"CONTENTdm"@en . "UBC Library Staff Newsletter"@en . "http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=1216361"@en . "University Publications"@en . "2015-07-13"@en . "1968-11"@en . "https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/biblos/items/1.0190819/source.json"@en . "application/pdf"@en . " Vol 5 No. 2\nNovember 1968\nNovember - the peaceful waiting days before the onslaught of the\nChristmas Season with its mad rush of Mailing Deadlines, Exams\nand Police Blocks, so to fill a quiet interlude before the mayhem\nhere is your November Biblos,\nRead! Relax! and prepare yourself for the hectic times ahead.\nFor your Happy Advent reading we offer;-\nThat most widely read item, Staff Changes, Promotions etc.\nCollection for the Month \"Alice\"\nCollectors Item. McGills Inventory 1915\nSt, Wibby Reports\nMary Macree Head, Forestry/Agriculture Library\nSerials Survey\nPoem. The Desk Attendant-Or-Anyone we Know?\nCzechoslovakia - Vacation Time - 1968\nWith Helen in Moscow\nDoodling with Diana\nand other interesting items and announcements.\nPg\n2\n3\n5\n6\n8\n9\n11\n12\n14\n20 STAFF CHANGES\no s a o\nWe Warmly Welcome:\nBonnie McDonald\nRichard Howlett\nCheryl Huchula\nAnne Severson\nJoan Watson\nJosephine Cuff\nJuliette Croot\nBrian Ferris\nCongratulations to:\nAnne Loh\nSyl Goi ran\nLinda Lines\nCIai re Reynolds\nL.A\nL.A\nL.A. 1\nL.A. I\nI I\nSecretary I I\nStack Attendant\nL.A.\nL.A. Ill\nL.A.\nL.A.\nL.A.\nStack Attendant\nAcqu i sitions\nGov. Pubs.\nCircu1ation\nGov. Pubs,\nWe Regretfully Say Good-Bye to:\nKarol Parsons L,A. II\nKay McConnell L.A, IV\nPhillip Hind Stack Attendant\nJames Jones L.A. I\nMitsue Obana L,A, I\nHelen Kartar L.A, I II\nGwen Deachman L.A. IV\nCathy Batten L.A, I I I\nNOTICE.\nL.A. II\nL.A. IV\nL.A. II\nL.A. Ill\nSedgewick\nSedgewick\nCatalogu ing\nCatalogu i ng\nCurric. Lab,\nCatalogu ing\nCatalogu ing\nSedgewick\nGov, Pubs,\nSedgewi ck\nCi rculation\nGov, Pubs,\nGov. Pubs.\nS.S.D.\nSedgewick\nCataloguing\nCatalogu i ng\nCatalogu ing\nSedgewick\nCataloguIng\nNow that the Monsoons have set in how would you like to liven up\nthose dreary Winter lunch hours?\nIt had been proposed that Biblos should sponsor a series of\nprograms or demonstrations on varying subjects, which might be of\ninterest to the staff, Subjects already suggested include Gift\nWrapping, Flower Arrangements, Leather Craft, Make-Up and Hair\nStyling, Fashion, you name it.\nIf we could arrange such demonstrations it might be necessary\nto collect a nominal 25 - 50 cents per person to cover any fee\nwhich might be entailed.\nIf you would be in favour of such a program would you sign the\nnotice outside the lunch room and also indicate what topic you\nwould be most interested in. 3\nALICE IN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS\nOn the occasion of its 40th. anniversary in 1965, the UBC\nclass of 1925 bought and presented to the Library the Lewis Carroll\ncollection of Victoria bookdealer R.D. Hilton Smith, The collection, housed in a corner of Special Collections, includes more than\ntwo hundred editions of Alice, about half of which have Sir John\nTenniel's familiar illustrations. Particularly notable are a\nfacsimile of Carroll's original manuscript of Alice's Adventures\nUnderground with the author's illustrations, and two volumes autographed by Alice Hargreaves, for whom the story was written.\nSome of the many parodies of Alice in Wonderland are in the\ncollections: a few of the more colorful are Clara in Blunderland\n(1904), a satire on English politics after the Boer War; Mai ice in\nKul turland (1914), a parody on the Kaiser's Germany; and Alice in the\nDelighted States (1926). As well, the collection includes sixty\nbooks about Lewis Carroll (alias Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, by the\nway), fifty editions of other books by him (e.g., A Fascinating\nMental Recreation for the Young: Symbolic Logic!!)and twenty-\nfive musical and dramatic versions of his works (Humpty Dumpty: -a\nShort Cantata for Children. ) Since 1965, about 30 items have\nbeen added to the collection - Alice in Italian, Alice in Latin,\nand even Alice in Hindi; a very fine Alice colouring book, and\nAlice on LP records with the New York Woodwind Q_uintet.