Hawaiʻi State
Public Library System

• August 11, 2025 @ 5:30 pm - 6:50 pm
• Categories: Community, Culture, Entertainment, Learning
• Contact: 808-889-6655

Come listen to local historian Boyd Bond speak about High Chief Ka’iana.

“By 1790, when few people in the world had heard the name Kamehameha, the high chief Ka’iana was the most famous Hawaiian in the world, having traveled from the islands of Hawai’i to China, the Philippines and the West Coast of America, and back again, arriving on Hawaii Island and joining the army of Kamehameha in his quest to unify the islands. Five years later, Ka’iana would die in the battle of Nu’uanu, fighting against Kamehameha. With a new TV series out about this famous ali’i of Hawai’i, lets review what they got right and what they left out.”

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity should contact library staff as soon as possible. Advance requests 48 hours or more before the event are encouraged, but not required. All programs are subject to change.

• August 12, 2025 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
• Categories: Books, Branch book clubs, Community, Entertainment, Learning
• Contact: 808-889-6655

Join the discussion of Book and Dagger by Elyse Graham.

Excerpt from Goodreads.com:”The riveting, untold story of the scholars, librarians, and university professors who were recruited as spies during WWII and helped turn the tide of the war

At the start of WWII, the US found itself in desperate need of an intelligence agency. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a precursor to today’s CIA, was quickly formed—and, in an effort to fill its ranks with experts, the OSS turned to academia for recruits. Suddenly, literature professors, librarians, and historians were training to perform undercover operations and investigative work—and these surprising spies would go on to profoundly shape both the course of the war and our cultural institutions with their efforts.

In Book and Dagger, Elyse Graham draws on personal histories, diaries, and declassified OSS files to tell the story of a small but connected group of humanities scholars turned unlikely spies. Among them are Joseph Curtiss, a literature professor who hunted down German spies and turned them into double agents; Sherman Kent, a smart-mouthed history professor who rose to become the head of analysis for all of Europe and Africa; and Adele Kibre, an archivist who was sent to Stockholm to secretly acquire documents for the OSS. These unforgettable characters would ultimately help lay the foundations of modern intelligence and transform American higher education when they returned after the war.

Thrillingly paced and rigorously researched, Book and Dagger is an inspiring and gripping true story about a group of academics who helped beat the Nazis—a tale that reveals the indelible power of humanities to change the world.
”

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity should contact library staff as soon as possible. Advance requests 48 hours or more before the event are encouraged, but not required. All programs are subject to change.

• August 13, 2025 @ 10:00 am - 10:45 am
• Categories: Books, Community, Entertainment, Learning, Music, Storytime (for kids)
• Contact: 808-889-6655

Join us every Wednesday at 10:00am for a fun-filled storytime! We’ll sing songs, read a few simple stories, then make a craft or do an activity. Great fun for 2 – 5 year-olds and their parents or caregivers. 

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity should contact library staff as soon as possible. Advance requests 48 hours or more before the event are encouraged, but not required. All programs are subject to change.

• August 13, 2025 @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
• Categories: Arts & Crafts, Entertainment, Games, Learning
• Contact: 808-889-6655

• August 14, 2025 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
• Categories: Community, Culture, Entertainment, Learning
• Contact: 808-889-6655

All participants will walk away with useful and highly effective tips on using food-as-therapy, acupressure, and other lifestyle tools as well as info on acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine to improve mental function, increase focus and boost immunity. 

Ila Jhaveri is a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese medicine herbalist who has been practicing for 29 years on Oahu and the Big Island.

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity should contact library staff as soon as possible. Advance requests 48 hours or more before the event are encouraged, but not required. All programs are subject to change.

• August 18, 2025 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
• Categories: Community, Culture, Entertainment, Learning
• Contact: 808-889-6655

Join local author Virginia Fortner for a workshop on writing a memoir!
We all have a story–or an interest in someone else’s! Explore what makes stories unique, ones that stick in your memory.
In this workshop, we’ll talk about:
Philosophy and theme
Places and mannerisms
Senses and symbolism
Historical details
Cultural fact/fiction
Shaping stories
Interact with those who have never written, published authors, and folks who haven’t yet told their stories to anyone. Go home with an idea for reading, writing, or tackling your own memoir.
Space is limited to 20 participants, please call or visit to RSVP!

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity should contact library staff as soon as possible. Advance requests 48 hours or more before the event are encouraged, but not required. All programs are subject to change.

• August 20, 2025 @ 10:00 am - 10:45 am
• Categories: Books, Community, Entertainment, Learning, Music, Storytime (for kids)
• Contact: 808-889-6655

Join us every Wednesday at 10:00am for a fun-filled storytime! We’ll sing songs, read a few simple stories, then make a craft or do an activity. Great fun for 2 – 5 year-olds and their parents or caregivers. 

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity should contact library staff as soon as possible. Advance requests 48 hours or more before the event are encouraged, but not required. All programs are subject to change.

• August 20, 2025 @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
• Categories: Arts & Crafts, Entertainment, Games, Learning
• Contact: 808-889-6655

• August 25, 2025 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
• Categories: Community, Entertainment, Games, Learning
• Contact: 808-889-6655

Get together with family and friends and play some classic board games! Use ours or bring your own! All materials will be provided.

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity should contact library staff as soon as possible. Advance requests 48 hours or more before the event are encouraged, but not required. All programs are subject to change.

• August 27, 2025 @ 10:00 am - 10:45 am
• Categories: Books, Community, Entertainment, Learning, Music, Storytime (for kids)
• Contact: 808-889-6655

Join us every Wednesday at 10:00am for a fun-filled storytime! We’ll sing songs, read a few simple stories, then make a craft or do an activity. Great fun for 2 – 5 year-olds and their parents or caregivers. 

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity should contact library staff as soon as possible. Advance requests 48 hours or more before the event are encouraged, but not required. All programs are subject to change.