About Us

台美史料中心的介紹

編者 台美史料中心

在2013年初,六位在美國各地的第一代台美人,經由電話的討論,達成一個共識:開始積極收集、記錄及保存台美族群從1950年代以來的歷史資料和文物。

最先要做的事是設立一個歷史網站(website),尋找在加州爾灣(Irvine)附近的辦公室、聘請人員及招募志工來共同推動此計劃。

第一個網站於2013年5月設立,開始初期由志工幫忙,一年後才找到專人負責,網站也經過幾次的改進,終於在2015年開始使用目前的網頁。我們仍繼續找尋網頁專家,希望能將這個網站變得更好,能收集並有系統的保存史料,使學者和大眾更容易搜尋到所需要的資料。網站Website 的地址是www.TaiwaneseAmericanHistory.org

為了收集史料,我們成立下列的兩個委員會:

  1. 文章委員會(Article Committee)
  2. 藝術委員會(Art Committee)

每一個委員會有一套操作的程序(Operation Manual),審查能登上網站的「我的故事」(My stories)及「我們的旅程」(Our Journeys)的文章和台美藝術家及其作品,以建立誠信度(Credibility)。

第一個辦公室在2014年2月設立於加州爾灣(Irvine)的一個工業區,約4,000平方呎。2016年7月再搬到爾灣一個公司園區內的兩層樓建築物,約19,000平方英尺,解決了空間不足的問題。

我們很努力在各方面收集台美人的史料,有很多是從50年代以來,台美人及團體出版的書籍、雜誌、報紙等找出來的。各地台美人也熱烈並自動提供他們自己及朋友的故事、文章和捐贈自己出版的書籍及台美人團體出版的刊物。另外也建立以個人名義的私人收藏(Private Collections),提供一個地方來給台美人保存個人多年來收藏的史料。三年來我們已收到近萬篇史料,發佈到網站上並展示收集到的文物在史料中心,供大家參觀。

此網站的資料來自台美族群,所有權也屬於台美族群,歡迎大家採用。希望在不久的將來此網站會有更完整的台美史料,提供給全世界的學者及大眾做台美族群的研究和瞭解之用。

現在台美史料中心有下列的陳設:

  • 圖書室1:展示台美個人及團體出版的書籍,有傳記、文學、政治、藝術家的畫冊、音樂家的音樂作品、生活、健康及宗教方面。
  • 圖書室2:台美團體出版的雜誌、年刊、專刊、鄉訊和通訊,以及私人的收藏。
  • 圖書室3:台美人的報紙、雜誌、書籍,以及歷史文物。
  • 圖書室4:台灣同鄉會和夏令會的刊物。
  • 圖書室5:台美人參與各地文化節的活動的文物、特製的T-shirts、帽子、手提袋、旗子等等。
  • 陳列櫥窗:重要的台美歷史文物。
  • 照片走廊:各種的活動及文件的照片。
  • 油畫:描寫台美人走過的足跡,共31張。
  • 會議室。
  • 辦公室。

除了收集過去在台美社區已發生重大歷史事件並按照年代編列,也從2015年開始收集全美各地台美人社區的重要活動及發生的事件,將這些資料發佈在網站上,每年十二月中旬再將所收到的重要事項送給很多的台美人來票選當年度的十大重要事件。

從2015年5月我們每個月從不間斷的發行月訊(Newsletter)給大家,報告每個月的進展、活動及我們需要大家幫忙的事項,經此已收到全美各地台美人很多的鼓勵及幫忙。

我們也在各種不同的場合做廣告,如各地每年的夏令會、文化活動、音樂會等等,希望讓更多的台美人儘早知道這歷史收集的工作,更希望大家來共同努力完成此歷史使命。我們也很積極的鼓勵台美人把歷史文物贈送給中心,讓中心永久保存下來。

我們現在及未來的努力目標是:

  1. 整理出有系統的台美族群的歷史資料,並編印成一套史書。
  2. 設立有規模的永久史料館,陳列台美族的史物供研究及參觀。
  3. 成立能永續操作的組織及穩定的人員及財力。
  4. 注重年輕世代的史料收集,設立英文的網站及一套以英文出版的史書。
  5. 製作影片及電影來展示台美70年來的歷史。
  6. 收集更多的台美人資料(Who’s Who),呈現台美族群的優秀及多元化。

Introduction to the Taiwanese American Archives, 2020

By T. A. Archives

In early 2013, six first-generation Taiwanese Americans from different places across the United States, after having held a number of telephone conferences, finally came to a resolution: they would begin to collect, record and preserve historical documents, articles, and artifacts related to Taiwanese Americans’ first arrival in the U.S. in 1949, up until the present.

The first few tasks were to set up a website for Taiwanese American History: taiwaneseamericanhistory.org, to find a space in Irvine, California to serve as the T. A. Archives Center, and to hire employees and recruit volunteers to work on this project.

The website was first published in May 2013, and then converted to another platform. A year later, it was converted again, and a full-time staff was hired to maintain the website and upload the collected information to it. A few part-time employees and volunteers also helped us. We are currently still looking for web specialists to upgrade the website so that we can systematically preserve and display our historical records. This way, scholars and the public can easily find the information they are looking for.