\nBiographical Note anon.\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2Lewis Carroll's' life, though short, had nearly Victoria's span -\nfrom 1832 until I898; this, coupled with the fact that he produced,\nin the Alice narrative, two veritable best-sellers, might indicate\na participation in the main stream of revelation and unfoldment of\nthose memorable years. But, despite the friendships with the great\nwhich he enjoyed - Ruskin, Tennyson, Rossetti and a host of others -\nhe left little or no mark on his generation, and the creations of\nhis fancy may well enjoy an immortality in Legend long after his\nown name of Dodgson is forgotten (or attributed to a quite different\nauthor who wrote mathematical treatises!), and even the magic of\n'Lewis Carroll' cease to flutter any young girl's breast. He might have found his vocation as a priest - a destiny from which\nan impediment of speech excluded him; as he lived, sheltered by\nOxford's endowments, he just declined into harmless eccentricity.\nBut there were many people, themselves unknown, for whom his\npersonality was real and warm; which is the reward of living.\nTHE DELIGHTFUL ILLUSTRATIONS\nFROM THE ORIGINAL \"ALICE\".\nVictorian evolution of present-day problems??? COLLECTORS ITEM,.\nMC GILL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE\nSUMMARY OF INVENTORY\nand\nVALUATION OF BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT\nAugust 31st 1915\nBuilding and Fixtures ,,,.,.,\u00E2\u0080\u009E............,........... $17,379.85\nLlbrarV Books ............. 1,910\nFurnishings ,,...,. 431.75 .......... 2,341.75\nMechanical Department:\nEquipment ......... 3,309.30\nDesk, Stools etc ....,.,, 380.00 .......... - 3,689.30\nChemistry Department .,,.,\u00E2\u0080\u009E...,,,.,,...,.............. 1,633.25\nPhysics Department ........,.,,..,,..,~.,,,.,.,........ , 3,310.00\nOffice ................................................ 437.00\nOther Furnishings .,.,.,..,,...,,.,.....,......, 1,949.30\n(Signed) $32,059.45\n(Signed) G.R. Kendall. ST. W1BBY REPORTS....\nO Q O O '\nPAINTINGS of B.C. wildflowers by\nMrs. Suzanne Dodson, head of Gov.\nPubs., are currently being shown\nat the 2nd Exhibition of International Botanical Art at the Hunt\nBotanical Library in Pittsburgh.\nSuzanne's flowers also appeared\nin the Vernon Art Gallery Oct, 10,\n11, and 12th.\nORIGINAL DESIGNS by Evelyn Roth\nof the Fine Arts Dept. were shown\nin\"Artists in Fashion\" at the\nBurnaby Art Gallery on Oct, 22nd.\nSOCIAL NOTE. The Library Assts.\nAssoc, has booked the Cecil Green\nPark for a Wine and Cheese Party\non the night of Friday, January\n3rd, 1969. More details later but\nkeep that night free.\nSPECIAL COLLECTIONS has a new\ndisplay, fourth in the series on\nCanada: Manitoba in maps, pictures, manuscripts and books from\nearly exploration and settlement\nto the Northwest Rebellion of\n1885 and the completion of the\nCP.R.\nBEST WISHES to the former Derica\nde Beauchamp-Dennigan of Inter-\nLi brary Loan back from Europe\nwith a brand new husband and name\nDerica de Beauchamp Roberts. Also\nto\u00E2\u0080\u009E the gal from Keypunch formerly\nknown as Miss Shirley Bouchard\nnow to be officially addressed as\nMrs, John Archibald.\nFROM THE WOODWARD LIBRARY - Anyone\ninterested should drop in and see\nthe displays by the 1st year med.\nstudents. The\nchange each we\nCurrently.,LSD\nand related\nHallucinagens.\nAlso on di spl\nis an attrac-\nt ive work on\nquadrupeds,\nbi rds, fIsh,\nedited and pu\n1i shed by Joh\nJohnson M,D,\n1657.