When I was a child, the Kealakekua Public Library was overseen by a well-meaning but rather stern librarian, Mrs. Cushingham, who held keys that unlocked doors of wonder.
Aunt Francis, as we called her, served as a no-fool-around surrogate mother for kids in Kona. She taught us to respect silence and each other’s privacy. The library was, as one of my Hawaiian friends said, a modern puuhonua for him — like a sacred space but instead of the stories of the Buddha or the Bible, this building was filled by fairies, menehune, legends, extraordinary characters and hilarious animals. Here is where we could touch and see the work of such great illustrators as Hilary Knight, Robert Lawson, Beatrix Potter, Dr. Seuss, E. H. Shepard, Henry J. Ford, and Heinrich Hoffmann as well as others to be searched for and found near heavy atlases that pictured strange, beckoning lands.
The library is a haven where children have a place to think surrounded by the brilliance and inspiration of countless generations and minds.
There should be no excuse for closing, whether that be a not statistically significant survey, low visitor count or staff desires for more hours or longer weekends. Saturdays are for kids. Low patronage is no excuse — it highlights staff not being creative in bringing in children.
My personal feeling is the library owes it to the kids of this mauka community — a whole generation — to keep doors open on Saturdays with programs that encourage reading or entice them by having stories read to them in English and other languages. I guess I’m just one of the kids because that’s also the only day I can go to the Kealakekua library because I work during the week.
Mitchell is a resident of Kealakekua.