Hawaiʻi State Archives celebrates archives month in October

October is National Archives Month, a yearly celebration of the value of historical documents and the work archivists do to keep the public memory. The Hawaiʻi State Archives, a division of the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS), has chosen to mark the occasion this year by honoring the past, present and future of Waikīkī.

Acting Lieutenant Governor Keith Regan, also the DAGS director and state comptroller,  says, “Archivists do more than simply storing old papers; they maintain the foundations of identity and collective public memory. The records they save for our community provide irreplaceable, firsthand evidence of past events, decisions and cultural movements.”

State Archivist Adam Jansen, who has a doctorate in archival records, curated records of Waikīkī into weekly exhibits that he will post online so that the information is widely accessible. Jansen says it will represent just a small portion of the Archives’ holdings — and some of it will have never been seen before by the public.

He quotes a Hawaiian proverb that, for him, sums up the reason communities need archivists. “I ka wā ma mua, ka wā ma hope: The lessons of the past are the keys to the future.”

The free exhibits will be in the available to see in person at the Archives public records room (open to the public between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays) as well as on the Hawaiʻi State Archives website and social media pages (Facebook: Hawaii State Archives; Instagram @hawaiistatearchives). The schedule is as follows:

• Week 1: 19th century history of Waikīkī, including the first known map of the area documented by a Russian expedition
• Week 2: Waikīkī in art and music
• Week 3: Waikīkī hotels
• Week 4: Development of Waikīkī, featuring photos from the Williams Family’s collection of construction projects between Chinatown and Waikīkī.
• Week 5: Conservation of Waikīkī; a display of the personal files of the late Nancy Bannick, who advocated to preserve Oʻahu’s historical places.