\nCONGRATULATIONS to Mr. & Mrs,\nPaul Deglau proud parents of a\nson, Ivan. Paul is in the\nWoodward Library originally of\nSedgewi ck,\nTHE GALLERY, 2 exhibitions Nov.\n7th - 23 rd Rauchenberg8 s\n\"Dante's Inferno\" from the\nMuseum of Modern Art New York,\n(drawings)\nNov 8th-24th\nAlfred Siemens Photographs,\n\"Saint with Earphones and other\nimages\", Mr, Siemens is with\nthe Dept, of Geography U,B,C,\nINFORMATION FOR new members on\nstaff. The Gallery is in the\nbasement of the Library two\nflights down from the entrance\nof the Fine Arts Department,\nTake a walk down at lunch time\nand drop in at the Museum of\nAnthropology on the way - it is\nfascinating,\nSPECIAL GOODBYE to Gwenn Deach-\nman Sedge, who could't be\nleaving for a happier reason.\nKeep us informed Gwen. ST. W1BBY WANTS TO KNOW\no a o o \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nWHO was the phantom organist\nthat Sunday evening at 8 p.m. -\nrather good we understand - and\nwhen does the clock tower strike\nagain?!\nWHAT every happened to the Great\nSit-in - and non-activism,\nNOW that it has been decided\nwho should ring the bell in the\nBrock Annex - where the h,.,! is\nthe bell?!\nAND HAS the Commissionaire in\nthe front hall recovered from\nthe shock of the \"flustered\"\nlady who, obviously under the\nimpression that she was at the\ndowntown bus terminal wanted to\nknow the way to the Seattle Bus!\nHonest!.,..,,,...\nSPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT\nBiblos will do it again! - but\nwith a difference,\nA Pros and Nons Christmas\nget together will be held.\nFriday, December 20th\nbetween the hours 3-5\nIn the Staff Lunchroom on\nthe 7th floor.\nTHE WORD I S OUT,.............\nMake whoopee with Wibby\naround the Wassail Bowl\n(spiced - we hope)\nSERENA KOTTMEIER - Alias\nMrs. Newman is having a show\nof her graphics in the work\narea of the Humanities Office\n(Ri dington Room).\nJill Wade on the Conference Circuit\nI went to the national convention of the Community Planning\nAssociation of Canada in Victoria, October 5th to 9th, C.P.A.C,\na citizen's organization and the delegates included local\ngovernment officials, executive members from C.P.A.C. national\nand branch offices, and professional planners. I was the only\n1ibrarian present and attended because a better subject knowedge\nwould help me in my reference work. The theme of the conference\nwas \"Building human values into the community\" and the speakers,\nranging from Dr. Gordon Shrum to an SFU professor, stimulated\nsome lively discussion.\ni s &\nMARY MACAREE - HEAD OF\nFORESTRY/AGRICULTURE\nBorn into a family of farmers, Mary early showed interest in the agricultural\nsciences by experimenting\nwith chickens as playthings.\nA little later she embarked\non a close study of calves;\nthe result, recorded for\nposterity in a photo of a\nsad-faced, bald two-year-\nold, was a dose of ringworm\nand early acquaintance with\nthe razor.\nHer suffering in the cause\nof science did not daunt\nher, however. She next tested the effect of sound on\nthe bovine race by singing\nto the cattle penned in for\nthe winter. The result\u00E2\u0080\u0094\ninconclusive\u00E2\u0080\u0094probably because she had not learned techniques of scientfic sampling.\nPerhaps to remedy this lack she turned her attention to education,\nmingling only in farming matters at harvest time and in university\nholidays, but her interests now had turned away from the land, not\nto be reactivated for a number of years\u00E2\u0080\u0094never mind how many.\nIn this period she taught in Scotland, Quebec, and B.C., married,\ntravelled a little, and in general passed the time pleasantly enough, latterly in the library's catalogue division. But the call\nof the land was still audible so at last she answered it and came\nto Forestry/Agriculture*\nz8EJkk..m\u00C2\u00A3i Attention Serials,\nout?\" ........