Save the Hawaii Medical Library

Queens Medical Center is reportedly discussing tearing down the building that houses the Hawaii Medical Library in order to make a parking lot. I hope this is untrue, but imagine we need to get the word out to make sure this does not happen. Please pass on your displeasure to any friends who work at Queens or are in the media.

There are two main reasons in my opinion to save the building. The first is that it is part of Hawaii's architectural heritage. It was designed by architect Vladimir Ossipoff (1907-1998) who created hundreds of historic homes and buildings in Hawaii. Ossipoff was recognized in the Honolulu Monthly's Top 100 "Legends who made this city." The other reason is that the building is home to the Hawaii Medical Library, which is a unique resource here for students, health care professionals, and the community. It is also home of the Mamiya Medical Heritage Center, which collects material on the history of health care workers in Hawai'i.

The Association of Hawaii Archivists, and some other groups are finalizing a resolution expressing our concern. I'll post that on the AHA website. Thanks for considering this, and helping to preserve the HML!