Cataloging

[stoutfellow]

Back in October, I began - slowly, at intervals - cataloging my library. I'm finally in the stretch drive; all of my shelved books are in, and the unshelved books in my computer room. It looks like the tally will wind up in the low 3300s.

It's been interesting. I keep finding books that I didn't know I had; in some cases, I can't figure out why I have them. One of them is the second volume of a trilogy; the name of the trilogy rings no bells, and the author only a faint one. (The other two volumes don't seem to be here, although surprises are still possible.)

Of course, this is just Phase I. Phase II is... ambitious.

There are other, more productive things I could be doing right now, but I ran out of coffee yesterday morning and developed (what I hope is just) a withdrawal headache today. I bought some coffee this morning and had a remedial cup around noon, but it hasn't taken effect yet. Not a severe headache, just strong enough to keep me from doing anything requiring too much effort.

In other news, I have learned that Ben doesn't like having his picture taken; careful timing is required to catch him full-face. Also, he may have decided that barking wildly at nothing is a good way to get some pettins. (I believe the phrase is "moral hazard".)

I think I'm going to lie down for a bit, to see if this headache will go away.

Comments

[al-zorra.livejournal.com]

Gads, I think my husband has that many books stuffed just into our tiny, tiny office. Those are the ones on shelves.

A grad student at Tulane tallied them all. There are far more now.

Love, c.

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

Oh, well, if we're talking about offices....

[al-zorra.livejournal.com]

A teenytiny one! I emphasize, a teenytiny one. More a closet, really.

I didn't mention the books at home ....

Love, C.

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

More seriously: on the one hand, I would expect your husband to have more books in his office than I do in mine; research in mathematics doesn't really involve a lot of reading of books. (Articles, yes, but that doesn't entail permanent additions to one's library.) As far as books at home go, well, you two have me outnumbered. Even assuming a certain amount of overlap in your interests, I'd expect your joint library to be larger than mine.

Not that we're competing or anything....

[al-zorra.livejournal.com]

We are so NOT competing!

I'd get rid of almost all of them, if I had my choice. We simply don't have the room and they are a health hazard at this point.

But he's also a hoarder, which I am not. Which is the only thing that saved him during all these years of reading paper newspapers, as opposed to now, when we read them online. He NEVER EVER THREW OUT THE ACCUMUMLATED PILES OF PAPERS AND FORBADE ME TO, AS WELL. "I need to save this and that article! I'm going through them all tomorrow and clip what I want. Then you can throw them away." Lucky for him I didn't pay any attention to his 'forbid.' He'd have died, pressed to death under piles of newspapers, otherwise.

Love, C.

[filkferengi]

Could he outsource the hoarding by donating to a special collection, say at a local university library?

[al-zorra.livejournal.com]

You are correct that these books would go well in more than one set of research library holdings -- always assuming the library has the people power and money to catalog and shelve, which you cannot by any means assume.

But he won't let any of them go. He's a cancer. They are his 'shells,' and are his security walls.

Love, C.