Project Library

One of the primary goals of this project is to share about our process and to make more visible the questions, concerns, and details of knowledge organization work. Below is a curated selection of materials we created throughout the life our project. We hope these can be useful models for others undertaking related efforts. If you have questions about the documents below, please contact Project Director Shavonn Matsuda shavonn@hawaii.edu.

Data Visualizations

Ka Wai Hāpai made significant use of data visualization methods and methodologies to (re)present concepts and relationships of Hawaiian knowledge. See the linked folder below for data visualizations created to support our work.

Working with Community Co-Creators

One of the guiding principles of this project is the ʻōlelo noʻeau: “He huewai ola ke kanaka na Kāne. Man is Kāne’s living water gourd.” This proverb highlights the importance of community, community knowledge, and community relationships. We are fortunate that Ka Wai Hāpai engaged with a number of community co-creators, each of whom so graciously and generously extended their stories and wisdom. Materials in this section demonstrate ways in which community knowledge was centered.

  1. Community Agreements
  2. Summary of Meetings with Co-Creators
  3. Co-creation Process Evaluation

Workflow Documentation

Throughout the course of the project we identified workflows that aligned with our project goals and timeline as well as our team expertise. While we weren’t able to address all of the issues we identified, the documents below reflect the steps we took, to serve as an example of an Indigenous-focused knowledge organization process.

  1. Compiled Ka Wai Hāpai Authority Records
  2. Term creation workflow documents
  3. Draft record creation instructions (by domain)
  4. “How to read records” instructions (by domain) 
  5. Term application sheets (by domain and title)

Project Publications and Presentations

Organized here are more polished public-facing project materials.

  1. Preliminary and full application to the IMLS National Leadership Grants for Libraries
  2. Joyce, Margaret C., and Keahiahi S. Long. 2022. “Controlled Vocabulary as Communication: The Process of Negotiating Meaning in an Indigenous Knowledge Organization System.” Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 60 (6–7): 583–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639374.2022.2090041.
  3. “Indigenous Knowledge Organization: A Practice in Co-Creation of Methodologies, Relationships, Vocabularies, and Values.” Poster. Association of College & Research Libraries Annual Conference. Presented 16 March 2023 by Shavonn Matsuda, Margaret Joyce, and Keahiahi Long. Pittsburgh, PA.
  4. Project blog

Indigenous Knowledge Roundtables

In alignment with our intentions to share widely and publicly about the processes of our work, and in an effort to contribute to the growing community of practitioners of Indigenous knowledge organization, Ka Wai Hāpai hosted two Indigenous Knowledge Roundtables throughout the life of our project. Through these roundtables, we were able to:

  • Provide space for broader engagement with Indigenous Hawaiian practitioners and researchers
  • Engage with knowledge organization practitioners working with Indigenous and other under-represented and under-supported communities
  • Host open discuss sessions for attendees to identify and workshop barriers and supports for this work

For more information about each roundtable, visit:

  1. Aia I Laila Ka Wai A Kāne 2023 (June 8, 2023 @ Leeward Community College)
  2. Hoʻokele Naʻauao: A Hawaiian Librarianship Symposium 2022 (June 15, 2022 online via Zoom Events)