We confidently strode off to the bus stop, to catch the counterclockwise "Hop" bus down to the library. With us, we had a small map of selected areas in Boulder, one of which contained the library. We were ready to go.
As we approached the bus stop (still perhaps 100 yards away), we saw...the bus. Already there, and loading people. Now, these buses come (theoretically) every 10 minutes, so missing one wouldn't have been the end of the world. However, Mackenzie and I had had some bad luck with buses lately- having to wait 20 minutes for the bus the last two times we had ridden. A 20-minute delay to our productive expedition was not acceptable. I took off sprinting across the mostly-vacant parking lot, the entirely un-vacant street (running in front of a car-but not Too close- and two bikers in opposite directions) before coming to a stop in front of the bus, which was about to, but hadn't quite, started moving yet. And certainly wasn't going to with me standing in front of it, dammit. I stood in front of the bus for the 5 or so seconds it took Mackenzie to catch up, and then we got on.
Our bus trip took about 10 minutes, and we got off at the intersection of College and 9th, ready for the library.
Unfortunately, the library was not ready for us, being located at Canyon and 9th, some six blocks away. The bus was gone, so we started walking. Really, six blocks isn't that bad, and we arrived at Canyon and 9th not too long after. However, at the intersection of Canyon and 9th, there was no evident library. Not deterred in the slightest, we headed down the sidewalk a little way, where we saw a libraryish-looking building, red bricks, libraryish roof, et cetera. We walked down to the path to the building, with growing consternation as we saw that the building was dark, and there were relatively few cars in the parking lot. We tried the unmarked door, and found it locked. Gathering our senses somewhat, we noted that the building was, in fact, far too small. And also, had no books in it. This was clearly not the library. Returning to the sidewalk, we walked a little ways down until we saw another libraryish-looking building, this one with some libraryish-looking people around it. Arriving at the building, we were pleased to note that the side was boldly emblazoned with "PUBLIC LIBRA Y" (the "R" apparently having fallen off in some unfortunate prior accident). However, the words were on a brick wall, with no doors.
Still optimistic, we headed around the corner. There were doors here, and we strode boldly up the steps, before coming abruptly to a halt.
"This side of the Library closed 8/30, 8/31, and 9/1" announced a small sign on the glass doors.
That was somewhat unexpected. However, it looked sort of like an art gallery or something inside, and it said "this SIDE of the Library closed." Using our immense powers of deduction, we deduced that there was, in fact, another part of this library. There was only one direction it could be in, so we followed the edge of the closed side of the library, until we came to a handy enclosed Library-Bridge that spanned the bike path and a stream, extending over to the mysterious and elusive Other Side of the Library.
Surely this was the answer. Again, we strode boldly up the steps (different steps this time) to the Library-Bridge door....and again, were turned back by a locked door. Now that we knew there was another side of the library, an open side, something as small as a locked Library-Bridge door was not going to stop us. We still had so many productive tasks ahead of us.
Down we walked, down to the bike path by the stream, with Library, Part 2 clearly visible...on the other side. Back we walked, all the way back out to the road, where we could cross the stream. We headed down the small path in the direction of our goal (ironically, the same small path that we had walked earlier, to the Not-Library- just a little further this time.)
Arriving in a parking lot by the library, we realized that this was the back of the library. At this point, such a small thing as landscaping was not going to keep us from the quickest route to the entrance. We bushwhacked through the landscaping, arriving in short order at the front entrance to the main branch of the Boulder Public Library (note that all the letters were present.)
Inside the library, we quickly found the front desk, where I set about getting a library card. No hassles here. Mackenzie, at this point, decided that she would get one, too. However, not having read the handy website, she was unaware that proof of address was required. The man at the counter didn't care that we were roommates and so she had the exact same address. No library card for her. No way, no how.
This small setback behind us, we headed to the adult fiction section, the sci-fi/fantasy subsection, the J shelf....where my book was not waiting. Not a single copy of my book was there. Wanting to check all possibilities, we went to a library catalog computer, where I looked up the book. "Checked Out," said the status, "Due back 8/30/08."
8/30/08? That was...the very same day. "Maybe it's been turned in, and just not shelved yet," said Mackenzie. With this ray of hope, we headed to the information desk.
The information lady brought a large mass of grey clouds for the express purpose of killing my ray of hope.
"No," she said, "If it has a due date on it, that means it's still out. Even if the due date were two years ago."
No book for me.
Ah, well, there were still many more productive things to accomplish! Postcards! Target!
