Book moving project

I still have back problems, despite two visits to the chiropractor and one visit to get massage. It's really problematic since my job requires heavy lifting. Yes, books are surprisingly heavy. 

Last Monday we started a book moving project at the storage. Three guys from a moving company were hired for the job. When they arrived I was really surprised to see a familiar face - one of them had actually been involved in the Big Book Move 2012-2013. The books we need to move are science journals. The shelving system works very badly right there and the company which installed them says it's because we have loaded the shelves too much. I disagree, but we have to thin out the collection to see if the situation improves. While the guys are moving books I have been at the storage to shelve and to review other collections. It's hard work to be at the storage all day and I'm very tired in the evenings. 

My paper filled with anecdotes has received praise from colleagues. I plan on making a revised edition, since I have found more photos. 

Apart from work, nothing much is going on here. It's at the end of winter, with storms and a fair amount of rain.

Back issues

Thursday last week was the first time I had to wear a mask. I had an appointment for a routine check-up at the hospital and was told to come ten minutes early and cover my mouth and nose. It was ok but the mask made my glasses misty.

For the past two weeks I have had back problems. I got treatment by the chiropractor but the problems persist. So incredibly annoying. I can't drive the storage round and my colleagues have to do some of my work also. Not what we need right now with so many people absent. 

Last week we got a very challenging request from the Royal Library in Stockholm. They had actually not succeeded in finding the correct reference for one of their patrons. The person who asked had two print-outs from old biographical works but couldn't remember the titles. I could see that the books must be printed between 1820 and 1880 because of the old spelling. After browsing the stacks, the public reference collection and the manuscript department reference books plus some googling I managed to find the correct titles. It was a great feeling to tell the Royal Library of our achievement.

Yesterday I published a chronicle of the stacks. I wrote down some of the history of my department and included many anecdotes and photos. It ended up filling 38 pages. 

The weather is different, it's a lot warmer. All the snow has melted. The spring flowers are already showing up in the park at the library.

Snowy weather

The start of the semester is difficult any year but especially this year. We are few staff members and have to help the desk staff also. One colleague injured her knee and is still on sick leave a month later. My overtime is increasing again and I can't do anything about it. I now have internal desk duty both Mondays and Tuesdays (the worst days), drive the storage round Wednesdays and shelve at the storage every Thursday. Meetings that require my presence must be held on Fridays, so I'm fully booked all days of the week. Not surprisingly, my back is not doing that well, so I had to get treatment by the chiropractor again.

On the positive side, a big mystery was solved this week. Two years ago someone misplaced a folder in the stacks. It was grey cardboard (like most others here) so it was difficult to search for it but we did of course go through hundreds of shelf meters. Yesterday the colleague who misplaced it managed to find it on top of a shelf somewhere. We were so happy about this that we ate cake today to celebrate this marvellous find. 

The weather is cold and stormy with a fair amount of snow. It's worse than recent years so it has been a challenge to drive to work. It's rather icy, especially on the minor roads. I noticed for the first time that there is an anti-spin function in my car. The big roads are plowed but the winds are so high the snow drifts in over the roads again within seconds.

Christmas and New Year's

It was a rather quiet holiday. Early Christmas Eve I drove to the summerhouse, where my mother and her boyfriend were staying. We kept a distance and were careful with hygiene. There was great food in the seasonal style, like Janson's Temptation, meatballs and sausages. I got some very nice presents: a sheepskin to have on the car seat, several types of lotion and soap, a wall calendar, a Christmas kitchen towel, a small led light to have outdoors when it's dark, a Christmas tin containing assorted nuts and a small decorative dog with a Santa hat. My sister gave us a jigsaw puzzle with 1000 pieces. The image was the Titanic, so a large part of the ship was black, the sky was dark and also the ocean. It took over a week to get it done. It was a nice break from the TV watching and the crosswords. 

After the four days off I worked three days and then it was time for the New Year's. The same routine, I drove early on the 31st to the summerhouse. My mother suggested that I should cook a three-course meal for that evening. She helped, also. We had shrimp salad toast, baked salmon with almonds and potato gratin, and dessert was chocolate mousse (made from scratch). It was very tasty. At midnight we stood on the beach looking at the fireworks both to the south and north. 

Monday the 4th we were two people working in the stacks. I was really surprised to see the amount of requests. It seems like many students experienced a sudden urge for books over New Year's. We just barely managed to retrieve everything before noon (when the library opened). It slowed down the next day, thankfully. Wednesday was also a holiday (Twelfth Day), which I spent at home. My father came to visit, primarily I think because he doesn't have a TV and wanted to watch winter sports. We also went out for pizza. 

