Phase One -- Completed

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In our entry of January 25th we talked about moving all the books to relieve areas that have become crammed and to make room for new books. Well, phase one of that project was completed today. We still will have a lot of books to move when the eleven sections of new shelving arrive and are installed. So, a little rest for the weary ...

It is a shame that we cannot take in information by osmosis, that is it is a shame that when we pick up a batch of books that we are moving that the information in them is not automatically transferred to our brain. Wouldn't that be great? On the other hand if Sherlock Holmes was right and our mind is like a blackboard and will only hold so much chalk writing they I suppose our little brains would have become overloaded before we had moved very many books.
Nancy- I have told the story of Petunia the goose to a number of students on campus since we arrived here. This book was written by Roger Duvoisin. Petunia is a very uneducated (and perhaps very stupid) goose. She decides to become educated by carrying a book under her wing. After a while she decides she has become quite educated. When all the animals find a box with something written on it, she 'reads' it to them and assures them it is ok to open. When they open the box, it explodes. Since the note on the box said, Dynamite-Danger!, all the children reading the book have known what to expect. The poor dumb Petunia realizes the error of her ways after this incident. I have often told the students I wish I could learn all the things they are learning merely by cataloging and processing the new books and putting them away on the shelves! But I fear if I try to pretend I am a theologian all the world will see I have only been a silly goose with books under my wing.

Bill moved most of the books the last few days while Nancy began a new task ... reading the shelves. This is that stimulating job of looking at each book on the shelves and making sure they are filed in the right place. At first she said that she was afraid that she would go crazy from boredom, but after working at it for a bit she found that, "This mindless job isn't so bad." Remember, a trip is taken one step at a time; a term paper is written one word at a time; a life is lived one day at a time. Faced with a task, such as reading the shelves of a library, is accomplished simply one book at a time.

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Photos

The Last Books
The last books on the last shelf to be moved by Bill in phase one of the project.

Work Has Her Down
Nancy working on reading the shelves, making sure the books are filed correctly.

Comments

[Bev Dahlman]

Book Shift
When I see you moving all those books, I feel like I should be there to help. How many libraries have we moved?