 Aloha and welcome to the Ruderman Round Table. We have every other week program here on Think Tech Hawaii where we talk about good government issues and environmental issues. And today our guest, I'm sorry, I'm the State Senator Russell Ruderman from Puna and Kaua District on the Big Island. Our guest today is Stacey Aldrich, our State Librarian. Thank you for joining us. Thank you so much for having me. Stacey has more than 20 years of library experience and it was named State Librarian of Hawaii in April of 2015. She served as Deputy Secretary for the Office of Commonwealth Library in Pennsylvania and State Librarian of California after serving as Deputy State Librarian in California also. She's also worked in public and academic libraries and was named one of library journals Movers and Shakers. She's an impassioned futurist who has worked as a senior associate at the Futuring Think Tank of Coates and Jarrett. She's also served on the board of the Association of Professional Futurists. Stacey earned both her Bachelor of Arts in Russian Language and Literature degree and MLS from the University of Pittsburgh and is currently Vice President and President-Elect of the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies. Wow, that's a lot of library activity there. We're very happy to have you here. Thank you. As you know, Stacey, I'm a big fan of libraries and you've been working with us to try to bring a new library to our community. How did you decide to enter the field of library and information sciences? Well, I was a Russian language major and I had been the assistant to the Slavic cataloger at the University of Pittsburgh and I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with my language and decided that I wanted to go to the Library of Congress and be a cataloger at the Library of Congress in Slavic languages and so I went into libraries. But really, the more I got into thinking about libraries, what I think is so powerful is that a library is a place for anybody and anybody can walk into a library and have access to information that helps them do, learn, or become whoever they want to be and I think that's so powerful in our democracy to have that. That's fantastic. That's one of the things that I like most about libraries too and it is, it's such a, the effect that's open to everybody it's such an equalizer in a way, you know. Here in Hawaii, what are our libraries' strengths and weaknesses as we stand today? We have a lot of strengths. We have amazing staff who are really dedicated to each of their communities and they're providing all kinds of programming every day from keiki to kapuna. So we're doing story times, we're helping kids get ready for school, we're helping them with language, we're helping kids who are in school with homework and providing learning opportunities during the summer, summer reading programs. We have access to technology so people who don't have connectivity at home can come to the library and use our Wi-Fi with their own devices or they can use our computers. So we have a lot of resources that are available. I think some of our challenges are on the resource side, we'd like to do more and we'd like to be open more hours and we would like to have more resources that help support the communities, more makerspaces, more collections of things that may not be books because communities like to share all kinds of objects. So there are lots more things that we'd like to do for our communities and I think if I look at weakness it's just that we have a desire to do so much more and we're trying to figure out how to do that. This idea of having collections other than books and libraries, that's a little bit of a new idea, am I right or should I just miss something? Are you going on a long time? Actually it has been going a long time. If you read a report from Melville Dewey from 1899 on the state of public libraries in the United States, he talked about all the different collections that libraries had including artwork that you could check out and take home and put in your home. So libraries have been collecting those kinds of things for a long time but I think the mental model of a library is just the book. But there are all kinds of examples like Berkeley has a tool library, there are libraries that have cake pans, so people who probably will never make another Barbie birthday cake for their kid, they buy it once. Now there's places where people can share those and they won't have to purchase them. So we're looking for what are those other collections that are important to our communities that would help. People share resources. In discussions in my community I've heard requests for tool libraries as you mentioned and seed libraries. Yes. Are there libraries in the state of Hawaii that have some of these types of collections? We do. We do have one or two libraries that have seed libraries in them and you can find that on our website under Browse and Collections we have seeds. And if you click on that link you'll find those libraries. Which libraries? And no tool libraries yet? Not yet, but we'd love to build one. Good, wonderful. What new technologies have been brought to our library system based on the information age and digital? So my predecessors were really dedicated to building good infrastructure. So we have great bandwidth to our libraries that were part of the statewide network with the University of Hawaii and Department of Education. We have free Wi-Fi in all of our libraries. We also have apps that you can download to use our resources. So we have a Hawaii state library app that you can use as your library card. So if you download that app you input your library card number. You can use that when you go to the library and it'll scan it for you. You can also use that app to search for a book and then put it on hold. And if you're at a bookstore and you don't really want to pay a lot for a book you can scan the barcode on that book and it will automatically search our catalog to see if we have it and then you can put that book on hold and get it from the library. You can scan a code in a bookstore and then go to your library app and see if it's in the system. Yeah, fantastic. So we're trying to navigate the physical and the virtual better than we are. And there are just so many different tools now. We have audio books that are downloadable. So we also have some on CD if you still like CDs. We also still have DVDs. We're looking at what potential there is for downloadable streaming video. There's lots of services that are available. So hopefully we'll be able to subscribe to some of those to create more access. So what