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Bond Memorial
Library
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PHOTOS |
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Click on a thumbnail to
see a larger version of the photo |
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OVERVIEW |
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The Bond Memorial
Public Library is Hawaii's second-oldest
library building still in use.
The library is a sanctuary
and monument to
intellectual life for 79-year-old Kapaau
resident Henry Dulan. He never finished high
school, but maintained his desire to obtain
purposeful and beneficial information. Since
his teens, Dulan has regularly visited this
place absorbing, integrating and creating
knowledge. He said a sense of adventure and
treasure can be gleaned from books borrowed.
Three of his seven grandchildren now use his
beloved library, a fact that makes Dulan
proud.
"Bond Memorial Public Library is a treasured
fixture in the community. It has always been
here," said resident Theresa Kishimoto. "We
depend on it. It is the heart and soul of
Kapaau."
A 1984 statistical survey of libraries
islandwide stated Bond Memorial Public
Library has a capacity for 8,730 books and
the annual circulation was 33,861. Today the
library holds close to 18,000 volumes and
circulated more than 50,000 items in 2008.
Roughly 700 people visit the library a week,
during which about 1,000 books are
circulated, said Janet Lam, branch manager.
On July 19, 1927, Caroline S. Bond deeded to
the Territory of Hawaii the
10,783-square-foot parcel upon which Bond
Memorial Public Library stands. The deed
stipulated the Territory must build and
maintain a library on the site before July
1, 1929. Should the land ever cease to be
used for a public library, the title would
return to the Bond family, Lam said.
Through Caroline Bond's generous donation
and a $10,000 appropriation from the
Territorial Legislature, plans for a new
library took shape. Architect, Mr. Davis,
designed the stylish building for the then
bustling sugar town of Kapaau.
On Sept. 10,
1928, T. Yamane was awarded the construction
contract over the two other bidders with a
promise to complete the library in 75 days
for a sum of $9,535, excluding electricity.
The Legislature gave an extra $2,000 for
equipment, of which about $600 was spent on
wiring the building for electricity. The
building was completed in December 1928, Lam
said.
Originally, bold letters above the doors
identified the building as "Public Library."
The library became known as the Kohala
Branch Library between 1929 and 1939. An
effort in 1939 was made to rename the
library in honor of Dr. Benjamin D. Bond,
whose philanthropic ways made him a
much-loved community member. On March 15,
1939, Sen. Charles H. Silva offered Senate
Resolution 25, requesting the county Board
of Supervisors to rename the library,
"Benjamin D. Bond Library." It is unknown
when the library's name was formally changed
to Bond Memorial Public Library. The process
was so laborious that Carolyn Bond, who
helped champion the name change, wrote, "I
almost gave up!"
A long line of women has served as
librarians for Bond Memorial Library,
including Dorothy Bond, Mrs. Murray, Debs
Darling, Jean Coutts, Jean Ednie, Lorraine
Maeda and Martha B. Chang. Librarian Betty
Bowman's legacy survives through the
educational toys and games collection
established with a donation from her estate.
Librarian Gwen Kraft laid the ground work
for advocacy group The Friends of Bond
Memorial Library. Librarian Dawn Shibano
spearheaded a community effort to replace
the aging building with a new library, Lam
said. |
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DIRECTIONS |
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54-3903 Akoni Pule Highway, Kapaau, HI -
(808) 889-6655 |
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