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Thursday, December 11, 2014

Nostalgia

Ever have the kind of day when you just wish you could travel back in time? I had seventh graders visit the library yesterday, and we talked about what our library would have looked like in 1969, as background information for The Outsiders. Think about it. If you are twelve, you might read this book and think "Well, when they are jumped at the fountain, why doesn't Ponyboy just take out his cell phone and call the police?"

They don't understand the concept of phones being ONLY attached to walls.

(This is the circulation desk that was original to the building. I still miss it.)


This would have been the most technologically advanced piece of equipment in the library. No phone, no television. Certainly no computers. Overdue books must have been a nightmare. The end of the year could come and a student might have 15 things out-- hard to catch using only cards.

Ordering only through paper catalogs and the recommendations of School Library Journal and Booklist. That would have been the hardest part of not having technology, I think. Keeping up with new books that were published. Wow.




Of course, if I could dress like this every day, I would be TOTALLY happy! Of course, I would prefer it in a rust or forest green for winter, but this is clearly a spring fashion. (And my hair looks pretty much like this, anyway! Get me some big ol' glasses with purple frames to match my polyester...)

Off to an all day meeting about policy and Gale resources and Chrome Books. Any day I don't spend with students is always hard, even in the summer.

My life has little meaning if I'm not recommending books! Sad but true!


2 comments:

  1. As I recall from growing up in the 70s, you probably didn't have to worry about keeping up with the new books. Most of my school library was old donated books. There weren't the millions of new books coming out daily like there are now. If you kept up with Judy Blume and Katherine Paterson you were probably good.

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  2. I had a manual Smith Corona that looked almost identical to the electric version. I used it all the way through high school and college. The kids at college who had enough money had the electric ones.

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