we're looking at is what kinds of resources do people want to share that makes sure that everybody has access to the same resources. Yeah, what if someone's interested in eBooks but doesn't have an eBook reader or an iPad? Is that a device that can be borrowed from the library or not at this time? We currently don't have any devices that you can borrow. But you can read them on a computer or on a laptop. But that would be something we could look at expanding in areas where people don't have as much access. What we're finding is a lot of people do have smartphones or tablets because the prices draw things so much. You know, you mentioned the free Wi-Fi. Free Wi-Fi, I just want to thank you for something you did for my community after Hurricane Izzelle had blocked most of our roads and knocked down most of our power and telephone lines. You agreed to have the free Wi-Fi available outside the libraries, which was the only internet connection for many members of our community. There was I think one cell company was still working. The phones were down, internet was down, electricity was down. And you provided a crucial information service in the time of emergency to my community. I want to thank you because when we called to request it, I at first thought, no, they're not going to say yes to this. And you did say yes to it. And we appreciate it so much. You really helped our community in a time of distress. And that was my predecessor, Richard Burns, who did that. He's an amazing state librarian. But we do see libraries as an emergency location, especially for information. When we have connectivity and nobody else does, it makes it a lot easier. We also had turned the Wi-Fi on for the lava flow in Pahoa. It was on 24 hours a day as well to help people keep in touch and to keep connected. And we think that's very important if the infrastructure is there and we're 50 libraries across six islands, we can help be a part of that crucial emergency structure. Fantastic. So here we are in the digital age. A lot of people have the computer at home, access to the internet. And some people might think, what's the point of a library today? I have all the information in the world at my fingertips. Now, I understand there's people who may not have a computer at home or may not have internet access at home. But for other folks, what's the relevance of a library today? It depends on who you are and what your needs are. And libraries are designed to be there for everyone. And so for people who are more digital who might think, well, I don't need to go to the library, I don't have time, we have digital resources available. So you might have a Kindle, but it's really fast how much those Kindle books add up that you purchase. And then you never look at them again. And then you don't even have them to put on your bookshelf. You can't even show off. There's a great collection that you have. You can borrow e-books from us and save money and join book clubs and see what other people are reading. There's also, for a lot of people, the library isn't just a place for books. It's a community space. So we have meeting rooms that are available in many of our libraries. We have programs. So for families and children, parents are bringing their kids in to get ready for school. They're coming to story times. So they're learning basic vocabulary and how to use a book. And they're getting some support from the librarians for families. These are the tools that you can use to help your kids learn better to support you so you can support your kids being more educated. So the library is like a hub. It's not just a book. The library is a place where you can come and listen to music. It's a place where you could come and if you wanted to join a book club, you could join a book club. It's a place where you could listen to an author speak sometimes. It's a place where you can watch a movie with your family and your community. A movie night where you get to get out and be with other people. You mean you have movie nights in the library? Yeah, we do. We do. Yeah. All across the state, libraries are showing movies and families come out and they watch the movies together. So it's a place of community and it's a place of gathering and connecting. And I feel like libraries are all about connecting people and information and each other. And that's the role that we play. And I think it's an important role we play because where else in the community do you have that kind of access and those opportunities? So libraries really are continuously there for everyone in the community. You know, when you say it that way, I see that the library is perhaps more important than ever because as we all spend more time on our computers in our own little world, we lose connectivity with people and our communities. Exactly. So many people feel isolated in their homes these days and this is a little bit of antidote for it if people are willing to use it and come and be part of the community and part of community events. Come be where other people are, where your neighbors are. I think there's also a role for us to be a place of public knowledge. So we're just starting to work with the Harwood Institute and our librarians are looking at, we have a few librarians across the state who are looking at finding out what are the aspirations of our communities and then being a place where we have that knowledge so that the community leaders can come together and say, well, these are the issues, these are the things that are important to people, how do we solve them together? So again, it's about creating connections and opportunities in the community and I think too, what you were saying earlier about wanting to be connected because we're so disconnected is absolutely true. When we did our focus groups in the Pune region about the libraries and what people wanted, one of the things that came across very clearly was people wanted more classes and more opportunities to learn and to become educated about all kinds of topics, not necessarily a community college, not necessarily a college, but a safe place that doesn't denote, because some people haven't had good experiences with, you know, college or school, but a library is a safe place for everybody where everybody can learn and be together. One of the things that I was very excited about is your openness to having available workshop spaces where people can do storytelling and teaching their neighbors or teaching people how to farm or garden or net or quilt, whatever their particular skill is. You can have that kind of information sharing. Exactly. It's kind of like the people's university. It's a space