\n.Kathy Kent asks, \"How do we really come\nA survey was recently conducted in the States \"to determine the\nextent to which American College students could gauge trends in\nforeign thought through the foreign news serials\" received in the\nlibraries. The results appear in the May issue of COLLEGE AND\nRESEARCH LIBRARIES 29 (3) 213-218,\nEvery third U.S. Library listed in the Americal Library Directory\nand with a budget over $25,000 was sent a questionnaire (350 libraries)\nThe serials listed for checking were cited in \"Atlas\" I96I-I965\n(every 3rd issue selected). Any serial selected was mentioned 2 or\nmore times in any given article in \"Atlas\", 258 out of the 350\nquestionnaires were filled in and returned,\nHow does U.B..C. stand on the basis of this survey? A quick check\nthrough the weekly cumulated Serials Check-In List turned up 34 of\nthe 90 titles listed in the questionnaire. The average number of\ntitles held by the 15 responding libraries with budgets of\n$1,000,000 plus was 30, (A few more may have been missed on the UBC\nlisting through different form of entry and fast flipping,)\nUBC's breakdown of the 34 titles by publishing country was as\nfollows:\nNo. Titles %\nEngland\nFrance\nRussia\nW, Germany\nPoland\nChina (Mainland)\nHong Kong\nIndia\nAustral ia\nKenya\nPhi 11ipines\n12\n5\n5\n4\n35.3\n14.7\n14.7\n11.6\n2.9\n2.9\n2.9\n2,9\n2.9\n2.9\n2.9 10\nThe actual proportion of those IN ENGLISH is much higher -\n19 or 61,8%,\nOf the 90 titles chosen for the survey, those published in the\nfollowing countries were not represented in U.B.C, holdings:\nAlbania, Austria, Republic of South Africa, Brazil,\nCuba, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, E, Germany, Ghana, Greece,\nHungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand,\nNigeria, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunis, Yugoslavia,\nThis does not necessarily indicate that UBC Library fails to\nsubscribe to foreign periodicals. We have many foreign journals,\nas a look at the print-out will quickly show, but most concern\nspecific areas rather than general popular news media. The\nlack appears to be in the daily-weekly type of general foreign news\nsources.\nThe magical number 3 pervades this survey and statistics are\nrather like politics- they fool all of the people some of the\ntime, some of the people all of the time, but not all of\nthe people all of the time. Serials division - how do we\nreally come out in this survey on general \"trends in foreign\nthought\" serials, and does the \"nature of University research\"\npreclude subscribing to many of these \"ephermeral\" publications?\nThe Annual Meeting of the Library Assistants Association was\nheld October 17th, 1968, at which time the Executive for\n1967/68 resigned.\nThe new executive elected by acclaimation then took office\nfor the year 1968/69, they are,..\nChairman Mrs, Pat LaVac, Law Library\nVice Chairman Mr, John Johnson, Circulation\nSecretary/Treasurer Miss Tannis Havelock, Circulation\n1st Member at Large Mrs. Janet Lenko, Sedgewick\n2nd Member at Large Mrs, Dorothy Sheppard, Woodward\na report for the year was read to the membership and Financial\nStatement, audited by Mr. John Lomax was approved. Funds at\npresent date $404,66.\n\u00C2\u00AB * a a a 11\nPOEM\nThe Desk Attendant\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0Ml\u00E2\u0080\u0094u .1 \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 i i 11 in \u00E2\u0080\u0094mum -i * i\nSee the gleeful Desk Attendants ever dealing while they can\nThe un-inspected canned beef of the intellect of man;\nDealing out the brains of sages and the poet's heart devine\n(Receiving for said poet's heart ofttimes a two-cent fine);\nSerene amid the tumult for new novels manifold, -\nFor new novels out this afternoon but thirty minutes old;-\nCalm and cool amid the tumult see the Desk Attendant stand\nWith contentment on her features and a date-stamp in her hand.