BYU’s birthday present

The other day I got a hankering for Welsh books, so I trucked up to the fifth floor of the library and slipped in among the PB shelves. (I’ve spent so much time with the language books that I usually don’t need to check the catalog anymore. :P Besides, I was browsing, not looking for a specific book.) Found some cool grammars, along with a slim text on Welsh literature and another on Celtic versecraft. And a grammar of Irish Gaelic as well.

So, with my treasures in hand, I went down to the circulation desk and handed the girl my ID card. She sensitized the books (they’re de-sensitized when they come back in, but popular usage has it backwards — oh well) and said, “They’re due October 5.”

What? October? My first thought was, did I slip into a coma up there and lose two months of my life? “Um, are you sure about that? Shouldn’t it be August?”

“Well,” she replied, “it says October. Are you a graduate student?”

“Yes, but not here. I mean, I work at Special Collections, but I’m doing an online degree through another university.” And I’d asked the circ people about whether being a grad student elsewhere would qualify me for grad student library privileges here. It doesn’t.

“It says you’re grad student or staff,” she said.

“I will be staff soon, in a couple of weeks, I think.” Assuming they do hire me, of course.

She handed me my books and said, “Well, they’re due in October.”

And I thanked her and went on my way rejoicing. Three months! Somehow they’ve already switched me to staff privileges, which means I get books for a glorious three months! I seriously had a flutter of excitement twitching around in my heart as I walked away from that desk. It’s the best birthday present BYU has ever given me. :P

Speaking of that flutter of excitement, by the way: walking in the stacks is, for me, like finding out that the girl (or boy) you like, likes you back. Mmm.

She sensitized the books (they’re de-sensitized when they come back in, but popular usage has it backwards — oh well)

Wait, what? Explain that to me. I just can’t get that to make any sense in my mind. How do desensitized books set off the sensors?

i’m jealous. they always assume that i’m an undergrad and so i have to ask for my three months, which can be a bit embarrassing. although, come to think of it, my fine is so outside the realm of my budget that i haven’t had to deal with that issue in a while…

Man, this entry makes me miss the BYU library. We went with my in-laws down to Special Collections at Christmas time and I just breathed in all that happy library air. I’m a total nerd.

Wow…for once BYU is ahead of schedule on something. Amazing. Kudos to you for being the beneficiary of such good luck.

Random question…and the answer may prove to be painfully obvious but I’m too tired to dig deeper than just asking outright. Can you speak the majority of the languages which you dabble in? And I mean, outright vocalize things, or is it all within the realm of typesettings?

I ask simply because I would love to learn Gaelic and I think it would prove easier for me if I found someone who understands it already and could teach it to me, as it were, rather than me trying to teach it to myself (like you…I SAW you with that “Teach Yourself Russian” book in the JSB).

Liz: Um, I have to shamefacedly admit that I read it on Katya’s blog a few months ago but now cannot find the reference. I’ll admit that it doesn’t make sense to me either, so perhaps I misread it. ~blush~

Anna: LOL, I’ve found since then that even if the circulation desk student doesn’t realize I get three months, the computer does. (Last week the girl said, “August 11,” and I almost passed out. But then I got home and checked and it said October, so I was still fine. Phew.)

Janssen: Libraries are da bomb. ‘Nuff said. :)

Mali: Grazie. :) Alas, no, I cannot speak most of the languages I dabble in. In fact, the only one I feel confident speaking in is Thai, because of the mission. I can read a fair bit of Latin, but it’s getting rusty, and all the rest are even rustier. (It’s reasonably easy to decipher French and Spanish, though, in spite of being rusty.) I wish I already knew Gaelic, and if I did, I’d totally help you learn. As it is, though, I just have a rough and vague feeling of what the language looks like. (And do you mean Irish Gaelic or Scots Gaelic?)

Ben, the only reason you still feel confident in Thai is because you haven’t been back. I live here and I still have to confess my ignorance. Try hanging out with a group of tight-knit, talkative native speakers (like a family or a group of longtime friends). It’s amazing what you won’t understand. ;)

Good point. And I guess I should qualify that as somewhat confident, since even just speaking on the phone can be an embarrassing revelation of my lack of knowledge. :)