June 19, 1996, Twin City News-Record
Taken from the "Looking Backwards" section of the News-Record, this photo of indeterminate origin promises some musty smells in the pre 1971 era before the new library at First and Racine was built. Photos from the old library's interior are at a premium in my world, so I was excited to see this, despite the seemingly unexcited tableau of work tables and book shelves. Still, it is the legacy of the old library, long gone, but never forgotten in the blog and by its faithful readers, so it still holds a special place in the blog's heart.
This picture brought back some memories of the old library on the corner of Mill and Water Streets, where there is now a parking lot. One time I had to look at old newspapers. The librarian took me down into the basement of this building, where they had shelves of very large binders that contained old paper copies of the Menasha Record. It was like a mausoleum down there: very thick, uncovered walls; hard floors; cool; poorly-lit; and and eerily quiet. When I turned the pages, the very slight sound echoed off the walls. I remember thinking that if nuclear war broke out while I was down there, I might not know it. But it would have been a great place to ride out the initial attack.
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