Three times a year, the Jonathan Napela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Studies at BYU–Hawaii publishes a scholarly journal entitled Pacific Studies. The journal is made available after publication in an electronic format through BYU’s (Provo) ScholarsArchive, and in the last three months, the journal received 1,063,382 page views from readers, making it the first journal in BYU’s collection to pass one million views in a three-month period of time.
The Pacific Studies journal is dedicated to discussion of issues dealing with the people of the Pacific Islands. The content covers many disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, economics, ethnomusicology, folklore, political science, literary studies, and more. The journal was first published in 1977 and has had a long history of producing relevant articles and discussion on Pacific Island societies. The latest issue of the journal highlighted the story of a leper colony in the Cook Islands and how colonial verses native leaders handled the issue.
Authors who contribute to the journal are scholars from around the world who specialize in the Pacific Island cultures. Phillip McArthur, dean of the College of Language Culture and Arts at BYU–Hawaii, serves as the journal’s editor. “We seek to engage scholars and artists to present the most current research and issues in the Pacific,” says McArthur. “Our subscribers include university and state libraries, as well as numerous individuals interested in the Pacific.”
BYU–Hawaii does not have a wide selection of academic publications. However, the relevance and success of this journal demonstrates that the university is an active participant with important scholarly contributions. “We hope that the journal will continue to serve its important role in scholarship, as well as promote the good name of BYU–Hawaii and the Jonathan Napela Center, and ultimately, reflect positively on the Church,” says McArthur.
The hope is that the views will only increase as individuals view and subscribe to the journal. To view electronic copies of Pacific Studies, visit https://journals.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/PacificStudies. To subscribe to the journal, visit http://jonathannapelacenter.byuh.edu/?q=the_pacific_institute/psorderform.
