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Libraries get
$1.25 million for
new books
The state librarian says she'll
update reference material, improve
online service, and buy CDs
and videos, tooHilo boys and girls club rescued
By Crystal Kua
Star-BulletinState librarian Virginia Lowell is looking forward to replacing old and dingy novels, improving online services and updating outdated reference books now that she has more money to buy books and other materials.
The supplemental budget approved this week by state lawmakers includes $1.25 million for the Hawaii State Public Library System to buy books and other materials for public libraries for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
It's the first time since 1995 that the library system has had money in its operating budget to buy library materials, Lowell said.
"I'm pretty pleased," Lowell said. "It gives us a little bit of money to purchase library materials ... to address weaknesses in the collection."
Although the library system had requested $4 million from the Legislature for library materials purchase, Lowell said she will take whatever she can get.
"Our legislative session was quite a success for us," she said. "We did get some of what we asked for and it was in the right places."
Library materials currently are being funded by a special fund that takes in fees and fines and averages between $1.2 million and $1.8 million a year, but it is an unreliable source of funding.
Having the money as part of the library's operating budget makes the resource more stable.
Lowell said she hopes the appropriation is a sign that lawmakers heard her message that library materials are an important service that needs continuous, stable funding.
She also said the money could be recognition by the Legislature that the libraries can provide access to technology for citizens.
The deterioration of the library collection can be attributed to the loss of the materials budget and a book-buying deal involving a mainland company.
"Those collections have suffered immeasurably," she said.
Lowell said the money will be used to bring to the shelves updated reference materials, the latest novels, replacements of worn children's books, compact discs, online services and videos.
Hilo boys and girls
Star-Bulletin staff
club rescuedHILO -- Daniel Lutkenhouse, the operator of the 17-acre Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden north of Hilo, will write a check to the Boys and Girls Club of Hilo today for $135,000, wiping out the club's debt and its problems with the Internal Revenue Service.
Lutkenhouse and his wife, Pauline, made the offer yesterday after news broke that the club was temporarily closed due to debts to the IRS, said club executive director Paul Supp.
"Dan and Pauline Lutkenhouse have really shown how much the youth of the community mean," Supp said.
Lutkenhouse commented, "There are hundreds and hundreds of children that benefit. It gets them educated. It gets them off the street. They're the future of Hilo."
The club owes the IRS between $69,000 and $84,000 for failure to pay some employee tax withholdings in 1998 and 1999, Supp said. Other, unrelated debts bring the total to $135,000, he said.
The club should reopen next week, according to Supp. New board members for the club are being recruited, additional funding is being sought, and restructuring of the organization is continuing, he said.
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