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Back in the early days, there were about 25 people on the library board. A lot of people were involved in making the Lewistown Library, the Mifflin County Library, a free library for all residents in the county.
One of these board members was Mrs. Robert Stuckenrath. As I mentioned last week, "Stuckenrath" isn't a common name and I walk by that name every day that I work. Mrs. Stuckenrath was voted onto the board in December 1944, after a year of acting librarians (or directors) and temporary librarians. The board at the time just could not find a fully trained librarian to accept the job. In reading the board meeting minutes from the time, it frustrated them that they couldn't find a librarian.
Mrs. Stuckenrath had things going on in her life as well. Born in 1905, she was a graduate of Dickinson College, class of 1925, with a degree in teaching. Before her marriage, she taught at Newville High School. They had a son and in the late 1930s, they moved to Lewistown. By the mid-1940s, she was undergoing a divorce. Nowadays, this is not the rarity that it was then. A person didn't get divorced. Married ladies worked in the home. But she needed a job. And the library needed a librarian. Mrs. Carola Stuckenrath, as she then became, went back to school. In fact, she informed the board that she would take the six-week library course at the then Penn State College that began on July 1, 1946. Then she would resign from the library board (because you can't be a board member and a member of the staff). After that she would be available to begin working as the librarian on September 1.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Well, not really. Because Mrs. Stuckenrath hit the ground running. She had so much energy that I am amazed and impressed.
Since 1941, there was an almost constant discussion among the board about the need for a book truck, as they called it. We know them better as bookmobiles: mobile trucks filled with books that drove around the county.
I can understand the need for one back in the 1940s and 1950s. If people had a car, they only had one car. People walked or they took the train or the trolley. You bought food everyday because you didn't have a refrigerator, you had a box with a big block of ice to keep things cold. The milkman delivered milk; I think, every day, but I'm not sure.
Going to the library, especially if you lived outside of the city of Lewistown, would be a big deal. If you lived inside Lewistown, you could walk. But the Mifflin County Library was supposed to serve the county.
But before Mrs. Stuckenrath purchased a bookmobile and figured out where to place "stations," or branch libraries, there was the little matter of her salary and benefits.
I found a personnel report from December, 1946. The library was open from 1pm to 8pm, six days per week. The library staff (including Mrs. Stuckerath) worked 40 hours per week. So, they worked everyday. The librarian received 4 weeks of vacation with pay and the clerical staff received 2 weeks with pay. All staff received six paid sick days per year which were not cumulative (use it or lose it).
The holidays included Sunday; I think that's a weird way of putting it, to say that Sunday is a holiday. The other holidays were New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, the library closed at 6 p.m. instead of 8 p.m.
One other little treasure that I have is a W-2 tax form for Miss Shoemaker. In 1943, Miss Shoemaker's salary was $1,500 (for the year). I'm assuming that Mrs. Stuckenrath's salary in 1946 would have been negotiated and similar if not slightly higher.
More to come next week. I'd love to hear from you if you have any insights.
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Susan Miriello is the Executive Director of the Mifflin County Library. She is currently reading Why Didn't They Ask Evans, an Agatha Christie novel she never read before.