Yap’s Ruwepin wins 2023 HLA/PIALA Karen Peacock Memorial Award

Erica Ruwepin of Yap of the Federated States of Micronesia has been selected as this year’s recipient of the 2023 Dr. Karen Peacock Memorial Award.

This award is funded by the Hawaii Library Association and the Pacific Islands Association of Libraries, Archives, and Museums. Ruwepin will represent HLA/PIALA in the 32nd Annual PIALA Conference “Re-evaluate, Re-focus, Re-connect: Adapting to the New Norm in the Pacific,” to be held in Koror, Republic of Palau, from Nov. 13 to 17, 2023. Moreover, Ruwepin will be a featured presenter during the PIALA Conference, as well as a contributor to HLA’s newsletter Kolekole for the winter/spring 2024 or summer 2024 issue.

Ruwepin has been a librarian at the Yap State Public Library for over 10 years. Her experience in attending PIALA conferences has helped improve the work she does back home. “Attending the PIALA conference is the only opportunity for me to learn new ideas, meet experts, network with other people in my field, and, importantly, stay updated with new trends,” said Ruwepin.

The Dr. Karen Peacock Memorial Award was named in honor of Dr. Karen M. Peacock, who passed away in 2010. She was professor emeritus and retired curator of the Pacific Collection, Hamilton Library, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Born in Richmond, Indiana, Peacock spent her childhood years in Palau, Pohnpei, and Saipan in Micronesia, where her father, Daniel J. Peacock, served as the director of library services. Peacock was devoted to the Pacific, especially Micronesia. She gave a great deal of her time and energy to supporting the work of Pacific libraries, archives, and museums and advising and mentoring many of the islanders with whom she came into contact. As one of the founding members of the Pacific Islands Association of Libraries, Archives, and Museums, Peacock participated in many annual conferences throughout the region. The Hawaii Library Association and the Pacific Island Association of Libraries, Archives, and Museums are pleased to honor the legacy of Peacock by annually supporting this award.

PIALA president Erlinda C. Naputi shared, “As we celebrate 25 years of the HLA/PIALA partnership this year, the HLA/PIALA partnership has been a tremendous asset to the indigenous people from the respective islands in Micronesia. It has assisted in the development of the local library, museum, and archive capacity, providing training and resources to archivists, curators, librarians, and their teams. The partnership has also helped to promote the use of libraries, archives, and museums by indigenous people and has raised awareness of their importance in the community. As a result of the partnership, libraries, museums, and archives in Micronesia are now better able to serve the needs of their communities, and indigenous people have greater access to information and resources.

Again, on behalf of the Hawaii Library Association and the Pacific Islands Association of Libraries, Archives, and Museums, we are honored to congratulate Yap Public Library’s Head Librarian Ms. Erica Ruwepin from Yap, Federated States of Micronesia on being this year’s HLA/PIALA Dr. Karen Peacock Memorial Award recipient! Cheers!”

PIALA is a Pacific regional association established in 1991 and formed to address the needs of Pacific librarians, archivists, museum staff and other information professionals, with a special geographic focus on Micronesia.

Meaning “tiny islands,” Micronesia comprises some 2,200 little volcanic and coral islands spread throughout 4,500,000 square miles of Pacific Ocean. Lying west of Hawaii, east of the Philippines, south of Japan and north of Australia, the total land mass of all these tropical islands is less than 1,200 square miles with an estimated population of 555,013. The task of organizing a regional association, given this vast geographic setting and the lack of fast, reliable and inexpensive communication makes for many challenges. Hence, PIALA.

The seeds for PIALA were planted during the CNMI Governor’s Conference for Libraries and Information Services, held on Saipan in October 1990. Hereafter, at another informal meeting held November, 1990 at the Guam Governor’s Conference for Libraries and Information Services, plans for an organizational meeting were developed. An organizational meeting was then held at the University of Guam in February, 1991 at which two participants each from the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands and the Territory of Guam attended.

PIALA is committed to the development of resource sharing tools and networks among the libraries, archives, museums, and related institutions of the Pacific Islands, development of continuing education programs and experiences, and promoting technology and telecommunications applications throughout the region. Our mission is to enhance the quality of leadership in order to support and strengthen libraries, archives, and museums across the Pacific Islands. Since the inception of PIALA, the membership has grown to 66 individual members from over 35 institutions representing countries and U.S. territories including Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia: Kosrae, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Palau, Tinian, Rota, Saipan, Guam, Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Japan, Tonga, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the United Kingdom.

PIALA regional members comprise the following key associations in the Pacific: Northern Marianas Library Association (NMLA), Chuuk Association of Libraries (CAL), Guam Library Association (GLA), Hawaii Library Association (HLA), Kosrae Library Association (KLA), Libraries, Archives, and Museums of Pohnpei (LAMP), Marshall Islands Library Association (MILA), Palau Association of Libraries (PAL), and Yap State Library Association (YSLA).

For more information about PIALA, visit our website https://piala-pacific.wixsite.com/piala-pacific. (PR)