Although `Iolani Palace is not a public archives or reference library, Curatorial Department staff may be able to provide historical information about the Palace and the Hawaiian monarchy. Artifact information on objects in the Palace collections may also be available.

Inquiries should be submitted in writing to the Curatorial Department. Requests will be handled as time permits, and may be subject to research fees and costs for photocopying and mailing.

If your request is expected to take more than 15 minutes of staff time to research, you will be notified before any research is initiated. Research fees will be billed at $15.00 for each quarter of an hour of staff time beyond the first fifteen minutes. Research fees collected help underwrite the high cost of caring for the Palace’s valuable collections.

`Iolani Palace objects have been recovered from 38 states and 4 foreign countries -- from glassware returned from Australia, and a table found in the Governor’s mansion in Iowa, to a chair in a local thrift store. The quest to find original Palace furnishings and artifacts continues. Many original furnishings are still missing. If you think you may have original items from the Palace collections, or have information about their whereabouts, please contact the Collections Manager. To learn more about the original objects, you can view examples and find more information in the new Palace Collections area of this website.