Hawaiʻi residents of all ages have been visiting their local libraries for more than just books this summer.
The Hawaiʻi State Public Library System wrapped up its Summer Reading Challenge on the last day of July.
“There really are two goals. One is to, of course, inspire people to read, read, read,” Mountain View Branch Manager Jayne Henn said about the program. “The second is to have people return to their library.”
Libraries did this by offering activities that didn’t necessarily have to do with reading — and weren't exactly as quiet as the usual whispers.
The Mountain View branch on Hawaiʻi Island offered free ʻukulele lessons two days a week, as well as a weekly Mahjong Players Club for adults and sidewalk games for kids every Friday.
“Getting kids outside and experiencing games, building sportsmanship, making friends in a social venue that isn’t necessarily digital, that was our goal,” Henn said.
Several special events were also held to go with this year’s theme: E Heluhelu Kākou. The Kenny Endo Ensemble performed Taiko drums at several Hawaiʻi Island branches. Slack key guitarist Jeff Peterson also performed at libraries on Maui.
"Going around to these everyday communities and meeting everyday people is just wonderful," Endo said. "And if it encourages people to read and educate themselves and be literate, I think it's great."
Mary Crawford took her granddaughters, ages 3 and 10, to most of the events. She said she’s seen their love for reading grow.
"They love picking out their books right away, and doing activities, and then meeting their friends at the library. But they're getting into wanting to read a lot more now," Crawford said.
Final participation numbers are still being finalized, but over 23,000 people registered this year, according to the Hawaiʻi State Library.
Participants logged their time reading and kept track of which books they completed to be entered for prizes.
A drawing for the grand prize, four round-trip tickets on Alaska Airlines, will be done once the logs are reviewed.
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