NEW HAMPSHIRE ROOM TURNS 50

by Cynthia O'Neil, NH Room
Manchester City Library
www.manchester.lib.nh.us

On March 16th, 2008, the New Hampshire Room of the Manchester City Library completed 50 years of service to the citizens within and beyond the boundaries of Manchester. It was on this date in 1958 when Mrs. Barbara Vogel Green opened the doors to the public during the first National Library Week. The event was televised by WBS-TV in Boston to viewers on a black and white screen, a new medium at that time.

One year later, in 1959, 238 reference questions were answered and by 1961, the number rose to 769 questions from visitors, letters and via telephone. In 2007, reference questions answered were 16,071, the largest number received via the Internet, followed by frequent visitors. The former "card catalog" was replaced by an online catalog available worldwide. E-mails requesting information about the collection have been received from Australia, several European countries, and from the Far East. Many questions involve genealogy and the search for lost relatives, others are concerned about events which happened in Manchester and New Hampshire's history. Patrons are fourth-grade students assigned a New Hampshire project, Girl and Boy Scouts, college professors, newspapermen, tourists, and people interested in local history.

The room was moved into larger quarters and rededicated on April 17th, 1996. Renovations were funded by the Priscilla Manning Sullivan, Frank Pierce Carpenter, and Mary Carpenter Manning families.

The New Hampshire Room is a golden treasure containing almost all the New Hampshire town histories ever published, biographies of famous New Hampshire people, newspaper clipping files on major New Hampshire topics, microfilms of vital records and old newspapers of Manchester, and genealogical resources. This reference collection is open during limited hours and to plan a successful experience patrons are advised to call prior to their visit ((603) 624-6550).

Fifty years have passed. Color television, microfilm, computers, new inventions and space exploration have been documented in the New Hampshire Room. We can only imagine what the future will bring during the next 50 years!