Hawaii State Public Library System

The Waipahu library is decent, except for the homeless people in front trying to ask you for a dollar, or to ask for your phone. Anyways its a nice library, very helpful workers. I like that they try to make conversation with you. When I go in I usually go straight to the counter to pick up my holds. With two kids its kind of hard to walk around and enjoy. Overall its a good library!

Went on a monday therefore it was closed… walked to the front door to return my girlfriends books in the drop off shute but it was sealed shut saying it was broken. there was some homeless looking people cruising right in front of it but there were cool when i said excuse me to get to it. they were helpful and told me and pointed to where the drive thru drop off shute was. thank you chronic couple you were very helpful.

This library has a YA ROOM, so I’m in love with that. There was this specific librarian though that had a MAJOR stick up her okole though, thus the 3 stars. This idiot lady seemed to have a personal goal as to not issue me a library card. She stated I needed an ID, and something that listed my address on it. I gave her my military id and my drivers license, which has my address. Lady says my ID doesn’t count, and I would need to bring a piece of mail with me, since it has my address. HOW MANY PEOPLE CARRY MAIL AROUND WITH THEM!!! She was an idiot. Not to mention my friend who was also getting a library card (but did it with a very nice man), used her id, which was acceptable. I gave the lady attitude and walked 10 ft. over and got a card with the man, using just my ID. Ha!

This is an okay library. I prefer Mililani Library over this one, but I honestly don’t go to libraries often. I really like that everything is online now, so you can request books from others to be delivered online to whatever library is closest to you and renew online. The libraries also have free wifi (as long as you have a valid library card).
As far as how nice the actual library is, it’s just average. It’s a pretty small library, but there’s a separate quiet zone for those that need to study. They have a books for sale section to the right of the entrance once you walk in.
I was definitely pleased with the customer service. I requested a book online to be held at the front desk (saves me the time of having to search for it). I wanted to pick it up the same day and the online request hadn’t gone through yet, but I called and the librarian said she would check if the book was on the shelf and get it for me so it would be ready for me to pick up that day. It was something I definitely appreciated!

{ I am rating on the customer service that i just received not the library itself }
don’t go to many libraries but I’m pretty annoyed. Writing this review because I called the library to re-​borrow a book. The lady who answered the phone (i know this sounds judgmental) sounded stuck up. I told her I was calling to re-​borrow my books n she told me well «Well first of all your going to need your card number & the books you borrowed» what she said wasn’t what bothered me but the way she said it. Then she went on to say «You know some libraries will tell you to call back when you have everything ready & hang up the phone» as if she was patting herself on the back for doing me a favor. Then she told me that I had an unpaid late payment. When I told her that I payed it when i checked out the new books she said they had no record of the payments (not her fault I know it was the lady who handled me that day) But we all know that before you check out more books they tell you about your late fee’s & i do recall paying & receiving a receipt. She asked me if I still had it & i told her probably not it was from 21 days ago. Then she went on to tell me what a hassle it was going to be for them to look up the discrepancy. By the end of our convo she just kept on telling me the same thing how i had a back payment & they received no payment.

i live up the road and today was my first time here. 96 819 — 94 block, so i only know kalihi palama library (+ the town ones) well. since i’m on this side now, i thought i’d familiarize myself with this location. you know. give it a chance. after all, waipahu is the other kalihi.
right turn in from mokuola. it’s packed. where to park, where to park. found one!
whoa. metered parking? seriously?
i rarely have loose change on me.
the darn time machine only takes quarters too.
whew. thank God i had some!
i open the back door of my car to grab my son and he’s knocked out in his car seat, drooling and all. ergo baby or stroller? ergo baby. i won’t be long ‘anyway’.after feeding the meter an hour’s worth.
i walk in, return books i borrowed from another library and scope out the place for anything that catches my eye. i’ve been in here for, like, only a minute. why is my back so sweaty? i look down at my son and he’s looking up at me looking at him. shucks he woke up! «me time» at the library is long gone now. haha. he’s uncomfortable from the heat and our body heat, plus the heat retained from his carrier. i let him loose and i just wonder, «what is up with this place?» it’s enclosed with no a/​c. the fans aren’t doing much.
i try to make my visit quick so we can get the hell out. i might be over exaggerating, but 96 degrees with tradewinds (in the shade) is better than being in a sauna.
to buy or not to buy organic, how to sell on e-​bay, food lover’s guide to buying in bulk, sewing techniques, the edible garden, nursing school entrance exams, etc.
i managed to grab all these within five minutes. k, so i’m ready.
at this point (six minutes in), the little boy is asking for books. we head to the kiddie section and he pulls out a few. i let him choose two ’cause my stack has a few inch+ books. i feared that i might drop all of them on the way to the car.
we check out & head out. such a relief!
even if i couldn’t stand the heat, i like this library. they have such great books. i want to come back. no, i’ll definitely be back — when i feel like spending a quarter (i’m chang!) btw, i used only 12 minutes of my hour. next time i know.
i took off a star because of the metered parking. the a/​c better be working next time or i’ll take off another. nah just joking. lucky they have good books

