Posted on: Saturday, March 19, 2005

Major section of Hamilton Library set to reopen

By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer

On March 29, five months after the Manoa flood swept through the University of Hawai'i campus, inundating the basement of Hamilton Library, among other buildings, Hamilton will be almost completely reopened to the public.

Tina Rutsch says she's going to wear a party hat.

"I'm really excited about having the access back," said Rutsch, 26, an American Studies graduate student who lost to the flood one of the key books she needed for her master's thesis. It was an original 1938 copy and the only one UH had.

While she was able to get another copy of the book through an interlibrary loan, Rutsch is thrilled she will be able to finally get into the stacks again.

"Just being able to browse is helpful in my research," she said. "I'll look for one book and then seeing the ones around it I'll think, 'Hey, that will be good, too.' "

A celebration is planned for the reopening.

With the reopening of Phase 1 and 2 of the research library, the public will have access to the stacks and most of the collections again. Phase 1 and 2 contain almost two-thirds of the overall collection, including the Hawaiian-Pacific Collection, Asia Collection and Rare Book Collection, as well as a large general collection of research materials. Phase 3, the Hamilton Library addition, reopened on Jan. 10.

Though most of the library will be operational, power is still being supplied by generators, just two elevators are working, and not all computer terminals will be available for weeks.

"We've come a long way in a very short period of time thanks to the support of the staff, community and volunteers," said librarian Diane Perushek. "But there is work that still needs to be done."

Reach Beverly Creamer at 525-8013 or bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com.