The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa welcomed 185 archivists and cultural heritage professionals from 35 countries September 8–11 for the first Hawaiʻi-based joint conference of the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives and the Southeast Asia-Pacific Audio Visual Archive Association, held at the East-West Center.
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Centered on the theme “A Loss of Place,” the gathering examined how climate change transforms landscapes, challenges cultural identities, and impacts media preservation, with international partners including UNESCO, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, and national archives and libraries worldwide.
UH President Wendy Hensel opened the conference at the Imin International Conference Center. “In Hawaiʻi and across the Pacific, we know that there are significant challenges with climate change, the fight for cultural identity, and amplifying voices that, too often, go unheard,” she said. “The work that you do in preserving those voices, protecting and sharing these stories, ensures that memory endures and that wisdom is not lost.”
UH leadership, systemwide support
UH Mānoa’s Library and Information Sciences program and the William S. Richardson School of Law were among the conference’s financial sponsors. Hamilton Library and UH West Oʻahu faculty played key roles in planning, and presenters and volunteers came from across the UH System and Hawaiʻi.
Participants took part in a workshop at the ʻUluʻulu Moving Image Archive at UH West Oʻahu, toured KTUH-FM radio station, and explored Hamilton Library’s Asia, Hawaiian, Pacific, and University Archives collections. They also visited key cultural sites, including Bishop Museum, the Jaku’an Japanese Tea House at the East-West Center, and the Waikīkī Aquarium.
“I thought it was a great opportunity to bring people here to showcase the library and our collections, and also focus on Hawaiʻi and the Pacific,” said David Rowntree, digital preservation librarian at Hamilton Library and local organizing chair.
University Librarian Clem Guthro added: “We are a major research university, and we’re doing work that isn’t being done elsewhere in the world. Having conference attendees experience UH Mānoa and Hawaiʻi allows our work to be known and our reputation enhanced.”