where everybody can come together and share and learn from each other. Wonderful. Yeah. What a great vision. We're here with Stacey Aldrich, our Hawaii State Librarian on the Ruderman Roundtable. We'll be back in just a moment. Is that okay? St. Tech, Hawaii, Asia in reveal. I am Johnson Choy, the host. Looking forward to see you next month, December 15, Thursday, 11, right here at this channel. Aloha. My name is Carl Campania. I am the host of Think Tech Hawaii's Education Movers, Shakers and Performers. We hope you join us every Wednesday at noon right here at Think Tech, Hawaii, as well as on OC-16. Our show covers a range of important topics regarding education, our educational system, where we are, where we're going, where we need to go, and some of the important people that are working on that, from state legislators to department heads, to teachers and students. We bring in everyone we possibly can to have a comprehensive conversation about the educational system here in Hawaii. So we hope you join us again every Wednesday at noon here on Think Tech, Hawaii. Mahalo. Welcome back. We're at the Ruderman Roundtable. I'm Senator Russell Ruderman from the Pune and Kau District on the Big Island. We're here with Hawaii State Librarian, Stacey Aldrich, talking about libraries. One of the reasons that to me, Stacey, the library is relevant. We try to focus on good government environmental issues. To me, libraries are included in that because libraries give you access to all this information. And they're a form of education and a form of a way for people to connect and find out stuff. I think that education is, you know, the way to lift people about poverty and the way to get people involved. And in that regard, we requested a Pune Regional Library which your library's division agreed was needed. And you've been studying the situation coming over to get some public meetings and gathering information. How's the, what's the status of the Pune Regional Library? Can you fill me in briefly on that? So as you know, we've done focus groups. We did focus groups in Pahoa and Mountain View and KL. And we are working with Group 70 which is our planning group. And we've been talking with the community about potential locations. And Group 70 is analyzing potential locations for a library. What we found in our discussions with the communities in the Pune Region is that one library is not going to do well for that whole region. So we're going to work on building this first library and then look at how we can build another newer library for another part of the Pune Region so that we can meet the needs of everyone. Well, thank you, yes, as your family came over. Pune is larger geographically than the library in Milwaukee. And so it's, thank you for doing that. And we're very excited about it. And I think needless to say, I'm very, very excited about that. Tell me, I understand we've been talking about bookmobiles a little bit. Is it one possible part of the project on the Big Island? Is that true? I think we should definitely put that in as a part of the project. There are a lot of areas that do not have service and it is a trip to travel between our branches. And so we're looking at how do we increase connectivity for those communities that it is a longer drive. And so I think a bookmobile is something we definitely want to look into as a part of our plan. Would that be the first one in the state? Are there other bookmobiles in use now? We used to have, we have a new bookmobile in Maui, the friends of the Maui, Maui friends of the library just purchased a new bookmobile. It's amazing. So we have a nice model to go by to bring to our other islands. But I think many years ago there were cuts in the budget and that was one of the services that unfortunately we had to let go of. So now we're back and looking at how do we provide services and do we need large buildings that need lots of care in every community or are there new kinds of services that we can offer that meet the needs of the community that provide them the services they want. If they just want Wi-Fi in a place to pick up materials where they could order them, we could create small pickup stations. Or having a bookmobile is lovely too because you can do outreach. You can go to senior centers, to daycare centers and interact and provide materials to those communities. That's great. In my area we have some very distant, very rural, sparsely populated communities and not all of them have the ability to come to town very often. I can imagine being so valuable for let's say parents of young kids who live in very rural areas to be able to maybe every couple of weeks get a new batch of books. I know we've been talking about all these things besides books but, you know, let's say you have a kid that likes to read you need 10 or 20 new books. Absolutely. This would be such a wonderful thing for any community that gets that. We really appreciate being open to helping us. Absolutely. Are there volunteer opportunities within the library system? Yes, there are. Under community to look for volunteer opportunities with the friends of the library. They're always looking for volunteers. There's a large friends group that oversees the whole library system. And then there are affiliates at most of the branches. So if you're interested, just talk with your local library and see how to get connected with those local friends groups. And then sometimes within the libraries there are volunteer opportunities. They're always looking for volunteers to help. So depending on your branch just stop by and say I'd love to help. And we'd love to find a way to help you do that. So in some cases it'll be getting involved with the friends of the library but in other cases it might be working directly in the library with the librarians. Tell me, how do you prioritize spending? Like probably most agencies you probably don't have all the money you wish you had, right? What are you going to spend on? What are you going to cut? Or what are you going to not be able to fund this year? How do you prioritize that? Well, we really look at how do we continue services as best as possible. And so what do we need in order to provide services? And one of the things that we hear most from people is they'd like to have more hours. So we look at the hours first. What's it going to take to try to keep open as many hours as we can? If we can look at priorities. I really want the building spaces to be open. We want the library to be a study to be with other people, to have access to technology that they don't have access to. We want to make sure those spaces are open. So we look at that