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Category: Learning Commons

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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 for Asian Heritage Month Exhibit: April 28 - May 12 at the Library's front entrance Sacred Asia Exploring Spirituality for Asian Heritage Month Exhibit Description
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.

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Finals Countdown: May 5-16. The library offers study spaces, research support, and destressing activities. The Learning Resource Center and Writing Center offers tutoring and writing consultation and more! We will also have free snacks funded by ASUH - Leeward CC. Because our snacks are funded by ASUH, you must show your Spring 2025 validated ID card.
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

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Collage of National Geographic Magazine covers.

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.

Screenshot of National Geographic Magazine archive home page.
Screenshot of an article within an issue of National Geographic.

You may also search across all issues, with options to filter by date, content type, and more. Searching for articles on Hawaii from the early 1900s unearths "Hawaii, Then and Now: Boyhood Recollections and Recent Observations by an American Whose Grandfather Came to the Islands 102 Years Ago" (October 1938) and a "map to explain how the golden plover is able to navigate to the Hawaiian Islands in the Mid-Pacific" (April 1911).

Screenshot of two old articles from National Geographic.

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!

Screenshot of two advertisements from old issues of National Geographic.

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.

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Earth Day Poster

Leeward Library joined the PaCoN Food Biosecurity Program to celebrate Earth Day 2025 on ʻApelila (April) 21st, 2025.

Close Up of Earth Day Table Close Up of Earth Day Table Close up of Earth Day Table

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).

Infographic describing Akua Infographic describing Kino Lau

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.

Infographic about Kāne

Here is a student with their prize for winning the Kino Lau Identification Game.

Student winning a prize for playing the Kino Lau 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.

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Collage of a person exiting a cave and the book cover for Answering Why.

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:

Collage showing print, audiobook and ebook formats for Answering Why.

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.

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Historic Waiʻanae 50th Anniversary Edition Library Event

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.

Historic Waianae 50th Anniversary Edition Book Cover

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.”

Table at Historic Waianae Event Table

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.

Chief Pōkaʻī is the name sake of Pōkaʻī Bay in Waiʻanae Types of Hawaiian Fish Ponds

Story of Māui Kaʻena Point has a laina a ka ʻuhane, a spirit leaping point at the top

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.

The meaning of the term "ahupuaʻa" Waiʻanae Mokuʻs ahupuaʻa Kiawe Seed Pod Flour Recipe

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)

 

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National Library Week 2025: Drawn to your Library Baggage Tag designs
National Library Week: April 6-12

Happy National Library Week!

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. 

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2025 Learning Commons & Library Survey: Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card! Survey begins April 7th and ends May 2nd. University of Hawaii students and employees only.

Win a $25 Amazon gift card by completing our annual library user survey! You can fill it out at go.hawaii.edu/qK8. Survey ends Friday, May 2nd.

Gift card drawing is limited to UH students and employees. Winners will be contacted via UH email. 

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The library & tutoring staff will be hosting a few events for students within the next few weeks!

March 27 (Thursday): Launch of the 50th Anniversary Edition of “Historic Waiʻanae: A Place of Kings”

  • Waiʻanae Moku, Library Table
  • 12:30 to 3:30pm

We will be showcasing the 50th Anniversary Edition of “Historic Waiʻanae: A Place of Kings,” at our library table in the main room of Waiʻanae Moku. Engage in interactive games and stand a chance to win a prize!

April 1 (Tuesday): The Learning Commons at the Student Involvement Fair

  • Puʻuloa Campus, The Concourse
  • 10:30am - 1pm

The library staff & tutors will be on the concourse for the Student Involvement Fair! Ask us anything, get snacks!

April 3 (Thursday): Tea Time

  • Puʻuloa Campus, The Learning Resource Center (LRC) in the Library
  • 12-1pm

We will be hosting tea time in the LRC! Enjoy some R&R with activities and light refreshments!

April 7-11 (Monday - Friday): National Library Week @ Leeward CC Library

Celebrate National Library Week at Leeward CC Library! Stay tuned for event details.

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