02-25-2016, 06:41 AM
Leilaniguy: Somebody please explain what is wrong with the existing library and why we need a new one.
When the Pahoa Library was built in 1967, all of Puna had 6-7000 residents. Due to the population influx, Pahoa Library alone has just under 6,000 active library card users. It circulates over 8000 items each month ( mostly books, but CDs and DVDs also ), more than Keaau and Mt. View combined. There is not enough parking, not enough seats, not enough computers. ( There is too much noise, and the stench of old plumbing in the men’s room is beyond description.)
Lee MS: Hopefully, the new library could be a gathering place that could host community meetings and events as well as having books, wifi, and the usual library stuff.
Yes, and new library stuff such as maker spaces, computer labs, business development centers, College of Ag satellite spaces, adult literacy classes, etc, etc, etc.
Lee MS: Sadly, one of the location options is in Pahoa; convenient for lower puna, a disaster for upper puna. I'm supporting the Keaau location, on the land donated for this purpose by Shipman.
One of the main points that came out of the 3 meetings held about the new library was that Oahu’s idea of one big centralized building is not good for Puna. There is a large community-based push for 2 smaller locations, one between Pahoa and HPP, the other between Kea’au and Kam School.
Chunkster: Just playing devil's advocate here, but it seems like traditional libraries could be on the way to becoming obsolete. Providing widely available high speed internet would put a lot more information at people's fingertips without having to drive.
Broadband is great for some things – finding bits of information quickly, work, streaming, posting. But it is not the be-all and end-all for reading and information. Not everything important is digitized. Not every learning experience works well on a device. Parents of young children check out tall stacks of books at a time. Could you afford to buy that many e-books a week ?
Kalakoa: a big expensive building means hiring more County maintenance workers; the necessary climate control for book storage means a big HELCO bill. Future generations will simply have to pay higher taxes to cover these costs...
Hawaii libraries are funded by state taxes, not county property taxes ( the only reason Puna has any libraries at all ). The new NoKohala library won awards for being ‘green’ – passive lighting via sky lights, solar panels and a wind mill for power generation, a water storage tank for bathrooms and irrigation. Any new library in Puna would take advantage of changing technology.
edit to add last response to kalakoa
When the Pahoa Library was built in 1967, all of Puna had 6-7000 residents. Due to the population influx, Pahoa Library alone has just under 6,000 active library card users. It circulates over 8000 items each month ( mostly books, but CDs and DVDs also ), more than Keaau and Mt. View combined. There is not enough parking, not enough seats, not enough computers. ( There is too much noise, and the stench of old plumbing in the men’s room is beyond description.)
Lee MS: Hopefully, the new library could be a gathering place that could host community meetings and events as well as having books, wifi, and the usual library stuff.
Yes, and new library stuff such as maker spaces, computer labs, business development centers, College of Ag satellite spaces, adult literacy classes, etc, etc, etc.
Lee MS: Sadly, one of the location options is in Pahoa; convenient for lower puna, a disaster for upper puna. I'm supporting the Keaau location, on the land donated for this purpose by Shipman.
One of the main points that came out of the 3 meetings held about the new library was that Oahu’s idea of one big centralized building is not good for Puna. There is a large community-based push for 2 smaller locations, one between Pahoa and HPP, the other between Kea’au and Kam School.
Chunkster: Just playing devil's advocate here, but it seems like traditional libraries could be on the way to becoming obsolete. Providing widely available high speed internet would put a lot more information at people's fingertips without having to drive.
Broadband is great for some things – finding bits of information quickly, work, streaming, posting. But it is not the be-all and end-all for reading and information. Not everything important is digitized. Not every learning experience works well on a device. Parents of young children check out tall stacks of books at a time. Could you afford to buy that many e-books a week ?
Kalakoa: a big expensive building means hiring more County maintenance workers; the necessary climate control for book storage means a big HELCO bill. Future generations will simply have to pay higher taxes to cover these costs...
Hawaii libraries are funded by state taxes, not county property taxes ( the only reason Puna has any libraries at all ). The new NoKohala library won awards for being ‘green’ – passive lighting via sky lights, solar panels and a wind mill for power generation, a water storage tank for bathrooms and irrigation. Any new library in Puna would take advantage of changing technology.
edit to add last response to kalakoa