The Fushiminomiya Japanese Collection at the Library of Hawai'i, 1936-1942

Prof Andrew Wertheimer (Library and Information Science Program, U H Manoa) will discuss the short and tragic history of the Fushiminomiya Collection at the Library of Hawai'i, one of America's earlier Asian American collections. The Memorial Library was created by a Japanese immigrant association here in Hawai'i to serve the ethnic community, what at that time comprised about 40% of the Territory's population. Who funded and organized the Library? What were the founding ideals? What was in its collection and what other cultural events did the Collection encourage? The talk considers those and other questions about the organizers and the struggles that they faced. The talk concludes with the tragic end of the Collection following the attack on Pearl Harbor. This is a fascinating and forgotten chapter in America's diverse library history. Please contact Prof Peter Hoffenberg at peterh@hawaii.edu for the Zoom invitation.

Event Sponsor
History Department , Mānoa Campus

More Information
Peter Hoffenberg, peterh@hawaii.edu

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