Thanksgiving break musings

Thanksgiving break begins, technically speaking, after the last night class this evening. With that in mind I was prepared to stave off the onset of boredom while covering the resource center sans students and student workers today. I had a new Booklist magazine to begin selecting juvenile books, notes from the conference I attended at the end of last month to transcribe into Word, and several interesting little projects, such as updating the juvenile blog bulletin board, in place. Oddly enough it was busy throughout the day, enough so that I was left to voice the query; whatever happened to the age old tradition of skipping class and going home early the day before break?

I am ready to go home, even though the beginning of my day tomorrow will be sloughing my way through traffic on the turnpike into Pennsylvania. I made brownies last night and that will help tremendously. But, as usual, I digress.

Students who were in the library were working, not busy work or playing on the Internet, actual school related work and tasks. They laminated (menu's and assorted education projects), they looked for journal articles in databases, they printed lesson plans (did they ever print), they gleefully cut out letters using the Ellison Machine, and they searched the catalog for juvenile books and videos. I actually had two students complete their course portfolio work! It was all very exciting.

Now, however, things are eerily quiet as the last of them trundle off to their night classes. A few quiet souls remain, most of them international students, and the library will be a lonely place this evening for my student worker (I offered to close at six and give her the evening off ... she declined the offer), the reference librarian on duty, and a circulation student or staff member. All of which are now dreading the next five hours until closing time. It is always tempting to close early, but the one time that decision is made someone comes to the library five minutes before the previously scheduled closing, is in desparate need of something, and is cranky the place is closed. Last minute holiday shoppers.