Wednesday, May 14, 2008

You Call This a Library?

From Overheard in the Office:
Patron: Ummm, I'm looking for a book.
Librarian: Okay, well, do you know what it's called?
Patron: No.
Librarian: Do you know who wrote it?
Patron: No.
Librarian: Are you just hoping that we have some sort of book?
Patron: Yeah.
Librarian: You know you're in a f***in' library, right?
- Austin Public Library
- Austin, Texas
Another nugget from the Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine:
"Books account for 23% of the items in the Library of Congress. The rest of the library's collection of 134 million items consist of recordings, photos, maps, music, and manuscripts. But despite making up only about a fourth of the holdings, books still play a big role in the world's largest library. The Washington D.C., institution houses 32 million of them, stored on about 530 miles of bookshelves. And that number will only increase as the library adds about 10,000 items a day. Our favorite find? Old King Cole, a book so small - about 1 millimeter square - that you have to turn the pages with a needle. Talk about light reading."

3 comments:

Mary Witzl said...

I want to submit something to Spirit! I wonder how hard it is to do...?

Brave Astronaut said...

From the Spirit Magazine website "Contact Us" page:

Want to pitch us a story idea? Click here to read our Writer's Guidelines. Editorial inquiries, including public relations info, should be sent via e-mail to ideas@spiritmag.com or mailed to the Editors at the address below. If return shipment is desired, queries must be accompanied by self-addressed, stamped envelopes. Spirit assumes no liability for safekeeping or for return of unsolicited art, photographs, manuscripts, or other material.

I would love to read your stuff in the air!

Lana Gramlich said...

That patron from the Austin Public Library must've come to my branch one day. I swear I've had virtually the same conversation. It's true what they say; "The difference between genius & stupidity is that genius has limits."