Mission of the American Haiku Archives

American Haiku Archives

In 1996, the Haiku Society of America committed its archives to the American Haiku Archives at the California State Library in Sacramento, California. The American Haiku Archives is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and promotion of haiku and related poetry as a vital component of literature in the English language. It is believed to be the world's largest publicly accessible collection of haiku and haiku-related books and papers outside of Japan. The HSA's contributions to this collection includes and will include copies of books submitted for the annual HSA Merit book awards, copies of its own publications (issues of Frogpond, annual membership anthologies, and other publications), and various historical records. Every year, the American Haiku Archives advisory board, which includes the HSA president, selects an honorary curator to serve a one-year term. For more information about the American Haiku Archives, including biographies and poems by past honorary curators, mission statement, and a guide to research and how to donate your own books and papers, please visit https://www.americanhaikuarchives.org/.

American Haiku Archives Mission Statement:

The American Haiku Archives is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and promotion of haiku and related poetry as a vital component of literature in the English language.

Based on the belief that haiku and related poetry can enrich lives, the American Haiku Archives is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and promotion of this poetry as a vital component of literature in the English language.

Established 12 July 1996 as an inclusive educational and scholarly resource at the California State Library in Sacramento, the Archives seeks to make its material accessible to the general public, especially students, poets, writers, and scholars.

The Archives’ material, primarily in English, includes books, magazines, pamphlets, recordings, artwork, photographs, letters, papers, and ephemera. It also encompasses other historical and contemporary material from individuals, groups, publishers, and societies around the world, from whom the Archives actively invites future and regular contributions.

The American Haiku Archives exists with the hope and confidence that present and future generations will continue to enjoy and benefit from the reading, writing, and studying of haiku and all related poetry.

The mission statement was established by the American Haiku Archives advisory board for the inauguration of the archives at the California State Library on July 12, 1996.