Tokiko Yamamoto Bazzel hovered over a selection of colorful Japanese woodblock prints from the 1800s depicting disasters — a cholera epidemic, typhoon, earthquake and disastrous floods.

The selections are quite fitting for a gallery opening delayed nearly seven months by October's flash floods in Manoa, said Bazzel, Japan specialist librarian at Hamilton Library.

"I didn't mean it (the selections) to work out that way — I was just going for the most visual impact," she said.

Starting today, nearly 400 items from Hamilton Library's special preservation collection will be on display for the first time at the UH Art Gallery on the UH-Manoa campus. Included in the show are maps and photographs salvaged from October's floods and fully restored through a massive effort costing more than $500,000.

"This exhibit is truly a testament to the ability of the library to persevere," said Sarah McBride, library spokeswoman.

One of the first printed maps of the Pacific Ocean, "Maris Pacifici," hangs just past the entrance of the exhibit near documents from Capt. James Cook. The European map from 1589 shows an abnormally large Australia, mythical islands, scattered Philippine islands, an oddly shaped Japan and is completely absent of the Hawaiian Islands.

"I remember how horrible this map looked completely covered with mud," said Tom Klobe, director of the UH Art Gallery. "It's amazing what they were able to do to make this map look good," he said.

It took several consultants and conservation specialists, some of whom flew in from the Mainland, to save more than 32,000 damaged maps such as "Maris Pacifici," photos and other rare documents.

Last week, conservation technician Scott Reinke was making last-minute preparations to hundreds of items — including rare medieval books, World War II manuscripts, Japanese scrolls, Hawai'i maps — going on display.

"Many of these items haven't left preservation in years," Reinke said. A large portion of the library's preservation collection remains sealed in dark, cold vaults and is rarely seen or touched.

Special stands were being customized for each book to prevent any stress or damage that may be caused by keeping books open for long periods of time, he said. Sheets of mylar were being cut to fit exactly beneath scrolls and other objects to create a barrier between them and the exhibit surface.

Preservation of many items in the library's collection doesn't necessarily involve anything extensive. "Really, the best way to preserve something is to put it away," Reinke said.

Scholars can make appointments to use material in the preservation collection, but other than that the material is rarely seen.

Even Bazzel, whose job is to oversee the rare Japanese treasures in preservation, rarely gets a glimpse.

"This is such a rare treat," said Bazzel as she viewed Japanese scrolls before they were taken to the gallery.

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.