Open Collections

 V. 1, no. 10 of the U.B..C. Library Staff Newsletter August 1965
|t's Holiday Time - Abroad
It's not that Spanish Banks and Lighthouse Park are particularly tacky BUT Lapland and Europe do possess a more
colorful "aura". Read on with green lights flashingl
From Lapland, With Love
by Eleanor Mercer
Yes, I've been to Lapland; yes, I saw lots of reindeer; no,
I didn't see nomadic Lapps,  In fact, it's rather difficult
to make an impressive report on the tour, because so much
of the area was very like Canada. Although we crossed the
Arctic Circle (and I have a touristy certificate to prove
it), we did not go to the very north, and we saw no tundra.
There are Lapps there, of course, but they are not in
evidence on the highways nor in the towns; and we'didn't
go hiking off to find them. Now back to the beginning. All this was brought on by a
general Invitation, via the Canadian Library Association,
to attend a Swedish-Canadian conference on library service
in remote areas.  It was intended, of course, for public
librarians; but the chief qualification was to get our-
selves to Stockholm and to Lulea at the north end of the
Gulf of Bothnia. Then for eight days we were guests of th<
Swedish government, touring by bus through the chief towns
and visiting the local libraries. At every stop we were
greeted and fed by the local commune officials, and we
really did get a good sampling of Swedish food— salmon
smoked, poached, baked; reindeer the same (reindeer tongue,
breaded and grilled is delicious); herring in many
varieties of sauce; tasty breads; even rose-hip soup.
Beer appeared automatically, and I soon learned why: the
food is very salty.  But I'm afraid we didn't look like
VIP's; bus travel in warm weather means, naturally,
comfortable and crushed clothing; and many a festive
luncheon was delayed because of washroom lineups. Also
mosquitoes were plentiful, so that our deportment at
the table was not always gracious.
With the fifteen Canadians on the tour came a like number
of Swedish librarians, mostly from the south, and we had
plenty of time to make-friends and to learn about each
©Jihers customs.  In fact, by the time we started the
two-day conference, we were largely talked out.
We visited libraries in the various towns, and these were
extremely interesting; attractive use of color, textiles,
and interior design. Special treats were an evening
boat trip through the archipelago of Lulea, where we
saw the almost-midnight sun ( a bit late in the season);
a brief look at the Finnish version of log-rolling on
the very fast river which forms the border between
Sweden and Finland at Overtornea,
The Lapp handicrafts of reindeer horn and curly birch are very lovely, and quite sophisticated in design.  Come
October or November I'll have a couple of fine examples
you may see if you wish; and meanwhile, I have a profusely
illustrated book which depicts and explains them.
During the rest of my six-week trip it rained almost
constantly; in England, in Stockholm, and on the Gotha
Canal (very cold).  Copenhagen was rather better, almost
warm when I left.
Notes from the Diaries of the Journeys of a European
Bibliographer.  Expurgated Edition.
by Hans Burndorfer &
Dear Wife
May 20: Was informed this day by my revered boss that I
might extend my journeys in Europe to include divers
publishing establishments.
Evening:  Was informed by my dear wife that after careful consideration she felt it wise to accompany me on
these journeys.
June 8 - June 16:  Ried/Austria.  Holidaying. Mostly wine-
drinking (Details expurgated by my dear wife),
June 17 - June 21:  to Vienna by fast train (which means
it took only a little longer than flight from Montreal
to Zurich). Two wonderful opera performances:
"Rosenkavalier" and "Meistersinger" (Viennese wine
helped my dear wife to survive 5 hours of Wagner).
June 22:  Leaving for Florence tonight.  Had supper in a
lovely garden-restaurant where my dear wife was amazed
by the excellent English of the young bus-boy who took
our order. Asked him - in German - where he had
learned such excellent English. With genuine Scottish
accent he answered: "It's naw sae verra surprisin'.
I'm frae Glasgo".
June 23:  Arrived in Florence ready to keep my appointment
on June 24 with Sanson!, the Italian publisher. My dear
wife and I wondered about the decoration and music in
streets but passed it off as a manifestation of the merry
nature of the Tuscan people. We knew it could not be a holiday as my dear wife - an excellent reference
librarian - had checked all the Italian holidays and had
planned my appointment to avoid all of them (no mean
feat).  But Florence and the hotel desk clerk disagreed
with my dear wife, although must add In my dear wife's
defense that Florence Is the only Italian city which
celebrates St, Giovanni's day,
June 24:  Had to waste day with superb Italian food and excellent Tuscany wine in a restaurant in Fiesole watching fireworks.
