UH Manoa Celebrates Completion of Construction and Renovations to Hamilton Library

University of Hawaiʻi
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Posted: Nov 6, 2002

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa re-dedicated Hamilton Library today in celebration of the impending completion of more than four years of construction and renovation. Construction of the library‘s addition, a six-story, 81,625-square-foot structure known as Phase III, was completed in 2001, and renovations to the library‘s original sections, known as Phase I and Phase II, are anticipated to be completed by the end of the month.

"Hamilton Library is the heart and soul of the UH Mānoa campus. It symbolizes the university‘s mission to enrich, expand and develop every student‘s knowledge while still remaining true to the cultural, political, and economic history that makes this state and this university unique among all others," said University of Hawaiʻi President Evan S. Dobelle. "Hamilton Library supports nearly every aspect of our undergraduate and graduate studies as well as our research programs. The improvements we are dedicating today will take us into tomorrow and generations to come."

Renovations made to the original portions of Hamilton Library include infrastructure and public area improvements: asbestos removal, air-conditioning replacement, electrical upgrades, addition of space for public computers, new electronic classrooms, relocated circulation desk, expanded microforms and current periodical reading rooms, space for the expanded William Kwai Fong Yap Memorial Room, new Map Collection Room, expanded Special Collections Reading Room, and new conference rooms. Renovations also included remodeled departmental offices and staff areas, and a reconfigured area for the Library and Information Science program.

Total costs for the renovations, which include design and construction, came to about $6.1 million. The architect was Kimura, Ybl & Associates, Ltd., and the contractor was Allied Builders System. Consultants included Ronald N.S. Ho and Associates, Inc. (electrical), KAI Hawaiʻi, Inc. (structural), W.A. Hirai & Associates, Inc. (mechanical), and PSI, Inc. (environmental).

Today‘s celebration also included an open house of Hamilton Library with guided tours of various departments, collections, services and exhibits. Visitors had the opportunity to get behind-the-scenes looks at the Collections Services Division, Archives, and the Preservation Department, which is the largest preservation department in the state.

Featured exhibits included "Remains of a Rainbow: Rare Plants and Animals of Hawaiʻi," a collection of photographs by David Liitschwager and Susan Middleton. A traveling exhibition, it is sponsored by The Nature Conservancy in association with the Environmental Defense and is on display on the first floor of Hamilton Library through December 17.

The event also celebrated "Go For Broke! 442nd Regimental Combat Team," an exhibit of materials including letters, documents, photographs, uniforms and more from the 442nd Veterans Club World War II Collection. On display in the Bridge Gallery on the first floor of Hamilton Library, the exhibit brought many veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team to the event, including U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye, who spoke during the ceremony.

"This is a special day for me and a special day for the men of the regiment," said Inouye. "It is wonderful to know that our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will have the opportunity to visit Hamilton Library and learn about those times."

The 442nd Veterans Club World War II Collection is part of the Archives unit at Hamilton Library, which also includes the University Archives and the Hawaiʻi War Records Depository. The Archives is a unit of Special Collections, which comprises a number of distinctive collections, requiring monitored and assisted access.

For more information about the UH Mānoa Libraries, visit http://libweb.hawaii.edu/uhmlib/.

For more information, visit: http://libweb.hawaii.edu/uhmlib/