\nAs they feed beasts at the circus to appease their hungering rage,\nSo she throws this man a poet and she drops that man a sage;\nAnd her wild beasts growl in fury when they do not like her meat,-\nWhen the sage is tough and fibrous and the bard not over-sweet;\nAnd some retire in frenzy, lashing wrathfully about,\nWhen the intellectual spare-rib that they most affect is out.\nBut she feeds'em, and she leads'em, and beguiles 'em with\nsweet guile,\nAnd wounds 'em with her two-cent fine and heals '.em with her\nsm i 1 e.\nOh, the gleesome Desk Attendant\u00E2\u0080\u0094who shall estimate her glee?\nGet some mightier bard to sing it\u00E2\u0080\u0094'tis a theme too big for me!\nFrom the Song of the Library Staff\nComposed by Sam Walter Foss.\nSomerville (Mass,) Public Library\nand read by him at the\nAnnual Meeting of the Amer, Lib, Assoc.\n1906,\nN.B. We do have more. The Cataloguer, the Head Librarian etc.\nIf the demand is great enough we will publish!1,!!'.! 12\nCZECHOSLOVAKIA-VACATION TIME I968 Kay McConnell\nWe were met at Brno airport by an exceptionally large\nwelcoming committee consisting of hundreds of Russian MiG\naircraft, tanks, arti1leryguns and thousands of Russian soldiers,\nThese were the occupying forces that had been in Czechoslovakia\nsince August 21st, When I told the Czechoslovaks that it was\nmy first time in the Eastern European country, they would laugh\nand say \"I bet it's the first time you have been in an occupied\ncountry too,'\"\nAfter not being allowed to speak freely for 20 years,\nwe found the people had a great propensity for conversation.\nInterviews scheduled for one hour often lasted for two or\nthree hours because there was so much they wanted to say and\nthey realized that time to speak freely might be too short.\nEveryone from factory worker to government officials spoke\nendlessly about what the country had been like, what they had\nplanned, and what they hoped for the future.\nThe greatest frustration for the people was not knowing\nwhat was happening between their government and Moscow\nbecause press censorship was reinforced after August 2lst.\nUntil then the populace was well informed by the news media\nand everyone was interested. It impressed us that even people\nwith a minimum of education understood the implications of the\neconomic reform.\nEverywhere was evidence of the country's complete unity.\nEvery store window had pictures of Dubcek and Svoboda; many\nbuildings were draped in black; daily conversation was entirely\ndirected towards the invasion, and the overwhelming attitude\nwas one of anger and confusion, St, Wenceslas is the patron\nsaint of Czechoslovakia and September 28th is his saints day,\nSt. Wenceslas Square that evening was covered with flowers in\nmemory of those killed during the invasion. There were hundreds\nof people, old and young, who sang the national anthem over and\nover in a minor key. It was the most moving experience of our\nstay. 13\nWhere ever we went we were impressed by the Czech-\noslovakians as a nation of brave, pround, strong, hopeful\npeople who managed to keep their spirit by subtle humour and\nfierce nationalism.\nDON'T FORGET - If you want relief from that lunchtime monotony sign\nthe notice outside the lunchroom1 or talk to one of the Biblos sta~f\nif you have any other suggestions.\nStaff are for your information again.