I touched 90% of the books on the back wall of the library. This is the semi-before, and you can probably tell where I stopped last year. (The two shelves on the far left.) The wall extends another bookcase to the left and about 4 or 5 to the right. I cut the picture off to protect the identity of a student/victim who was there because her mom was helping me. I put this off last year because I thought it was going to be a lot of physically taxing work unshelving, organizing, and then reshelving countless sets of encyclopedias and reference books in an eye-pleasing, but still logical and useful, manner.
So right! Not only was it physically demanding, the air conditioning wasn’t working and it was 101� on Thursday. To look at it, the job doesn’t look all that big, darn it.
I think it’s going to look good in the end and be worth the effort, even if the only person who appreciates it is me.
The week was a blur, but the happiest moment by far of every day was the moment I finished my walk, took off my sports bra, and put on the coolest, loosest pajamas I own. My husband may be gone all week, but I’m so beat I can’t even manage to put on my Paranoia Uniform of yoga pants and tank top. I’m hoping to deter any criminals by laying down an impenetrable perimeter of frump.
Have a happy weekend, everyone.
Jules, I have got to tell you how much these posts make me smile – and make my heart sing. I’m a college librarian, so order is my passion. (So much so that when our reference collection needed to be ‘shifted’, I came in all day Saturday and Sunday one weekend this summer to do it, because I didn’t trust the student workers to do it quite right. It was a great workout, and they look fantastic – until people start using them, but then again, that’s the whole point, right?) I am also a mom of three kids who go to a private Christian school with no library – yet. We need a Jules! :)
Private religious schools have notoriously bad/no libraries. Isn’t that a shame?
Checking in. The library looks like it has no idea what is about to happen! Miss you guys. In Enland, be home very soon.
Boy, I feel sorry for those books that don’t like change and I can see the ones that need you are so extremely happy!!!
Seen you guys soon.
The Mister via Heathrow
Those 1990 Almanacs on the bottom shelf got the heave-ho into the closet thanks to our sons. They actually had a pretty good time helping me. Mikey more than Nico, as you can imagine. Nico had to be reminded several times that the books were not for building towers. Sigh.
I can’t wait for you to get home–this no phone business is for the birds. How does your company expect me to nag at you from so many thousands of miles away? I’m no miracle worker.
I expect to see classes offered in the impenetrable perimeter of frump any day now. Classes I could probably lead.
Haha! I don’t know…I’m pretty damn talented in frump.
Trust me, others will notice! I practically lived in the library throughout my school years and I would definitely have appreciated your work – I’m sure a student (or many) at your school will feel the same way!
If they don’t, they’ll notice the fresh flowers and the giant Hungry Caterpillar I have planned. (Fresh flowers are for the PTA meeting–gotta make sure the parents have something nice to look at while we’re all being bored to tears.)
“Perimeter of Frump” should be the title of something.
The library looks great – it gave me such a nice warm memory to see a school library again.
It’s the title of my life–does that count?
There is some parody of the Sultans of Swing that could be done there – in any event that song has been running through my mind all morning since I read this.
Glad to hear you’re getting into the swing of your new library duties! Looks great so far – I’m a sucker for an organized shelf of books!
It looks so much better now! At least I think so. It’s amazing what 5 hours of heavy lifting will make you see. I can’t wait to take an after picture and see that the difference is…negligible. Hah!!