台美史料中心的介紹 2017

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，經由幾次在電話的討論，達成一個決議：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。

最先要做的幾件事是設立一個歷史網站（www.TaiwaneseAmericanHistory.org），尋找在加州爾灣（Irvine）附近成立台美史料中心、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。

為了收集史料，我們成立下列的兩個委員會：

文章委員會（Article Committee）: 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。
藝術委員會（Art Committee）: 審查能登上網站的台美藝術家及其作品。

每一個委員會有一套操作的程序（Operation Manual），經過多數贊同才能登上網站，所以網站上的資料是經由一群人的決定而不是取自於個人的決定。

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私人的史料。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。

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並公布當年的結果。

從2015年5月我們每個月發行月訊（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。

第一個史料中心在2014年2月設立於加州爾灣（Irvine）的一個工業區，約3,800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。

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、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：台灣同鄉會的刊物和夏令會的手冊。
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21張。
會議室。
辦公室。

我們現在及未來的努力目標是：

整理出有系統的台美族群的歷史資料，並編印成一套史書。
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。
成立能永續操作的組織及穩定的人員及財力。
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。
製作影片及電影來展示台美70年來的歷史。
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 of The Taiwanese American Archives, 2017

By T. A. Archives

In early 2013, six first-generation Taiwanese Americans across the United States, through a number of telephone conferences reached a resolution: Collect, record and preserve the historical documents, articles and artifacts related to the Taiwanese American ethnic groups starting from 1949, The Beginning of T. A. History.

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

The website was set up 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 and upload the collected information to it. Few part- time employees and volunteers also gave us some help. We are still looking for web specialists to up-grade the website to have a systematic preservation of historical information, so scholars and the public can easily find the information they are looking for.

In order to collect historical information, we set up following two committees: The Article and The Art Committees.

Each committee has its Operation Manual. The Article Committee is for reviewing the articles of “My Stories” and “Our Journeys” and The Art Committee is for reviewing Taiwanese American artists and their artworks. The articles are reviewed and accepted by the majority of the members in these two committees and then are uploaded on T, A. Archives’ website.

This step ensures that the information we have collected are decided by a group of Taiwanese Americans, not by individuals.

We welcome everyone to use it. We hope that this archives can reach an up-to-date history of Taiwanese American Ethnic Group in the near future.

We have been collecting historical information from various channels: books, magazines and newspapers published by Taiwanese American individuals and organizations from 1950s.

Many T. A. have been also providing us with their own or friends’ stories and donating their own published books and by T. A. Organizations.

We also established “Private Collections” on the website to provide T. A. individuals with an additional place for saving their life- time personal historical information.

In the past three and half years we have up-loaded about ten thousand pieces of historical information to the website and some artifacts are displaying in T. A. Archives Center.

The first Archives Center was set up in February 2014 in an industrial park in Irvine, CA, about 3,800 square feet. In July 2016, the Center was moved to a two-story building in an office complex about 19,000 square feet,. We have no shortage of space issue for the time being.

Taiwanese American Archives Center in Irvine has following layouts:

Library 1: books published only by Taiwanese American individuals and organizations, including biographies, 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 the program books of summer conferences by Taiwanese American Associations.
Library 5: artifacts, T-shirts, hats, handbags & flags created for events by Taiwanese American organizations.
Display Window: historical artifacts
Display Corridor: Photos of various activities and documents
Oil paintings: Describe the footprints of Taiwanese Americans, Total of 21 paintings have been collected so far.
Conference Room: 2
Administration Office: 1

In addition to collect the past historical information, Since 2015, we have been collecting and posting Taiwanese American current activities and events in the U. S. on the website. We have also invited many T. A. to vote for the year’s top ten important T. A. events and published the voting results for each year.

We have been issuing monthly newsletter since May 2015 reporting our progress and activities, and what help our needs from T. A. community every month. Through these efforts, we have received lots of moral support and help from T. A. community.

We also have been placing some advertisements on a variety of occasions, such as summer conferences, cultural events, concerts, etc… in order to introduce T. A. Archives our community. We hope to let as many T. A. as possible to know this history project and help us to reach this historical mission soon.

We also encourage Taiwanese Americans to donate their historical artifacts to the Center for permanently displaying to the public.

Our future goals are:

To organize the collected historical information systematically and to publish a series of historical books to be the encyclopedia of Taiwanese American
To set up a permanent museum /or Center of T. A. History
To establish a strong organization with good human resources
To Further solidify a financial resources for a long lasting operation of this history project.
To collect more of historical information of our young generations.
To establish T. A. website in English version.
To publish a series of historical books in English version.
To prepare videos and films to visually show Taiwanese American history.
To collect much more Taiwanese American’s bio info (Who’s Who)

The front view of the first Center of T. A. Archives, Irvine, CA, 2014(第一個台美史料中心的前門)

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

The Lobby of the second Center of T. A. Archives, Irvine, CA, 2016(第二個台美史料中心的大廳)

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

Library 2: Display Publications by Taiwanese American Organizations and 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 3: Display Newspapers, Magazines, Books, and Artifacts (圖書室3：陳列台美人的報紙、雜誌、書籍，以及歷史文物。)

Library 4: Display the Publication and the Program Books of Summer Conferences of Taiwanese American Associations and is Sub-Chapter(圖書室4：陳列台灣同鄉會的刊物和夏令會的手冊。)