Next Project

Okay, my next non-knitting project?

As I was transcribing my reading list to the computer, there would be times . . . and those of you who know me will be shocked by this . . . that I couldn't read my own handwriting, to decipher an author's name.

This wouldn't really be that much of a problem--all I needed to do for almost all of them was take a look at my Book List . . . the one I've had in excel for something like 15 years now . . . find the right entry, and copy the correct name.

Except, there were some books that I knew that I owned that weren't on the list. Like, the book on the Boykin Spaniel, for instance. All I had to do was walk into the office and pull my copy off the shelf to get the authors' names, but  . . . it wasn't on the list.

You know what that means, don't you? The list isn't as up to date as I think it is.

Naturally, I need to address that! So, I printed it out . . . or at least, the relevant columns (Title, Author, Topic, Location). Then, the next step is to compare the list to the reality on my shelves . . . that shouldn't take me long, right? I mean, I only have (approximately) 2,849 books, and the list is only 56 pages long.... Easy!

I suppose while I'm at it, I could pare out a few more books that I might (just might) be willing to part with. I've shown you my library, and I think it's pretty obvious that I don't easily let books go. It's a reasonably safe bet that, once I've got my hands on them, they're not going anywhere.

Don't get me wrong, though--I've come by all of my books honestly--either as purchases or gifts. Not one of those is a book that someone lent me that I neglected to return. (Or at least, not that I can think of!) But still . . . once I own a book, I do not like giving them up. Since starting this list? I've removed exactly 136 books from my library. I know this because I moved them to a separate tab on my Excel spreadsheet . . . because you can't just willy-nilly get rid of a book without cleaning out the catalog, huh? That's just . . . chaos!

So yes, in my free time over the next however-many days, I'll be wandering around with pen and paper, comparing reality to to my list  . . . I wonder how far off my actual count will be??

And don't think that I don't sometimes think that I did, in fact, miss my calling and should have been a librarian.

Sometimes I think about putting my yarn collection into a similar spreadsheet . . . but really, that would be scary, don't you think??

And--on a completely unrelated note? I just heard from Planet Dog about this plea for help from the Michael Keenan support fund. This man ran back into a burning building to rescue a friend's dog that he was pet-sitting, and is now in the hospital with burns over 80% of his body. He also apparently jumped into San Francisco Bay once to rescue to people whose car had gone in. The thing is, he's an artist and doesn't have insurance. Planet Dog has made a donation both to his fund and to Pets Unlimited, who is looking after the dog's veterinary care. It's certainly the kind of person who deserves a helping hand, so . . . if you feel so moved, head over and make a donation, won't you? I did. Or at the least, help spread the word.

Comments

[amanda]

you definitely are a librarian in your heart :o)

[Rachel]

I bow to your organizational fortitude.

[Paula]

Yikes! Makes me appreciate the Library of Congress classisfication system even more. My yarn is in Knitable-well most of it--so I can carry the inventory around on my Palm.

[minnie]

you sound like me. when i was in school (junior & high) i was a student librarian. my favorite time was the last week of school, when we'd go through the card catalog, and put the books back in order, note missing ones, etc. kinda like what you're doing now, lol.

[janna]

More specifically, you are a cataloger at heart. I am a librarian, but have no idea how many books I own, and have them organized only in the most haphazard way. I am NOT a cataloger!

[Kim]

Wow and I thought I was organized! I definitely think you were a librarian in another life.

[Chris]

I've been contemplating going back to grad school to get an MLIS myself... ;)

[JessaLu]

I'm working on a spreadsheet for my yarn...I have so much of it that I'm actually requesting assistance from RR - even though he lectures whenever he finds a price tag ;o)