Community Engagement

Bringing People
Together

Building connections through programs that inspire dialogue, celebrate literacy, and create welcoming spaces for our library community to learn and grow together.

What We're Doing

Current Initiatives

Campaign: Freedom to Read

Banned Books Week is held annually each Fall. Libraries are staunch supporters of intellectual freedom, meaning that we want to protect your right to choose – to choose what books to read and to choose what information to access.

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Words have power and censorship aims to limit that power, and the freedom of others in our community. As long as books are being written, there will be people attempting to censor certain books and viewpoints. As such, it’s important for us all to stand strong in opposition to these attempts.

HLA invited a range of local voices to share short personal reflections on why they believe intellectual freedom should be cherished and defended. Among those who shared statements are:

Among those who shared statements are:

• Sara Ackerman, Author
• Stacey A. Aldrich, State Librarian
• Derek Kobayashi, Vice-Chair of the Hawaiʻi Access to Justice Commission
• Carlos Peñaloza, Chancellor at Leeward Community College
• Mark E. Recktenwald, Chief Justice (ret.) of the Supreme Court of Hawaiʻi
• Jenny Silbiger, State Law Librarian
• Sabrina Thomas, Library and Learning Commons Director at Hawaiʻi Pacific University

These snapshots will be shared publicly through HLA’s social media channels during Banned Books Week 2025, and underscore the power of diverse perspectives in resisting censorship. We invite you to view these stories via this HLA Youtube channel playlist.

Community Civics Conversations with PACE

Libraries are among the last truly free and open community spaces, where individuals can access information, exchange ideas, and build civic awareness.

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Library professionals have a unique opportunity to support and shape these conversations, empowering our communities with knowledge about their rights and responsibilities.

The Hawaiʻi Commission to Promote and Advance Civic Education (PACE) in collaboration with the Hawaiʻi Library Association has hosted two events that highlight libraries as essential spaces for civic dialogue, and that support community engagement and public understanding of laws, governance, and civic responsibilities.

Event Details

• Kauaʻi CC Library (Spring 2026)
  Speakers: UH Regent Laurel Loo, Hon. Kathleen N.A. Watanabe (ret.), Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald (ret.), and Mason Chock (former Kauaʻi County Council member).
• UH West Oʻahu Library (Spring 2025)
  Speakers: Hon. Gary Chang, Hon. Jeffrey Crabtree, and Hon. Maile Shimabukuro.
  Pictures from that event can be viewed at the UH West Oʻahu Flickr album, Laws Make a Difference.

We aim to continue this as a series that will visit various libraries throughout the state.

What We've Done

Past Initiatives

Spotlight: The Reading Room

Since 2016, The Reading Room has provided a unique space to celebrate Hawaiʻi’s writers and poets, while sharing their personal stories with a global audience.

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Created and hosted by Ann Inoshita, this initiative has become a meaningful platform for authors to discuss their craft and the ways in which literature connects communities.

HLA recently facilitated a recorded conversation between Inoshita and our esteemed HLA colleagues, Junie Hayashi and Natalie Kahn. In a role reversal, the interview turned the spotlight on Inoshita herself -- an author and longtime advocate for local literature -- giving her the chance to reflect on The Reading Room's impact and future in a way she typically invites others to do. The discussion highlighted how educators can use the program to spark engagement with local literature, connect students with the creative journeys of Hawaiʻi’s contemporary authors, and foster literacy in innovative ways. The full interview (57:08) is now available on the HLA YouTube channel, offering a deeper look at the The Reading Room’s evolution and importance.

To continue the conversation about ways that libraries can make use of this resource, and in celebration of National Poetry Month, HLA CEC held "The Power of Literature: Libraries, The Reading Room, and Building Connections" in April 2025. The conversation was facilitated by Stephanie Robertson, Outreach Librarian at BYU–Hawaii. Featured speakers included Ann Inoshita, Junie Hayashi, and Natalie Kahn. View the recording.

Film Screening

Film Screening about Local Library History

In Spring 2025, HLA CEC partnered with the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System (HSPLS) and Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site & Archives to present a free two-hour film screening for "Building a Legacy: The Visionaries Behind Hawai‘i’s Libraries, Archives, and Museums."

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The film highlights the contributions of five key figures to Hawai‘i's libraries, archives, and museums. Their stories will be brought to life through dynamic actor performances that will educate and inspire.

Featured historical figures include:

• Edna Allyn (1861–1927) — Head Librarian of the Hawaiʻi Library and Reading Room Association, portrayed by Eden Lee Murray.
• Charles Reed Bishop (1822–1915) — Founder of Bishop's Bank and husband of Bernice Pauahi Bishop, portrayed by Christopher Denton.
• George R. Carter (1866–1933) — Hawaiʻi Territorial Governor (1903–1907), portrayed by Ron Heller.
• Emma Nakuina (1847–1929) — Cultural preservationist and expert in folklore and water rights, portrayed by Kahana Ho.
• Robert Crichton Wyllie (1798–1865) — Minister of Foreign Affairs under King Kamehameha III, portrayed by Hamilton Clement.

In addition to screening the film virtually, six HSPLS locations held in-person screening parties.

Community in Action

Moments from Our Events

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HLA at a 2024 Friends of the Library of Hawaiʻi Read Aloud Event at Ward Village in Honolulu.

HLA at its 2025 Barnes & Noble Book Fair, hosted by our Ala Moana location, to support activities and supplies that promote our work.

HLA at the 2024 Honolulu Pride Parade. Libraries Are For Everyone!

HLA at a 2024 Friends of the Library of Hawaiʻi Read Aloud Event at Ward Village in Honolulu.

Some of the succulent garden creations at a 2025 social event at Mari's Garden Kailua.

HLA at the 2025 Honolulu Pride Parade, marching amidst the crowds.

Some archival images of Moku o Loʻe that HLA members saw during a tour of the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology in 2026.