PEARL CITY, Hawaii (KHON2) — A major multi-million dollar upgrade is in the works for one of Oahu’s oldest public libraries.
Officials and community members say the Pearl City Public Library will become a hub for generations to come.
The Pearl City Public Library has served generations of readers since it opened in 1969. It is about to get a massive makeover through a $35 million contract to transform the site into a modern, multipurpose community space.
“We still have people who need lot of access to computers and the internet. Internet is not everywhere on all the islands and if it is, sometimes it’s not fast enough for people or for a whole family to sit and do their work,” said Stacey Aldrich, Hawaii State Public Library System state librarian.
Better internet access and more community gathering rooms are just part of the contract — renovations are starting to wrap up at Kaneohe and Kahului’s libraries — but Pearl City will enjoy the largest investment in Hawaii’s public library system in 2025.
The multi-million dollar renovations will not just be for the library itself, an early learning center will be added for local keiki to visit.
“We’ll have two classrooms where we’ll have actual teachers, and they’ll be classes for the little ones who are just getting ready for school,” Aldrich said.
The Pearl City Neighborhood Board chair said he is excited for more options for community gathering spaces, but added that the facility also needs to stay open longer for it to truly become a hub.
“You know, when they close at 4 o’clock, 7 o’clock, normally your community meetings are in the evenings where you can bring in people. But I have the vision that I have is, once we expand, we’re going to, we’re going to bring in a lot of people into the library,” Larry Veray said. “People do want to use the library up to 9 in the evening.”
Digital media and internet access will see upgrades, but over 3.4 million traditional paper items were circulated statewide in 2024. Aldrich said they will add large windows and skylights for natural light, along with spaces for folks who just want to enjoy the feeling of flipping through a book.
“It’s this great place to just learn and be with other people. I mean technology is great and, like, it’s a merger. So again, libraries, we’re doing everything we can to balance and trying to make it easier for people to connect,” she said.
Officials said it will take about two years of construction in Pearl City’s library when permits are all wrapped up, a popup library will be available while internal renovations are ongoing.
There are over 50 other projects to improve libraries statewide, click here for more information about the Hawaii State Public Library System.