Waimanalo library gets less than it bargained for
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward Bureau
WAIMANALO — Jubilation felt by Waimanalo residents over their successful campaign to squeeze money out of the state Legislature for a full-time children's librarian was short-lived when they learned recently that the Waimanalo Public and School Library will get only a half-time position.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
To make matters worse, the Friends of Waimanalo Library believe money set aside for its facility was diverted to a wealthier community. The Friends said the money was earmarked for Waimanalo and should be spent there.
Waimanalo residents, from left, Grace Adviento, Francis Mauliola, Janis Kaolulo and Daien Kaneshiro are concerned that their apparently successful effort to obtain money from the Legislature for a full-time children's librarian position has been overruled by the state librarian. Sen. Fred Hemmings says the intent to earmark money for the position was clear; the state librarian says her $21 million budget is hers to allocate as she sees fit.
"It's heartbreaking," said Daien Kaneshiro, who lobbied for the special money. She believed that some of the Waimanalo money went to the Kailua library. "I was shocked that they gave it to Kailua, a wealthy community. To take from Waimanalo and give it to Kailua is criminal."
But Virginia Lowell, the state librarian, said the community is mistaken to think that she is required to spend the money for Waimanalo library staff. The money didn't come to her with a proviso requiring her to spend it on a specific item. All of her
$21 million budget, $15,000 less than last year, came to her as a single fund, to allocate as she sees fit, she said.
"The additional money that Waimanalo says was put in the budget didn't come out on the bottom line," Lowell said, "because the bottom line is $15,000 less than what we had to use last year."
Sen. Fred Hemmings said the intent to earmark the money for the position was clear. Committee members wanted the money spent for the Waimanalo library, a desire that was outlined in the budget worksheets.
"Generally I agree legislators shouldn't tell her how to spend money," Hemmings said. "But this wasn't money taken out of some other area. It was an add-on with a specific intent to give the Waimanalo District a full-time (children's) librarian."
Although other busier libraries in more affluent areas have had full-time children's librarians, Waimanalo library has been without a children's librarian for six years, a result of budget and staff cuts when the state started to feel the impact of a declining economy.
Lowell said she has just completed a plan to staff the Waimanalo, Waialua and Kahuku libraries with half-time children's librarians, while Kailua will get a half-time reference librarian. Under this plan, all the libraries on O'ahu will have a children's librarian, she said.
On a very limited budget, Lowell said, "We're trying to even out the staffing throughout the system."
But the Friends of Waimanalo Library aren't convinced that Lowell is acting in the best interest of Waimanalo, where an estimated 80 percent of the children qualify for the federal government's free or reduced-price lunch program at school, indicating a lower-income and potentially at-risk population.
Herlinda Lopez, who led the campaign, said Waimanalo children need a children's librarian more than affluent areas do because there are fewer resources to tap into for help. A librarian who can develop programs to spark an interest in reading could lead children to a better life, she said.
"I wish there was enough for everyone," Lopez said. "But in a situation when they tell us there's not, the poor people shouldn't come last."