A lot of learning is a dangerous thing.
I have valuable information, so you need to stick around. But before I begin, I have to define the word dangerous for reference. The two definitions are:
1. Surfing without a leash is a dangerous thing to do. Or it’s dangerous to drive while you’re tired.
2. Your looks are dangerous. Or his unbelievable skills in surfing makes him a dangerous competitor.
The first example of dangerous means hurt or harm. The second example of dangerous means outstanding or impressiveness. Since I know all of you are law abiding citizens, i’ll use the second definition.
Waipahu Public Library is good place to get your learning on. However, you have to pay for parking unless you park in the rear where there are some (around 10) free parking stalls. You have to drive in and around and as you start coming back out the free stalls are on your left.
I find this library not as quiet as other libraries. The workers are friendly, resources are adequate, and amenities are decent. If you want noise to a minimum, you can go into their room which is straight in as you walk-​in the front entrance. Despite the bad parking, this library gets crowded fast.
In conclusion, silence is what I value the most about libraries, so my stars reflect mostly that. Learning requires silence which will make you, dangerous to society.
P. S. Thanks for reading my long review.

Need more force on the rules of not talking. In the library. As today apparently a group of young people only in library to have conversation. After 30 mins and no security to stop them it seems they are not serious in keeping the library as a quiet place. Wednesday dec 5

Its not a very big library but it does the job. My kids visit to finish their homework. I never expected it but it actually has computers with internet access. The computers are always full though.
Not much else to say about it.
Oh, and parking in the front is metered. I heard that they had free parking in the back but ive never seen it.
Tip:
Usually you can just wait for someone to leave and steal their minutes! People usually overpay for their time and you can park free if you want to save a quarter or two!

I would go here almost everyday after school because it was the perfect place to do what I loved: Hang with friends, read, play silent football using paper and our hands (LOL)
I used to think it was so up to date and organized. Having gone back there, everything looks pretty much the same lol (It’s been years)
The staff is friendly and are more than happy to help you find what you are looking for.
I honestly think this place is in need of an upgrade, especially their restroom. That and they need to clean it more often. It smells so horrible in there. it’s the stench of urine and feces mixed with cleaner. It’s not pleasant at all.
The parking. the parking. I would have thought this would be the perfect spot to park your car, go inside and read a book. Keeps you out of trouble, keeps everyone happy. But you have to feed a parking meter. I know some people don’t mind doing that, but some people really want to read a book but don’t want to pay money to do so.
There is parking in the back of the civic center but if you have trouble walking, this may be a bit difficult for you.
If you like ‘cozy’ libraries, check this place out.

I agree that the parking sort of sucks here because it’s metered. However in the back of the library are free 2 hour parking spaces. You will know those are the spaces, because there will be no meters and there’s a sign that says Public Parking.
The staff is very friendly and helpful. Also the library is rather clean. The best times to go are early morning and late afternoon before the school crowd hits at 2:30. Also the library is near to some great eating places like Taniokas, Pearl chinese takeout, Wong Kun chinese. So be sure to eat there before or after your visit!

This is my local library. It is quiet and well organized, and the staff seems very friendly, but they don’t have as wide a selection as some of the other libraries in the area. No worries, though, as the library website makes it so easy to search for books and have them delivered directly to the library for easy pick up!
Te only thing I don’t like about the library is it’s shared parking lot with what I think is the courthouse. I don’t mind paying a quarter to park for 30 minutes, but I do mind the complete lack of parking at some points. It would be very helpful to have a few spots reserved just for the library.
That said… I have a book waiting for pick up. See you there!

Waipahu Library is okay. Mediocre for lack of a better word. I mean, they usually have the books that I’m looking for … especially reference books. But it’s more of a get-​in get-​out type of mentality. I don’t think I could sit in the library and just read.