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When we last talked about Library History, we ended in 1972 with a grant, an architect and momentum.
The original architectural plans called for a 14,000 square foot two story building (7,000 square feet of floor space on each level) but due to the cost, the lower level would not be finished. I know from completing my annual reports for the Office of Commonwealth Libraries that I report the "library" as 9,630 square feet.
As the months moved along toward 1973, so were the plans finalized for a new library building. There were still money woes as well as concerns over another go at a Library Tax. The financial concerns stemmed from the Flood of 1972. I never would have dreamed that the flood would have impacted building a new library but it did.
On June 22, 1972, Hurricane Agnes dumped 12 inches of rain on Lewistown and the Juniata River rose 42.1 feet, 19 feet above flood stage. When Hurricane Agnes was over, the commissioners at the time set up a temporary housing site at Green Meadows Trailer Court. I haven't been able to find out where Green Meadows Trailer Court was located but by the following year, 1973, the commissioners wanted to make the temporary trailer court a more permanent housing site since people had been living there for a year. As a result, the commissioners at the time were working on at least two major building projects.
I found an article from the Sentinel dated July 18, 1973 which announces "Plans for library revealed." In part, the article states that "the library will be an L shape on two levels"; which we are. The new structure will be "capable of housing 60,000 active books and 40,000 books in storage." I'm not sure about the 40,000 in storage; that's a LOT of books. Could they have had plans for a book sale? 60,000 active books means actual books in the collection to be checked out. As of today, the Lewistown Branch has 38,950 books on the shelves. We've done an extensive amount of weeding and discarding to prepare for our renovations. The more you have, the more you have to move. And if patrons have not checked out a book in five years' time, then we need the room on the shelf for new books.
Getting back to the plans: juvenile books "will be located in the short leg of the building, and adult and reference materials will be located in the long side." If you walk into the Mifflin County Library that is what you will see: children's books on the short leg and adult books on the long side.
In addition to "the entrance, circulation desk, staff area, toilets, listening booths and phonograph library," steel floor joists were installed in order to hold the weight of all of the books. You will remember that the weight of the books caused the floors to bow in both the South Brown Street Library and the library on East Third Street. 50 years later, the floor is still solid.
Items in the original plans were removed, such as a stone veneer on the outside and custom windows, as well as the basement left unfinished and without partitions. At that time, the lower level consisted of the community room, a staff lounge, and a big open space. Also, there was no elevator in 1973. This would come years later in 1995.
The goal was to have the "new public library building at Woodlawn" ready for occupancy by Aug. 1, 1974. I love that everyone called it the library at Woodlawn.
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Susan Miriello is the Executive Director of the Mifflin County Library. New books added to the collection include: Bad Weather Friend by Dean Koontz; A Season of Harvest by Lauraine Snelling; and The Women by Kristen Hannah.