What do pride, idleness, gluttony, lechery, avarice, envy, and wrath have to do with taking good care of your library books? They are the “Seven Deadly Sins of Book Care” a la Edmund Spenser’s The Færie Queene. On display now through November 25th in the Norlin Library west lobby, learn why maltreatment and attempted home repairs of library books are not only detrimental to the books, but also costly for the University Libraries. The idea, art, and poetry based on Spenser’s defining epic were created by Randy Silverman, conservator at the University of Utah. You can also visit the Preservation website to view a slide show defining the sins. As an example of the humorous modern translations, “Loathsome Gluttony, Deformed creature, on a filthie swine,” becomes “Who but a low-life dribbling slob would eat or drink above a book.”
If you have a book with damage, please bring it to the Norlin Circulation Desk.
If a book seems brittle or hard to photocopy please ask for assistance. Many books and articles are available online; library staff can help you find and print them.
Recent Comments