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In our Library History lesson, we stopped in 1966, after Mifflin County Library moved into South Brown Street and grew in the number of books we had; so much so that we were at the point of bursting at the seams. I want to write about how we ended up in Woodlawn at 123 North Wayne Street. But so much is happening at the present-day library that I also want to write about that as well.
I'm jumping ahead to 1975, after the library moved to Wayne Street, to talk about the Rainbow. But first, when the library was built we once again marveled at how big the building was and how many shelves there were because of the two wings; one wing faces the alley, Library Lane or Jim Tunall Drive as it's called now, and the other wing faces the yard where the gazebo is now and the playground.
The alley-facing wing was the children's department. All of the children's books were housed there, and all of the adult books fit in the opposite wing. But not really very well. It was so crowded and there were a lot of bookcases but not really quite enough. Jumping ahead a little bit, it was decided to move the children's room to the basement. You remember from last week, down the stairs, through the double doors, down the hall, around the corner, and you'll eventually find the children's library.
I haven't found any information on who had the initial idea of the Rainbow. For the past 50 years, children have followed the Rainbow to the children's room.
However, Martha Wysocki painted the First Rainbow. I'll post a photo on Facebook this morning. I don't know if the lady in the photo is Marti (as she was called) but you can see the vibrant colors of the original rainbow in the background. Marti was an art teacher for the Mifflin County School District and she painted a rainbow that twisted and curved its way down the stairs and down the hallway, directing children to the Children's Room. She also painted the sign for the Children's Room at the top of the stairs. This was in 1975 or 1976.
In 1996 or 1997 when the elevator was installed, the hallway and that original rainbow was painted. I was sort of devastated that the original Rainbow was gone but we (the children's staff and I) quickly painted a new one, using pastel colors from the top of the stairs and down the hall. The Second Rainbow wasn't as curvy but it did the trick to help children find their way.
In 2013, the hallway was painted again and the Second Rainbow covered up. This time, we wanted the Third Rainbow to be something wonderful and different. We came up with the idea of children's handprints. We allowed adult handprints, too.
This project started in 2014 and took about a year to complete. There are 974 hand prints that make up the Third Rainbow. We painted little hands and imprinted them on the wall, with names and ages (for the kids).
There are 188 red hand prints, 189 orange, 202 green, 195 blue and 200 are printed in purple. These may not be there for very long due to our upcoming renovations in the lower level. The hallway will most likely be painted again. Miss Kelly wants to be sure that you know this and that you come in and get photos of your handprints. Make your kids come and stand next to their nine-years-ago handprint! Try to come before the new year starts. That's when renovations will begin.
And know that this is temporary, and we are planning on a Fourth Rainbow in the future.
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Susan Miriello is the Executive Director of the Mifflin County Library. Books added to the collection include: Sweet Revenge by Nora Roberts; 26 Below by Kimberley Woodhouse; The Chosen: And I will Give you Rest by Jerry Jenkins.