Resource Center, Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii ▶️

Available intern projects include, but are not limited to, (a) processing archival collections; (b) digitizing audiovisual, oral history, and manuscript collections and helping to move them online; (c) transcribing oral histories; (d) inventorying and cataloging donated photos; (e) cataloging books, AV materials, oral histories, and archival collections in the online catalog; (f) working on preservation and protection of fragile materials; and (g) preparing pathfinders for library materials on aspects of Japanese American history or culture. Interns will also gain experience in the everyday work of a specialized library in the nonprofit sector, including providing reference or other types of assistance to researchers and other visitors.

The Resource Center (RC) seeks to serve the community by providing public access to a repository of resources about the evolving Japanese American experience in Hawaii. The RC houses a collection of about 5,000 books (in both English and Japanese) as well as oral histories, archival manuscripts, photos, audiovisual materials, and vertical file materials. It is open to the public and is run by one staff member (the Resource Center Manager, who is a librarian) and numerous volunteers, including several retired librarians.

LIS 601 Introduction to Reference & Information Services

We hope to find a self-driven, independent individual who can collaborate with a team of volunteers. Familiarity with the history of Japanese in Hawaiʻi is desirable. Japanese language ability would be ideal, but is not required. It would also be ideal if the intern has a particular interest in archival collections and has taken some LIS coursework in archival management (LIS 652) or preservation (LIS 619, LIS 620).

The intern’s schedule is flexible, especially if they choose to do their internship remotely. All in-person work should be scheduled when the Resource Center is open to the public (Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm).

The student will gain general real-world experience in the setting of a small specialized library in the nonprofit sector, along with specialized experience specific to the project he or she undertakes. We hope the student will gain professional awareness and personal passion and satisfaction from preserving our cultural heritage and promoting it to many types of users. The Resource Center expects the intern to take part in the day-to-day activity of the Center as well as the completion of a specific project as determined at the beginning of the internship.

Final evaluation will be performed using the standard LIS 690 evaluation form and additional feedback.

Detailed evaluations will be performed at the middle and end of the semester.