The Short Life of the Fushiminomiya Japanese Collection at the Library of Hawai‘i, 1936–1942

Abstract

ABSTRACT Honolulu's public library, the Library of Hawai‘i, was home to one of America's earliest Asian American collections. The Fushimi Memorial Library was created by a Japanese immigrant association to serve the ethnic community, which made up roughly 40% of the Territory of Hawai‘i. This article explores the library's rationale, and how the community worked with philanthropists in the community as well as in Japan to build the collection, as well as the organization's struggles with funding and its host. It concludes by examining the tragic end of the library following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The article briefly also explores the collection, and programs offered by this unique community library. This history had all but been forgotten, yet is an important part of America's diverse library history.