HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

91

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2006

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR AND THE STATE LIBRARIAN TO RESTORE LIBRARY HOURS FOR THE HAWAII STATE PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM TO MEET THE NEEDS OF LIBRARY SYSTEM MEMBERS.

 

 

WHEREAS, the Hawaii State Public Library System provides fifty branch libraries on six islands that offer library programs that improve and enrich the intellectual development, personal achievement, and leisure time activities of Library System members; and

WHEREAS, through its programs, the Library System provides appropriate reading, information, retrieval, and audiovisual materials and services; and

WHEREAS, of the 1,200,000 residents of Hawaii, eight hundred thousand are members of the Library System and have library cards to access the Library System's services; and

WHEREAS, the Library System is one of the most heavily and frequently used library systems in the country and circulates more books on average per year than any other state; and

WHEREAS, over the past ten years, the Library System has suffered from increasing budget cutbacks and hiring freezes that have resulted in reductions in staffing and library hours; and

WHEREAS, the cutback in library hours has affected thousands of Library System members who depend on the Library System for access to reading material and a place for quiet contemplation; and

WHEREAS, the Library System has slowly begun to restore library hours by opening branch libraries that were previously closed on Mondays; and

WHEREAS, the Library System, however, has not expanded its library hours enough to meet the demands of its patrons; and

WHEREAS, recent reports indicate that the State will enjoy a budget surplus of more than $540,000,000 in the upcoming fiscal year; and

WHEREAS, considering this optimistic budgetary forecast for the State, expanding library hours for Library System patrons should be a top budget priority; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, that the Governor and the State Librarian are requested to restore library hours for the Hawaii State Public Library System to meet the needs of Library System patrons; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the State Librarian, and the Chairperson of the Board of Education.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Hawaii State Public Library System; State Librarian