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300: Social Sciences
Down By The River 301 Sociology & anthropology
I signed the non-disclosure form and received my KEYCO pass––a plastic card with a magnetic strip allowing entry to the library and access to the KeyMail system. Along with it, I received an orientation folder titled, Welcome to River Bend PL: a 21st Century Library System. Swept along in the exodus from Keystone Hall, I followed paths of least resistance, down back-alleys, out along the wharf, looking for a place to sit down and think. Passing by Little Athens Bar & Grill, Helena's voice came echoing back to me from our meeting there in January: —Then the campaign for the new library begins, that’s where you come in, Jeremy. I finally found a quiet place on the loading dock of an abandoned warehouse next to the rotting hulk of the Magnolia, a riverboat from the previous century. There by the river, the auto salvage lot, and the old gas refinery were bits of nature and trees, even, starting to spring up through cracks in the asphalt. According to the prospectus in the folder, this ruined landscape would be redeveloped, transforming the waterfront into a model community with a library at its heart. The empty warehouse where I sat would become an artists’ cooperative. The old ferry landing would be rebuilt as a hotel and conference center adjacent to the new library. A pathway along the riverfront would lead to a neighborhood of condos, cottages, and small businesses. There were reassuring letters of support from the city council, from Mayor Matt, and from the Chamber of Commerce. Funding for the 21st Century Library depended on three sources: twenty million dollars from River Bend Redevelopment Agency; a matching twenty
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