\nPat LaVac Law\nShannon McJannet Cataloguing\nJoan Sandilands Information & Orientation\nGeorgia Macrae Cataloguing\nPam Piddington Cataloguing\nDiana Colquhoun Circulation\nMartina Cipolli Systems Development\nLynda Moss Woodward\nHeather Hailey Biblo. Searching\nDonna Richards Cataloguing\nBruce Stephenson Acquisitions 14\nWITH HELEN (erstwhile of the Science Div.) IN MOSCOW\nWell, here I am in Moscow and a whole month has gone by. I\nguess it's about time I let you know what's been happening,\nAfter spending 2 hectic days in Leningrad, we arrived in\nMoscow August 31st at 8 a.m. We were met at the station and\ndriven to our temporary quarters. The first thing that really\nmade me realize I was in Moscow was the sight of the Moscow\nState University. We arrived at the dorms which are called\n\"The Home of Students\". These are temporary quarters for all\nthe students (new ones), foreign and Soviet, before they are\nbilleted out to permanent dorms. We were shown our room, the\nwashroom, shower, and given tickets for our meals because at\nthis point we hadn't received our stipend as yet. We literally\nfell on our beds because we were so exhausted from our hectic\nexperience in Leningrad where I managed to hurt or dislocate\nmy back lifting the heavy suitcases on to the train in a mad\nrush to get in out of a torrential downpour.\nWe rested up a bit, washed our grimy paws and headed for\nbreakfast. We had salad (tomatoes with sour cream), rice\nwith a little meat and coffee. Somehow we stuck out like\nsore thumbs because in the dining area we were the only\nwhite girls there, the rest were from Africa, Algeria etc.,\nand somehow everyone seemed to know we were from Canada!\nHaving eaten somewhat, we went back to our room and sat there\neither staring at each other or out of the window, A few\nhours later we were told that two more girls were to join us\n(they were German) Our Room had 4 beds with no cupboard space,\nas it was temporary, so we lived out of suitcases until the 4th,\nFinally, Sunday afternoon, after checking the German girls'\nMoscow map, we decided to venture forth into Moscow city to find\nmy friend. This was rather frightening and a real test for our\nRussian. We got to the bus stop and after deliberating as to how\nwe were going to ask and which one to pick on, we blurted out\nour questions. The girl was extemely nice and helpful, giving 15\nto where to get off and make the proper transfer, what the\nfare was on the bus and Metro and how far we were to go by\nMetro, Knowing what we felt like even though we knew the\nlanguage, I can imagine what it must be like for those who\nknow not a word! We arrived at our destination, after\nchecking with other people to make sure we were heading in the\nright direction, only to discover that they had gone to the\nsummer house for the weekend. We were almost on the verge\ntears. Anyway, I left a note with our address and we\nheaded for home neavy hearted. We even got home without\ngetting lost, I forgot to mention that we had some money\nleft from the 3 rubles each that we got in Leningrad. On\nour way home, we discovered a theatre right next door and so\nwe took in a movie that night, Admission was only 40k each.\nIt was a very good film, That same evening we were very\nventuresome and walked to the University, It was only a 10,\nmin. walk, 1 must say the building itself is very impressive\nand the grounds around are very beautiful. The main path to\nthe front is terraced like it is in front of UBC Library.\nThe walk is made of red sand with circular plots of flowers\nevery so often. There are also a great number of silver\nfir trees and linden trees with silver birch interspersed,\nI might say the grounds are comparable to UBC,\nThe following day brought news from my friend with explicit\ninstructions as to how to get there, When we finally did\narrive there, I was never so happy to see anyone as them.\nWe had a real homecoming! I felt that I was able to face\nany problem that might arise.\nAfter another 2 days wait, we were finally picked up and\ntaken to our permanent quarters, We have a room for 3.\nMy girl friend, myself and now another girl from Chile,\nThe room has 3 single beds with 3 bedside cabinets, a large\ndining table with 4 chairs. We have 1 clothes closet for\nthe three of us and a large bookcase-writing desk type,\nwhich serves as a food cupboard and bookshelf for our books.