Does a story from across the 'pond' count? Just in case, I started my library career as a junior assistant in the Hornchurch branch of Havering Public Libraries, one of the Greater London Boroughs. The Library was, at that time, housed in a converted eighteenth-century building, called 'Fairkytes, in Billet Lane. The house was rambling and on many different floors and levels. None of us liked to go in to the stack, which was down a long corridor, partly underground. It was badly lit, smelled of damp and was generally rather unpleasant. The remainder of the house was rather pleasant in the day but, as evening wore on, it became a little oppresive.

Having worked there for some time I had discovered the local story: the building was uspposed to be haunted by the ghost of Elizabeth Fry, the noted prison reformer, and, though callow and lacking in imagination, I could almost imagine her looking over my shoulder as I shelved the books and sorted the issue; certainly one didn't like to contemplate a trip to the stack in the late evening.

One day, one of our readers of long standing said to me: "I see she's back, then"; not sure to what he might be referring I asked to whom he was referring. He replied, "To old Liz -- you know the story, dont you?" Of course, I did and said as much. "you see, he said, I was walking along this road last night at about eleven o'clock and looked up at the window on the first floor: there was a white figure moving around -- so it could only be her, couldn't it?" I said I didn't know and thought it might have been a reflection of the street lights; our conversation moved on to other matters.

Later that day, in the staff room, I mentioned this curious event; there was a profound silence which was eventually broken by the sound of laughter: all the other staff were rolling around and hysterical. They eventually told me that what had been seen was the Branch Librarian who, since he lived some fifty miles away, often slept over on a camp bed in an otherwise empty room on the first floor.

I have been suspicious of 'sightings' ever since!