Tuesday, April 5, 2011

A really clean library

That's what they'll have when I leave.  If nothing else it will be clean and ruthlessly organized.  Today I made a huge dent in my master list, when I got wood polish!

My boss was a little amazed that one bottle of wood polish would make my day.  But she had gotten used to the non-glowy look of the wood in the library.  I knew better.  I'm using the Day Missions Room at Yale Divinity Library as my inspiration for the wood cleaning.
I told her we needed a gross of it.  She thinks I'm kidding.  I'm not exactly.  There's a lot of wood.  Plus the place hasn't been cleaned since Max (Reinhardt)died.  Okay, maybe sometime in this century, but not recently.  I went through 4 dust cloths in about an hour!  They are black with dust and dirt and whatever else...I don't want to think about it too closely.

Another problem is that the wood that makes up the place is really dry.  One match and whoosh!  I'd spray the polish and the wood would just suck it right up before I could get the cloth on it.  I'd love to hose it down with Murphy's Oil Soap, but that would entail moving the books and we just don't have the storage.

The schloss photographer came by in the afternoon and took my photo as I was cleaning the shelves.  It was a big deal.  He said no one's cleaned the place in his memory.  Bright side?  I made a dent in the dust and dirt and I'm helping the poor lonely books.  Down side is that I smell like wood polish.  It's not exactly the sexiest smell.

And don't get me started on the library closet.  Sigh.  At least the library is organized if a bit dirty and old.  The closet horrifies my librarian's soul.  But it will surrender.  Resistance is futile.

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