Enjoy historical photos of the Friends and read about our founding members in 1879.
Donate to our Capital Campaign to purchase a permanent location for the next 140 years . . .
Friends of the Library of Hawaii
Promoting and supporting Hawai‘i's public libraries
Enjoy historical photos of the Friends and read about our founding members in 1879.
Donate to our Capital Campaign to purchase a permanent location for the next 140 years . . .
Kualapuʻu, Hawaiʻi – Hawai‘i’s first lady Dawn Amano-Ige, together with state and non-profit partners, has launched the ʻOhana Readers program on Molokaʻi on October 19, 2019. ʻOhana Readers is a literacy program that focuses on reading with family.
The program will offer high-quality, age-appropriate Imagination Library books each month to children on Moloka‘i who are four years old and younger. Children who register for the program will receive one book each month via the U.S. Postal Service beginning approximately eight to ten weeks after their registration form has been submitted. The program operates through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and is free of charge.
The program is made possible through a collaborative partnership between the Office of the Governor, the State Department of Human Services (DHS), the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System, Rep. Lynn DeCoite, and nonprofit partners The Dollywood Foundation, Friends of the Library of Hawai‘i, Learning to Grow, and Read to Me International.
Watch the Hawaii News Now interview about Molokai’s Imagination Library Project.
The Hawai‘i State Public Library System is encouraging families to register for the ‘Ohana Readers program. The Moloka‘i Public Library will also offer programs that complement the books the children receive, and will provide other activities to promote literacy and reading.
“Research shows that children are ready to learn in their earliest years, and this program provides no-cost opportunities for learning from birth through age four. ʻOhana Readers encourages family read-aloud time, an activity that increases the vocabulary and language skills of our children and contributes to their growing knowledge of the world,” said Amano-Ige.
“This program encourages the youngest members of our community to develop a love of reading that will be important throughout their entire lives. TheHawai‘i State Public Library System is very excited to partner with theʻOhana Readers program by being a place for families to sign up their little ones for story times at the Molokai Public Library to complement the books being mailed out,” said State Librarian Stacey Aldrich.
“It truly takes an ‘ohana for children to thrive. This collaboration is aligned with our foundational vision; that the people of Hawai‘i are thriving. We know that early literacy builds a strong foundation for life-long learning. Family bonding and the ability to explore new worlds and ideas through literature is something all families should be afforded. DHS is proud to be a partner in this community driven effort,” said DHS Director Pankaj Bhanot.
“Friends of the Library of Hawai‘i is pleased to be part of a program that helps build a life-long love of reading at home with family,” said Nainoa Mau, executive director of Friends of the Library of Hawai‘i.
“Reading with our keiki is one of the best things we can do with them, and it’s something the whole family can be a part of. I am so happy that we are able to bring ‘Ohana Readers to Moloka‘i so our community can showcase this program to the rest of the state,” said Rep. Lynn DeCoite.
Amano-Ige said Molokaʻi serves as the pilot program for ʻOhana Readers and she hopes to further expand this program to other communities throughout the state.
The Molokaʻi program is funded throughWindward Community College’s Learning to Grow (LTG) project in partnership with the Hawai‘i State Department of Human Services through monies from the Federal Child Care and Development Block Grant.
For more information about the ʻOhana Readers program contact Caroline Adolpho, Moloka‘i administrator at (808) 567-9050 during office hours or email caroline.adolpho@hawaii.edu.
You may donate to us at any Foodland
Organization Name: Friends of the Library of Hawai`i
Organization Code #: 77179
Give Aloha is an annual program through which Foodland directs its charitable giving to the organizations that are important to its customers. All Hawaii 501 (c)(3) organizations are invited to participate each year. During September, Maika`i customers are invited to make a donation of up to $249 (per person, per organization) at checkout to their favorite non-profit organization registered in Give Aloha. Foodland matches a portion of each donation. This year, Foodland and the Western Union Foundation will match each donation up to a total of $250,000 for all organizations combined. Since the program began in 1999, a total of more than $30.9 million has been raised for the community.
Mahalo to Foodland and the Western Union Foundation!!!
Whether you golf or not, here’s your opportunity to support Hawai‘i’s 51 public libraries through the Links to Literacy Golf Tournament and a chance to support your favorite branch in particular.
On the day of the tournament, we will drop up to 1,800 golf balls from a Blue Hawaiian Helicopter over a designated hole at the Kapolei Golf Club! See a video from 2014 (hope for light winds). For a donation of $10, you will be assigned a numbered ball and have a chance to win fabulous prizes! Each of the first five balls into the designated hole will win a prize.
We gave away the $1,000 (plus the $500 to their library of choice) for the past two years!
In addition, you will be able to designate your Hawai‘i library branch of choice to receive $500 should your ball be the first into (at the bottom of) the hole. This is a $500 donation to the designated library in addition to the $1,000 award for the first ball into the hole.
Buy a ball online through the link provided below or call our office (M-F) and contribute by credit card over the phone, (808) 536.4174
$10 Donation = One Ball
You may enter as many times as you’d like!
Follow the link to Contribute for a Ball – Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Golf Ball Drop 2019 or print the hard copy
The Friends of the Library of Hawai‘i is a nonprofit organization whose primary objective is to maintain free public libraries in the State of Hawai‘i, to promote extension of library services throughout the State of Hawai‘i and to increase the facilities of the public library system of Hawai‘i by securing materials beyond the command of the ordinary library budget. Other objectives are to focus attention on libraries and to encourage and accept, by bequest or gift, donations of books, manuscripts, money, and other appropriate material that can enrich the cultural opportunities available to the people of Hawai‘i.
Founded in 1879, Friends of the Library of Hawai‘i has assisted in establishing and sustaining our public libraries over the last 140 years!
Friends of the Library of Hawai‘i is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Our mission is to support and promote Hawai‘i’s public libraries.
FEIN #99-6003670
Friends of the Library of Hawai‘i
501 Sumner Street, Unit 614
Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96817
Ph: (808) 536.4174
Fax: (808) 536.5232