Sorefingers mentioned the Folk Center library which is something that would probably be of interest to Mudcatters if you could get to it. I really hate that he found it closed for a couple of reasons. One is that he would have found some things of interest and the other is that it has been placed under my care. The Center does not have the funds to keep it open long hours, but it can be opened on appointment and it really needs a lot of work. The Center now has a project in the works to transfer all of the recordings generated from day one on to CDs and eventually onto some type of server to make everything readily available from several locations on the park, and possibly some select things over the internet. We figure at the present rate this will take about six years.

The library was recently closed for a couple of months due to the presence of several types of toxic mold. I mention this primarity as a warning to beware of where one might store music and recordings and beware of gifts. The best we can figure the mold came into the building on some donations and flourished because of leaks in the roof which allowed moisture to accumulate and the fact that the architect who designed the rennovation of the building chose a system too large for the area served, a common practice in government work in Arkansas, and it did not run long enough to bring the humidity down to the proper level. The end result was a mold infestation on many books and several employees and volunteers becoming ill. And several thousand precious dollars spent on cleanup, testing, carpets, drapes, and roof. The good news is that the facility has passed recent tests and is on the road to recovery. Hopefully, lesson learned. We are no longer allowing new donations in the building until they have been thoroughly inspected and carefully cleaned.