After touring three University of �鶹��ý community colleges last fall, —interactive exhibits exploring sovereignty and life force—are expanding across UH libraries statewide this spring. Developed by , a network of Hawaiian language, culture and ʻ�徱�Բ�-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�徱�Բ� (love of the land) while uplifting Hawaiian history, culture and language.

The initiative began during a Kūkalahale E Hoʻi Nā Wai culture-based professional development training, where Windward CC librarians explored ways to indigenize library spaces. The idea quickly spread across the UH 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 UH library had an opportunity to showcase the beautiful activations and educate our communities that the ea of this ʻ�徱�Բ� still exists through our history, culture and language,” said Kawena Komeiji, Hawaiian initiatives librarian at UH ����ԴDz�’s Hamilton Library.

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

Exhibit dates and locations

Ka Lā Kealaiwikuamoʻo Ea and Ka Lā ��ūʻ�ǰ��ʻ�� – A journey centered on Kamehameha III and his vision of an independent lāhui (group):

• January 12 – February 6: UH ����ԴDz� Hamilton Library, UH West Oʻahu Campbell Library
• February 9 – March 6: Kauaʻi CC Library, UH Maui College, UH Hilo Moʻokini Library

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

• February 9 – March 6: UH ����ԴDz� Hamilton Library, UH West Oʻahu Campbell Library
• March 9 – April 3: Kauaʻi CC Library, UH Maui College

Ruth ����ʻ�������ō�����Ծ� – Honors Princess Ruth Keanolani Kanāhoahoa ����ʻ�������ō�����Ծ� and her commitment to ʻō������� �鶹��ý (the Hawaiian language), tradition and her people:

• January 12 – February 6: Kauaʻi CC Library, UH Maui College
• February 6 – March 6: UH Hilo Moʻokini Library
• March 9 – April 3: UH ����ԴDz� Hamilton Library, UH West Oʻahu Campbell Library

The collection of Hawaiian history, legends, books, maps and more inside the University of �鶹��ý at Hilo’s now bears the name of a revered Native Hawaiian scholar, kumu (teacher) and haku mele (composer)—who dedicated her life to teaching and preserving Hawaiian culture—Edith Kanakaʻole.

Renamed in May, the Edith Kanakaʻole Hawaiian Collection serves students and faculty from both UH Hilo and �鶹��ý Community College. More than that, it’s also become a trusted resource for community members looking to reconnect with their roots.

“We have a lot of people that are just looking for research about their ʻ�徱�Բ� or about their families, and they come in and utilize our resources,” said Annemarie Paikai, librarian of the Hawaiian collection. “Based on my personal experiences learning from her family, I think that’s what Aunty Edith really wanted, is for that perpetuation to happen on a larger scale, so that it lives within our families and our communities.”

ʻIke �鶹��ý (Hawaiian Knowledge) treasures

The Hawaiian collection is home to some rare gems, including detailed 19th-century maps of �鶹��ý Island that highlight ancient place names for ahupuaʻa (land divisions) and ʻili ʻ�徱�Բ� (land sections), names that are no longer commonly used. Visitors can also explore microfilm reels of Hawaiian language newspapers that reach back to the era of the Hawaiian monarchy.

The collection’s vault contains a substantial number of rare books including early edition copies of works by Queen Liliʻuokalani, Samuel Mānaiakalani Kamakau, David Malo, W.D. Alexander, as well as many early malihini (foreign) explorers and scientists of the 19th century, and archival materials such as a Hawaiian quilt pattern collection.

“People can come with their own tracing paper and trace patterns. We’ve had a number of researchers come in…and try to do these old patterns,” Paikai said.

