WORKING IN THE LIBRARY

I worked at the Nashua Public Library for many years before I retired. I started out at the library on Library Hill. I think Joe Sakey hired me. I worked with Rachel Sanborn and Florence Shepherd. I loved working on the reference desk. We did not have any computers. We would go to the available reference materials that we had to find answers. There was a guide to magazine articles, newspapers were kept on microfilm and of course we had enclyclopedias. I remember only one question that had me stumped. Someone wanted to know what the initials BVD stood for (as in underwear) and I could not find the answer. I always walked to work at the "old" library and we took our coffee breaks at the diner across the street.

When we moved into the new library we put all the books in order in containers and they were physically moved to the new building where we shelved them. We practiced how we would pack and move the books so they would stay in order. I don't think we were closed for any amount of time while we made the move. In the new library we had much more space. It was much brighter and we had lots of stuffed furniture. We had a large group of homeless people who liked to come into the library to sleep in the soft chairs and use the nice bathrooms. Pages were typically high school students. It was considered a plush job for students. Both Ellen and Jean worked as pages.