Library & Archives
Library & Archives
Library & Archives will also be closed to in-person access from February 1 – April 30, 2025* while our building undergoes necessary improvements. Please contact archives@bishopmuseum.org for assistance during this interruption to our public access services.
*Dates are estimated. Please check this page for updates to the timeline of our closure.
Bishop Museum’s Library & Archives have one of the richest and most varied collections of published works and primary source materials related to Hawai‘i and the Pacific.
Our Library holdings include rare books, periodicals, newspapers, and special collections of published material.
The Museum’s Archives hold the results of extensive studies done by Museum staff in various disciplines throughout the Pacific, as well diverse and important collections of manuscripts, photographs, artwork, oral histories, sound recordings, and maps.
Library Catalog
Hawaiian Ethnological Notes
Commonly called HEN, these notes are largely Hawaiian language material translated by Mary Kawena Pukui. This material includes articles which appeared in Hawaiian Language newspapers. The online search engine provides access to records only. The HEN material must be accessed in-person but will eventually be available on OHA’s Papakilo database.
Anthropology Manuscripts & Anthropology Projects
Records of manuscripts and projects of the Bishop Museum Anthropology Department.
For all inquiries, please email archives@bishopmuseum.org.
Library & Archives will also be closed to in-person access from February 1 – April 30, 2025* while our building undergoes necessary improvements. Please contact archives@bishopmuseum.org for assistance during this interruption to our public access services.
*Dates are estimated. Please check this page for updates to the timeline of our closure.
When Bishop Museum opened to the public in June 1891, its library consisted of but a few shelves of books in what is today the Picture Gallery. From its beginnings in the personal collections of Charles Reed Bishop and Ke Ali‘i Bernice Pauahi Bishop, along with those of other members of the Hawaiian royal families, the Museum’s Library & Archives has grown to become a source and center for Hawaiian and Pacific Island materials.
Top Image: Panoramic view of Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head, ca. 1910. (Alonzo Gartley, Bishop Museum Archives)
Be a Part of Our Story
Celebrate the extraordinary history, culture, and environment of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific with a gift to Bishop Museum. As a partner in the Museum’s work, you can help to sustain vital collections, research, and knowledge, and inspire exploration and discovery with a tax-deductible donation.