\nThere is also a kitchen with 3 small 2 element gas stoves.\nThis is invariably invaded by the Viet Namese girls doing 16\ntheir cooking, I have managed to do something in cooking\nbut not very much. When one doesn't have all things one is used\nto having, it proves very difficult. I've also devised a new\nmethod of making toast without a \\ntoaster. I spear the bread (\nwith a fork and hold it over\nthe element. How's that for\nimprovi sation!\nFinally the two of us\ndecided it was high time to\nreport to the Canadian\nEmbassy, We arrived there\nwalked through the doors and\nfelt as though we were back at\nhome again. We signed the\nvisitors' book and were\nushered into a large drawing\nroom. Lo and behold what did\nwe see - Canadian newspapers,\nand magazines. We practically\nate them up. So now we are up\nto date on news back home. We\nalso had a nice chat with one\nof the receptionists who was\nvery helpful in giving us some\nuseful addresses and tips.\nThe first Secretary came in lateVJ\nand invited us to dinner the\nfollowing evening. By the way, his name is Mr, Howard Morgan,\nI must tell you about the dinner, We had a scotch before dinner.\nFor dinner we had chicken, peas and carrots, rice with a delicious sauce and tomatoes. This was followed by the most heavenly sour cream apple pie, followed by coffee and a liquer 'Irish\nMist1, That meal was the first Canadian type meal we had since\nour arrival. We went away feeling that things weren't that bad.\nHowever, there is one thing I can't get used to as yet -\nand that is the shopping system,.! shall try to explain. First\nof all the various products are divided into different stores. 17\nA store for bread and confectionary products; one for dairy\nproducts and sausages with a few pieces of meat. Another for\nfruits and vegetables. A separate one for potatoes; one for\nshoes; one for clothes; one for jewelry; one for household\ngoods. However, there are some huge 'Universal Magazines'\ndowntown almost equivalent to our dept. stores. Now to buy\nsomething. Everything is sold in grams of kilograms! If you\nwant only 100 gr. of some food article you push through a\nline to find the price (if your arith, isn't too good), then\nyou return to the cashier, pay the exact amount for your article,\nget your check, return to the counter line-up, eventually\ngetting your article. So you see one has to have a great deal\nof patience, which I have not. However, if you get to the stores\nbetween 11-12 or 2-4, there aren't very many people. After\n5 p.m. it is hectic, because people are off work. Not many\npeople here do shopping to last a week like we do at home, they\npick up things every day. But I must say, there are a few\nthings here which I find very good e.g. milk, butter, cottage\ncheese, cheeses, sour cream, bread torts (cake) - no^aj-ti f i ci al\ncreams for icings, champagne (red,)\nThere is also a Gastronom where one can\nbuy food products with foreign currency-\nthings are considerably cheaper, but I'm\nnot about to spend my few dollars on\ntrivialities like food! I've visited\na dollar clothing store. The furs are\ngorgeous and very reasonable. The\nfur hats are also very nice; also\nvery good trans, radios, stereo\nrecorders, sewing machines, fridges,\ncameras, very nice Italian knits\n(reasonably priced).\nWell now I'll give you a weather report.\nWhen we arrived it was very hot and dry\nbut windy all the time! On the 7th we\nhad a rainfall and overnight it turned\ncold. I had to drag out all my winter\nclothes and coat. To top it all\noff, the heating was being fixed\nso no heat. There were nights\nI was going to bed in 2 sweaters,\nsocks, gloves and hot waterbottle. 18\n\"W\n-^\n'W\nOne night it went down to - 20c. Two days later I had a\nbeautiful cold which I think was also a result from a change\nof climate as well. It has been cold all along now, I don't\nthink my winter coat will be enough for winter - I know that now!