June 25: To business. Many apologies from Sanson!: Had been
expecting me on the 24ths had my name on his calendar, but
since It was a holiday he had not gone to work! Discussed
business for 3 hours In English each one trying to place
the other's accent. Finally discovered that he was originally from Leipzig, Concluded deal in German - he in a
Saxon and I in an Austrian dialect (May the daughters of
the Canadian revolution never find out),
June 28: Wiesbaden,  Found hotel management somewhat unfriendly.
This may possibly be explained by the fact that my dear
wife, when we first walked into the very ornate lobby,
exclaimed in a too audible aside and lack of inhibition
common to most Canadian women: "Good Lord, it looks just
like a picture of a French courtesan's bedroom". (Actual
words used expurgated by my dear wife),
June 29: At Harrassowitz. German thoroughness combined with
American efficiency kept poor Austrian stunned.  The
German economic miracle In miniature.
July 1: The Hague. Alarmed again by music and dancing in the
streets. Another holiday? But no, only Princess Beatrix'
engagement and the Dutch, unlike the Italians, seem to
work and celebrate at the same time.  This charming
efficiency of the Dutch people made dealing the Nijhoff a
real pleasure.
July 6: Barcelona. Tried to phone publisher, nobody seemed to
know anything. Asked hotel desk-clerk to phone for me.
Same result. Desk-clerk merely shrugged and tried to
book us on a city sight-seeing tour.  But I, with Austrian
efficiency, said Goodbye to my dear wife and took a taxi
to the publisher. After 15 minutes of determined argument
in English and German (plus French and Spanish words)
finally persuaded one of the three staff-members that he
should at least take my name up to Senor Porter, At last
I met Senor Porter who turned out to be both a bibliophile
and a business man - somebody worth waiting for. READ THE SMALL PRINT ELSEWHERE
To provide more room for Catalogue's vast backlog which is
in the process of being moved into the old microfi&i room,
the readers are presently housed in carrells at the south
end of the Government Publications stacks.  They include
5 for microfilm, 1 microprint and 1 microfiche. The newspapers and serials on film are shelved on 3 bookcases
(1 more is on order) and the theses, separates and short
series are filed chronologically by reel, numbers in metal
cabinets.  Instead of having the users sign in and out as
they did in SSD, the readers are available to everyone
and users are encouraged to help themselves. Any assistance needed is given by the Government Publications staff.
GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS REPORTS...    PROGRESS'
During Suzanne Dodson's trip back east for the C.L.A.
Conference in June, she spent considerable time visiting
various libraries in Ottawa gathering helpful tips for
her embryonic division.  One aspect she was particularly
impressed with was their use of the Kardex instead of
drawers containing 3x5 check-in cards. The Library of
Parliament was most helpful in explaining their system
and providing examples of series and separates cards.
Upon her return a rush order was placed for a set of
Kardex files.  In a surprisingly short time (for the
library) 6 file cabinets were delivered.  These wi11
hold the records on 5 x 8 cards for all government publications received from January 1965 on. The pre-1965
publications wi11 be recorded on 3 x 5's as before.
We have ordered and waited... and waited,,, for a set
of 60 check-in drawers similar to those in SSD. When
they arrive, and the cards transferred, we will be able
to serve the public efficiently, we hope! Although the
publications must now be checked out through SSD, once we -6-
have all the files we wi11 be able to take over.  For the
first time most material will circulate. However, it will
be serviced by the staff as no one wi11 be allowed into
the stacks to rummage for themselves.
Besides eventually relieving SSD of our files, we are
gradually taking over the government series from Serials.
We now handle the ordering and renewing of the subscriptions,
Therefore, they will be coming directly to us instead of
via Serials.
To add to the collections of Government Publications, al1
governmental guides, bibliographieSj etc, which are presently scattered throughout the library will be eventually
housed together.
Repeat after me five thousand times:  "I must not file
the following in with "I".
