Hamilton Library Visit

Rochelle Coloma

Post #1

Hamilton Library Visit

After stepping inside the elevator with a few staff members and students, I happened to be the only one going to the fifth floor. Though I felt a bit lost, I quickly searched for the entrance of the Hawaiian Pacific Collection area and soon found a table that would overlook majority of the library. I settled my belongings down and started to take note of the things that were happening around me. Five minutes in, I looked to my right and saw large windows that provided great views of the mountains. It seemed like the students preferred that particular side of the library. Though there is no actual #1 seat, I would assume that this side of the library is where students flock to or maybe it was the fact that there were many outlets to plug in their devices against the wall.

           Eight people, including myself, were inside the library during that time. My eyes trailed to two men who were a few tables away from me and one was looking for a page inside a big rectangular binder. The second man returned back to his computer. I noticed that the same black binders were next to me and out of curiosity I left my seat and opened one of the books. On the front cover, the title of the book was called “Realty Atlas” and later researched the group to find out that it was a real estate company. I began looking inside and realized that the binder consisted of multiple blueprints and plans for the interior of a building. I decided to go back to my seat but when I looked up, I happened to make eye contact with one of the men. At that moment, I felt as if I could relate to Farge’s experience when she visited the library and a few researchers seemed to intimidate her.  Within the 45 minutes I was there, I was able to see the process they took to analyze the blueprints and how quickly it was for them to find the answers they were looking for. In some ways, I did feel a sense of unease seeing the two men finishing their task. It became more so an intimidating experience just by seeing the amount of work they do with such ease and also the amount of knowledge they hold.

            Though my curiosity led me to look at the black binders, it was the act of being aware and observing the small details that made this experience even more worthwhile. By combining the little tips we read in The Allure of the Archives and the knowledge through this visit, this in some way could act as the foundation as we venture off to our own field of research.