Guampedia, Guam’s Online Encyclopedia, is a Guam Humanities Council community project to create a comprehensive online encyclopedic resource about the history, culture and contemporary issues of Guam.

The project is funded through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Guam Preservation Trust, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and other sources. Guampedia is also being developed with the cooperation of the University of Guam and many other community institutions and organizations, including the Department of Chamorro Affairs, the Guam Museum, the Guam Library, the Guam Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Historic Resources, the Archdiocese of Agana, Micronesian Seminar and the Richard F. Taitano Micronesian Area Research Center.

Through peer-reviewed entries and accompanying media, Guampedia provides an important educational and informational resource for Guam teachers and schoolchildren, for Chamorros living away from Guam, for visitors to our island, and for those who want a richer understanding of our island and its people.

Guampedia was launched in April 2008 with the first 350 entries. More than 100 people have been a part of this project to date, doing research, writing, peer reviewing, fact checking or copy editing the Guampedia entries and media. Another 1,000 entries are planned and will be added as they are completed.

Two grants for content development are ongoing. One is from the National Endowment for the Humanities, We the People Initiative to describe the impact of the U.S. Naval Era on Guam. This research will examine the beginnings of the American school system, the government of Guam, and the effort to move Chamorros out of Hagåtña to ranching areas. The second grant is from the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency to write about Guam’s art community, specifically the music scene, as well as the visual arts, literature and theater.

Guampedia will always be an ongoing and dynamic project that will be updated and added to regularly as events unfold and technology allows.

Staff
Managing Editor: Shannon Murphy
Assignment Editor: Tanya M. Champaco Mendiola
Media Archivist: Nathalie Pereda

Software Architects and Developers
Justin Howard
Mark Burke

Guampedia Scholars and Advisors
Humanities Scholar, Dr. Nicholas Goetzfridt
Father Eric Forbes
David Defant
Dr. Judy Flores
Dr. Anne Perez-Hattori
Dr. Rosann Murphy-Jones
Dr. Aline A. Yamashita
Dr. Don Rubinstein
Dr. Thomas Marler
Dr. Clarisa Quan
Dr. Donald Shuster
Peter Onedera
Rosa Palomo
Bruce Best
Leo Babauta
Karen Cruz
Daniel Tydingco
Dr. Dirk Ballendorf
John Blas
Marjorie Driver
Tony Palomo
Dr. Katherine Aguon
Dr. Larry Cunningham
Father Fran Hezel
Jillette Leon Guerrero
Dr. Keith Camacho
Monique R.C. Storie
Rosanna Barcinas
Anthony Ramirez
Dr. Jeff Barcinas
Eloise Sanchez
Jayne Flores
Cathleen Moore-Linn

Photo Credits
Nine of the photographs in Guampedia’s banner were taken by Victor Consaga. One photo, that of a latte stone at Haputo, was taken by Leslie Reynolds.

Humanities

Guam Humanities Council

Founded in 1991, the Guam Humanities Council is an independent nonprofit corporation of citizens working in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency. The Council’s mission is:

The mission of the Guam Humanities Council is to foster community engagement and dialogue, inspire critical thinking, celebrate diversity and enrich the quality of life of island residents through the power of the humanities.

Executive Director: Dr. Kimberlee Kihleng
Programs Officer: Dominica Tolentino
Assistant to the Executive Director: Monaeka Flores
Fiscal Officer: John Pangelinan
Motheread Coordinator: Cathy S.N. Flores
Administrative Assistant: Patrick Camacho

Board of Directors
Taling Taitano
Lou Leon Guerrero
Don Rubinstein
Gener Deliquina
Chris Bejado
Walden Weilbacher