RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, public and school libraries are combined library facilities where school students must share library facilities with the general public; and

WHEREAS, there are twelve public and school libraries in the State, which are located on school campuses, including on the island of Hawaii: Kea’au Public and School Library, Laupahoehoe Public and School Library, Mountain View Public and School Library, Pahala Public and School Library, Pahoa Public and School Library, and Waimea’s Thelma Parker Memorial Public and School Library; Hana Public and School Library on the island of Maui; Lana’i Public and School Library on the island of Lana’i; Ewa Beach Public and School Library, Kahuku Public and School Library, and Waimanalo Public and School Library on the island of Oahu; and Koloa Public and School Library on the island of Kaua’i; and

WHEREAS, most public and school libraries are located in rural areas where limited facilities exist and public transportation is insufficient to provide ease of access; and

WHEREAS, there is already a great need to improve and update our existing libraries, especially those in rural areas because of inadequate facilities, growing populations, and handicapped accessibility requirements; and

WHEREAS, access to libraries is important to our children, their parents, the general public, and the schools in encouraging learning, maintaining literacy, furthering education, providing opportunities for research and analysis, and serving recreational purposes; and

WHEREAS, access to available resources such as reference materials, the Internet, and audio and visual materials is essential to the general public in obtaining information, especially to the underserved population, which are often in rural districts; and

WHEREAS, on January 8, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 placing an enhanced emphasis on reading for elementary school students including establishing educational achievement standards for reading; and

WHEREAS, the No Child Left Behind Act thus places an increased demand on libraries by encouraging reading, especially at the family level; and

WHEREAS, many issues of concern have been raised regarding the use of school libraries by the general public, including:

WHEREAS, the Board of Education, Department of Education, and the Hawaii State Public Library System recently agreed that combined public and school libraries should be separated, with general public library services being provided in locations other than school campuses; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Board of Education, Department of Education, and the Hawaii State Public Library System are requested to develop a strategic plan to separate public and school libraries in a manner that will ultimately enhance levels of service for the community and for students; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the plan shall include: a timetable for implementation of improvements including the criteria utilized to determine the order in which the public and school libraries will be addressed; new methods or technologies to provide enhanced library services including prospective management and staffing scenarios; projected expenses including capital improvements and operational and maintenance costs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a component of the strategic plan shall be a report of how the levels of service for the current library system will be maintained as the process of separation is implemented; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in the development of the strategic plan, there be included a process for soliciting and receiving input from all sectors of the community that will be affected by the proposed separation, and discussion of measures to remedy any adverse impacts upon the community during the transition period; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Education,

Department of Education, and the Hawaii State Public Library

System shall submit their strategic plan to the Legislature no

later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular

Session of 2004; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Chair of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Education, and the State Librarian of the Hawaii State Public Library System.

Report Title:

School Libraries; Long-Range Plan