Library Information - Anthropology and Archaeology in the Pacific - LibGuides at University of Hawaii at Manoa

Library Hours

Hawaiian & Pacific Collections

Reading Room
MON-FRI: 9:00am-5:00pm (closed holidays)
SAT: closed
SUN: 1:00pm-5:00pm

Reference Desk
MON-FRI: 10:00am-5:00pm
telephone reference: 808-956-5968
email: hawnpac@hawaii.edu

All Library Hours

H&P FAQ

Who may use the Collections?

How do I request (page) a book?

Circulation and fines policy ?

Where are Hawaiian & Pacific Collections?

How do I access the wireless network in the H&P Reading Room?

How do I print from my laptop in the H&P Reading Room?

Hawaiian and Pacific Collections

Hawaiian and Pacific Collections Reading Room

The Hawaiian & Pacific Collections, located on the fifth floor of Hamilton Library, are among the world's most comprehensive collections of material on Hawai'i and the island nations of the Pacific. Both collections have comprehensive acquisitions policies, meaning that they collect in all subject areas, in all formats (print, audio-visual, photographic, etc.), all languages and from all eras, starting with the earliest printed material produced in, or about, Hawai'i and the Pacific Islands and continuing through the present day.

Given their important place in the history of Hawai'i/Pacific scholarship, the subject areas of anthropology and archaeology are considered to be of major importance -- in addition to published materials, the H&P Collections also have extensive manuscript holdings, documenting the research of many well-known anthropologists and archaeologists. Both the Hawaiian and Pacific Collection also actively acquire audio-visual material, and in particular have strong documentary film holdings -- these materials are housed in Sinclair Library's Wong Audio/Visual Center.

If your research takes you beyond the borders of Micronesia, Melanesia or Polynesia, you will also find materials in other sections of Hamilton Library. The Business, Humanities & Social Sciences Collection covers anthropology and archaeology from around the world, emphasizing the United States and Europe. In terms of the library's layout, Australia is not considered part of the Pacific -- those with an Australian research interest will find most of what they need in the Business, Humanities and Social Sciences Collection. The Asia Collection also has significant amounts of material on anthropology and archaeology of those geographic areas.