Mirka

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Mirka is the cataloger for the library in which we are working. She is really a nice young woman. She is highly competent in her job and very patient with teaching the more complex parts of the software to us. It was quite simple to learn to do the basic data entry but very quickly I found that there were many more complex procedures required to enter books in series, multi-volume sets, etc. She and I sat down on Monday after the conference was over and both of us had more free time. She cleared up those glitches I had stumbled over the previous week when I had gone ahead with data entry in my free moments during the conference. I had set aside a pile the books I found perplexing. Then to make things even, I showed her several problems in past data entry that had missed her scrutiny. It is good that I had done a lot of work like this with other software so I know what sort of things can ‘lurk’ deep in the heart of library computer software. I looked at a number of records to see if their download of previous books had turned up with the same problems we had in our school system. Being totally consistent, the developers of their Vubis software seem to have made the same errors I am used to from back home. Some were subtle enough no one would look for them unless they had encountered them before. Each day Mirka has a large stack of books on her desk doing either the beginning steps of cataloging or checking the database after others have completed data entry to be sure all is well before she puts the books out on the New Book shelf. Life in a library in the Czech Republic is almost totally a duplicate of life in a library anywhere I have been in the past. The major difference I have observed is what anyone would expect. The subject matter is quite different because this is a theological library. That makes cataloging even more difficult because of the subtle differences in subjects. In most libraries there would be few books in the 200 section with most taken care of with 4 digits. Here there are many books that seem to overlap in subject matter making it necessary to use Cutter numbers to have unique call numbers. I hadn’t used Cutter numbers from 1962 until 2000 when I cleaned up the Biography section of the Harrisonburg, Virginia public library. Here again, I am immersed in those LONG numbers. The main difference here is they own a NEW Cutter book. In Harrisonburg I was using one that must have been purchased, at the newest, in the 1930’s. This time all I have to do is be sure books are in the proper shelf order according to the call number after I remove them for data entry. I am glad I don’t have to assign new numbers like I did in Harrisonburg. I am sure we will tell you more about Mirka later. It was her birthday on Monday and she shared her chocolate candy with us. I didn’t ask her age but I am pretty sure she is only in her 20’s. She is the only local Prague Czech I have met on the library staff.
My boots arrived yesterday!!!! After 12 days of snowy pathways and steep snow covered stairs, I am SO glad I decided to mail my hiking boots! Of course, it will probably be the end of the snow now that they are here. But still I have them and can now begin to do some hiking on the trails here on the property. Hurrah!! I think all the Reception staff must be delighted that they arrived too. I have been asking each day. I was delighted to see that I had also filled the shoes with little items that I had meant to bring in my suitcase. I had been perplexed about the where-abouts of several small items. We will talk about other library staff members in the future and you will see this is truly an international staff.

Bill writes --

We had a bit of an adventure today. This coming Saturday is my birthday. On that day I reach the age that some medical texts I indexed in the past call ‘young-old.’ I am trying to look on the bright side of this by being thankful for having made it to this milestone in life. Without modern medicine I would not have made it to my 65th birthday.

But back to the adventure. Each morning at ten-thirty coffee and cookies or cake is served to everyone in what is called the “Guest Room” here at IBTS. Nancy and I decided to buy a large birthday cake and have it served n Monday. After lunch we walked to the bus stop here in Jeneralka. Soon a number 116 came around the corner going the opposite direction that we were to go. Just across the road from the bus stop is a restaurant with a fairly large parking lot. The bus swerved into the parking lot, made a U turn and then pulled up, stopping in front of us. We got on, punched our tickets into the time clock and sat down.

“This is strange,” I said, “I’ve never seen a bus make a U turn here.” We were to find out there was a reason for this U turn.

“Neither have I,” Nancy replied.

Off we went on the bus, around the corner and up the ridge climbing out of the Sarka Valley. I call it a ridge as it is too large for me to call it a hill and not large enough for me to call it a mountain. The first stop is at an intersection at the top of the ridge. Here the two lane road we travel intersects with a large four lane street. The second stop and end of the bus line, or so we though, is at the bottom of the hill at Dejvice. Dejvice is a major transportation hub. Here the Green subway line ends as does about twelve bus lines and numerous trams go through this stop and then spread out over the city. Our bus made the left turn onto the major street that runs down the long hill to Dejvice. But, half way down the hill the driver made a right turn onto a small street and then another quick right turn into a parking. Several other busses were already parked there. Nancy and I just sat there. The driver looked at us, opened the door and waved his hand indicating we were to get off the bus ... and we hadn’t even misbehaved.

I believe we happened to catch the last bus that was running on the rush hour time of lunch. I was not concerned as I knew where we were and a tram runs in both directions in the medium strip of this street. Tickets are good on busses, trams and the subway.

“There is a drug store,” Nancy said. “Let’s see if they have Ibuprofen.”

We walked to the little store. When I say little I mean little. It was a small room about eight feet by eight feet square. The sign said Drogerie and we assumed this meant drugs. Inside we saw cosmetics, hand creams and such, but no drugs. Nancy showed the clerk her bottle.

“No,” he said pointing down the hill, “one hundred meters on the right.”

We walked down the hill and found the “real” drug store. A young woman met us at the counter. Nancy showed her the bottle we had with us. “Do you have this?”

“What strength,” the woman ask as she picked up the bottle. “Oh 200 Mg. Yes we do.”

She opened a drawer and took out a small box. “There are thirty here,” she said.

“How much is it” Nancy wanted to know.

“Twenty-five Krowns,” she replied.

Twenty-five Krowns is just about one dollar. “Give me two boxes,” Nancy said.

After making our purchase we walked to the nearest tram stop and rode to the bottom of the hill. A woman at the seminary had given Nancy the name of a bakery where she thought we could order a birthday cake. We only had to ask once for directions. Actually it was more of a show paper with the name of the store to a young woman and she pointed up the hill.

Walking back up the hill we found the store and entered. When it wasour turn Nancy said, "I'm sorry, I do not speak Czech." The woman behind the counter kind of rolled her eyes in a "oh no, what do I do now manner." Behind us a woman's voice said, "Maybe I can help."
Nancy explained that we needed to order a birthday cake. This was relayed to the clerk. It turned out to be a shop that sells baked goods, but does not do their own baking.

The lady who helped us said, "There is a very nice bakery on the circle at the bottom of the hill." She then gave us directions. We walked back down the hill, re-entered the subway station, as this is the safest way to cross to the other side of this busy street, and made our way to the bakery.

This bakery is large and was booming with customers. It was two-thirty in the afternoon and the place was full of people eating pastries, drinking coffee and tea and chocolates. The clerk spoke no English, but called to a man who came over to help us. When he heard what we wanted he handed us a notebook filled with page after page after page of pictures of the hundreds of types of cakes they bake. Sitting in a corner seat we poured through the book ruling out Mickey Mouse cakes, Yogi Bear cakes and others of that type finally settling on a sheet cake with glazed fruits covering it. In face, we ordered two such cakes. We will pick them up Monday morning about nine and take them back to IBTS for the morning snack.

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Photos

Mirka, the Cataloging Librarian
Mirka is the cataloging librarian at IBTS. She was born and grew up in Prague, so unlike many others on the staff she is close to home. A good teacher, she has a ready smile and is very friendly.