I contemporanei.
I classic! Rizzoli.
I Delfini, I piu famosi libri moderni.
I gemelli della Vald'aosta.
NOW!    PLEASE NOTE I    READ THISi    NOSY!
Rather than hold you ill in that attitude of suspended
suspense two seconds longer, BIBLOS finally, and thankfully
announces the POETRY CONTEST winner.  It was a difficult -
very - decision to reach, but top rating passes to Pat
(the rat) LaVac of Acquisitions.  BIBLOS promised a prize
and a prize there shall be; moreover, Wednesday, September
8th, 1965 at 3:00 p.m. in the Acquisitions Division, BY
THE CLOCK, there shall be a brief, but dignified official
presentation. All and any are invited to attend. The
poetic masterpiece of Mrs. (the rat) LaVac is hereby reprinted. -7-
"It's a masterpiece"
IT'S ALL IN YOUR POINT OF VIEW
Help! the library's going mad.  There's money in the pot.
Roll the orders, hire more staff, spend the blinkin' lot.
Mail room, cartons on the floor, wagons piled on high, customs howling on the phone, see our Julius fly.
Acquisitions, requisitions, search the titles fast.  Push the
Profs, and prod .the Depts. and let the orders blast.
Continuations, circulation, cataloguing GottJ Who's the
vendor? What's the entry? Which fund pays the shot?
Make hay you miscellaneous divs., we're really in the chips.
Mac is watching manpower, and Melva's watching BIPs.
Jjivoices and credit notes and filing piled on high.  Budget
slips and order cards and funds to verify.
Letter to a vendor, spend ten thousand there — please spare
a little something to circulate the air.
J_oad the booktrucks, push unbounds, Fryer's in a fog.  Who
cares if Gerry's understaffed, we've always got
back-log.
Administration, what a howl. Audre on her knees, "Where's
~~     the Loan Desk?" "What's a file?" Information please.
NUTSJ What's the cause and reason for this hectic atmosphere? Well read the letters down the page and
GIVE A MIGHTY CHEERJ
(weep a bitter tear)
Pat (the rat) LaVac -8=
And we asked, we did, "Why did 215 staff members not enter
our poetry contest?" And perhaps you said, you did...
REPLY TO AN EDITOR
after Theodore Roethke
Sweet staff of Biblos, I am pleased of course
That you should desire my-yerse,  ,.,
But my secrets are the colour of a different horse
And you can't have my poetR,called Poem.
In my division it's all jokes and fun;
The staff are a bunch of good sports.
But I'm down the aisle and off at a run
If I show them my poem called Poem.
■,
My Head runs the place the way a Head should.
With a laugh and a song and a little black book.
Who's that standing behind me (touch wood!)
While I scribble my poem called Poem?
The library's-generally the most friendly place,
And you'll last forever i-f- you keep your nose clean
- Unless by some chance you fall flat on your face,
As I might with my poem called Poem.
So you see, Biblos staff,
ltes not that I've nothing about which to write.
But he lives the longest who has the last laugh
And burns all his poems caRed Poem.
THIS
YOU'RE  RIGHT! BIBLOS   IS  LATE    urtimj
MONTH,
There was the beer strike; the grain strike, the printer's
strike and the stencil debacle. May our trespasses
be forgiven!! Promotion - Definite
Ture Erickson formerly of Woodward Library, has been
appointed Head of Sedgewick Library as of September
'•'«;. 1st,
Recent Changes in Name
On August 28th, Joanne Johnston of Government Publications
became Mrs. Al Hayden.
Recently, Margaret Wallace of Serials Division became
Mrs. Cameron.
On August 20th, at 10 o'clock in the morning, Susan
Hand of Humanities became Mrs. Bert Port.
The Library is Losing
or has Lost
Marjorie Howel 1
Circulation
Aug,
20th
Mike Matthews
Circulation
Aug,
27 th
Cherryl Slater
Circulation
Aug.
31st
Bern ice Ashton
Ci rculation
Sept
. 3rd
Emma Plett
CIrculation
Sept
. 17th
Dorothy James
Circulation
Sept
. 17th
Si eg!inde Steida
Cataloguing
Aug,
20th
Gennis Walcott
Catalouging
Sept
. 3rd
Linda Hanson
Cataloguing
Sept
. 3rd
Cathy Daws
Fine Arts
Sept
. 1st
Sally Marriott
Acquisi tions
Aug,
27th
Anne Bolton
Acquisitions
Aug.
