friday

Feb. 28th, 2011 01:31 pm
jaebility: (avatar // dance)
[personal profile] jaebility
Been busy busy busy. On Friday we had a school trip to the library in the Natural History Museum. We got a grand tour of the archives, the rare book collection, and all the cool gadgets they use in preservation.

That would be the perfect job. I love museums, and that one in particular, and being able to support the network of educators, scientists, and librarians would be such rewarding work. I'm going to see about volunteering there, maybe interning in the summer.

Random interesting things I learned:
- The rare book collection is protected by a key lock and then a device that requires the thumbprints of two different high-ranking members of the staff. They have a variety of unique texts, like a first edition of Darwin's Origin of Species. We also got to see a first edition of a 16th century science book and my favorite, a book of fish from the 1700s with color illustrations that look right out of the Beatles' Yellow Submarine.
- At the turn of the century, the museum used lantern slides to teach local teachers about new discoveries. They were originally lit with candles, then light bulbs, and were hand painted.
- The museum is an accredited school. It's very competitive, taking only 4 or 5 grad/doctoral students.
- The library was always intended to exist along with the museum. JP Morgan was one of the original founders, and he donated books that helped create the library.

Hung out with some other students for a while afterward, but the museum was packed and it was hard to see the exhibits. That night I met up with Pete and the gang from college to celebrate promotions, marriage announcements, and other fun things. We ate at 5 Napkins, a burger place on the west side. Food was ok, too expensive for my taste, but it was fun hanging out with everyone. It'd gotten cold that night, so we hurried into the first bar we found after dinner and goofed off there, despite the terrible atmosphere. Good times, good times.
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