U of A Special Collections (grump, grump)


The thing I loathe about our university library is its relentless tendency to put books, absolutely pointlessly, into Special Collections. If an item is relatively rare, sure, fine, of course. Rare items are the special forte of Special Collections -- but the emphasis should be on rare. 

Unfortunately, they apparently love putting perfectly normal books in there all the time, which means that they can't be checked out. Not only is this inconvenient (I have to be at the library), but sometimes large volumes must be read in their entirety in their uncomfortable -- and usually excessively chilly -- reading area.

What's even more aggravating is that they apply to these perfectly normal, common books the same sort of draconian reading rules, such as treating items as if they might disintegrate into dust at any moment, that should only sensibly apply to one-of-a-kind illuminated medieval manuscripts. Yeah, yeah; I'm whining. First-world scholar problems and all that. Doesn't make things any less annoying.

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