Mission
Bishop Museum's mission since founding has been to study, preserve and tell the stories of the cultures and natural history of Hawai'i and the Pacific
Philosophy
Within this mission, serving and representing the interests of Native Hawaiians is a primary purpose of the Museum. The Museum gives priority generally to activities associated with the collections., and we favor activities that integrate culture and natural history (or the environment) rather than approaching them separately. Current thematic priorities are:
- Protecting Our Collections and Making Them More Accessible
- Advancing Native Hawaiian Culture and Education
- Strengthening Connections to Hawai'i 's Schools
- Conserving Cultures and the Environment in the Pacific
- Opening a Science Center at Kalihi
- Renovating Our Historic Buildings
- Strengthening Our Neighbor Island and Polynesian Presence
As we implement these priorities, we will make excellence at all levels in the Museum a top priority, strengthen fund development and competitive grantsmanship, improve our financial and administrative systems, seek partners, and publicize our work effectively. Current: Bishop Museum program work is defined by projects addressing culture and natural history of Hawai'i and the Pacific. Each project is assigned to one of eight Museum operational units:
Preserving
- Natural History Collections
- Cultural Collections
- Library & Archives
Studying
- Natural Science Research
- Cultural Research
Telling the Stories
- Exhibits
- Education
- Bishop Museum Press
Preserving. Bishop Museum's collections consist of 24 million objects and specimens. The Museum gives priority to protecting its collections and making them more accessible. Investment in digital information is a significant, new priority. Internet databases provide global access and may be the only way to assure survival of information over the very long term. Museum collection data can be accessed through the its web site at www.bishopmuseum.org. The Museum also gives priority to securing well-reasoned interpretation, clarity and stability in its compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
Studying. Bishop Museum's research represents over a century of work by its anthropologists, archaeologists, biologists, and geologists. Museum cultural research is now refocusing on a central theme of Polynesian origins with an exciting new program directed at studying the Mainland Chinese origins of Polynesians.
The Museum will also continue and augment cultural research based on its rich cultural collections, including the library and archives, and associated collections in natural history. Natural science research at the Museum focuses on Pacific-wide survey of plant and animal life and development of Internet accessible geospacial databases from field studies that are tied or "vouchered" to specimens in the collections.
Two frontiers for biological research at the Museum are an initiative to identify remaining undiscovered species in Hawai'i and expanded surveys in the Pacific beyond Hawai'i, with particular emphasis on Papua New Guinea. A third priority is to increasingly serve as a venue and source of methodology for applying cultural and biological information to nature conservation needs.
Telling the Stories. More than 300,000 children and families visit the Museum each year to experience exhibits, educational programming, and special events. The Museum's public programs have expanded enormously in the past few decades. That expansion will continue with opening of the 17,500 square foot Science Learning Center in 2005, focused on science and the environment.
Public programs emphasize exhibits and educational programming associated with exhibits and collections. Besides the Science Center, our primary planned innovations are renovation of exhibits in the Hawaiian Hall complex, changing exhibits in the J. M. Long Gallery, and associated educational programs. The Museum is expanding the Bishop Museum Press.
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