Those familiar with the history of Mooresville Public Library (MPL) know that construction of the "new" library building began in June, 1987. The library is fortunate to have a VHS videotape recording made in May/June 1987 by Noel Plunkett, which shows the "old" library Carnegie building located at 32 West Main Street in downtown Mooresville, Indiana, as well as the construction site for the "new" library, which I call the 1988 building.
What good is a VHS cassette, you may well ask. Who has videocassette recorders (VCRs) anymore? Thankfully, there are wonderful gadgets that can convert videotapes into DVDs or digital recordings, and the library has such a gizmo. Yesterday, I converted the videotape to DVD and digital formats. Then, I took the raw video/audio and made a quick edit using Wondershare Filmora software. Here's the result:
Mooresville Public Library, May/June 1987 Video, by Noel Plunkett
(Click Above to Play Video)
Mr. Plunkett's video begins by showing the front exterior of the MPL Carnegie building, then moves to selected interior shots. Three MPL employees were captured on videotape: MPL Director Sharon Beatrice, MPL Assistant Director/Indiana Room Librarian Wanda Potts, and MPL Staffer Mattie Deaton. Then, Mr. Plunkett moves a few blocks west to 220 West Harrison Street, where construction began (in June, 1987) on the 1988 building. Several unidentified construction workers appear in the video. Mr. Plunkett provides a couple of voice-overs during the recording, in which he states the date of videography at the construction site.
MPL Director Sharon Beatrice (1984-1987)
Indianapolis News, Monday, June 15, 1987
The original video quality was low-resolution, and the audio was captured by a condenser microphone on the camera, so it is difficult to hear. Retail camcorders from the mid-1980s filmed in analog, so the recording appears fuzzy on modern digital video players. The quality, however, was standard for the retail market of the mid-1980s.
Mr. Plunkett's video is an invaluable historical account that captured the look and feel of the library (and construction site and its surroundings) from the time period. Captured, too, were images (and faint voices) of some of the library staff from way back then. For those who lived in and around Mooresville during the 1980s (and who frequented the library), it will bring back fond memories, as well as revealing what the library's current site looked like as construction began. Sadly, such historical artifacts are often discarded, damaged, or otherwise lost as the years pass. We are grateful that Mr. Plunkett donated a copy of his videocassette to the library, and that library staff had the foresight to preserve it.
