Naalehu Public Library will be closed from Sept. 16-Oct. 2 and will re-open at 10 a.m. Oct. 3 in a new temporary location in the Naalehu state office building. The temporary closure and relocation are necessary to kick off the long-awaited library expansion project.
The expansion project is a partnership between the state Public Library System, the Friends of the Library of Hawaii and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which provided grant funding for the project. Expected to take a year to complete, the new library will be triple the size of the current library.
“We’re so grateful to finally get this expansion project back on track for the Naalehu community,” said state librarian Stacey Aldrich. “We’re especially thankful for everyone who helped us set up a temporary library site, particularly the Department of Accounting and General Services staff, for our South Hawaii library patrons.”
During the temporary closure, the book drops will be open. All previously scheduled programs for the closure period are canceled.
Naalehu Public Library staff will work on rescheduling new programs once the temporary site is open. Fines for books and materials due during the closure period will be waived. The library apologizes for any inconvenience the closure and program cancellations might cause patrons.
Upon reopening, the library will continue the same public service schedule, except on Hawaii County Council committee and council meeting days. Except for these meeting dates, the library’s hours will be 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and noon-4 p.m. Friday. The library is closed Saturdays and Sundays.
For more details about the dates and times of the County Council meetings, visit: hawaiicounty.gov.
For updates about the Naalehu Public Library, visit www.librarieshawaii.org/visit/updates/temporary-closures/.