Today most of the staff members in the stacks were on site to handle the relatively large amount of requests. The semester starts soon and there will be lots to do the next few weeks, even though we have limited the number of studying spaces and closed off parts of the house. The feared virus is increasing here and we try to limit people's presence in the library as much as possible.

Merry Christmas

The new staff member seems to have more energy than the rest of us. He took the initiative to drive to the storage (in his own car) to shelve. He thought it was practical, because he can drive home from there in the afternoon. We are happy about his engagement in the work.

The Christmas party was held online, on Zoom. It was difficult to log on but when it finally worked it was very nice. One staff member showed images of handwritten texts from the 13th century, where the figures we now associate with Christmas were mentioned. He also talked about the traditions in the 19th century. The university archivist was invited and gave a presentation of some books relating to the history of the university. And then the big event - we all took part in an online live viewing of the Hallwyl Palace Museum in Stockholm. Two of their staff members walked around in the museum after hours with a film camera and showed us some of the best items on display. We saw Dutch 17th century paintings, the book collection (of course), the interiors of the kitchen, the first telephone in Stockholm, the grand piano room where most of the items were covered in gold and the dining room set for dinner. I have been to this museum in person and have to say this viewing was very good. 

The Christmas present from work was a gift certificate to use on a website. We usually get this and it's nice to pick out your own gift.

Two colleagues have had the corona virus, both are ok. One of them said she lost the sense of taste and smell, but no other side effects showed up. 

Last Monday the authorities in Sweden sent a text message to all the listed cellphone numbers, urging us to follow the restrictions and reminding us of the danger. No more than 8 people are now allowed to gather in a public space. The library has even shorter opening hours now, 12-17 on weekdays. This Friday the restrictions got even tighter and today the library boss is in a meeting with the vice chancellor to discuss the issues. 

Only a few days left to the big holiday now. I have sent out the annual letter by e-mail. If anyone feels neglected, please let me know. I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Black Friday shopping

I could only take two Mondays off because my colleagues had problems coping with the work load. Instead I have taken a few afternoons off, so by now I am down to the agreed limit of overtime. Recently I have also engaged more in the storage round and have participtated more actively in the daily chores, since several people are physically absent. This past week we got a replacement for a colleague who was transferred. The new guy has experience from another university library, so I don't have to explain everything from scratch. He takes initiative to shelve, which we are happy about. 

Shopping at Black Friday is something I normally don't do, but this year the deals at the plus size clothing store were very good. I waited until the last opening hour and was all alone in the store. I got two pairs of pants at a very affordable price. At another store I got a new nightgown. Around the same time I had to buy a new TV, since the old one stopped functioning. The one I wanted was of course not on sale, but bought it anyway.  

At my place the Christmas tree is already up and decorated. At this time of year (especially this year) we need more lights and decorations in our lives.

This Sunday I drove to my birthtown, Norra Strö. My friends had at last published the book about the church and were selling it at the historical society museum. I got one copy for free, since I had helped with literature and proof-reading. The book is very extensive, 200 pages is a lot for a book about a small countryside church. 

It's dark and relatively cold here now. It's just above zero, some nights below. Several mornings I have had to get the windshield wipers removed from the windshield using quite a lot of force. So far, there are no problems driving.

Proof-reading

It has been rather busy at work. Quite mad, actually. The rules are now even stricter, so we are very few people working in the stacks. Either because the staff is working from home instead or have health issues. Today one colleague transported ten boxes with journals to another colleague who is sitting at home, so that she can perform some work. She lives about 80 km from the library. 

Realizing I have too many hours overtime (no, it's not surprising), I will try to take every Monday off in November. Today is the first day off, and of course I am at work to use the computer. Also managed to get down to the center of Lund and got a hair cut. 

I spent the entire Halloween-weekend proof-reading a manuscript. Two of my friends are writing a book about Norra Strö church. They have finally come so far that they asked for an opinion. Getting through the 200 pages was quite a task. I had a lot of comments. The publication date is only a few weeks away.

My Australian relatives recently found three Bibles originating in Sweden. One was owned by Nils Nilsson, who emigrated there in 1909 with wife and kids. The other two belonged to his wife's family. The strange thing is that only one of them lived in Australia. The third Bible had five names written on the inside cover. The parents and one child died in Sweden, the two remaining daughters emigrated to the USA (and both died there). So why that third Bible was in Australia I cannot say.