Welcome to our Fall 2024 LIS intern, Maile!

Please help us welcome Maile to the team! As mentioned before, we have been lucky to receive so many interns recently. Maile is our LIS intern for the Fall Semester and is working on several big projects, including updating some of our displays in our public area. Read more about Maile, below!

Aloha, my name is Maile Morrell and I am in my second-to-last semester of the Library and Information Science (LIS) program at UH Manoa.  I am following the Archives pathway in hopes of combining my interests in digital preservation and creating metadata to make resources more accessible in a museum or archive setting.  In my free time, I enjoy baking scones and mini cakes to share with friends and family (but only when my creations turn out good!)    

What brought you here to ‘Ulu‘ulu? What are some of the things you’re hoping to learn during your internship with us?

I was interested in interning at ‘Ulu‘ulu while enrolled in Janel’s Moving Image Archive class through the LIS program.  Learning about various topics ranging from identifying film and tape formats to the ethics of archival footage piqued my interest in applying what I had learned in class to hands-on experience. The internship program at ʻUluʻulu seemed like a perfect environment to practice skills that will prepare me for future endeavors in the archives and information management field.  

What projects are you working on at ‘Ulu‘ulu?

I have been predominantly working with two collections: processing the David L. Brown Productions acquisitions and cataloging the Tom Coffman production materials and raw footage (NEH grant project).  Thus far, my processing work has included creating descriptive inventories of the donated material and transcribing information found on the various tapes into spreadsheets.   My cataloging work has included writing summary descriptions of digitized materials, assigning appropriate subject headings, and choosing clip selections for preview on the website. Finally, I am conducting research to identify and notate new items that will be added to the ‘Ulu‘ulu exhibit area. 

Is there anything about the items you are working with that is surprising or unexpected?

Because I have spent a majority of my time viewing interviews from the Tom Coffman collections, which have been in conjunction with his film First Battle: the Battle for Equality in Wartime Hawaiʻi, I have learned a lot about WWII-era Hawaiʻi.  It has been fascinating to hear perspectives about the war that I otherwise would not have heard in its entirety by only watching the producer’s film or a snippet of an interview.  I find myself laughing along with the guests and deeply moved by their stories preserved in these recordings. Prior to starting my internship, I did not know what kind of subject matter I would be working with, but it has been a joy to be a part of making this collection available to researchers and viewers.

Now that you’ve been at the archive for a little while now, have you found a favorite aspect?

I have really enjoyed the variety of tasks I can take part in at the archive but my favorite part has been learning from the staff and other project assistants.  They are so knowledgeable about their work and have set me up for success in the tasks I have set out to complete during my internship.    

Do you have any advice for future ‘Uluʻulu interns or fellows?

To any future ʻUluʻulu interns or fellows:  I hope you realize that there are so many interesting stories being held in this space!  As stewards of people’s narratives and lives through film/tape/digital materials, do what you can to respect and preserve them for future viewers.