and say, well, how do we keep those spaces open? It is a challenge on some of the islands when we don't have enough staff to keep our libraries open. We can't even move people around fast enough to keep them open. So we're trying to figure out how do we keep those libraries open. How do we keep those people who need to have access to that help them keep informed, that entertain them, that ignite their imagination, that help them with their career or a job. Interesting. You mentioned earlier that you can come to the library and connect with book clubs. I did not know that. Book clubs that are, there are local library will have a list of my local book clubs that I can join or how. If you go to our website there will be a list of the libraries that currently have book clubs. So we have a few branches that they have a weekly book club that you can join and they have a book that you read and everybody gets together and reads together. And do they typically meet in the library? They do. Wonderful. So you've mentioned this website a few times. Let's talk about this website. What's it called, first of all? Okay, so you can go to our website librarieshawaii.org. We just brought it up a couple weeks ago, a month or two. And it's designed to help people really find our resources. So we have all kinds of learning opportunities. So at the top of the page there's a learn, if you click on learn you can see that you can learn a language through mango languages. So just with your library card you can learn 72 languages with mango languages. For free. And that includes pirate. We all need a little bit of pirate. And on to ARG apparently there's more. I'm working on Hawaiian right now. So you're learning Hawaiian through an app that's free through the state libraries. Exactly. So you can use... That's fantastic. So you can use your device or you can use your laptop or you can use your computer but the app is awesome because when you're traveling you can keep learning your language. You don't have to stop. So from the library's website I can download various apps. Mango, what other ones? There's also Xenio which is access to magazines. I love magazines but magazines are expensive. We have mental floss, rolling stone, wired magazine, all of those you can download to your device and it's another app that you would download through the site. So with mango languages you actually use a mango platform and then they point you to where to download the mango app. But you can download ebooks too. So for a smartphone or a tablet of some sort we have latest bestsellers available. Sometimes you have to wait, it's just like waiting in line for a paper book. You have to wait for the digital copy right? You would think you wouldn't have to but it's because... The publishers restrict... we still have to buy copies, we spend an extra amount of money for them to circulate and each publisher has a different rule that circulates or how much they charge for an ebook. So you can put them on hold and then you get a little e-mail message that says now you can download. I like to listen to audiobooks and so I download a lot of audiobooks to my device. My favorite has been Unsinkable which is a biography by Debbie Reynolds. She's an amazingly interesting person but we have lots of biographies. There's nonfiction fiction. Overdrive. Overdrive is our provider so they provide ebooks and audiobooks. That's available and that's once again an app from your website. So we have a lot of digital resources that are available and we also have a lot of licensed collections. Many people think everything is on the internet but there's a ton of resources that aren't available for free on the internet. Having access to full text numbers and journals and research is not free and so the library pays to license these we call them databases to make sure that people have access to all those resources. So we have 92 databases that are available and that includes if you're trying to fix your car we have Chilton's manuals online so you can download all the things about your car that you're trying to fix for the Chilton's. It seems to me that most of us in general don't even know 5% of what you have to offer. Is it true? Am I the only one? No, I would believe it. So we need to let people know somehow, huh? Obviously you're doing the best you can. Yes, we're talking as much. I will talk to Tola strangers on airplanes. I've convinced several people to download apps and find out things that they didn't know they had access to. I think it's exciting to know that the library is there to provide you with resources no matter where you are. With your library card, even if you're on the mainland or you're traveling, all you have to do is go through the website or through your app and you can still have access to our amazing collections. That's fantastic. I mean, I guess we need to find a way to let people know about it more. Absolutely. More people take advantage of it and when it comes time for funding knowing questions whether it's worth it or not, right? I would love to help in that regard anyway. Thank you. What are the biggest challenges in your position and for the library system? Briefly because we're almost out of time. I think the one that you've mentioned, that many people don't know what we do have and we do have people who use the library all the time but they mostly use it just to check out books. They don't realize all of the electronic resources. So we really are hoping our new website helps people discover things that you couldn't discover before. Our website, we're talking to more people and trying to get out and talk to more organizations and even finding your favorite thing and just sharing it with one person. So if you go home and you use Mango Languages and you let all your friends know about Mango Languages at least now you have more people who know about Mango Languages. So if you could just pick one thing that you love about using the library and share it with one person or two people I think that would help spread the word too. Do it yourself, huh? Yep. Well thank you very much and I will be doing that. I'm going to check into Mango and Zinnia because I also love magazines and it's one thing to buy a book but a magazine you're not going to keep it so it's six bucks down the drain. I look forward to reading some newspapers and magazines online as well as learning a couple new languages free through our state public library system. We've been talking to Stacey Aldrich our Hawaii state librarian here on the Ruderman Roundtable. I'm State Senator Russell M. and I thank you for joining us. We'll be back in a couple of weeks. Mahalo.