posted by A.Alba

Kailua Public Library is the next stop on Hawaii Book Blog’s Hawaii Public Library Challenge Tour.  We drove up to the Windward side on a beautiful Saturday morning, hoping to catch some breakfast and run a few errands while we were there.  Unfortunately our first stop, the much lauded Boots & Kimo’s restaurant, was jam-packed on the inside while at least a dozen people sat outside in the hot morning sun waiting for an open table.  This began a day of disappointment in Kailua Town as a few of our errands, not of our choosing, *cough*Mac store*cough* were also left unfulfilled.

Thankfully, the bright side of our morning trek was the opportunity to visit Kailua Library.  The library is easy to find—situated between Kailua Elementary and the local Police Station, a big wooden sign along Kuulei Road proudly proclaims its existence.  On the downside, there was no parking in the library lot!  Kailua Library shares space with one of the local parks, including a parking lot which is supposed to be divided between library patrons and park people.  The lot furthest from the library was designated for “park users” only, but from what we learned there ends up being a lot of overflow into the library lot from park users.  Patti Meerians, the Branch Manager of Kailua Public Library, mentioned that they are currently trying to straighten out this situation.

Another reason the lot was full on this day is that Saturdays have become one of the busiest days at Kailua Library.  Patti told us the reason this day is so busy is because Kaneohe Library is no longer open on Saturdays.  Prior to this, when Kaneohe Library was open on Saturdays, it was often a fairly slow day for Kailua.

The Building

As we walk toward the library entrance, just outside of the front door is a room to the side which used to be the Meeting Room.  The Kailua Library gave this room up to the Friends of the Library Kailua to use as a book store.  It is a pretty big room, lined with shelves full of a wide number and variety of books for sale at great prices.  With money from the sales, the Library is able to get new or upgraded books, equipment and furniture.  The book store is fairly new, and because of its success (the place was packed!) they have been able to upgrade a lot of old furniture that has been around for years.  Along with funding from the Castle Estate and the State of Hawai’i, it helped to pay for a lot of recent renovations such as the courtyard and reading room.  Really, it’s just a great used book store.  I highly recommend if you’re on the Windward side to stop by Kailua Library just to find some great books for rock-bottom prices; and you’ll be helping the library with every purchase!

While inside the library, we noticed the unique structure and architecture of the place.  From the interesting square-grilling running along the top of the building, to the etched door handles that read “Library of Hawai’i” on its face, we could tell this place had been around for a while and asked Patti if it had been used for anything else.  Patti told us the building has always been a library for its fifty-plus years of existence.  Over the years, a lot of major renovations have been made inside, one of which are the notable number of murals and artwork painted or placed along the walls.

When you enter the library, immediately to the left is a large, open area for children’s reading.  This reading area was done in 1997 on a grant from Pizza Hut.  Patti Meerians grew up in Kailua and started here as the Children’s Librarian.  When she was working here, they still had the original furniture from the opening, and it was very old.  So when they got the grant from Pizza Hut they were able to acquire all new tables, desks and chairs for the children’s reading area and a beautiful mural of a tree along the back corner which spreads out across the entire reading area along the walls and ceiling.

This is just one of many beautifully done murals that cover the walls of Kailua library.  There are beautiful, natural murals creating an inviting cave-like area behind the circulation desk and a pretty ocean mural along the entire expanse of the far-wall of the library.  Patti tells me these murals were done by Linda Oszajca, an artist who no longer lives in Hawaii.  They create a very inviting, family-friendly and serene setting for people to relax, read books, surf the Internet, and discover new and exciting things.

One of the big renovations they’ve had is a newly expanded courtyard with a water feature.  This courtyard can be used for people to go outside and enjoy the fresh air while reading.  There are actually a lot of moms who will bring their kids to the library and after story time, take them outside and eat lunch in the courtyard.

Programs

Currently there aren’t many adult programs because the staff is waiting for the situation with the State budget to be rectified so they know exactly how much the furlough will affect their staff and scheduling.  Until then, you can enjoy Keiki Story Time starting on October 7th until December 16th, every Wednesday from 11 – 11:30am.

One of the notable aspects of this library are that Wally Amos, the famous cookie man and inspirational author, comes once a month to the library to do story time.  Patti also told me a great story about how cast members from the show LOST will occasionally pop in the library.  Apparently, on Letterman, Dominic Monaghan mentioned that when the paparazzi’s hounding gets bad, he will pop into his local library–which just happens to be Kailua Library!

I asked Patti about the challenges of Kailua Library and gave her examples from previous libraries where they wanted to raise awareness that the library was there–and it wasn’t only for students (as in the case of some school/public libraries).  Patti said that they didn’t have that problem as Kailua has been around for over fifty years and that the people in the community know it’s there.  That was definitely apparent when we visited on that Saturday!  They have a very passionate Friends of the Library group and very well-read patrons.  Patti did mention that because of the people who visit the library, the big challenge was trying to meet the needs of the community with their limited budget.  With the hiring freeze, their personnel has gone down and it affects things such as programs and service.  So, if you are in the area, help support your library by visiting their awesome Friends of the Library book store!  She also mentioned a small problem with a few homeless people that camp out, usually after hours, that may make a few people uncomfortable during late night book drops.  Patti says that they haven’t been too much of a problem as they tend not to bother people and there have been no bad experiences to date.

Like most librarians, when asked about how to encourage literacy they recommend getting people to come to the library.  Patti says whether it’s through programs or circulation, they want the community to be familiar with and use their public library.  The philosophy at Kailua Library is that the library should serve as a “gateway for children’s learning.”  The librarian’s job is to get the kids in the library, give them a warm welcome and get them excited about books; in turn they will bring their parents, who will then become reengaged with the experience.

Book Recommendation:

Seeing as it is October, which is often associated with Halloween and spooky stories, Patti thought it would be appropriate to recommend one of her favorite books:  Glen Grant’s Obake Files.  One of the big reasons she chose this book is because she used to take classes from Glen at the University of Hawaii.  Patti says he was a fabulous teacher who would discuss spooky tales and go on the famous ghost tours downtown.  She says the book “brings back a lot of memories” and Obake Tales is “great for this time of year.”

Thank you to Kailua Public Library for affording us the time and courtesy from their busy schedule to let them visit, take photos and to Patti for letting me interview her.  In closing, Patti wants to let everyone know that Kailua Library is open six days a week and encourages everyone from all over to drop on by!