The Hawaii State Library is a historic building in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

, that serves as the seat of the

Hawaii State Public Library System The Hawaii State Public Library System (HSPLS) is the only statewide public library system in the United States. The system has 51 libraries on all the major Hawaiian Islands: Big Island of Hawaii, Kauai, Lānai, Maui, Molokai and Oahu. The s ...

, the only statewide

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

system and one of the largest in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The Hawaii State Library building is located in

downtown Honolulu Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, and governmental center of Honolulu, the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the nor ...

, adjacent to

Iolani Palace Iolani is a masculine Hawaiian name meaning "royal ''hawk''." It comes from the Hawaiian words ''ʻio'', meaning "Hawaiian hawk," and ''lani'', meaning "royal." It may refer to: *ʻIolani School, a private school located in Hawaii *ʻIolani Palac ...

and the

Hawaii State Capitol The Hawaii State Capitol is the official statehouse or capitol building of the U.S. state of Hawaii. From its chambers, the executive and legislative branches perform the duties involved in governing the state. The Hawaii State Legislature—com ...

. Originally funded by

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

, the building was designed by architect Henry D. Whitfield. Groundbreaking took place in 1911 and construction was completed in 1913. In 1978, the building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

, as a contributing property within the

Hawaii Capital Historic District The Hawaii Capital Historic District in Honolulu, Hawaii, has been the center of government of Hawaii since 1845. Location With the grounds of Iolani Palace and the Hawaii State Capitol at its core, the historic district reaches inland across B ...

. The building holds over 525,000 cataloged books. The entire Hawaii State Public Library System has a collection of over 3 million books. Nearby is the Hawaii State Archives which holds book collections of historical significance to

. The

Edna Allyn Edna Isabel Allyn (April 5, 1861 – June 7, 1927) was the first librarian of the Hawaii State Library. Early life and education Allyn was born on April 15, 1861, in Wellington, Ohio. Allyn graduated from Hiram College in 1882 and became a p ...

Children's Room houses murals by artist Juliette May Fraser depicting Hawaiian legends while the garden courtyard features a mosaic of ocean currents by

Hiroki Morinoue Hiroki Morinoue (born 1947, ヒロキモリノーエ) is an American artist of Japanese descent who has helped to pioneer in the United States the fusion of western Impressionism with modern Japanese design. Early life Morinoue was born in Keala ...

. Barbara Hepworth's cast bronze sculptures, named ''Parent I'' and ''Young Girl'', greet visitors at the lawn in front of the building.

History

Before the Hawaii State Library was constructed, library facilities were provided by the Honolulu Library and Reading Room Association, founded in 1879 by the Kingdom of Hawaii. Prior to this, the site was the location of Hāliʻimaile, the residence of Boki and Liliha and later,

Victoria Kamāmalu Victoria Kamāmalu Kaʻahumanu IV (November 1, 1838 – May 29, 1866) was ''Kuhina Nui'' of Hawaii and its crown princess. Named Wikolia Kamehamalu Keawenui Kaʻahumanu-a-Kekūanaōʻa and also named Kalehelani Kiheahealani, she was mainly refe ...

and her father and brothers before they ascended

Kamehameha IV Kamehameha IV (Alekanetero ʻIolani Kalanikualiholiho Maka o ʻIouli Kūnuiākea o Kūkāʻilimoku; anglicized as Alexander Liholiho) (February 9, 1834 – November 30, 1863), reigned as the fourth monarch of Hawaii under the title ''Ke Aliʻi ...

and Kamehameha V. Hawaii’s royalty ( King Kalakaua, Queen Kapiolani, Queen Emma, and Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop) gave both financial support and their personal book collections to the association. King Kalakaua also provided tax exemptions and a land grant for a permanent site in downtown Honolulu. The Hawaii State Library was funded by a grant from

. The Library met the government-related requirements for the grant with the cooperation of

Walter F. Frear Walter Francis Frear (October 29, 1863 – January 22, 1948) was a lawyer and judge in the Kingdom of Hawaii and Republic of Hawaii, and the third Territorial Governor of Hawaii from 1907 to 1913. Life Frear was born October 29, 1863, in Grass V ...

was the head librarian when it opened in 1913. In 1921, the County Library Law established separate libraries on the islands of Kauai, Maui, and

, under minimal supervision by the Library of Hawaii, which restricted its services to

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

. Even so, the latter quickly outgrew its quarters. In 1927, the

Territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

legislature approved funding to expand and renovate the building. Construction was completed in 1930. Architect C.W. Dickey tripled its size by new wings to create an open-air courtyard in the center. After statehood in 1959, the Hawaii State Legislature created the

, the only statewide system in the

, with the Hawaii State Library building as its flagship branch. Throughout the 1970's and 1980's, the library continued to outgrow its facility. In 1990, it funded a second major renovation and expansion, which was completed in 1992. The renovations addressed air-conditioning, roofing, asbestos removal,

plumbing Plumbing is any system that conveys fluids for a wide range of applications. Plumbing uses pipes, valves, plumbing fixtures, tanks, and other apparatuses to convey fluids. Heating and cooling (HVAC), waste removal, and potable water deliv ...

, better access for the

handicapped Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

, and

landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...

, while the expansion added a large wing to the rear of the building that blended well with the older wings.

Library development in Hawaii

The library system of Hawaii State Library, which was established in June of 1965, called for a new concept of organization that had to be created by the state librarian.HUNT, J. R. (1968). Library development in Hawaii. ''Wilson Library Bulletin'', ''42'', 810–811. This system would provide complete service to all aspects of society. Ideas were sourced from other established libraries and organizations, then integrated to create best practices for the library system. Although the Library System is an independent State agency, the state librarian is appointed by the Board of Education, and reports directly to the Superintendent of Education. Other government agencies that the state librarian reports to are the seven appointed School Advisory Councils, the four Library Advisory Commissions, and others that are engaged in education. The state librarian is responsible for the operation, planning, programming, and budgeting of all public libraries within the State; however, there are no local funds in Hawaii, and as such, the governor and legislature approve the funding and budget of the State Library.

Gallery

Image:HawaiiStateLibrary-chandelier&skylight.JPG, Skylight & chandelier above foyer Image:HawaiiStateLibrary-court2front.JPG, Interior courtyard facing front Image:HawaiiStateLibrary-annexroof.JPG, View of rear annex across courtyard Image:HawaiiStateLibrary-murals+books.JPG, Juliette May Fraser murals in children's room

References

External links

Hawaii State Public Library System
{{Authority control 1913 establishments in Hawaii Carnegie libraries in Hawaii Education in Honolulu Federal depository libraries Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii Historic district contributing properties in Hawaii Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii Library buildings completed in 1913 Mediterranean Revival architecture in Hawaii National Register of Historic Places in Honolulu Neoclassical architecture in Hawaii Public libraries in Hawaii State libraries of the United States Tourist attractions in Honolulu