EAST HONOLULU — A book drive garnered nearly 1,000 new titles for the woeful Kalani High School library, but many more are needed.

Many shelves are still left bare after nearly 3,000 books were tossed in the trash because they were bug-infested or outdated, said Anne Torige, Kalani High School librarian. A book drive at the Kahala Barnes and Noble in December 2005 drew many donations, including a check for $10,000 from a Mo'ili'ili resident, and about 300 books were purchased, Torige said.

The library was outdated when Torige transferred there from Kaimuki Middle School. When she arrived, she found books that were moldy or had not been checked out since the 1970s. Some were riddled with bookworms. At the last book drive at Barnes & Noble, about $7,000 worth of books were delivered to the school and the store donated an additional $2,500 for more books.

Senior Kristen Kellar can attest to the improvement of the library. A year ago, she rarely used the school library for research, but with the new books and a donated computer lab inside the library building, Keller said she goes there frequently.

"The library is much better now than it was," Keller said. There are a lot more books that fit the topics we're studying and the librarian has online data bases we can use. She always makes sure the sites are good and accurate."

With new information printed daily, particularly in the world of science and technology, Torige wants to catch up on resource materials. The Internet is good, but only after students have obtained basic information in an understandable format, like a book, Torige said.

"It's a continuing problem," Torige said. "I've ordered hundreds of books that are being used, but have a long way to go to update this facility. We've made some small progress, but it's an ongoing process."

The top books wanted by the school include: "Fueling the Future," a 10-title series valued at nearly $350, "Facts on File Dictionary of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering" that costs $49.50 and "Climate Change" for $15.95.

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com.