Hamilton Library on the University of Hawai'i-Manoa campus was taken off its electricity generator and hooked back up to main campus power Saturday after nearly a year of running on the mobile power source.

The act is a milestone for the library that has been trying to recuperate from last October's devastating flood, said Sara McBride, library development and community specialist.

Work to reconnect the library was under way for nearly a month and included adding a line from the library to the campus and installation of additional switch gear, said Bob Schwarzwalder, assistant university librarian.

"It was time to move on, and ultimately it is cheaper to connect to HECO (Hawaiian Electric Co.)," Schwarzwalder said.

Since last year's flood, various offices that were once on the basement floor of Hamilton were moved to other parts of the library, McBride said. The library information science graduate school was moved to the Post building on the Manoa campus, she said.

Plans are still being made to renovate the basement floor, but no active renovations are in progress, McBride said.

Simply disconnecting the library from the generator is a symbol of progress, Schwarzwalder said.

"They're dirty and noisy," he said.

The General Electric Co. generator will be hauled off campus this week after its remaining diesel fuel is burned off, he said. It will then be shipped to New Orleans, he said.

The generator was installed shortly after the flooding and paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Schwarzwalder said.

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.