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CHAPTER V
Ford A. Rockwell - A New Broom Sweeps clean??
Ford A. Rockwell was Director of Thrall Library for less
than three years from September 1940 until his resignation in mid
1943. Yet his Annual Reports to the State were unique for their
detailed information on his administration of the 11brary, its
programs, policies, and operations. Nothing, it seemed, escaped
his attention, and his written comments, read by this writer more
than fifty years later, are hard to interpret. By that I mean he
sounded critical of the way the library was administered prior to
his directorship. From a purely subjective viewpoint I cannot
help but wonder if his criticisms were on target but presented in
so heavy handed a way that good relations were sacrificed. The
evidence at hand is inconclusive. Even elderly City residents
that I spoke with, including Ann Vail, do not remember him at
al1.7
Mr. Rockwell began his tenure by changing the opening of the
library, set since 1901, from 10 A.M. to 9 A.M. He formed a
local review committee to aid in the "wiser" selection of new
fiction. A locked case for "restricted" adult books was added so