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APSIG NewsletterHidden Treasures Conference in HawaiiThe Hidden Treasures conference from 15-16 March was a sequel to the Pacific Collections conference held at the University of Hawaii in November 1998. These two key conferences have provided the opportunity for specialist Pacific Islands librarians to meet, review and consolidate their common interests. Similar themes are now also pursued in the regular library/archives sessions at the biannual Pacific History Association conferences. It should be noted, however, that these meetings are tangential to the PARBICA conferences which mainly address the requirements of Pacific government archives. This difference was accentuated by the resolution passed at the final session of the Hidden Treasures conference to form a Pacific Studies Library Association. A number of the papers given at the Hidden Treasures conference focused, as Karen Peacock pointed out, on finding appropriate and culturally sensitive ways of accessing Pacific Islands materials. Keynote speakers reporting on moves towards bi-culturalism in Aoteoroa-New Zealand set the tone of the conference. Robert Sullivan, a UH academic and Maori poet, advocated the formation of a Maori library or 'knowledge institution' emphasizing Maori language and culture - a combined museum, archive and information centre, with a primary mission to serve Maori communities. David Kukutai Jones, a Maori Specialist at the Turnbull Library, discussed how acknowledgement of Maori equality and rights is reflected in the management of Maori materials in libraries - "ensuring survival of people through managing their documentary heritage". He noted there are 200 professional graduates in Maori Information Management in museums, libraries and archives in New Zealand.
Detailed talks on Hawaiian collection content and development were given by Dore Minatodani on digitisation and building the UH Hawaiian Collection in the absence of an Hawaiian National Library; by Kawika Makanani on materials available for the UH Liberal Arts Program which requires fluency in the Hawaiian language; by Helen Wong Smith on the Ulukau Land Database in the Hawaiian Collection; and by Puakea Nogelmeier on digitisation of Hawaiian language newspapers. Reports from other Pacific Islands included: Justina Nicholas on a new emphasis in the Ministry of Culture on publication of Cook Islands cultural, linguistic and historical materials; Tina Rehuher on the diverse activities of the Palau National Museum; John Pagolu comparing higher education library facilities and practices in PNG and the Marshall Islands; Libby Fong on accommodating the diversity of Islanders who use the USP Library in Suva; and June Norman outlining the rapid development of the National Library of Vanuatu. Reports from established Pacific collections included: Karen Peacock on UH Pacific Collection digitisation projects; Diane Woods on some little known Pacific collections at the Turnbull Library; Kathryn Wellen on Pacific language materials, rare books, official documents, movies, prints, photographs, maps and manuscripts at the Library of Congress; Kathy Creely outlining the major collections of anthropologists' papers and photographs in the Melanesian Archive at UC San Diego; and Stephen Innes on the Western Pacific Archives and other Pacific collections at the University of Auckland Library, asking sceptically whether there may be problems separating indigenous knowledge, leading to Maori loss of access to Pakeha knowledge.
I gave a keynote presentation on the PMB and Pacific Islands archival infrastructure, pointing to the vulnerability archival institutions in the Islands, particularly government archives in Melanesia, and searching for signs that governments will recognise a need to strengthen their record keeping capacity. Copies of the paper are available from the PMB on request.
Ewan Maidment
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