Ramblings
The Yearbook camp I’ve been attending this week is being held at CSUEB, or CSUH, or Hay U, if you’re an alumnus from the 90’s. It’s been both nostalgic and disconcerting being on my old campus. The buildings where I took classes are still there, but there are many new ones - just enough for me to question my mental picture of where things are. It’s a comforting example of progress. If there hadn’t been any additions in the 18 years since I left, I’d be concerned about the future of the school. But, after using some of the new facilities, and seeing the upgrades to the old rooms I used to use, I think the school is going in the right direction.
I had some extra time between classes today so where did I end up? The library of course! I spent a lot of time in the library while in college, both as a patron and as an employee. I must admit that I was relieved to see that there have been few changes there. The old “purple couches of doom,” so named because no one could resist falling asleep in them, no matter how much you needed to study, have been replaced by new study tables and, of course, the card catalogue is missing. But upstairs in the stacks, the only change I could see was added power strips at the top edge of the study corrals. I even found “my section,” or as close to it that I could estimate. This one section of the library was mine to keep in order as one of my shifts. I would start at one end and work my way to the other, re-shelving any books that had been replaced out of order. Once I reached the end, I would start back at the beginning. There was something truly comforting about a task that organized!
Walking through the library was like coming home. CSUEB has a sizeable library. I know it’s not as large as UC Berkeley’s many, but I remember my first day at St. Mary’s College where I studied for my teaching credential. The first place I went when I had free time was the library and I was so disappointed! It was tiny! But the library at CSUEB will always be my vision of a college library. There were some familiar books on the shelves and every corner I turned brought back a memory. The hardest part was knowing that they were all out of reach. I have found a new form of torture - spending time in a library without a card!
I had some extra time between classes today so where did I end up? The library of course! I spent a lot of time in the library while in college, both as a patron and as an employee. I must admit that I was relieved to see that there have been few changes there. The old “purple couches of doom,” so named because no one could resist falling asleep in them, no matter how much you needed to study, have been replaced by new study tables and, of course, the card catalogue is missing. But upstairs in the stacks, the only change I could see was added power strips at the top edge of the study corrals. I even found “my section,” or as close to it that I could estimate. This one section of the library was mine to keep in order as one of my shifts. I would start at one end and work my way to the other, re-shelving any books that had been replaced out of order. Once I reached the end, I would start back at the beginning. There was something truly comforting about a task that organized!
Walking through the library was like coming home. CSUEB has a sizeable library. I know it’s not as large as UC Berkeley’s many, but I remember my first day at St. Mary’s College where I studied for my teaching credential. The first place I went when I had free time was the library and I was so disappointed! It was tiny! But the library at CSUEB will always be my vision of a college library. There were some familiar books on the shelves and every corner I turned brought back a memory. The hardest part was knowing that they were all out of reach. I have found a new form of torture - spending time in a library without a card!