Turret. Belfry. Fort. Tower. All really good words that mean sort of the same thing.

Construction on the Mifflin County Library is moving along at a good pace and during the week of May 4, the crew built a tower. Maybe it’s a turret? When I think of a turret, I think of a round-shaped tower in old-fashioned homes. It’s not really a belfry because aren’t there bells in belfrys?

It could be a fort? For example, Mifflin County Library, “the protector of knowledge.” Fort Mifflin County Library. No, that doesn’t really work either. I think “tower” is the best word.

The crew built the tower. While we were working on it, the library patrons who came into the library that week wondered what was going on. The roof needed to be replaced desperately. Afterall, it was slightly over 50-years-old. Because the crew was working up there anyway, the idea of a tower seemed sort of logical.

The plans for this tower have been in the works and on the site map for several months now. But when we tell the patrons that we’re building a tower, most usually frown and say, “Why?” But I say, “Why not.”

Rapunzel had a tower. There’s the Dark Tower in the Lord of the Rings. Game of Thrones has High Tower. I think the library should have a tower.

Inside the tower is part of the mechanism that lifts the elevator. On the outside of the tower will be our sign “Mifflin County Library.” The tower is close to the front door, as well. The idea is that the tower will guide new people to the main entrance of the library.

Once the building construction is finished, I’m hopeful that people coming to the library won’t be confused about where the entrance actually is. The building will be bigger. There will be other doors, mostly exits, but there’s the potential for people to be confused. The tower will show people the way to the front entrance. It’s very large and I’m excited about this addition.

Work on the shingles and roof was noisy and at times frightening. Dropping boxes of shingles on the roof above a library staff member’s workspace was alarming. Dropping a box of shingles on the roof above where a patron was standing looking for something to read was worse. Many library patrons did not extend their stays at Mifflin County Library while the shingle work was happening. It’s also disconcerting to have people walking around above you. There’s also lots of hammering and thumping. And music. The radio plays all the time.

But our crew is very nice. The worksite is cleaned up at the end of the day. They’ve been careful about picking up nails and odds and ends. In the next couple of weeks, the crew will be getting ready to start on the second floor of the new addition. I am looking forward to this. Things are coming together. I understand that it can be an inconvenience to some but we will love it when it’s finished.

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Susan Miriello is the Executive Director of the Mifflin County Library. You can call the library at (717) 242-2391. Kish Library’s phone number is (717) 935-2880. Visit the library website at www.mifflincountylibrary.org.