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In 1955, the Mifflin County Library moved into its new home with 16,396 books in the library collection. The librarians and everyone else thought the new library was wonderful with more than adequate space. In fact, the shelving units that they had were capable of housing 20,000 volumes of books. The number of books in the library could grow by 4,000 books. Everyone must have been in heaven.
But library patrons who used the Brown Street Library during the 1960s have told me that the books were stacked everywhere. Books were stacked on the steps down to the children's story area. Books were stacked on all of the tables. Books were stacked on the floor. I had to ask myself, why is there this dichotomy? The new building was spacious at the dedication in 1955 but overcrowded in later years.
I started digging in my archives and I found the "End of the Year Report" for 1966. I love reports. I'm such a nerd. But a person can learn so much by reading reports and board meeting minutes, things like that.
And this is what I learned: by the end of 1966, the library's collection totaled 35,673 items. They had more than doubled the number of books in just 10 years. The library added 1,763 new books that year as well as 447 books as gifts. The library only withdrew 354 (what I would call weeded). It's like in your home. You only have a limited amount of space. If you take in more books than you can house comfortably and safely, you will outgrow your space. Page two of the report states that the library had a drop in circulation and attendance. One of the reasons given is "the increasing discomfort of our dreadfully crowded quarters."
I can't help but ask myself, "Why?" Why add more and more books to a building that can only house 20,000? I know some people don't like me to talk about this, but why weren't more books withdrawn or weeded each year so that new books would fit comfortably on the book shelves? It is the role of the Library of Congress to keep every single book. That is not the role of the average, rural library. Be that as it may, it can do no one any good for me to project my 30+ years knowledge and experience onto people who lived and worked before I was even born.
So by 1966, there was once again discussion regarding the need for a new, larger library building. That discussion will not have very many fans. More on this next week.
I learned one other thing from this 1966 year-end report. The library placed a standing order for Keith Jennison large-type books. Nowadays, we purchase books from Thorndike or Gale for large print books. Large print books are just that: books with larger print. I just assumed these books always existed. But in 1966, this was new and exciting. Keith Jennison was a leader in large-type commercial publishing, as well as an author and I'm happy to learn that the library found value in purchasing large print books.
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Susan Miriello is the Executive Director of the Mifflin County Library. New books recently added to the collection include: Energy Follows Thought by Willie Nelson; The Woman in Me by Britney Spears; and Being Henry, the Fonz and Beyond by Henry Winkler.