Tens of thousands of dollars are headed to Yap to re-open the Micronesian Seminar Library, now situated on the campus of Yap Catholic High School.
Over four decades, Micronesian Seminar built an internationally recognized library of over 120,000 documents, photos and recordings. After MicSem operations ended in 2012 the library was ultimately relocated to the campus of Yap Catholic High School.
Broad public access to Micronesia’s living history, through an actively maintained, growing collection, is vital to realizing the full value of this regional treasure. Father Hezel, in partnership with Yap Catholic’s Father Rich McAuliff, developed a detailed multi-year plan to reopen the MicSem Library. Habele organized a fundraising drive to realize the plan. Individual donations were matched 2-to-1 by Habele’s endowment.
Over the course of the forty-day fundraising drive, $15,233 was donated by fifty-eight individual donors. The sum was matched, two-to-one, with a $30,468 contribution from Habele’s endowment. All told, a total of $45,702 will be issued to Yap Catholic High School in the form of a MicSem specific grant by Habele for the project. A US-based 501c3 nonprofit, Habele was established by former Peace Corps Volunteers to serve students and schools across Micronesia in 2006.
The grant will allow for the final stages of the relocation of the Micronesian Seminar library at Yap Catholic High School. This includes implementing a transitional process for the management of the library from the long-time former curator to the new one as well as providing certain basic equipment needed to service those who utilize the collection in the future. These final steps of the relocation of the MicSem library in Yap will begin once the first portion of grant funds is transferred and essential equipment such as scanners, additional bookshelves and tables needed for the library to go into full operation are purchased.
“It was startling to see how so many people felt so strongly about reestablishing this unequaled Micronesian resource, and preserving and recognizing Father Hezel’s legacy of service and scholarship,” observed Neil Mellen, Executive Director of Habele. “Pride in our shared histories and person-to-person connections remain the vibrant bedrock of the US-Micronesian partnership. Habele is proud to play a minor role in that. Though the formal fundraiser is complete, we intend to continue Habele’s partnership and support of this important, evolving, work in the years ahead.”