Newspaper Volunteers Needed

Aloha no,

I am hoping that you’ve already heard noise about ‘Ike Kū’oko’a, the Hawaiian newspaper initiative, and if so, here’s an update. On Monday, Nov. 28th, we (kākou) launch an ambitious volunteer effort to typescript the 60,000 remaining pages of Hawaiian-language newspapers, finally making all the available pages searchable.

Lā Kū’oko’a (Nov. 28) seems to be the perfect time to begin, and July 31, Lā Ho’iho’i Ea, a good time to end. It will take 200,000 volunteer hours, just over 3 hours per page, to get the job done, but compare that to the ten years dedicated to getting the first 15,000 up on the web.

That decade of work highlighted the importance of these newspapers, and now there’s an enthusiastic response from here in the islands and places afar, with Hawaiians and supporters of Hawaiian culture and history stepping up to make something wonderful happen — together. No language skill necessary, so everyone can participate. By Lā Kū’oko’a of next year all 75,000 pages of Hawaiian newspapers that have been found so far (of more than 125,000 pages printed) will be up and searchable — all at once.

Initiated by Awaiāulu and carried out by thousands, near and far, it’ll be a remarkable success and a historic effort. Please be a part of it. Log on and learn more at www.awaiaulu.org — and share the idea with others. Like us on Facebook, too.

Me ke aloha,

Puakea Nogelmeier