Hawaii State Public Library System – Kaneohe Library

PLUS: You can have ANY book from ANY state library transferred here and save a drive into town or wherever the book is at. You get email notices when it arrives. Just be patient. Some books are only on outer island libraries so it may take a while to get. But if it saves buying it on Amazon? Worth it. I find interesting books online and check out the library – they usually have 3 of 4 I look up. You can renew etc online too.
CON:
PARKING. It is down a steep hill behind the Kaneohe police station and if you are disabled you have to dal with STAIRS – lots of them and there are usually several homeless people or mentally ill people hanging down there – which can be uncomfortable when they are sleeping in the sidewalk you have to walk on/​up. There is only ONE disabled parking spot anywhere close to the entry. That is NOT good. I cannot enter when that one stall is taken! :(

If you haven’t discovered public libraries yet, take your HI ID down and get you a library card! I’m so in love with the idea that I can check out audiobooks! I get them for a few weeks and can even renew. The library is a decent size but they definitely don’t have as much as some others (mainland comparison). They do have a nice feature though that you can get anything in the HI library system sent to your home library to check out. This is very convenient and you can even do it online! It does seem like a quiet place you could get some work done and there does seem to be an air of homelessness around, but I go for the books/​audiobooks. I think you can even rent dvds for $ 1 for a few days, which is pretty cool even though I have not used this feature.

I go to this library several times a week to get some «quiet» work done. It is hard to find quiet here, though. Children and parents are running around, talking loudly, and even the librarians talk loudly to people several feet away. The security guard is the biggest mystery of all. I don’t know what his job responsibilities are, but he seems to think it is talking story and taking breaks! There are often community activities there which involve crowds and more noise. .I miss the days when the «rule» was to whisper in a library voice and be respectfulof prple who are trying to read !

The Kaneohe Public Library shares the same steep and potholed driveway as the Kaneohe Police Station and a park that has no name! My friend’s daughter played soccer at that park, and called it «Civic Field». The park isn’t even on Google maps, but it has a small restroom that I’m afraid to use because of the homeless people that are hanging around.
Anyway, some things are not under our control. I just want to warn library patrons about the environment. Yesterday, a guy was swearing — I think at the police next door — while a small group of characters loitered outside the park’s restroom; and an «auntie» sat in the far corner of the new parking lot with her shopping wagon, covered with a blue tarp. During another visit, there were some bodies, covered in blankets and sleeping bags, lying on the landing between the stairs from the parking lot to the library. Instead of hopping over them, I walked up the steep driveway, not wanting to wake them up…
It’s kinda spooky and makes me not want to stay at the library for a long period of time, especially if the sun is going down… I just run in, pick up a DVD that I had reserved online, and leave as soon as possible.
It’s sad, but what can be done? It is a really nice area… The library has great facilities, free wi-​fi, $ 1 movie rentals for a whole week, and other outstanding resources like Storytelling hour for the keiki. The librarians are so patient and helpful! The restroom is clean and functional, even though the building is old and could use a facelift. There’s even a Friends of the Library bookstore at the parking lot level!
HOURS OF OPERATION:
Open 10 am — 5pm on Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday;
10am — 8pm on Monday & Wednesday,
1pm — 5pm on Fridays
Closed on Saturdays and State Holidays
I will still continue to support our local library — just have to stay on alert mode! Mahalo!

I am so disappointed in their lack of communications to the public. I traveled from the other side of the island after checking the website. Absolutely no hint that they’d be closed until you get there and people are complaining about it being closed. Not one, not two, let’s try about ten in two minutes.
I wasted my time when these jerks could have been considerate and put something on the website. I hope this isn’t one of those free days my tax dollars are paying to have state workers kick back at home.

So much for the Aloha Spirit. I am a doctoral student who lives on the mainland and visiting family here in Kaneohe. Wanted to do some studying while here — library says no, can’t use wifi, not without library card — which of course you can only get if you are a resident. Talk about territorial. Two thumbs down for Hawaiian libraries.

We live in town. So, why would we drive ALL THE WAY to Kaneohe to go to the library?
1. My wife works in Kailua. Driving over the Pali is no big deal since she does it everyday. Plus, it’s a nice drive.
2. I’m from the mainland. My idea of «far» is a 10 hour drive, not a 10 minute drive.
3. (Most important) The Kaneohe library is one of the few libraries OPEN ON SUNDAYS. We love taking our girls to to library, but sometimes our schedule doesn’t allow us to do this on Saturday. Having a library (and a nice one at that) open on Sundays is a great option.

Nice library and open on Sundays. They have books, audio books, internet pc and wireless (if you bring your own laptop). I really loved the fact that they have workstations where you can sit and plug in your laptop.
I hope more people will support our public library systems.

Great Selection. Terrific FAMILY library. Wonderful kids section with varied selection for recommended and new books. Librarians are so KIND!
Pros: Wonderful Staff. Families are welcome. Kids love this library. Free magazines on donation table out front!
Cons: Parking is a hike up a hill.

Nice clean big library in a perfect location in Kaneohe. They have books, audio books, internet, movies, magazine, and more. Plus they have a used bookstore in the parking area of the library. Movies here are only a dollar and they have a great selection. The librarians are very knowledgeable and are always willing to help you. When ever I come here I find what I’m looking for and if I don’t I can always reserve it and they notify me when it comes in.

Kaneohe is large because it is a regional library.

nice building, good air conditioning, and they had books, which is good for a library. a bunch of books.

i was surprised how big the kaneohe library was. i really like the bookstore they have on the bottom. it’s pretty big, and i always get good steals here.
when i used to go to my grandparent’s house in kailua, i’d go to the kanoehe library instead of the kailua library. my friends live in kaneohe and we’d study here sometimes. they used to have free internet, but i’m not sure if they do anymore. even if they don’t, it’s a good place to do work. the kids section is huge, but it’s kind of far from the table that we always study at.

Nice, big library. The biggest public library on the Windward side. Great Hawaiiana collection. One of the biggest plusses is that it is one of two public libraries in the system (Salt Lake-​Moanalua being the other) that has free wi-​fi. You may miss it if you’re driving quickly down Kamehamea Highway as it’s behind the Kaneohe Police Station. Decent sized parking lot, although you do have to walk upstairs in order to get inside. Huge Friends of the Library book store by the parking lot, however.
You can find out more at our Hawaii Book Blog, Hawaii Public Library Challenge Tour post on Kaneohe Library: