*I did not address the “budget creation” and “funding” components of SLO 6’s fourth criteria because the scope of the artifact deals mainly with the human relational aspect of archival management.

 

I initially understood SLO 6 as focusing on “management” and imagined best management practices in the context of the archives. However, I’ve realized that SLO 6 really focuses on human relations, specifically among archivists and staff members, who are significant actors in the archival system. While my self-directed research project “Nā Palena a ka ʻOhina Palapala: Re-imagining archival management practices through the ʻAha Network” did not realize many of my initial expectations, the development process gifted me with countless lessons in effective archival management and leadership. These include the following:

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• Strong principles and systems that reflect and support the mission of the staff and institution, protect the safety and integrity of collections, and engage directly with patron communities.

• Skills and values that align the mission and overall intent of everyone involved within the archival system.

• Empowerment of everyone involved, balanced with collaboration and compassion (for self and others).

• The ability to reflect on weaknesses and the drive for growth and development.

 

Since a large portion of SLO 6 considers the theories and skills required for strong leadership and high-functioning human relations, my artifact draws its basic theories from values-based perspectives on management, which aligns with the strong emphasis Native Hawaiians place on values. Most management perspectives uphold colonial concepts (like capitalism) that contribute to the ongoing oppression of Indigenous peoples. For example, Robert D. Stueart, Barbara B. Moran, and Claudia J. Morner champion “competitive advantage” in library management in that “[g]ood library managers target available resources to compete successfully” against other institutions (such as nonprofits) for public support (2012, p. 4). My artifact cites mainly from the book Managing with Aloha: Bringing Hawaiʻi’s Universal Values to the Art of Business by Rosa Say, a manager and workplace culture coach (2016). In her philosophy for approaching management from a values-based perspective, Say proposes nine principles of management that she likens to human bones and that provide a strong conceptual and organizational scaffolding—a skeleton of sorts—for the culture of a thriving workplace. When presenting various management skills and her values of aloha, Say likens them to the muscles of the human body in that they can be strengthened over time with the proper attention and training. Because so much of my research deals with personhood in Indigenous cultures, these visual metaphors easily personified for me the concept of archival management itself and allowed me to connect with it in ways that resonated with my cultural background. By applying Say’s values-based approach to the context of the archives, I’ve realized that effective archival management requires strong principles and systems that attend to and support multiple aspects of the archival system. These principles and systems should reflect the mission of the staff and institution, protect the safety and integrity of collections, and engage directly with patron communities.

 

Of the skills and values I’ve culled from the literature on Hawaiian-based management, alignment (of values, intention, and more) between the institution and the staff is the most necessary when it comes to embodying strong leadership and powerful advocacy. Drawing on Hawaiian knowledge, library and information science (LIS), and business management, the artifact seeks points of alignment between the differing bodies of knowledge and affirms those points through best practices. Effective management requires a focus on skills and values that align the mission and overall intent of everyone involved within the archival system.

 

Initially, I envisioned this artifact to be grounded in SLO 6 while also encompassing the other five SLOs. This resulted in a project that attempts to hold together too many ideas at once. I should have reached out to my 699 advisor, who was supportive and offered her assistance multiple times throughout the semester. However, it has been a journey for me to unlearn my ultra-independence, a character flaw that this project has forced me to confront. Ultra-independence is neither helpful nor useful in library and information science, academia, community engagement, and management at any institution. It is a trauma-response and survival mechanism, rooted in colonialism, misogyny, narcissistic abuse, and more. While relationships facilitate power, they should also facilitate healing. As a Native Hawaiian woman who centers her work (creative, academic, and beyond) on power, I am still struggling to learn this. Upon reflecting on artifact-specific revisions, I would reframe the practices to speak to what the M-93 collection needs in an archival manager in order to tend to those needs and to reconsider the role of the archival manager:

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• NA’AU PRACTICES: In order to safeguard the naʻau of the collection, M-93 needs an archival manager who…

  • Recognizes the sovereignty and associated rights of Kānaka Maoli

  • Respects the autonomy of M-93 over her representation, moʻokūʻauhau (history, genealogy, & narratives), and ʻōlelo (language)

  • Continuously assesses & re-assesses the mission and intention of the State Archives

  • Honors Hawaiian Spirituality

  • Honors the ʻAha Network and its interrelatedness

  • Centers the need for pono (balance)

• KINO PRACTICES: To safeguard the kino of M-93, M-93 needs an archival manager who...

  • Develops (in consultation with Kānaka Maoli) systems and strategies that uphold the autonomy, integrity, and safety of the collection

  • Develops (in consultation with Kānaka Maoli) systems and strategies that deal with outdated, offensive, and/or harmful descriptions of materials

  • Develops (in consultation with Kānaka Maoli) systems and strategies that protect materials from potential harm and/or misuse

  • Controls accessibility for sacred and/or culturally-sensitive materials

  • Institutes and facilitates culturally-appropriate protocols to access materials

  • Facilitates the development and incorporation of Hawaiian-centered Knowledge Organization Systems

• KAIAULU PRACTICES: To safeguard the kaiaulu of M-93, M-93 needs an archival manager who...

  • Embraces the traditional metaphor of Mālama ʻĀina and reciprocity

  • Centers Kuleana (responsibility) and Aloha (love)

  • Continuously identifies and serves the needs of the community

  • Promotes awareness of Native Hawaiian communities and issues

  • Strives for the growth of the collection, institution, and community through engagement

  • Actively seeks and is open to criticism

 

In conclusion, this artifact demonstrates my effectiveness as an information professional because it showcases my ability to grow from my weaknesses and to develop and reconsider my philosophies. As an information professional, I seek to align the mission of the institution and staff with the needs of my community. I also seek to empower as well as heal my community.
 

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References

 

Moran, Barbara, Stueart, Robert, & Morner, Claudia. (2013). Library and Information Center Management, Eighth Edition. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

 

Say, Rosa. (2016). Managing with Aloha: Bringing Hawaiʻi’s Universal Values to the Art of Business, 2nd edition. Honolulu, HI: Hoʻohana Publishing.