The Musician in the Library, Opus No. 2
by Anthony Kaauamo
Kerri Glickstein, Lānaʻi’s public librarian, at the Lānaʻi Public & School Library (left), and with her husband Matt and their children, Noah and Maya (right).
Kerri Glickstein used to start her mornings surrounded by woodwinds, brass, guitars, drums, keyboards, and ukuleles. Fifteen years in the band room at Lānaʻi High and Elementary (LHES) meant constant tuning, retuning, and maybe a student saying they forgot their sheetmusic again.
Now she works in a place where talking too loud used to be met with a solemn glare and “ssshhh!” Same town, different noise policy. But while the music room and the library might seem like two settings with little to no connection, what they share is the same thing that’s kept her here, community.
“It’s a community space,” Kerri said, her tone matching the quiet around her. “From babies to senior citizens,” she said, “everyone can find something here.” She lifted her arms slightly, and gestured to the room around us, like a conductor giving cue to a pianissimo entrance.
Kerri’s role as Lānaʻi’s public librarian began on June 16, 2025, after fifteen years of teaching music at LHES. “This work lets me stay connected to the people I’ve taught and their families while meeting new members of our community every day,” she said. “The library reaches everyone, and that’s what I love about it.”
Originally from Pālolo, Oʻahu, Kerri moved to Lānaʻi in 2008 after earning her degree in music education from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She and her husband, Matt Glickstein, came to teach and soon decided to make Lānaʻi home. “We were welcomed and supported from the beginning,” she said. “That made us want to stay and build our life here.”
Kerri taught music until 2023, then joined the Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center as its Museum & Archives Operations Coordinator. Around that time, she began pursuing her master’s degree in Library and Information Science through the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. “There were times I could only take one class a semester,” she said. “Balancing work, school, and family meant going slower at first, but I wanted to do it right.”
Her days circled between work, classes, and raising Noah and Maya. “Matt took the kids during evening classes, and family friends took the kids regularly on weekends so I could take classes and study,” she said, “It was a shared effort.” Kerri finished her degree in 2024, thankful for the collective support that made it possible.
That same sense of teamwork followed her into the library. “It’s very collaborative,” she said. “Everyone here contributes making this a space where people feel welcome.” She mentioned Chelsea Trevino, Delarae “Dee” Basques, and Rae Anne Obado, along with substitute staff who help keep services steady. “They’ve carried this place through a lot,” Kerri said. “I’m fortunate to work with people who care deeply about the community.”
That collaboration showed again during the library’s 50th-anniversary celebration in September, which Kerri helped coordinate with her staff, volunteers, and former employees. The free public event featured live music (by a high school rock band, no less), refreshments, and hands-on activities. “It brought together generations of people who have supported this place,” she said. “That day reminded me that the library belongs to everyone.”
On regular days, that same spirit carries through the library’s ongoing programs. Maker kits for crafts and small projects, storytime programs that bring families back each week, a redesigned conference room turned into a cozy reading nook for the summer. “The mission is to read, learn, and connect,” she said. “Learning happens in many ways, through stories, conversation, creativity, and time spent together.”
For Kerri and her husband, Matt, their work on Lānaʻi is both personal and practical. “We wanted to raise our kids here,” she said. “It’s home for us, and the library gives me a way to keep giving back to the community that welcomed us.”
