Hawaii: Today in History 3/1
3-1-1879 Library of Hawaii founded
Hawaii’s first public library, the Library of Hawaii, traces its roots back to the Honolulu Library and Reading Room Association (HLRRA). Formed in 1879, the HLRRA was Hawaii’s second subscription library and its most successful. Hawaii’s royalty (King Kalakaua, Queen Kapiolani, Queen Emma, and Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop) gave both financial support and their personal book collections to the association. King Kalakaua also provided tax exemptions and a land grant for a permanent site in downtown Honolulu.
In 1909, after 34 years of service, the Hawaii Library and Reading Room Association signed an agreement with the trustees of the Library of Hawaii to contribute its 20,000 books, periodicals, furnishings and funds towards the formation of the Library of Hawaii. In addition to this agreement, the trustees also obtained a $100,000 grant from American industrialist and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, a guarantee from the territorial legislature (1909) of $10,000 for its annual operation, and an agreement with the Hawaii Historical Society for its collection.
A site was selected in early 1911, the cornerstone laid on October 21, 1911, and the library officially opened to the public on February 1, 1913. The front columns identify the building as a Carnegie library. The size of the collection on opening was 30,000 volumes (18,878 came from the disbanded HLRRA and 1326 came from the Hawaii Historical Society). The total cost of the building was $127,000 (the additional $27,000 was provided by the territorial legislature.