\nWell, I have been attending Russian Classes for a month in the\npreparatory faculty, but because Claudia and myself already have\na good working knowledge of Russian the teacher has given us a 3\npage reading list of all the authors and their various works which\nwe have to have read by next September. So in oime year we are\nto be as well prepared for University as the Soviet students who\nhave been taking these works all along their 10 years in school.\nNot much is it? So here I sit-dictionaries in one hand and novel\nin the other. Fun and games! As for my accent in Russian, would\nyou believe it - it's Ukranian and not\nCanadian. I was sure it would be\nCanadian. I have already met a\nfew Russian boys, two of which\nare Ukranian and come from the\nsame district as my parents, so\nwe spend all our free time speaking\nUkranian which of course is bad\nfor me. I am also acting as\nunofficial interpreter as well as\nhelping the Russian students\nwith their English homework. \u00E2\u0080\u009E\nLater I think I'll have\nto ask them to help me with my Russia\nWe go to school 6 days a week - -...-.----\nMonday, Tuesday, Thursday and \"\"\"\u00E2\u0080\u0094r\nFriday - 6 hrs., Wednesday, Saturday - 4 hrs.\nIt's really amazing and annoying at times, because I can\nunderstand everything that is said but when it comes to\nspeaking, my vocabulary is limited and I get all tongue-\ntwisted! Well, I guess it takes time.\nAs yet, I haven't been doing too much sight-seeing for 2\nreasons. One - it's too cold now, two - no one to go with\nand I don't quite know my way around as yet! You've probably 19\nread about Moscovites going around everywhere reading. This\nis very true; from the youngest to the oldest, For one -\nbookstand newspapers are cheap and for another, it's quite\nan achievement to have the lowest percentage of illiteracy\nand many of the older folks are thrilled to be able to read.\nAnother thing I found quite embarrassing for me! Their students\nare very well versed in all aspects of education. They are\nable to quote figures, quotations and are up to date even with\nCanadian statistics. Whereas, speaking for myself, and\nprobably a lot of Canadian students also, what we learned of\nhistory or English in high school, we have forgotten by now.\nBy now you are probably wondering if I'm home\u00C2\u00BBsick. Well,\nI'll, be very honest. Yes, more than you can imagine. My\nthoughts often wonder back home and I begin thinking of what I'd\nbe doing right now at home, or what are the students like this\nyear at U,B,C,, what would I be doing at work right now.\nThere are no 2 ways about it = believe it Or not I really miss\nwork!!!!\nWell I think I shall end for now, because if I keep on I'll\nend up writing a book and you'll all have to wait until it's\npublished. After all of you have read this letter, I shall\nexpect tons and tons of letters from all of you. Here is my\naddress:\nU,S.S,R./CCCP, Moscow B-218\nUl. Krzhizhanovskogo\nDom 18, Kor, 1, Kom, 47\nDerevenko, Elena,\nI am passing on my best regards to all of Science\nDivision, Basil, Anna, Diana and Lydia in Woodward, all Div,\nheads and all the other staff members in the Library, Please\nwrite - you don't know what a joy it is to receive letters\nfrom home!!!!!!\nSincerely,\nHelen Derewenko. "@en . "Periodicals"@en . "Vancouver (B.C.)"@en . "Z671 .B5"@en . "Z671_B5_1968_05_02"@en . "10.14288/1.0190819"@en . "English"@en . "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en . "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en . "Images provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from the Unviersity of British Columbia Library."@en . "Original Format: University of British Columbia. Archives."@en . "University of British Columbia. Library"@en . "Biblos"@en . "Text"@en . ""@en .