6th
Herbert Drow
Serials
Aug.
6th
Chuck Forbes
Special Collections
Sept
, 20th
Rudolf Plasser
Sedgewick Library
Aug.
31st
Ann Brennan
Social Sciences
Aug.
27th
BIBLOS extends a particularly sad farewell to Mike Matthews,
Our future poetic offerings are bound to be of inferior
quality without his superior touch. 10-
Losses to be Replaced by
In Circulation
Frances- Johnson
Judith Shark
Genla Davidiuk
Joyce Chu
Janet She1 drew
Catherine Taylor
Heather Anders
in Cataloguing
Susan Weber
Katherine Kerr
Greta Jones
In Serials
Richard Landon
Teresa Sin
Bronson Little
In Acquisitions
Marina Dos Santos
Susan Gifford
(nee Yuill)
In Woodwa rd
Catherine Hayley
In Social Sciences
Jo-Anne Smith
In Fine Arts
Diane Edwards
In Law
Library Assistaht
Library Assistant
Clerk II
Clerk I
Clerk I
Library Assistant
Clerk I
Library Assistant
Library Assistant
Library Assistant
Library Assistant
Library Assistant
Clerk I I
Clerk I
Library Assistant
Clerk I
Clerk I
Clerk I
Shirley Balon       Clerk I
Valerie Roddick     Library Assistant
(Transfer from Serrals)
Aug. 20th
Sept. 1st
Aug. 23 rd
Aug. 16th
Sept. 1st
Sept. 20th
Sept. 7th
Aug. 23rd
Sept. 7th
Sept. 7th
Aug. 11th
Sept. 1st
Aug. 16th
Aug. 16th
Sept. 1st
Aug. 9th
Aug. 26th
Sept. 1st
Sept. 7-tfr
Sept. 1st -11.
In Special Collections
Blair Cowan
In Prebindery
Solahn Faulkner
Library Assistant
Clerk I
Sept, 21st
Aug, 30th
They Always Come Back
A recent visitor to the library was Hilda McLean, former
secretary in the main office.  She left in I962 to go to
McGill Library School and is now librarian of the medical
library of Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal.
We've Arrived
BIBLOS received its first piece of outside mail
recently in the shape of a postcard from our
touring beauty critic, Pat O'Rourke,
Book of the Month
Keiser, Marjorie B
Fifty years of laundry writings; an annotated
bibliography, by Marjorie B. Keiser and Betty
J. Saneholtz,  Chicago, American Home Laundry
Manufacturers' Association [1964]
16'0 p.  28 cm.
—Clean, clean, clean! or, What goes into the
wash comes out in the bibliography,
js ' -12-
!ntroducing..,MORE I LLUSTR.LOUS LI BRARY STAFF
The vivid brown eyes and dazzling smile you often see as
you pass- the Humanities Division desk belong to Maria
Horvath. After learning of some of her experiences prior
to coming to Canada in 1959, you might wonder that she
can sti11 smlle.
She comes from Hungary, was educated in a convent school
and had, in addition, commercial and language training
(English, French, German and Italian).  Before the war
nothing too untoward happened to her, except that she
was working in Vienna at the time Hitler took over Austria,
and was forced to make a rapid departure.  She was married
in 1941 and spent the war years in Budapest "like everyone
else, waiting in the cellar for a bomb to fall".  One did,
ruining her house, but fortunately it did not explode.
The only thing which blew up was the toilet bowl; during
a clear-up of rubble It was thrown Into a ravine, and hit
a mine.
After the war Maria lived in Rumania, Turkey, Italy and
France where her husband was posted with the Hungarian
legations in those countries.  In 1949 they were recalled
to Budapest,  Thereupon her husband disappeared, without
trace, and she lost all her property a second time. Maria
and her infant daughter were deported from Budapest,
along with 70,000 other people unpopular with the regime,
to the remote countryside.  She was confined to a six mile
area and had to support herself by whatever work could be
found in the neighbourhood.  She learned to grow wheat,
corn, peanuts, melons, and became something of an expert
in the raising of fat swine (pigs, that is, not people).