At about this point, Mackenzie realized that she did not, in fact, have her wallet with her. No postcards could be obtained. No Target trip. But there was still my ATM/quarters mission.
We got back on the bus, at the stop Right By the path to the library, where we easily could have gotten off lo, those many minutes ago, had we known where we were going. The bus came quickly, and we went back to the UMC on campus. (The UMC is the MU, if that eases any confusion.) Approximate time: 5:15.
Arriving at the UMC, we were pleased to note that it was not super-crowded, as it often is. For the third time on our expedition, we strode boldly up the steps...and were, for the third time, stopped by a locked door. Yes, the UMC closed at 5 that Saturday, because it was a holiday weekend. No ATM. No quarters.
Out of the oh, six things we were going to accomplish, the only success was that I was the proud new owner of a library card.
For the next few days, I checked the library's online catalog obsessively for my book, waiting and waiting for the person to turn it in so I could read it. "Checked out," the status said, "Due back 8/30/08." At one point, I noticed that other branches of the library had copies in. I also noticed that I could put holds on books with the website. So I put a hold on it, and specified my pickup location as the main branch.
After that, I checked the website obsessively to see if my hold was ready yet, until, yesterday-
Status: "On Holdshelf. Pick up by 9/8/08"
Triumphant, I planned a new library expedition. Mackenzie was coming along, too, this time with proof of address, so that she could get a library card. The evening of Wednesday the 3rd (7:45ish, the library closing at 9 that evening), we got on the bus, no problem, and made it to the convenient library bus stop, knowing exactly what we were doing this time around. We were pros at this getting-to-the-library business. In we walked, up to the front counter, where Mackenzie began getting a library card.
I directed my attention to the man behind the counter.
"I have a book on hold...." I said.
"The holdshelf is right over there," he said, pointing, "It's alphebetized by initials, but it's backwards."
With that somewhat odd description, I headed over to the hold area, navigating quickly and efficiently to the "C" shelf. The books all had tickets sticking out of them, with letters in the pattern "C, G N." I scanned the rows for a "C, R A."
There was no such ticket to be found. Determined to be thorough, I checked a few more times, then looked at each book to see if it simply had an incorrect ticket (not as daunting as it sounds, there were only 20 or so.) There was no Robert Jordan book. Even though the initial system seemed fairly straightforward, I checked the "R" section, in case it was very backwards. It wasn't.
I headed back to the information desk, where Mackenzie had just finished getting her library card, and got in the two-person line (I was behind some kid, maybe 12 years old, who had $18, yes Eighteen Dollars in library fines)
I got to the front relatively quickly, and asked the man, "I have a book on hold, and I checked online, and it says it's ready, but I looked over there, and I don't see it. I was just wondering-"
He cut me off. "Did you get an email?"
"Well, no, but the online library-thing says it's on the holdshelf, ready to pick up."
"No, no, that just means it's arrived here (gestures to include the entire library, and probably several cubic miles of airspace besides). It's not actually on the holdshelf until you get an email."
So, apparently, despite the fact that the computer says "On Holdshelf" and gives me a DEADLINE to pick it up by, it isn't REALLY there until I get an email from the library.
"If it says it's on the holdshelf, you should be getting an email in the next few days, probably. Then you can come get it!" the man said, far too brightly for my current grim situation. I wanted that book.
The next day, (9/4), I checked my email, bright and early when I got up.
Guess what? In my inbox, an email from the library.
"The following item(s) is ready to be picked up atLess than 24 hours (really, only slightly more than 12) since my last trip to the library, and, sure, NOW they had my book. So, of course, I went and got it. And it was there!
the library location listed below..."
On the way back, I stopped at the UMC, which was open, and got a roll of quarters.
Rianne
P.S.- My current/new favorite song is "Romeo and Juliet" by the Killers (originally by Dire Straits, but the Killers version is better.) Check it out!
3 comments:
Points for determination. Lesser people might have just gone and bought the damn thing.
And the finding-the-library-entrance-with-no-regard-to-landscaping thing made me laugh. There's a museum in Lillehammer with an equally elusive entrance =D.
Bushwhacking through the landscaping... lol. Cue lord of the rings music.
As always, you make me laugh!
I'm beginning to realize that Alaskan's have our own language- for instance I used "bushwacking" as the punch line of a joke the other day, and while the one alaska skier laughed the others only looked confused. So Rianne, your very amusing story was like music to these ears deprived of their native tongue. Have fun with RJ :)
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