Kanakaʻole legacy

The dedication ceremony for the newly named collection was filled with the sounds of oli (chant), mele (song) and hula performed to one of Kanakaʻole’s original compositions Ka Uluwehi O Ke Kai about various limu (seaweeds) found in the ocean. Held in May, the event brought together members of the Kanakaʻole ʻohana, UH Hilo leadership and library staff to honor the renaming. Four generations of Aunty Edith’s ʻohana, including her daughter Pua Kanahele, were present—highlighting the deep cultural and personal significance of the occasion.

Kanakaʻole worked as a teacher at �鶹��ý CC from 1971 to 1974 and at UH Hilo from 1974 to 1979.

For her great-granddaughter Lanihuli Kanahele, seeing Kanakaʻole’s name within the Hawaiian collection is both an honor and a reminder.

“Education and being a scholar was a waiwai (value) for her,” Kanahele said. “Especially in our ʻohana, it continues to be an important thing for us.”

Native icon

In 2023, the U.S. Mint honored Kanakaʻole as one of five American women featured on new quarters through the American Women Quarters™ Program. To celebrate the recognition, a mural of the Keaukaha native was unveiled on the building named Edith Kanakaʻole Hall at UH Hilo. Created by �鶹��ý artist Kamea Hadar in collaboration with ��ū��ʻ�� Zane—Kanakaʻole’s grandson and creative director at Sig Zane Designs—the mural was made possible with the support of UH Hilo .

For more go to the .

The is continuing to make strides toward becoming a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning with the support of a $3.22 million grant from the , the largest supporter of the arts and humanities in the U.S., dedicated to advancing social justice and fostering cultural knowledge.

This funding will help the university integrate Native Hawaiian knowledge into its library collections by developing a Hawaiian Knowledge Organization System (HKOS) and a Hawaiian language newspaper index. UH ����ԴDz� is among the first institutions in the country to incorporate Indigenous knowledge practices into its academic resources, creating new opportunities to preserve and share Hawaiian cultural knowledge within the academic community.

“It is my expectation that this work will be transformative not only for the UH ����ԴDz� Library and the UH System libraries, but also for the Native Hawaiian community, who will see their traditional knowledge system reflected in how we describe and categorize library collections,” said University Librarian Clem Guthro.

The initiative, known as Kahoʻiwai: Reclaiming Hawaiian Knowledge Sovereignty, builds upon several successful pilot projects, including Ka Wai Hāpai: Co-Creating Controlled Vocabularies for Social Justice. The three-year project will be led by Native Hawaiian librarians Shavonn Matsuda (), Kapena Shim (UH ����ԴDz�), Annemarie Paikai (), and Keahiahi Long (Library and Information Science Program, UH ����ԴDz�). Housed within UH ����ԴDz� Library Services, it aims to develop a Hawaiian-language-controlled vocabulary system that will be used to organize and describe library collections using traditional Hawaiian practices.

Creating Hawaiian language catalog system

A key component of the project is the co-creation of a Hawaiian language newspaper index, or Nūpepa Index, designed to improve access to community-indexed information found in Hawaiian-language newspapers. The HKOS will also be applied to catalog the John Charlot Papers, an invaluable archive containing works by the influential scholar of Hawaiian religion and culture. This initiative will integrate traditional Hawaiian knowledge into the way these materials are described and made accessible to the public.

The project will also fund three new librarian faculty positions to support the development of the HKOS, further strengthening the university’s commitment to Native Hawaiian knowledge sovereignty.

“By incorporating traditional Hawaiian knowledge systems, we are not just cataloging materials—we are reclaiming and honoring our cultural heritage in a meaningful way,” said Matsuda, project director and head librarian at UH Maui College.

Anthropology students in a museology course—the study of museums—at the University of �鶹��ý at Hilo created the museum quality exhibit Treasures from the Anthropology Collection: Stories from the Past at during finals week. The artifacts and objects used in the exhibit came from the UH Hilo ’s collections.

The exhibit will be on display at Mookini Library through the first week of June. Hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The students received museum training in storing artifacts, creating exhibits, managing administrative duties, solving custodial problems and conducting interpretations. They also learned about developing public programs, specifically about engaging with local communities to promote museum visits for the public to learn about history and objects such as cultural artifacts.