Payment for this work was usually in produce, with the
employers being almost as badly off as the workers.
During her enforced sojourn in the country, Maria began
to write on the subject of her special interest - the
history of Central European ceramics, in particular
those of the Anabaptists of Hungary,  She was able to -13-
return to Budapest after Mr. Kruschev's advent to power
(1935); her husband also being released from political
prison at this time.  In Budapest she worked with her father
on a book about Haban pottery (this book can be found in
the Fine Arts Room),  in Canada, after starting her life
for the third time, she has published a number of articles
In Europe and the United States on her findings as a connector of Anabaptistla, both ceramlcal and historical. She
remarried In 1962 but still finds time to work on an annotated catalogue ("catalogue raisonne") of pottery, and on
the most recent ramification of Anabaptist studies: the
Doukhobors,
Her experiences as a farm worker in Hungary have left her
with a life-long hatred of peanuts but an enduring interest
in the problems of fat swine, as witness the following bit
of British Columbiana, discovered in a Vancouver antique
store: "An Act to prohibit swine and goats from running at
large in the Town of Victoria; and to prohibit goats from
running at large in the settled Districts of Vancouver
Island"..,
" James Douglas "
And then there are those who prefer their version of their
life as opposed to the BIBLOS version of "their life".
C'EST MOI
by Diana Cooper
(Fine Arts Room)
The beginning:
Mother, father and myself all born in Vancouver.
- some years apart , of course. -11+=
I'm "passionately" (cough, blush) fond of Vancouver.
love her many moods and sea changes.  Couldn't bear
to live away from the sea and mountains.
The 'in-between' years:
Studied ballet from Mara McBirney and took Royal Academy
of Dancing exams; studied painting from Charles Stegeman,
a well-known Dutch painter and former Vancouver resident;
spent long hours at the piano; became a vegetarian in
early teens and, turning from the Christian church, became interested in oriental philosophy especially;
hurried through school (thankfully) on an accelerated
program; spent an important summer at Theosophical
Society headquarters in Ojai Valley in California.
Later:
Spent a terrifying year in Education Faculty at UBC and
was active in student council, finding solace in painting
and climbing sojourns with Father who is a true blue B.C.
Mountaineer,  Switched to Fine Arts and for next three
years crammed in as much English, Classics and Fine Arts
as possible; favourites were Greek Art and Oriental Art;
new interests were folk dancing, modern-day Vikings and
even writing poetry. Graduated in 1964 from UBC with BA
and a year later from Library School, after two smashing
weeks field work this spring in San Francisco and
Berkeley.
What do I do? What do I 1ike?
I like the paintings of Morris Graves and Rafael; the
poetry of Walt Whitman, Shelley, and especially Edith
Sitwell and Rabindranath Tagore, the music of Bach and
Frederick Delius, the sea, all ships, Indian philosophy,
writings of Plotinus, champagne, late dinners and old
books.
I
I'm sketching, painting, writing poetry (shudder ),
dancing, playing the piano, reading a lot (naturally -
blush!), designing clothes, helping to establish a -15-
center for study and research at Theosophical headquarters
on Orcas Island --and dreaming about studying art in Europe,
teaching at Kalashetra Art Centre in Madras, India and
learning to play my guitar...
Incredible Capitulations Department
All these people who said (probably) they never Would, are
now about to enter one of the most CHALLENGING?x*!  years
of their career - Library School, All have worked at some
time or other In some capacity in the library. Lotsa luck!
To U.B,C. Library School
Brebner, Mary
Buchanan, Joyce
Cha, Karen
Clay, Frances
Damtoft, Finn
Fish, Jeanette
Forbes, Chuck
Haughian, Terry
Howell, Marjorie
MacLeod, Sheila
Munro, Katherine
Stieda, Sieglinde
Szepesi, Jane
Curriculum Laboratory
Ci rculation
Cataloguing
St. Mark's College
Ci rculation
Law Library
Spec i a 1 Co 11ect ions
Woodward Library
Circulation
Circulation
Map Room
Cataloguing
Acquisitions
To McGi11 University Library School
Piddington, Pamela Circulation
To University of London
Marriott, Sally
Acquisitions ">^<7F*£iZ.