Get ready for the home stretch of the semester! The Library & Tutoring will be hosting a few de-stressing activities for students during our Finals Countdown period, May 5-16! Please share our event schedule with your students:
May 5-16 (Mon-Fri), 8am – 5pm: FREE snacks* at the Library’s circulation desk
May 7 (Wed), 4:15-5pm:Yoga with Natalie Kahn at the Hale Lehua Dance Studio (DA 108), located next to Kīpuka
May 8 (Thu), 12-1:30pm:Lei Making Workshop* at the Learning Resource Center, located inside the Library (Registration Required)
*Supplies funded by ASUH – Leeward CC. Validated Leeward CC ID required.
For more information, visit our Finals Countdown page at go.hawaii.edu/yTR
Artificial intelligence is making its way into nearly every aspect of our lives, and the library is no exception. Several of our electronic resources are actively incorporating AI tools, with many more to come. Ebook Central, our largest ebook platform, has recently implemented its AI-driven Research Assistant.
Researchers may leverage Ebook Central Research Assistant to quickly assess relevance and identify resources that merit further investigation. The tool also facilitates discovery by offering concepts and additional titles that may be of interest. Ready to check it out?
To get started, navigate to Ebook Central from our A-Z Databases list. If you are currently off campus, you may be prompted to log in with your UH credentials first. With more than 280,000 titles available, you’re sure to find something of interest. Select a title to reach the book detail page, then click on Read Online.
The Research Assistant will automatically load in either the left or right sidebar, depending on the format of the selected ebook. Click on Find chapter in table of contents to see the Research Assistant in action.
The table of contents will load in the sidebar. Select a chapter from the list.
The chapter text will display in the main screen. Now click on the stars icon to re-load the Research Assistant in the sidebar.
Research Assistant currently offers three functions. The first is to provide a brief “key takeaway” from the chapter. Click on Show key takeaway from this chapter and the Research Assistant tool will generate it.
The second function is to summarize five important concepts from the chapter. Click on Show concepts discussed in this chapter to generate them.
The third function is to display other Ebook Central titles that feature a key concept generated by Research Assistant. Click on the search icon next to any concept to see additional titles that may be relevant.
Ebook Central Research Assistant is still in beta mode, so we can expect it to evolve and change over time. Important notes:
Research Assistant may work better in Firefox or Edge rather than Chrome.
The tool is not available for all content in Ebook Central; authors/publishers may opt out, and brief chapters may not provide enough material.
The tool analyzes text only (no images).
Research Assistant operates on the individual book chapter level, NOT across an entire book or across multiple titles.
As always, AI-generated content may not be 100% accurate. Additionally, sensitive terms/content may be blocked.
How do YOU feel about the recent proliferation of AI tools? Personally, I’m remembering all those hours I spent in the library stacks flipping through volume after volume, and feeling a bit jealous right now!
The upcoming phase of the Learning Commons Renovation Project involves retrofitting fire sprinklers on the second and third floors. This work will require the closure of the second floor, where library services are consolidated during the renovation. It will also impact Tutoring Services (Writing Center and LRC) and Disability Services.
The Learning Commons will close on May 19 to allow units to prepare spaces for construction and relocate services to other locations. Construction work is scheduled to begin on June 2 and be completed by the end of July 2025.
We will share more details on how services will be offered during the two-month closure in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please contact me at waydeo@hawaii.edu with your questions and concerns.
During Asian Heritage Month, the Learning Commons & Library will be hosting the “Sacred Asia: Exploring Spirituality” exhibit for a limited time:
Sacred Asia: Exploring Spirituality Presented by Dr. Kevin Tangonan, Office Of Planning, Policy & Assessment
Exhibit Dates: April 28 – May 12
Location: Library Entrance
In celebration of Asian Heritage Month, “Sacred Asia: Exploring Spirituality” invites you to journey though the spiritual and cultural landscapes of Asia. This exhibit showcases a curated collection of sacred and symbolic items.
Each piece reflects the rich tapestry of beliefs, customs, and historical narratives that shape the spiritual identities of diverse Asian cultures, from religious artifacts and good luck charms to ceremonial objects and ancestral symbols, these items embody the deep connection between the material and the metaphysical.
This exhibit serves as a space to explore how tradition and spirituality are interwoven into daily life, artistic expression, and cultural continuity across generations. Through these artifacts, we celebrate the resilience, diversity, and sacred traditions that continue to guide communities throughout Asia and the Asian diaspora.
Get ready for the home stretch of the semester! The Library & Tutoring will be hosting a few de-stressing activities for students during our Finals Countdown period, May 5-16! Please share our event schedule with your students:
May 5-16 (Mon-Fri), 8am – 5pm: FREE snacks* at the Library’s circulation desk
May 7 (Wed), 4:15-5pm:Yoga with Natalie Kahn at the Hale Lehua Dance Studio (DA 108), located next to Kīpuka
May 8 (Thu), 12-1:30pm:Lei Making Workshop* at the Learning Resource Center, located inside the Library
*Supplies will be funded by ASUH – Leeward CC. Validated Leeward CC ID required.
