The Micronesia-Pacific Collection (Micro-P) is Palau Community College’s Tan Siu Lin Library’s special collection. The Micro-P collection, however, predates the Tan Siu Lin Library with its beginnings in 1994 in the college’s old library. In 2010, the collection was moved to the current library: Tan Siu Lin Library.
The Micro-P collection began with just two shelves containing less than 500 items. These items included some books, Micronesian Occupational College catalogs, newspaper clippings, and the Jot This Down Newsletter. Today, the Micro-P collection consists of over 11,000 books alone. As its name suggests, it is a collection of all things Micronesian or Pacific from government documents and magazines to academic journals and maps. These and more make up the Micro-P collection.
The Micro-P collection is located on the lower level of Palau Community College’s Tan Siu Lin Library. The library is left of Btaches Building from the main road. It is also behind the Learning Resource Center and across and to the left of the Development Office.
Books
The collection has possession of over 11,000 books. The books cover a wide range of topics from Micronesian cultures to Pacific art, and Palauan economy to traditional legends. There are fiction novels as well as non-fiction books. Micro-P possesses all 7 volumes of the translated work of Augustin Kramer’s Results of the South Seas Expedition 1908-1910. Micro-P also has its own reference materials including 11 different Micronesian language dictionaries and grammar books, 20 volumes of the History of Micronesia, The Pacific Islands: an encyclopedia, and travel guides for Micronesian and Pacific Islands. In addition, Micro-P also has a small collection of rare books, the oldest of those books was published in 1770.
Newspapers
The collection houses past issues of local and regional newspapers in archival boxes and vertical files. Newspapers such as Island Times (2005-present), Kaselehlie Press(2001-present), Marianas Variety (2000-2006), Marshall Island Journal (2000-present), Palau Horizon (2000-2010), Roureur Belau (1999-2002), Micronesian Counselor Tribune (1996-2008), TiaBelau (1999-present) and others. Newspaper issues are collected throughout the year and are then organized into an archival box, labeled, and placed on the shelf.
Journals & Magazines
The collection has a large volume of magazines and journals, all of which focus on Micronesia or the Pacific. Islands Business, Guam Business, AsianDiver, Japan+plus, INFOfish International, Scuba Diving, and People and Culture in Oceania are some of the magazines included in the collection. Scholarly or academic journals available in the Micro-P collection include such titles as: Micronesian Educator, Asian Pacific Economic Literature, Atoll Research Bulletin, Micronesica, Pacific Science, Pacific Studies, Asia Pacific Viewpoint, Contemporary Pacific, ArtAsiaPacific, Islands, Ka Pili Kai, and Fisheries Newsletter to name a few.
Government Reports and Documents
The collection possesses copies of the National constitutions, state constitutions, Compacts of Free Associations, Trust Territory reports, South Pacific Commission Annual Reports, The Pacific Community, the Legislative Reviews, Pacific Courts & Legal Systems, and environmental assessments are among the many that fall under “government reports and documents”. State of the Republic Addresses by Palau’s current and the former Presidents are shelved among them, including an an inaugural address by Palau’s first president, Haruo Remeliik.
Dissertations/Theses
The collection houses a small collection of dissertations /theses, donated by researchers began in 1999. Today, the Micro-P collection contains a total of 389 dissertations/theses on a wide range of topics. Some of the topics include education, medicines , culture , religion, and politics among many others. “Projective psychological findings in Palau personality” by Francis B. Mahoney, published in 1950, is the oldest dissertation in the collection.
Audio, Visual, and Digital
There are 155 videos, 178 CDs, and 92 DVDs in the collection. Video tapes include a large volume of the Micronesian Seminar videos and movies such as Hell in the Pacific starring Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune. Other videos include Guam’s History in songs, Journeys in the New Zealand Heartland, The Living Eden by PBS, Storytellers of the Pacific, and Pacific Passages among others.
Maps
There are over 100 maps of various sizes, from different periods, of Palau, other Micronesian islands as well as the Pacific region. These maps also include topographic and aerial maps.