We are truly excited to welcome two new faculty members to the Library and Information Science (LIS) Program this fall.
Keahiahi Long joins the LIS program as assistant professor and will focus on Hawaiian librarianship. Before joining the program, Keahiahi served as Librarian at Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, and has taught courses in Foundations of Hawaiian Collections, ‘A‘ole I Pau: Kanaka Worldviews and Librarianship, as well as Hawaiian Archival Research.
Keahiahi lives in Honolulu, Kona, Oʻahu, is a mea hula no Waʻahila. A co-founder of Nā Hawaiʻi ʻImi Loa, a Native Hawaiian library association, Keahiahi is dedicated to advancing the well-being of our communities through information and knowledge caretaking. As a Co-Principal Investigator on projects like Lau Ā Lau Ka ʻIke and Ka Wai Hāpai, her recent work focuses on Indigenous knowledge organization systems. Keahiahi holds a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science and a Bachelor’s Degrees in Hawaiian Language and Hawaiian Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She is also currently pursuing her doctoral degree in the Communication and Information Sciences Program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Meera Garud joined the LIS Program as a permanent Instructor. Meera has served as a full-time temporary Instructor with the LIS program since 2019, and she will continue to coordinate the school library preparation program. Meera focuses on how educators prepare students to be lifelong learners who address community issues through collaboration and critical thinking. Meera served as Co-President of the Hawai‘i Association of School Librarians from 2018–2020, and she also works closely with the Hawai‘i State Department of Education, supporting professional development opportunities for in-service school librarians. She earned her Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and her Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley.