Welina e Keikilani!

Name: Keikilani Meyer

Where are you from?
I was born in Honolulu, raised in Kailua and currently reside in Pauoa on the island of Oʻahu.

Why did you decide to work in the Library and Information Science profession?
During my time as the Interim Director for ALU LIKE's Native Hawaiian Library, I saw firsthand the positive impact libraries can make on a person (from keiki to kupuna), family, and community by providing library services that will increase their access to Hawaiian resources, teach them how to retrieve information, and strengthen their literacy skills.

​What excites you about Nā Hawaiʻi ʻImi Loa?
I'm excited about NHIL because it represents the fact that we've reached critical mass within our profession. As a result, NHIL can provide a leading role in the organization, dissemination, and preservation of Hawaiian knowledge. NHIL is important to me because I grew up during a time when Hawaiian knowledge was not accessible, which resulted in my having no prior knowledge of my history, culture, and language until the age of 41. NHIL will make sure this doesn't happen to someone else.

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Favorite collection in Hawaiʻi?
Bishop Museum Louis Sullivan Photograph Collection. This is my favorite collection because my kūpuna are in the collection.

Favorite book?
My favorite books are from the Earth's Children Series by Jean M. Auel. I like this series because it's about the exploits of Ayla, a Cro-magnon woman breaking through the preconceived roles within the Neanderthal Clan people during the Paleolithic Era.

Current place of employment:
Librarian, Sullivan Family Library, Chaminade University of Honolulu. My primary responsibilities are to oversee our Hawaiian-Pacific Collection; provide information literacy classes for students and faculty in Hawaiian Studies, Pacific Studies, and School of Nursing. I am also responsible for coordinating library events with a focus on promoting campus collegiality, increasing community outreach, and facilitating collaborative partnerships.

Education:
​I graduated from Kailua High School in 1975. After working in both the Restaurant and Tourism Industries for almost 20 years, I started my academic journey at Windward Community College in Spring 1994; graduated with my A. A. degree in Spring 1997; transferred to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) in Fall 1997 and graduated with my B. A. in Hawaiian Studies in May 2000. After working in the non-profit sector for 15 years, I went back to school in Fall 2012 to pursue a Master's degree in Library Information Science (MLISc), which I completed in Fall 2014. Currently, I am a second year student in the Interdisciplinary Communication and Information Sciences PhD Program at UHM.

Previous places of employment:
​Librarian, Chaminade University, Apr 2015-Present
Office Manager, Living Life Source Foundation, Jan 2013-Mar 2014
Interim Director, Native Hawaiian Library, ALU LIKE, Inc., May 2006-Jan 2013
Program Specialist, Native Hawaiian Library, ALU LIKE, Inc., Jan 2005-May 2006
Program Officer, Hawaii Council for the Humanities, Dec 2002-Jan 2005

Current or previous work / affiliations in the LIS field:
ʻAha, Nā Hawaiʻi ʻImi Loa 2016 -- LIS Diversity Council 2016-present -- HPC-SLA President 2015-2016 -- Nā Hawaiʻi ʻImi Loa Member 2012-2014 -- SLAsc Vice President 2013-2014