Henry recently took delivery of the archives of the Dutch Bend Express And Star for 1920 to 1978. The Express And Star donated the earlier archives to Dutch Bend Library about forty years ago. These got shifted out into store in the front room at Raccoonville Library. Three years ago they got moved over to the Archives Room at Sheep City for to make way for the new toilet in the library. One of the questions Henry asked upon delivery was: "where are 1905 and 1912?" We had no answer. He's happy that this time he's getting delivery straight from source.
Part of the deal is that the archives now become available to the public, which is entirely right and proper. Henry's had them copied onto fiche and is haggling over the digitising of them, which means that the public get access and the originals are kept safe and sound in controlled conditions so that the newsprint doesn't deteriorate any further.
This isn't good enough for one of the local luminaries of Dutch Bend. Garfield Pendersbury is the author of seminal works of local study such as "The Traffic Lights of Dutch Bend," "More Traffic Lights of Dutch Bend," and "Belisha Beacons I Have Known." He demands to be allowed to borrow some of the original volumes from the archives for his next work. Henry has said no. The archives are available for use in the library, not for loan. (Especially as we know Garfield used to borrow volumes from the Express And Star and kept them in his greenhouse for fear of bookworms). He is Not Happy. His parting shot is:
"I'll just have to tell the Express And Star to get them for me and then re-donate them when I've finished with them."
Henry summed up Garfield's best qualities in one beautifully-honed word.
5 comments:
I love learning new words. Spoil sport!
Oh but the big question is - are Mr Garfield's works still in print? Is there a paperback version of "Traffic lights" I can get at Amazon??
Pat: you're from Bacup, you'll know it!
Macy: it's available under plain wrapper
Sleuth that I am, I strongly suspect that Mr. Pendersbury knows the whereabouts of the missing 1905 and 1912 volumes.
Furthermore, I suspect he is using them in the greenhouse as table leg stablizers.
I believe that this matter should be turned over to the library police.
Ah... Watson, you know my methods. (-:
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