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Things move very slowly and at times much too slowly. Last week, I told you about the 1968 vote for a Library Tax that was rejected. The tax would have been used to build a new, much larger library. But that didn't happen.
The overcrowded library remained at 35 South Brown Street through 1968, 1969 and 1970. It was just as overwhelming in 1971. I found photos from 1971 and I'll post one on MCL's Facebook page. The photo is a picture of the stairs. In the Brown Street library, the lower level was used for programming. Children walked down the stairs for story time. In my photo from 1971, the stairs are wide, with a handrail on either wall with another handrail down the center. I assume this is to keep folks walking up on one side of the center and down on the other. But not here. The left hand side of the photo is covered, and I do mean covered, with stacks upon stacks of books and newspapers.
When I look at this photo, I have concerns about library leaderships' actions and safety measures. I'm not trying to criticize or show any disrespect towards Mrs. Stuckenrath, but how was she able to do this? It appears to be an accident just waiting to happen. If you visit MCL today, you will see that the children's staff have moved all of the children's books to the upper / ground level. We are preparing for our renovations to start soon. Several of us were looking at this 1971 photo and joking that, instead of rearranging the adult nonfiction books and yes, discarding many of them, we could have just plopped the children's books anywhere on the floor. Luckily, we did plan and have the children's books arranged neatly on shelves in order and not on the floor, tables or stairs.
Discussion about a new library building continued once again, in 1971 and in 1972. I have an undated letter to the commissioners detailing possible library locations. Building a new library on North Wayne Street continued to be discussed but, at the invitation of the commissioners, the library staff visited B. G. Furniture on Electric Avenue. It's important to recognize that the Mifflin County Library was and still is the designated library for the entire county.
Locating the library on Electric Avenue would have been a suitable option, as it would still fall within the county's jurisdiction. It's essential to remember that the library served more than just Lewistown.
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Susan Miriello is the Executive Director of the Mifflin County Library. New books added to the collection include: What really happens in Vegas by James Patterson; The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon; The girls who stepped out of line: untold stories of the women who changed the course of World War 2 by Mari Eder.