our ʻike(knowledge) but without our consent or approval; and Kaʻohipōhaku aims to flip that narrative by including K膩naka (Native Hawaiian) voices in the design process,” she said.

With Mellon support, the team will consult with community leaders and web archiving experts, test preservation tools, and establish sustainable, culturally relevant practices for digital archiving.

Web pages, posts are vanishing

“Kaʻohipōhaku is about giving social media creators, audiences and communities agency, especially around these major events in Hawaiʻi,” said Alphie Garcia, information resources and collection management librarian at 东精影业 West Oʻahu. “Hawaiians and people living in Hawai鈥榠 are having these conversations in social media spaces about the Lahaina wildfires and the Kū Kiaʻi Mauna movement, but these conversations are fragile.”

Garcia said research shows that nearly four in 10 web pages vanish within a decade, and one in five Twitter/X posts can disappear within months, similar to content on other platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

“Without active preservation, that history is gone,” Garcia added. “My role is to test tools and identify infrastructure that can help safeguard this digital heritage while working with a team of advisors on ways to accomplish this goal that are sustainable, ethical, trustworthy and community driven.”

The Mellon Foundation also awarded 东精影业 $3.22 million to 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补, 东精影业 Maui College, and 东精影业 Hilo for Kahoʻiwai: Reclaiming Hawaiian Knowledge Sovereignty, a related project running from 2024 to 2027.

For more visit .

—By Zenaida Serrano Arvman

This article by 东精影业 Kanaka ʻ艑颈飞颈 (Native Hawaiian) librarians Kawena Komeiji, Shavonn Matsuda and Kapena Shim was first published in Ka Wai Ola on .

As we celebrate 尝腻 Hoʻihoʻi Ea this month, K膩naka ʻ艑颈飞颈 librarians in the University of Hawai驶i (东精影业) System have been working towards restoring Hawaiian knowledge sovereignty to the l膩hui Hawaiʻi, with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

A new initiative launched this past December, Kahoʻiwai: Reclaiming Hawaiian Knowledge Sovereignty, focuses on improving access to Hawaiian resources in libraries and archives. The project will integrate ʻ艒濒别濒辞 Hawaiʻi and kuanaʻike Hawaiʻi into the ways we categorize, organize, and search for information in libraries.

Part of a collaborative effort by three 东精影业 campuses, Kahoʻiwai is led by K膩naka librarians at 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补, 东精影业 Maui College, and 东精影业 Hilo. This work builds upon previous groundbreaking work of the Ka Wai H膩pai project, which set the foundation and methodology for development of a Hawaiian Knowledge Organization System (HKOS) intended for implementation across libraries and archives with responsibilities for the preservation of Hawaiian knowledge.

Expanding on this work, Kahoʻiwai will also partner with Hawaiian language experts and scholars to create a Hawaiian language newspaper index from community-indexed information found in n奴pepa, enhance 7,500 library catalog records with table of contents and descriptions, and revise incomplete and/or harmful descriptions in archival finding aids to provide better, Hawaiʻi-centered context, to Hawaiian collections at 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补.

As testament to the work of K膩naka librarians, K膩naka scholars and allies, particularly in recent years, 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 Hamilton Library has created two dedicated tenure-track faculty librarian positions to bolster Hawaiian knowledge sovereignty and ensure the long-term sustainability of this initiative.

Similarly, librarians at the 东精影业 West Oʻahu, 东精影业 Maui College, and 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 have been building a social media archive rooted in community and ʻ腻颈苍补.

碍补ʻ辞丑颈辫艒丑补办耻 will consult with K膩naka activists and web archiving experts to identify tools and priorities for archiving social media content and to help establish culturally relevant practices for Hawaiʻi, culminating in a report that will be available to the public.

By shifting autonomy of collection development back into the hands of our people, we will empower the people of today to preserve their leo for the generations to come, much like our k奴puna did in the Hawaiian language newspapers.

Both the Kahoʻiwai and 碍补ʻ辞丑颈辫艒丑补办耻 projects are supported and strengthened by funding from the Mellon Foundation鈥檚 Public Knowledge Program. Kahoʻiwai was awarded $3.22 million over three years (2024-2027) and 碍补ʻ辞丑颈辫艒丑补办耻 was awarded $150,000 as part of a 1-year planning grant.

Libraries and archives are critical spaces for our l膩hui to connect to and engage with. Through these efforts, we seek to center Hawaiʻi and improve libraries and archives in meaningful ways so that K膩naka feel welcomed and empowered to research, learn, and engage in these spaces and with the waiwai housed within these institutions.

While libraries are not commonly considered in the movement for ea, these efforts highlight our role as just one of the many pathways in furthering ea for the l膩hui Hawaiʻi.