A 20-by-20-foot portable unit has been moved to Lahaina and will transform into a temporary library.
The former Lahaina Public Library building was destroyed in the 2023 wildfire. Since then, the Hawai’i State Public Library System has been searching for both a temporary and permanent home for Lahaina’s beloved library.
State Librarian Stacey Aldrich said the unit still needs a lot of electrical and technology infrastructure work over the next several months before it opens.
“We're just really excited to finally be able to bring the library back into the Lahaina community,” Aldrich told HPR. “I know they've missed it. We've had our bookmobile going out, but it's not the same when you can just go to the library and use a computer or talk to the library staff and pick up a book that you want. So we know it's been a long time, and we’re really working hard to make sure that we can have this pop-up available by early next year.”
The temporary library is located in the Lahaina Civic Center’s upper parking lot next to the District Court.
It will provide access to a small collection of books, public computers, Wi-Fi and other library services.
Aldrich said the 400-square-foot unit will have air conditioning and an outdoor seating area.
The self-contained FORTS® unit is designed for rapid deployment in disasters, and the Library System bought it pre-owned at a cost of $70,000.
The library will not be rebuilt in its former Wharf Street location but planning continues to find a site and secure funding for construction of a new facility in Lahaina.
“We have been working for the past couple of years to identify a location for our temporary library, but also for our permanent site,” said Aldrich. “And we finally have the space for a temporary, and we're working on the permanent as well.”
The library will also continue a partnership with the Judiciary, where library story time has been held in the interim.
