Monday at work had an eventful beginning. When I got to the library there was someone out in the law school drilling into or near one of the library’s outer walls. The noise – ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzrrrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRrrrrrzzzz – echoed throughout the library and the entire law school. I felt like I was at the dentist. It went on for about half an hour and then:
BRRRAAAKKK! BRRRAAAKK! BRRRAAAKKK!
The fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate the building. After milling about outside at a little after 8 in the morning, security gave us the all clear. After that there was no more drilling. Heh. I wonder if the drilling people were done or if they got in trouble for setting off the fire alarm. It made for an interesting start to the day that’s for sure.
The library at the Grolier Club needs a librarian. How cool would that be? However, the salary seems rather low to me for New York City – $55,000. And frankly, I would love to visit NYC but the thought of actually living there kind of scares me – rats the size of small dogs, cockroaches, bed bugs, and alligators in the sewer (joke about the alligators! I think). I think I’ll stay in Minneapolis where the only thing oversized and vicious are the mosquitoes. Besides, I bet they never have mornings that start off with half an hour of drilling followed by a fire alarm. Boring!
While we are on the topic of libraries, Google is going to digitize 250,000 books from the British Library and make them available for free on Google Books. The titles to be scanned date from 1700-1870 and so are no longer under copyright. The British Library Press Release has more details, but is lacking in dates such as, when will the digitization begin and about how long will it take before materials start appearing online? Inquiring bookworms want to know! Of course, they just made the announcement of the deal so the timeline might still be up in the air. I will try to be patient.
That’s enough library deliciousness for one day. Tomorrow I will attempt a book review.
I love NY to visit but I don’t think I could live there either.
You know I still haven’t really gotten into eBooks. I like my Kindle a lot but I sort of forget about it. I need to get busy adding books to it though to prepare for vacation!
Yeah, that sounds pretty low for NYC, and also would be kind of stressful…
I always think we should just be sent home after fire drill. Like, it’s so stressful! You know?
Love NYC … to visit! Am not a big city person when it comes to living. And even when travelling, I like to get out of the big cities pretty quickly (tho’ NYC is a bit of an exception to that … particularly if you stay in a convenient place for sightseeing). Grolier CLub looks pretty darn nice though!
Thanks re the Google news. Will keep an eye out for more news on that.
Not Honolulu. Not New York. Are you hoping for Paris?
Iliana, just wait for your vacation or start taking publilc transit to work, then you will get hooked on ebooks.
Daphne, we all thought we should get to go home too. The security guard came out to give us the all clear he said we could go home now and as I filed past into the building I said, hey, this isn’t where I live! He thought that was pretty funny but I didn’t!
Whisperinggums, I like cities, just prefer mid-sized cities like Minneapolis. It’s a perfect size. I wonder if I could get the Grolier Club to relocate?
Richard, no, not Paris, London
Oh agree … I like cities too, just not big ones. Ours is in fact perfect! It’s a city, but it’s pretty small.
As for Grolier Club, you could always try. Tell them you’ll wear a cashmere cardigan if they do.
Heh, the cashmere cardigan made me laugh!
55K is WAY too low for NYC. Maybe for 155k you could have at least considered it. Also – remember just b/c you WORKED in NYC would not mean you would have to LIVE there… The right job for you WILL come & you will know it. Good luck Stephanie – adventure awaits you!
Ha! I hope the drillers got a flea in their ear. I loathe fire alarms. There was a drill once at my college, when I lived in a small room up the top of a tower. The alarm bell, so I discovered, was about three foot from my ear. When I made it, deafened, to the bottom of the stairs, the porter ticked me off for being slow. ‘Two minutes!’ he crowed. ‘You’d be dead by now.’ And I snarled back that the fire alarm would finish me off with a heart attack the next time it sounded in any case.
Whoever thinks libraries are quiet places hasn’t been to one lately, I think. Of course it is usually people on cell phones talking that causes the noise not drills. That always makes for an interesting morning. Would love to hear which books the British Library is going to digitize–I’d still rather have a book, but online access is better than no access!
Having you in NYC would be awesome!! But I understand about not wanting to live there. It would be quite the big change. Cool news about the British Library — I’ll have to keep an eye on what they are doing.
Helen, you’re such a sweetheart! And good point that I wouldn’t have to live in NYC. Still. I imagine on a salary like that I’d have to live rather far outside the city and commute by train. You are also right though that something good will come along.
Litlove, since there has been no more drilling, I expect whoever was doing has been appropriately chastened. What a hilarious reply you made to the porter! I wouldn’t have been so quick witted after having the alarm bell go off in my ear like that.
Danielle, our patrons are pretty good about going outside the library or inter the stairwell to talk on their phones, but sometimes they are not so good about their music or when sharing YouTube videos. I am glad the library isn’t so very quiet though, I like the general low level hum of noise. Can do without the drilling though! I would rather have the book too, but since the British Library is a bit of a commute for both of us, it will be nice to have digitzed copies available.
Dorothy, perhaps I will keep my eyes open for jobs at the NY Public Library or in other academic libraries in the area. Since here everything is so far apart it is hard to imagine the smaller scale of things in your neck of the woods. It would be really cool living out there especially after hearing so much about your book expeditions!
55K does sound too low a salary for NYC and the cost of living there!