Students prowled the carrel-lined stacks, where a bell ringer made a nightly tour to announce closing time.
The librarians know of no ghosts
attached to the 80-year lore of
Wilson, but the atmosphere in the
long, narrow corridors of the
stacks can feel haunting.
The spartan original carrels were
hard to match for solitude, especially after the original back windows were covered over in the
1952 addition.
Some of the collection is behind
heavy vault doors, but valuable
documents are stacked everywhere; the public can’t go in the
stacks anymore.
The old freight elevator (opposite
page, far left) still inches along
between floors.
