I can still remember in the 1960s when there was a branch library at the Lorain Plaza on Oberlin Avenue; we went to a few times, as it was just a few minutes away from our house. Later, when I was in fifth or sixth grade, I had to write a report on something that our Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedias (acquired by Mom at a local grocery store – one volume at a time) didn't cover. Then it was necessary to go to the Main Branch on Sixth Street. Before I could drive, I rode my bike there. If it was a weeknight, Mom or Dad would drop me off, and come back for me when the library closed.
I can still remember the layout of the library back then, with all those tables and chairs arranged in the front of the main room downstairs. It was a place to study or read, and Mrs. Hudak (who went to our church) was stern, and kept things under control. It was very quiet and no horseplay was allowed.
And there were thousands and thousands of books. The stacks were jammed with them. (Now, not so much.) After all, it was a place for people who loved to read. And there were records you could borrow, and out-of-town newspapers that you could peruse.
If it wasn't for the library, I probably wouldn't have this blog. This blog came about because I took a class there back in 2009 about how to create one. And I've relied on the library microfilm and local history section for my research and content ever since.
Anyway, 70 years ago, the current Lorain Public Library on Sixth Street was under construction, as noted in this photo from the August 16, 1956 Lorain Journal.
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| The view this week |
Mrs. Hudak was such a fixture in my life, from the first time I ever went there (1960?) to taking my nieces and nephews on their first experiences with the library, all the way to when I left Lorain, she was there, and I never knew her name; she was the Library Lady... she was the Library.
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