“The exhibition becomes the bridge to connect the museum and the community,” said Tarisi Vunidilo, assistant professor of anthropology who taught the class. “This exhibition is a way to connect the staff and students of UH Hilo to the Department of Anthropology collection, which consists of archaeological, anthropological and historical materials almost entirely from Professor William Bonk, who taught at UH Hilo from the 1950s to the 1990s.”

Vunidilo, an alumna of the UH Hilo anthropology program, says her students felt privileged to study the collection. Each student chose a “treasure” to feature, then researched it, wrote up the label, and prepared it for the exhibition. The class decided to translate the labels into ʻō������� �鶹��ý (Hawaiian language); one of the students, Torri Law, assisted with the translations.

“It was a fun project that all students participated in,” said Vunidilo. “Hands-on learning is the best method of learning for students, more so in museology. We get to work with our collections in the department and students have fun putting life on these objects. Seeing students putting a voice on their chosen object made this exhibition project fun, interesting, and engaging.”

Read about each student’s exhibit at .

—By Susan Enright

In his redesign of the at the , Library Director Joseph Sanchez wanted to emulate the atmosphere of old-world libraries—the ambiance of intellectual seriousness, the large, old oak chairs, the lighting from low-hanging lamps, the sense of possibility conveyed by stacks of books—but with a distinct Hawaiian feel. And with coffee.

“We wanted to take the underlying concept of biophilic design to build a new space in the library for the UH Hilo community, and create a sense of awe and exploration,” explains Sanchez. The term biophilic is a reference to biophilia, a termed coined by ecologist E.O. Wilson, who argues that humans crave connections to nature and other life forms.

“I want to bring the outdoors indoors, let students connect to natural spaces on �鶹��ý Island, and leverage the unique values of Hilo,” he explains.

The design concept

All of the new furniture inside and outside the library is built with wood from mango, robusta and monkey pod trees, all of which are found on �鶹��ý Island.

“Part of the redesign goal was to create the culture and the community,” Sanchez says. This includes everything down to the couch cushions; Tanya Ibarra, a graphic designer at UH Hilo graphics services, designed the fabric incorporating ʻōhiʻa blooms and the UH Hilo mission, ʻAʻohe pau ka ʻike i ka hālau hoʻokahi (One learns from many sources).

“We wanted to create something that connects to the school,” says Sanchez.

The library also features a Starbucks On-The-Go self-serve specialty coffee kiosk, Saturday concerts, digital media classes and a host of new items to borrow from the library including cameras, tripods and microphones.

For more on the renovation and what the library has to offer,

—By Leah Sherwood, a UH Hilo graduate student in the tropical conservation biology and environmental science program. Photos by Raiatea Arcuri, a professional photographer majoring in business administration with a concentration in finance at UH Hilo.

The named Joseph Sanchez as the new director of the . Sanchez, who starts his new position on June 29, arrives at UH Hilo after heading the eight-branch Mesa County Public Libraries in Grand Junction, Colorado, for five years. While there, he expanded the number of library users and created innovative ways to engage the public by reaching out to local artists, schools, businesses and other sectors of the community.

“Joseph is a true leader in his profession,” says , UH Hilo interim vice chancellor for academic affairs. “His out-of-the-box thinking has enabled him to consistently develop new and creative ways for libraries to serve their patrons and attract new users. We eagerly look forward to him bringing that approach to UH Hilo.”

Some of Sanchez’s noted projects at Mesa County Public Libraries are the creation of a multimedia production studio, an artist-in-residence program and an online repository of library-produced videos. He is a nationally recognized leader on e-books, e-content, technology and intellectual property in public libraries.

He earned his master of library and information science from San Jose State University.

For more on Sanchez, .

—From UH Hilo Stories