Some 70 percent of those surveyed wanted local libraries to decide on book purchases, the same number who disapproved of the use of a mainland book selector.

The poll also found an erosion in satisfaction with the library system and little confidence in state librarian Bart Kane.

The Star-Bulletin's latest statewide poll is based on telephone interviews of 417 registered voters conducted by Mason-Dixon Political/Media Research Inc. of Columbia, Md., during the four-day period that began Feb. 14.

The margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Kane has been the target of criticism for signing a 51/2-year, $11.2 million contract with Baker & Taylor Inc. of North Carolina last year "outsourcing" the book selection function formerly performed by library staff. Library employees and users have criticized the company's failure to provide current best-sellers, reference materials and juvenile books while sending duplicates of books already available.

A bill to dismantle the deal was approved by the Senate Education Committee and is before the Ways and Means Committee.

Library users gave the state's 49 libraries considerably lower ratings than in a March 1995 survey. Two years ago, 25 percent of the users called the system excellent and 56 percent rated it pretty good. This time around, 15 percent said it is excellent and 40 percent said pretty good.

The library system was labeled only fair by 34 percent, compared to 18 percent in 1995, and poor by 11 percent, compared to 1 percent two years ago.

Of those called, 25 percent said they do not use public libraries.

Poll participants graded Kane's performance as pretty good in 20 percent of the responses and fair in 27 percent. The supportive votes weren't much changed from the earlier survey, when 18 percent found him pretty good and 28 percent said he was fair.

But in 1995, 7 percent rated Kane poor and 46 percent were undecided.

In this round, 27 percent find his performance poor, and the undecided ranks shrunk to 26 percent. He got an excellent grade from 1 percent in 1995, but no one gave him that rating this time.

Overall, 19 percent approved of the book-

buying contract and 11 percent were not sure. Some 22 percent opted for giving the purchase power to whomever can provide books at the lowest cost, including outside companies.

"I think it's stupid; we're the only state getting books that they don't need and paying anyway," said Pat Jaehne of Kaaawa.

"When you get lambing books in there and no Hawaiiana, you got to ask what's wrong. I could see getting certain books from them, but let the librarians tell us what kind are going out, what people are reading," said Jaehne, who said he's an avid reader.

"I don't think you can blame Bart Kane totally. Other people were involved. I think the state was looking for some way to save money."

Sakae Ross of Honolulu said: "If the (book selection) decisions are made outside the island, they have broader sense of what is needed, what is available. It could benefit us."

Dennis Hironaka of Mililani said Kane "should be spearheading the investigation (into the contractor's deficiencies). He should be the one spewing out the numbers. The buyers are being investigated and Bart Kane is saying we're not going to change. He is backing away from a sore subject."

Caucasian respondents topped the numbers of Kane's harshest critics. Some 35 percent of the Caucasians, who made up 34 percent of the total respondents, rated Kane's performance poor. He got a good rating from 20 percent and fair from 15 percent, with 31 percent undecided.

Japanese made up 25 percent of the sampling. Rating Kane, 19 percent said good, 27 percent said fair, 18 percent said poor and 36 percent were undecided.

Oahu residents were more vocal in their criticism. Kane got poor ratings from 32 percent of the Oahuans, who accounted for 75 percent of participants, compared to a bad grade from 12 percent of neighbor islanders.

"I would much prefer that acquisition be in the hands of librarians," said Kenneth Levy of Paia, Maui.

"It seems that librarians know more than companies what should be on the shelves. They (librarians) are more concerned that everything be available and that there shouldn't be undue restrictions on the type of material that is available. Levy said he finds the Maui Community College library the best source for reference materials, and "they have a card catalog which is much easier to use than the (public library computerized) database."

Allan Lum of Honolulu said, "If they don't know what motivates the local crowd and are sending things that are of no interest, it's money right down the drain."