Hawaii State Library
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Hawaiistatelibrary.jpg
The Hawaii State Library is a historic building in the City & County of Honolulu that serves as the seat of the Hawaii State Public Library System, the only statewide library system and one of the largest in the United States. The Hawaii State Library building is located in downtown Honolulu adjacent to Iolani Palace and the Hawaii State Capitol. Funded by Andrew Carnegie, the building was designed by architect Henry D. Whitfield. Groundbreaking took place in 1911 and construction was completed in 1913. In 1978, the building was designated as a National Historic Landmark and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The building holds over 525,000 catalogued books. The entire Hawaii State Public Library System has a collection of over 3 million books. Nearby is the Hawaii State Archives which holds book collections of historical significance to Hawaii. The Edna Allyn Children's Room houses murals by artist Juliette May Fraser depicting Hawaiian legends while the garden courtyard features a mosaic of ocean currents by Hiroki Morinoue. Barbara Hepworth's cast bronze sculptures called Parent I and Young Girl greet visitors at the lawn in front of the building.
Before the Hawaii State Library was constructed, library facilities were provided by the Honolulu Library and Reading Room Association founded in 1879 by the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Resources
- Hawaii State Public Library System (http://www.librarieshawaii.org/)