1. Being able to actually touch thousand year old artifacts. I could not BELIEVE that the handler didn't have to wear gloves like they usually do in the movies or National geographic magazines. These artifacts came out in these nicely packaged boxes and were soooo old, but it was okay to actually touch. I mean I wasn't going to complain if I could actually touch a 100+ year old church song book... but still! Also I remember hearing him say that it was okay to touch and that "I purposely bought it so that it could be handled." So cool.
2. It was hard making books. Really hard. So in the back times, we would have to request a book a year in advanced?! That's so intense. And I'm sure that buying the book cost a fortune too because everything was handwritten. The printing press its self looked pretty gruesome too though... all those little letters put in the mirror reflection way so that it stamps out like normal text? Oh and you also have to put your back into it to make sure that it stamps out justtt right.
3. How big the Berkeley selection of ancient artifacts really is. So maybe we didn't see the WHOLE scope of the library, but we did get a nice breath of it. I can't imagine what else is in store. WE got the biggest papyrus collection... IN THE WORLD. That's just amazing... and all of it is up for us to look at and right next door to the Doe Library/Dwinelle.
Haha, for some reason you wanting to live on the library reminds me of a particularly famous Twilight Zone episode. It's the one where a man who loves books is the sole survivor of a nuclear holocaust, and he's ecstatic because he finds an intact library where he can finally read in peace. But right before he opens the book, he drops and breaks his reading glasses that he absolutely needs in order to be able to read. How very tragic.
ReplyDeleteActually, I completely forgot to notice that he didn't wear gloves. I guess it's okay to touch the limestone though, the hieroglyphics were carved in there pretty well. But, as he said, it's very important not to drop it!