Little Waialua
Library has
big friendsA stream of donations arrives
from all over the country
to help recover after arson
Waialua Library is the smallest public library on Oahu, but its collection of friends is the largest of any branch -- and those friends have big hearts.
A month after an arsonist torched an annex that stored used books for the library, more than $10,000 in donations has flooded the Friends of Waialua Library.
"We're like 'The Little Library That Could,'" said head librarian Tim Littlejohn. "We've been overwhelmed with an abundance of donations and people wishing us well. People truly care about what happens to their libraries."
Last week, Brian Orlopp, general manager for Dole Food Co. in Hawaii, delivered a check for $5,000 from his company, the biggest gift ever received by the Friends of Waialua Library, said Marjorie Russell, the group's president.
No arrests have been made in connection with the fire, but the Honolulu Police Department is still investigating, according to spokeswoman Michelle Yu.
The July 29 fire wiped out an inventory of 2,000 used books, music and videos to be sold at the library's monthly fund-raisers. Dole donated the storage space to the Friends of the Library.
When word spread of the arson, people from as far away as New York sent checks and used books to the North Shore library. Volunteer Phillip Thatcher crisscrossed the island picking up donated books.
As a result, the group's Aug. 16 book sale turned out to be the library's best ever, raising $1,000, Russell said. Typically, the monthly sales bring in a few hundred dollars.
"A lot of people really worked long hours to get it together," she said. "The Waialua Friends are really a great bunch of people."
With 538 members, the Friends of Waialua Library is the largest such group in the state, she said. Along with the books, it has been able to replace equipment lost in the fire, including tables and tents for its book sales. The group supplements the library's state budget, buying materials and furniture, and sponsoring programs.
"Public libraries have a difficult time sustaining ourselves in light of government budget cuts," said Littlejohn, the state's Librarian of the Year for 2002. "Many of our customers tell me our libraries deserve full funding because they make such a difference in people's lives, from babies to senior citizens."
Waialua is already gearing up for its next book sale, Sept. 20. Many of the people who came to shop at the August sale carried in boxes full of their own books to donate for the next one.
"We've probably got 4,000 books now," Russell said. "I just think it's really wonderful that people place so much emphasis on the library in this community."
