Helen Wong Smith

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Helen Wong Smith is an American archivist and librarian. She is the archivist and librarian for University Records at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She works in the University Archives and Manuscripts Collection of the Public Services Division.[1] She is also an Archivist and Librarian for the State Historic Preservation Division as well as the Executive Director of the Kaua‘i Historical Society.[2] Smith is an active member of the Society of American Archivists, serving in many leadership roles including on the Council, the Committee on Education, and the Nominating Committee from 2012-2014. Smith was named an SAA Fellow on June 10, 2016.[3]

Early life and education[]

Smith's hometown is Heʻeia on the island of Oʻahu.[4] Her heritage is Chinese and Portuguese.[4]

She attended the University of Hawai‘i for a Bachelor's Degree in Hawaiian Studies as well as her Master's in Library Science.[2]

Career[]

Smith has worked in several archive or library positions across Hawai‘i, including the Hawaiian Collection Librarian at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and lead archivist for the Pacific Island Network of the National Park Service. In 2000, she became a Certified Archivist and served on their Nominating Committee. She has been elected twice as the president of the Association of Hawai‘i Archivists, as well as serving as president of the Hawaiian Library Association and the Hawaiian Historical Society.[2]

She has served as ambassador of Hawaiian and Pacific archives and worked to bring forward unknown or forgotten collections in her research and presentations.[5] She has researched and written on Hawaiian cultural resources as well as presenting her discoveries through lectures and workshops for over 35 years.

Smith is also a strong advocate for cultural competency among archivists. In 2015, she addressed the SAA at their Annual Meeting with her "Adopting Cultural Diversity Competence" presentation, which is now a workshop that is offered by the SAA.[2] In the description of the course, Smith explains Cultural Diversity Competency (CDC) is "the ability to function with awareness, knowledge, and interpersonal skill when engaging people of different backgrounds, assumptions, beliefs, values, and behaviors."[6] Among the desired outcomes, the course should bring students to critically examine their interactions with people of other cultures, create methods to improve those interactions, and "combine cultural-mindedness with culturally centered communication skills for effective relationships with all people forming the basis for culturally competent organizations, communities and societies."[6]

In an interview with Joyce Gabiola, Smith explained that she was surprised to be nominated for the SAA Fellows Award. When she first joined the SAA, she

felt very isolated. Not un-welcomed, but definitely not embraced. When seeing who was on Council and the leadership, I believed the only place would be AACR. There wasn't a clear opportunity for me back then, so I was shocked when I became a Fellow. I haven't written books, so being elected is an example of inclusion and diversity. From the middle of the Pacific my contribution has been limited and it's most likely the introduction and training in cultural competency that has led SAA to recognize me.[4]

Smith has been passionate about archives and encouraging people to invest in the archival profession for years. She has also advocated for diversity among archivists and archives. In the same interview, she states that "our job as archivists is to show what we have, but also what isn’t there—what this collection lacks. This is why it’s important for professionalization."[4]

Publications[]

  • Helen Wong Smith. “Transition from Tradition to Western Medicine in Hawai‘i (Part 2): Western Legislative Impacts on Traditional Medicine Practices.” Hawai‘i Journal of Medicine & Public Health 75, no. 5 (2016): 148-150.
  • Helen Wong Smith. “Transition from Traditional to Western Medicine in Hawai‘i (Part 1).” Hawai‘i Journal of Medicine & Public Health 75, no. 3 (2016): 87-89.
  • Kerri A. Inglis and Helen Wong Smith. “University of Hawaii, Hilo: UH-Hilo & the Christensen Photographic Collection: Preserving a Piece of Hamākua's History.” Past or Portal? Enhancing Undergraduate Education through Special Collections and Archives. Edited by Eleanor Mitchell, Peggy Seiden and Suzy Taraba. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2012.

Awards[]

  • Fellow, Society of American Archivists, 2016
  • Agnes C. Conrad Award, Association of Hawai‘i Archivists, 2009

References[]

  1. ^ "Staff Directory". University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Library. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d "Helen Wong Smith". Society of American Archivists. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  3. ^ "Distinguished Fellows of SAA". Society of American Archivists. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d DES (October 21, 2016). "Helen Wong Smith". Archivists and Archives of Color: Archiving in Color. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  5. ^ "Society of American Archivists to honor Helen Wong Smith". Hawaii Tribune Herald. June 16, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Cultural Diversity Competency". Society of American Archivists. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
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