PRRLA members – University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa – Hamilton Library

Special Collections at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Hamilton Library focuses on Hawai’i, Pacific Islands, and Asia. These areas, from the earliest days of the University, have been defining characteristics of the library’s collections and they parallel the strengths of the University curriculum and areas of excellence. They also reflect the hundreds of years of interaction between the peoples of Hawaii with other Pacific islands and Asian countries.

Hawaiian and Pacific Collections

The Hawaiian and Pacific Collections are the leading research collections about Hawai’i and the broader Pacific Islands region. The Collections support the teaching and research mission of the University, and the research needs of local, national, and international scholars as well as the local communities in Hawai’i and the Pacific Islands.

The Hawaiian Collection is a comprehensive collection of retrospective and current materials pertaining to Hawai’i from the eighteenth century to the present. The collection’s strength is the 20th century and includes numerous unpublished reports and papers that are unique to the collection. The Hawaiian Collection also actively supports the University’s goal of being a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning.

The Pacific Collection is a comprehensive collection of materials relating to the island regions of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. The Collection’s strengths are periodicals, literature, government documents, ethnographic studies, and voyaging accounts.

The Asia Collection

The Asia Collection is the most significant collection of Asian materials in the state of Hawai’i and in the Pacific. The study of Asia is an important feature of the University’s curriculum, and the primary purpose of the Asia Collection is to support the teaching and research needs of the University. The collection is also heavily used by researchers from the East-West Center, scholars from all over the world, as well as by the general public. The collection covers materials published in and about the countries and areas of East, South and Southeast Asia.

In the late 1980s, an area focus for Russia in Asia was established. Over time, discrete collections for the Philippines and Okinawa were established in response to local heritage communities and are legislatively mandated.

Our research-level collections receive materials in numerous Asian languages, as well as English and other Western languages. In general. the emphasis of the collection is on the social sciences and humanities, with selected materials on science subjects that reflect cultural traditions.

Pacific Rim Library

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Hamilton Library was an early contributor to PRL with 59 of our digital collections being contributed to PRL. We are currently working with PRL to harvest an additional 10 digital collections.  A rare Korean book collection is also being planned which will be added to PRL in 2026.

Hawai’i, while part of the United States, sits in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and faces Asia rather than the continental United States. The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa serves as a bridge between East and West and Hamilton Library facilitates the intellectual engagement of scholars, students, and the general public in understanding and collaboration of the Pacific nations, Asia, and the United States.

We gladly welcome all of PRRLA to visit us here in Hawai’i. (For more information regarding Hamilton Library, you  may refer to the website HERE.)