posted by A.Alba
The second stop on our Hawaii Public Library Tour 2009 is Aiea Library, found nestled next to Aiea Town & Village Square shopping centers off of Moanalua Road. Having only been there a couple times in the past, we didn’t expect to find the wealth of character that we did in this unassuming library. We met with Young Adult Librarian Diane Masaki and discovered a lot of interesting things about this particular branch that we hope will entice you into visiting. Diane was a delight to converse with—in some ways she embodied the spirit of Aiea Library itself, a lot of enthusiasm wrapped up in a small package. She was very friendly and animated when talking about their location and it’s obvious that she is passionate about literature and enjoys sharing with the community.
The Building:
Driving into the Aiea Town Square entrance from Moanalua Road, I was immediately transfixed by the unique look of the building. While I had seen it a few times before, I never really took the time to study the structure itself. Diane quipped that there weren’t too many complimentary features about the building; when you are “coming down Moanalua Road, the library looks like a big brown hut.” However, she later gave us an interesting tidbit that the building was actually designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Upon closer inspection from within the library, we noticed that the space, despite being limited, felt very wide-open and well-lit with a high domed ceiling. There are no walls dividing the space inside; the building itself is an enclosed hexagon, spiraling up until it culminates in a very unique wood ceiling. It’s almost like being in a Shakespearean Theater, sitting “in the round”. Recently, the library also had all of the lights refurbished. Diane joked that “it’s really bright in here now!”
We asked Diane, what are some of the biggest challenges Aiea Library has to face. She answered that “our biggest challenge here has got to be the parking.” Through our own experience, we know that on very busy days it can be difficult finding a space in their limited parking lot. Unfortunately, as Diane explained to us, Aiea Town Square will not allow people to park in their neighboring lot. In fact, the security guards often chase patrons away as soon as they see them going to the library after parking in the commercial lot. So, just a bit of a warning there to our readers who don’t often frequent Aiea Library. Diane did recommend that if the library parking lot is full, “you can park along the side of the residential streets across [Moanalua Road].” She gives this advice with a hint of hesitancy as it perturbs her to think of children having to cross such a busy thoroughfare.
Because there are no walls dividing up the library space, it is difficult to hang the posters and notices you might see in other libraries. “It’s all rock!” Diane exclaimed. However, they have done a wonderful job of decorating with pictures strung up on the lava rock and other art pieces nestled in niches and coves. The overall effect is quite cozy, especially with all the books they’ve managed to pack in there! The style of this library is very endearing and the intimate feel makes this an ideal library to sit and read for hours, especially if you’re a kid!
Programs:
Like other state public library locations, Aiea offers many great programs and events for the community to enjoy and learn from, free of charge. Children’s Story time, offered for children in preschool from 2-5 years old, is a cornerstone of many library branches. At Aiea Library it is usually observed every Wednesday at 10:30am, but is currently on hiatus for the month. However, starting September 30 it will be offered once again, at least until November 25.
Another interesting event coming up in September will be a one-hour program hosted by Stan Cox II. Stan is a professional portrait photographer who will be sharing tips on creating better photographs. “Making Better Photographs with your Digital Camera” will be available on September 24 at 6:00pm and is sponsored by the Friends of Aiea Public Library.
When we asked Diane for her take on what kinds of unique programs make Aiea special, her eyes lit up as she joyfully exclaimed, “Definitely my anime club!” Diane is very proud of the anime club that she hosts on a monthly basis. Anime lovers from all over the community come together and watch anime in the library’s meeting room and discuss all things related. When she told us about her club, we couldn’t help but smile. It’s one of those things that you don’t really expect; we had no idea there was an anime club at the library–and it just made us appreciate that we have such a great library system with great custodians such as Diane to provide these wonderful services. Diane was the first to implement an anime program into the public library system, and now other locations have started “Anime Clubs” to read manga and watch anime.
On a related note, we also asked Diane what kinds of things she would recommend to help encourage literacy in the islands. Of course, she said you should always come to your local library. “You can even come and just read comic books!” Diane is very serious about this, as she excitedly jumped up from her seat and began telling us about the Aiea Public Library’s manga collection. Because of her strong interest in anime and manga, the Aiea branch has slowly acquired a generous collection of manga, or Japanese comics, at their location–maybe even more than Kapolei Library! Diane gave us a tour of the manga section, which included a whole bookshelf, a stuffed book cart and an overflow table. Just a few of the titles she has are Ranma 1/2, Yu-Gi-Oh! , and Sailor Moon, one of which she lovingly explained was her “pride and joy.” She picked this one up and sadly mentioned that these “manga have been taken out a lot and they get beat up.” She then showed us the number of date stamps on the inside of a few selected manga, showing how popular this library’s manga collection is with the community.
Because a lot of the manga would come back all beat-up and in an unfit condition, Diane started investing in purchasing hardback covers. A local company would take the new manga they bought, remove the paperback cover and create a customized hardbound cover to protect the books from damage and ensure their longevity in the library system. The reason Diane was able to afford this service previously, was that Aiea Public Library used to process passport applications in the community. When a library branch does passports, part of the fee goes back to the library, which provides them with extra money. This was great for Aiea because, due to their centralized location amongst schools and military bases, a lot of people would come there to process their passports. The library eventually had an excess of money relative to its size, and since they could only spend that money on materials—as opposed to hiring extra staff—Diane was able to afford the hardbound covers to protect their unique manga collection. Unfortunately, Aiea had to disband the passport service as it became too much work for their limited staff. She contemplated that it might have been possible to continue the service “if we had another staff member here.”
Diane’s Hawaii Book Rec:
We spoke with Diane on the topic of Hawaii books. She told us that her favorite book is The Musubi Man. One of the big reasons she enjoys this book is because she “can work the Pidgin” dialogue, so it’s a fun book for her to read aloud. Unfortunately, we have already reviewed The Musubi Man here, but in keeping with the spirit of this book and because it is part of a series; for our Public Library Challenge I will read and review one of the sequels to The Musubi Man, either The Musubi Man’s New Friend or The Musubi Baby.
HBB would like to thank Diane Masaki and the Aiea Public Library staff for providing us with the opportunity to visit, tour, and talk about their library branch. We learned a lot of interesting facts and got to know yet another great staff member in our State Library system. Unlike the grandiose spectacle of Kapolei Library, Diane summarizes Aiea Library best when she says, “We have a little bit of space with a lot of stuff!” Indeed, there is a lot to see here, and I recommend that you pay a visit, especially if you are into manga and anime!
Don’t forget that on Saturday, September 12 from 11am to 4pm, Aiea Public Library will be having a Book Sale to help support the library. If you have any books, CDs or DVDs that you no longer need, please donate them to Aiea Public Library before the sale so that we can help keep our public libraries open!
