To find out the scary truth about Coe Library, the UW Libraries Blog interviewed Brenna Harkins, Circulation Supervisor.
What is the spookiest thing you know about the library? Rumor has it that the Laramie cemetery used to be where Coe is now. The University bought the land and moved the cemetery to its current position and built over where it used to be. I don’t think it’s Poltergeist-like in that they moved the tombstones but not the graves, but still, it was hallowed ground and all. I can’t say if this rumor is true (you could ask [History professor] Phil Roberts), but if you hear weird things and think you see people when you are all alone, maybe it’s a ghost.
That brings me to the next question: Any ghosts in Coe? Shannon Person was closing one evening and turning off lights. She went down one isle and turned off the lights, and as she was coming back up the next isle, the lights she had just turned off were back on. Now whether that was creepy patron happenings or paranormal, I couldn’t say.
What’s up with all the tombstones at the Circulation Desk? We take what we know about ourselves, our jobs, and our coworkers and make fake tombstones that are jokes. It’s mostly for our enjoyment, but the patrons sometimes think they’re funny.
Do you recommend any books or movies for Halloween that are available in the library? A good book that I loved when I was little is called Ghosts on the Range. I also recommend The Ring and When Darkness Falls, which are both movies available through Prospector.
