The Friends of the Library of Hawai'i exists to promote and support Hawaii's public libraries.

Mission Statement
The primary objectives of the Friends of the Library of Hawai'i shall be:
To assist in maintaining free public libraries in the State of Hawai'i
To increase the facilities of the public library system of Hawaii by securing materials beyond the scope of the ordinary library budget
To award continuing education and scholarship grants
To focus attention on all public libraries
To encourage and accept by bequest or gift, donations of books, manuscripts, money, and other appropriate material that can enrich the cultural opportunities available to the people of Hawaii
To promote the extension of library services throughout the State of Hawai'i.

Board of Directors 2010
President   Susan Li

Vice President Allene Suemori

Secretary   Marlene Booth 

Treasurer    Ross Kondo

Directors

Wanda Adams

Rosemary Chong

Jane Dickson

Lisa Furuta

Warren Hamamoto

Sally Harper

Troy Iwamoto

Nobuo Kiwada

Keith Oda

Diane Radcliffe

Carol Schaafsma

Francine Taba

Sharon Weiner

Ex-Officio
Richard Burns, State Librarian

Board of Trustees

Dennis Blake

Byron Gangnes

Paul Oyer

Cliff Robello

Lena Young

Executive Director
Byrde Cestare

Funding
The State Legislature provides funding for the basic needs of libraries (facilities, salaries, books), but private support is essential for funding additional needs and expansion.

Where does the money come from?
Membership Dues
Donations
Endowments
Memorials
Annual Book Sales
Links to Literacy Golf Tournament
Special Fundraisers

Where does the money go?
Books and Equipment
Workshops and Seminars
Grants to Libraries
Special Library Programs
Library School Scholarships

Founders
Alexander Joy Cartwright, Jr.
Alexander Joy Cartwright, Jr., trained as a clerk in a bank, was the “Father of Baseball.” He was a volunteer fireman in New York City before moving to Hawaii in 1849. King Kamehameha III appointed him Chief Engineer of the Fire Department of the City of Honolulu. As one of the founders of the Honolulu Library Reading Room Association, later renamed Friends of the Library of Hawaii, Cartwright objected to the exclusion of women from membership. By the rules, Queen Emma and Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop were not eligible for membership. In a letter to his brother Alfred, Cartwright wrote,

“The idea keeps the blessed ladies out and the children. What makes us old geezers think we are the only ones to be spiritually and morally uplifted by a public library in this city?”

The constitution was amended so that women could join.

History of Friends
The Friends of the Library of Hawaii is a nonprofit organization whose primary objective is to maintain free public libraries in the State of Hawaii, to promote extension of library services throughout the State of Hawai,i and to increase the facilities of the public library system of Hawaii by securing materials beyond the command of the ordinary library budget. Other objectives are to focus attention on libraries and to encourage and accept, by bequest or gift, donations of books, manuscripts, money, and other appropriate material that can enrich the cultural opportunities available to the people of Hawaii.

The Friends of the Library of Hawaii was founded in 1879 by Honolulu's business leaders, merchants,and Hawaiian royalty as the Honolulu Library and Reading Room . The illustrious members of the original organization included King Kalakaua, Queen Kapiolani, Queen Emma, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, Sanford B. Dole and James Campbell. The Honolulu Reading Room was formally opened in a building on Fort Street on March 1879. August 1884 saw the formal opening of the new building that the HLRRA had built at the corner of Hotel and Alakea Streets. The book collection had grown to a total of 4,000 volumes through the generous donations of books and funds by HLRRA members and the general public.

In 1909, through the efforts of the association and Governor Walter J. Frear, a $100,000 grant was obtained from Andrew Carnegie to build Hawaii's first public library. The Hawaii State Library opened in 1913 at its present location on South King Street.

After the opening of the library, the Association remained active in raising funds to purchase of books and other supplies for the library. In 1938 another organization, "The Friends of the Library," was formed. It became evident that the two organizations had the same goals and objectives and in 1945 they merged and became The Friends of the Library of Hawaii.