There's been a running theme of birds since I arrived, hence the title for this post. But I'll get to that later...
First, just a few comments on where we're at and how we got here [and by "we", I am referring to my daughter and I]. We left Virginia on June 6th and arrived on the 9th. I wanted to leave plenty of time for the drive and I didn't want us stuck in the car more that seven or eight hours a day. It's hard to be a little person alone in a backseat surrounded by boxes.
We managed to make very good time and arrived right when I expected, on the afternoon of the third day. Our new landlord was around to greet us and give us the run down on the place. It's furnished with a motley assortment of furniture, but it's cozy and functional.
The next day, we met with one of the ladies from the lab, Roberta Woodrick, who showed us around town and pointed out some necessities: public library, public pool, farmer's market, ice-cream shop. Yay!
Turns out I split my time at work between the Spencer and the Watson libraries. There are several [eight, I think?] libraries on campus. My apartment is only a few blocks from campus and my daughter's summer camp is a few miles down the road. Quite a spectacular change from all of the commuting in and around DC. Anyway, the libraries and campus are lovely. The lab crew are lovely, too. I don't know why, but apparently Kansan conservators/interns tend to be attractive, young women! Who love to talk about food. Sound like heaven? It is.
My boss, Whitney Baker, and all the people at the lab made me feel very welcome and encouraged in the face of a new, exciting and slightly terrifying adventure. We discussed lots of projects and ideas for what I'll be accomplishing during my short time here. First on the agenda: a group of tissue paper proofs of John Gould's bird specimens.
The paper is in varying states of disrepair. Some require a bit of dry cleaning and unfolding, other will need humidification and flattening. It's a painstaking process, as the paper is often brittle, as well as being so delicate and often friable. Seeing the various stages of the creative process makes it worthwhile, though, as well as seeing the unusual species represented. The work on this project takes place in the Spencer Library, which happens to be host to a family of swallows. From what I can tell, and I'm no ornithologist, but they're Cliff Swallows. Let me know if your opinion differs!
In addition to the Gould proofs, I've been making clamshell boxes for a variety of special collections items. Surprisingly, I had never made a clamshell prior to coming here. It's a pretty fun skill to learn, and it opens the door to a variety of possible side-projects: doll house, maybe? maze?
I started by making some for octavo and quarto sized books, then I was handed an adorable little dos-a-dos that's oblong and probably in the range of a sexto. Now I'm making some big'uns. They're double walled, with rabbitted corners, amounting to a very sturdy box that rather resembles a piece of furniture than a book housing. The printed instructions I received originated from the LC, and guess who's name is on the list of contributors! Here's looking at you, Bob :) Your legend lives on.
My daughter and I went to a local pet store when we first arrived where I had my ear mangled by the beak of a totally adorable parrot. The following week, we found a baby bird [unsure of the species--just a scraggly, nondescript fledgling] while stopped at a stop sign. So, yeah, a lot of bird-y happenings!
Next week I'll be helping out with a disaster preparedness workshop for library staff. I get to dunk some books in the mud!