For more information, visit our Finals Countdown page at go.hawaii.edu/yTR
Great news! Just in time for Earth Day, the Leeward CC community now has access to the National Geographic Magazine Archive (1888-2020). A longtime fixture in homes, schools, and libraries, this iconic magazine offers insightful articles and gorgeous photography in the areas of geography, science, history, anthropology, and much more.
Our access on the GALE platform includes full digital reproductions of more than 1,500 issues dating back to the very first one published in October 1888. Select any issue to read from cover to cover, or search for keywords within the issue.
You can even search for advertisements. A full-page illustration from the February 1908 issue advertises “Winter sport in Hawaii,” while the November 1935 issue includes a photograph of Waimea Canyon, enticing potential visitors to make the voyage “less than five days from Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Vancouver, B.C. on swift, new ships.” The advertising copy also notes, “Fares, and living costs in Hawaii, are most moderate.” It seems that things have changed quite a bit over the last 90 years!
Current Leeward CC faculty, staff, and students may access the National Geographic Magazine Archive (1888-2020) through our Primo library catalog or from our A-Z Databases list. If you are currently off campus, you may be prompted to log in with your UH credentials first.
Leeward Library joined the PaCoN Food Biosecurity Program to celebrate Earth Day 2025 on ʻApelila (April) 21st, 2025.
Nā Akua a me Nā Kino Lau Kapu:
At our library table for Earth Day, we highlighted the deep cultural and spiritual connections between Native Hawaiians and the natural world by showcasing akua (Hawaiian gods) and their kino lau, the plant body forms they manifest as in nature. The table featured visual depictions of different deities and plants, such as kalo as a kino lau of Lono, emphasizing the sacred nature of eating in Hawaiian tradition, where consuming a plant means partaking in the body form of a god and ingesting their mana (spiritual life force).
Students and staff were also invited to engage in the Kino Lau Identification Game, where they were challenged to name four different Hawaiian plants that are considered kino lau of Kāne, the akua associated with fresh water, sunlight, forests, and life-giving energy.
Here is a student with their prize for winning the Kino Lau Identification Game.
Mahalo for stopping by our booth!
Mahalo to the PaCoN Food Biosecurity Program for inviting Leeward Library to be part of this meaningful event. It was a wonderful day filled with learning, connection, and celebration of our ʻāina and ancestral knowledge.
If you were lucky enough to attend Mark Perna’s dynamic presentation at our campus last week, you got a glimpse of his thought-provoking ideas on motivating and educating today’s youth. Now’s your chance to delve deeper into his insights on the “Why Generation” by experiencing his bestselling book, Answering Why.
Whether you’re an educator, parent, or employer, this quick and engaging read offers innovative approaches to understanding, empowering, and communicating with members of Gen Z–the generation that Perna argues is NOT lazy and entitled, but just needs to know WHY.
Answering Why is now available at Leeward CC Library in three different formats:
As a reminder, all current Leeward CC faculty, staff and students have access to the library’s ebooks, audiobooks, and other electronic resources. If you are currently off campus, you may be prompted to log in with your UH credentials first.
Waiʻanae Moku Campus joined the library for the launch of the 50th Anniversary Edition of Historic Waiʻanae: A Place of Kings on Malaki (March) 27th, 2025.
About This Book:
“Historic Waiʻanae: A Place of Kings is more than a history book. Thirty-six months of dedicated work went into the research. Family scrapbooks and the State Archives and museums were searched and researched for every thread that might be used to reweave the fabric of the Waiʻanae story. Hundreds of people gave freely of their time and their memories. The result? A warm personal living history of a very special place.”
Students and Faculty were invited to learn more about the book, which is now available to Leeward Community College through the library catalog. The event highlight different moʻolelo (traditional stories) about Waiʻanae Moku that the book touches upon. Some of those kaleka ʻike (knowledge cards) are included below.
Participants were invited to play a variety of ʻIke Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Knowledge) games about Waiʻanae Moku including “ʻIke ʻOe I Kāu Ahupuaʻa?” (Do You Know Your Ahupuaʻa) where they were challenged to see if they knew the traditional ahupuaʻa within Waiʻanae Moku that they reside and “Aia I Ka Iʻa ʻo ʻAnae?” (Where Is the ʻAnae Fish?) where they were asked to identity the ʻanae fish for which Waiʻanae is named from a variety of native Hawaiian fish images. All were given educational magnets highlighting the ʻike they engaged with pictured below.
To access the Historic Waiʻanae: A Place of Kingʻs 50th Anniversary Edition, both as an audio book and ebook, please scan the QR code below or access it at: https://go.hawaii.edu/Ch8 (Leeward CC Login Required)
During the month of April, libraries across the nation will highlight the roles of libraries and library professionals and the parts they play in our communities.
To celebrate National Library Week, our talented library aide, Kaylee, designed baggage tag templates for students to color or design their own! Tags are available at our National Library Week table. If students would like to have their tags laminated, they can bring their tags back to the circulation desk Thursday or Friday (April 10-11) between 10am – 12pm.
