Ghosts in the Library?!?!

On Sunday, April 14, 2013, we had a local group investigate the library for paranormal activity!  What did they find???
Sunday evening, I met Roger and several members of his team here at the Gardiner Public Library.  They carried in several pieces of equipment, including Infrared cameras, EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) recorders, EMF (electro magnetic field) meters, cameras – both still and video – a laser grid, as well as the more mundane flash lights. 
After a fairly quick tour of the building, with a bit of history, and a bit of discussion about where and when activity might occur, Roger and his crew set up their equipment.  Infrared cameras were set up on each floor.  Someone adjusted a book here or there, hoping I guess, that a spirit might either push it back on the shelf or off the shelf (neither of these things happened, by the way!)
Next, we divided up into two teams.  One team went up to the Children’s Room, and the other went down to the Community Archives Room.  I was in the downstairs group.  We settled around the tables; lights in the room were all off.  Some of the team members had cameras and took pictures.  The team leader set up EMF meter on the table, and, using a head set, listened to the EVP recorder.  Members of this group attempted to make contact with whatever energies were there and available.  Some of the questions were very general, asking for knocks as answers.  I didn’t hear any specifics, but the team leader thought he heard response through the EVP recorder.  I do know that a couple of times, I got extremely cold!  The EMF meter was passed around me, and the numbers changed significantly!  YIKES!
Once the meter numbers were shown to have changed, the team leader began to carry it around the room for a bit.  He got several number spikes as he wandered. I asked about different former staff members, and one or two caused the numbers to fluctuate.  We tested this for a bit more, than moved on.
Both teams met on the main level of the library and discussed what we had observed.
Next we switched floors.  My group noticed that there is quite a bit of “white noise” in the Children’s Room – from the ticking of the clock, to the heating system, to the street noises.  A picture book and the train were set out to entice any energies interested visiting with us.  I am interested to hear what was discovered once all of the evidence has been revealed!
We re-convened in the Hazzard Reading Room for a session with the entire group.  The EMF meter was in the center of the room, and the numbers fluctuated quite a bit, but further investigation showed the fluctuation occurred the higher in the room that the device was held.  I’m not sure what that means, but I certainly found it interesting.  We stayed in there for a bit, asking questions.  The person using the EVP recorder felt that he heard some responses, but again, the evidence needs to be reviewed.
Stay tuned – we hope to have a program in the not too distant future, revealing all!!!
Ann Russell, Technology Librarian