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funded l>yt9kcity, coun
Continued from A-6
Extensive damage was done to the building, but the library re-opened three weeks later.
When a 2,000-volume addition to the Knowles Collection was received in 1973, the library was again over crowded.
A contract for the new building was awarded in 1975 and construction began last July.
Mrs. Prima Wusnack is enthusiastic about building features which will allow the library to operate, for the first time, at its full potential.
The rare book room, for instance, is to be used, she said. The books, displayed and locked behind glass for maximum protection,'* "aren’t worth much if they just sit here," she said. ., The Hancock County Historical Society intends to place its research papers in the rare book room, Mrs. Wusnack said, add-, ing, current interest in local history makes those papers "just invaluable." i An impressive reference area is located in the main reading room and Mrs. Wusnack said many people are unaware that information is available by telephone. In the reference section are a Benezit Art Set, the only one of its kind on the Coast, according to Mrs. Wusnack, containing information about obscure artists.
The library also has thei only microfilm reader-( printer for public use in; the Bay St. Louis area, she' said, some very fine audio-1 visual equipment, and li-. brary services for the blind and physically handi-‘ capped.	I
The Bay-Waveland Gar-] den Club has undertaken' landscaping of the library
grounds as part of their HANDS Civic Development project.
The Bay St. Louis facil-2 ity was built at a total cost of approximately $300,000. Of that, $260,000 is building construction; $40,500 for , furnishings, and $7,500 for ^equipment. The adjoining
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property was purchased for1 approximately $20,000.
Funding was provided by the Mississippi Library Commission under the Library Services *and Construction-Act of 19747 Hancock County, the city of Bay St. Louis, and private donations. ,