In order to collect historical information, we established two committees: the Article Committee and the Art Committee. Each committee has its own operation manual. The Article Committee reviews articles for “My Stories” and “Our Journeys,” while the Art Committee reviews Taiwanese American artists and their artworks. Once the articles are reviewed and accepted by the majority of the members in the responsible committee, they are uploaded on T. A. Archives’ website. This process ensures that a group of Taiwanese Americans, rather than any single individual, makes the decision of what information belongs in our collection.

We welcome everyone to use our website. We hope that in the near future, this archive will be able to record an up-to-date history of Taiwanese Americans.

We have been collecting historical information from various media including books, magazines, and newspapers published by Taiwanese American individuals and organizations since the 1950s. Many T. A. support us by providing us with their own stories, or stories of their friends. Many also donate books that they either published themselves or were published by T. A. Organizations.

We also established “Private Collections” on the website to provide T. A. individuals with an additional place to preserve the personal historical information they’ve collected over their lifetime.

In the past three and half years we have uploaded about ten thousand pieces of historical information to the website. We also display the cultural and historical artifacts that we have collected at our Archives Center, which is open to the public.

The first Archives Center was established in February of 2014 in Irvine, California, in an industrial park with an area measuring approximately 3,800 square feet. In July 2016, the Center was moved to a two-story building in an office complex, which measures approximately 19,000 square feet. We currently have no shortage of space.

The layout of the Taiwanese American Archives Center is as follows:

  • Library 1: Contains books published by Taiwanese American individuals and organizations only. Genres include biographical works, literature, politics, artist’s books, life, health, religion, etc.
  • Library 2: Magazines, journals, special editions and newsletters published by Taiwanese American organizations and binders of private collections
  • Library 3: Newspapers, magazines, books, and artifacts
  • Library 4: Publications and program books from various Taiwanese American Associations’ summer conferences
  • Library 5: Artifacts, T-shirts, hats, handbags, and flags created for events hosted by Taiwanese American organizations
  • Display Window: Historical artifacts
  • Display Corridor: Photos of various activities and documents
  • Oil paintings which depict the footprints of Taiwanese Americans; our collection currently contains a total of 31 paintings
  • Two conference rooms
  • One administrative office

In addition to collecting historical information, T.A. Archives has been collecting and posting information about current Taiwanese American activities since 2015. Each year we invite a number of Taiwanese Americans to vote for the year’s top ten most important T.A. events, and we publish the results on our website.

Since May 2015, we have issued a monthly newsletter to report on our progress and activities, and to ask for help from the T.A. community. Thanks to this, we’ve received a lot of moral support and assistance in our collection efforts from the Taiwanese American community.

We’ve also advertised T.A. Archives to the community on a number of different occasions, such as summer conferences, cultural events, concerts, and other Taiwanese American events. We hope to introduce our history project to as many Taiwanese Americans as possible, so that we can reach our historical mission soon.

We encourage Taiwanese Americans to donate their historical artifacts to the Center so that they can be permanently displayed to the public.

Our future goals are:

  1. To systematically organize the collected historical information and to publish a series of historical books, called Encyclopedia of Taiwanese American
  2. To set up a permanent museum or T. A. History Center
  3. To establish a strong organization with good human resources
  4. To further solidify our financial resources to ensure the long-term operation of this history project
  5. To collect more historical information on our young generations
  6. To establish an English version of the T. A. website
  7. To publish a series of historical books in English
  8. To create videos and films to show Taiwanese American history in a visual medium
  9. To collect more biography information on Taiwanese Americans (Who’s Who)

The Front Door of the First Archives Center (第一個台美史料中心的前門), Irvine, CA, 2014

The Lobby of the First Archives Center (第一個台美史料中心的大廳), Irvine, CA, 2014

The Lobby of the Current Archives Center (台美史料中心的大廳), Irvine, CA

Library Room 1: Books Published by T. A. Individuals and Organizations (圖書室1:陳列台美個人及團體出版的書籍)

Library Room 2: Magazines Published by T. A. Organizations & Binders of Private Collections (圖書室2:陳列台美團體出版的刊物和私人的收藏)

Library Room 3: Newspapers & Magazines by T. A. Organizations (圖書室3:陳列台美人的報紙、雜誌、書籍)

Library Room 3: Artifacts Used by T. A. Organizations and Individuals (圖書室3:陳列台美人的歷史文物)

Library Room 4: Journals and Programs books of Summer Conferences of T. A. Associations (圖書室4:陳列台灣同鄉會和夏令會的刊物)

Library Room 5: T-Shirts and Artifacts of T. A. Organizations (圖書室5:陳列台美團體的T-shirts和參與各地文化節活動的物件)

Display Window: Historically Important Documents and Artifacts (陳列櫥窗:重要的台美歷史文物)

Photos Aisle: Activity Photos and Documents (照片走廊:陳列各種的活動及文件的照片)

Oil paintings: Our Footsteps (油畫:描寫台美人走過的足跡)

Conference Room (台美史料中心的會議室之一)

JpegAdministration Office (辦公室)

Prepared by T.A. Archives 09/2017

Updated 06/2020