A new public library is coming to Upper Puna on Hawaiʻi Island, but the new hub is a result of merging two existing libraries in the area.
Mountain View Elementary and Keaʻau Middle each have an on-campus public library, which will transfer its resources and staff to the new location once it’s built.
Project organizers say that because the existing locations are on school campuses, public access is limited.
Stacey Aldrich, the state librarian, noted that residents have to be personally escorted to the library on Mountain View’s campus when they visit.
She hopes this new library will turn into a multi-purpose area that can be a meeting space, a play area for keiki, and the “good, old-fashioned gathering space” that libraries have always been.
“The communities have, I think, outgrown the current spaces that we have, and so we're excited that we can build a brand new space that will be able to serve our community in a better way than current buildings can,” Aldrich said.
The state library system circulated upwards of 3 million physical books last year between the 51 branches, meaning books that were checked out or moved between the branches. The new library is expected to hold roughly 50,000 items, which does not include digital copies.
The Upper Puna library will be built on the lot next to the existing Keaʻau library. It’s expected to be completed in at least two years and cost roughly $20 million.
The state Department of Education and leaders at Keaʻau and Mountain View will decide what to do with the empty spaces after the new library is built. Aldrich says they could be converted into additional classroom space or continue as school libraries.
Although there’s a chance that this project means the campuses may lose their libraries, Aldrich says the public library system always has the community’s best interest in mind and will work to provide each community with the same access and resources they had before.
Keaʻau Elementary and Keaʻau High are about a mile down the road from the current library at Keaʻau Middle. Mountain View Elementary is roughly 7 miles away.
“I want to make sure these communities don’t feel like we are abandoning them. We'll still absolutely be there for the schools that are in that region, and we will keep the current libraries’ services running for as long as we can,” Aldrich said.
“It’s time for a new space that can let people come together. Sometimes people just want to be around other people, but they don't necessarily need to talk to them. So it's that alone, together. I think every community needs that space.”
