And the bombs still fall...

It is interesting that I would read this today. It is a 10 day diary from Saad Eskander, the Director of the Iraq National Library and Archive.

This makes me feel so silly for whining about messy undergrads. They may have been inconsiderate, but certainly not a threat to my well-being...

What about our history?

I spent yesterday afternoon on food patrol. It was finals week and the Archives Reference room had turned into study central, due in large part to our big tables and a major power outage in half the dorms. Needless to say, combined with the noise, there was a little Red Bull and some snacks. Also needless to say, it wasn't the place for any rich scholarly research for those who dared to turn up expecting to find some archival information. My shift wore on, and I found myself more and more irritated with what I saw. Frankly, I snapped a little when I saw a young man move the "No Food or Drinks in the Archives" sign to put down his package of cookies-- not a small package, but a whole tray. His first cookie was half-way to his mouth when I stomped up and said (in the best mom voice I had) "This is an archive! You can't eat here!" He looked at me with that look and actually appeared to be considering whether it would be completely impertinent to eat the cookie in his hand and what I would do if he tried.

Fast forward a few hours, and I found myself blasting a National Geographic special over my daughter's seemingly endless stream of questions about what we were watching. It was entitled "Lost Treasures of Afghanistan," and I highly recommend it (though maybe not watching it with a 3 year-old on your lap). From the site:

Over the past three decades, war and terrorism have devastated many of Afghanistan's rich cultural treasures. But many brave Afghans were determined to save their heritage. This new special highlights the heroic efforts of those who would not allow their culture to be destroyed. The program tells of priceless treasures that have been recovered - the Bactrian Gold, one of the ancient world's richest golden treasures; precious artworks; and the country's entire film archive. The program also covers the exciting search for a 1,000-foot-long reclining Buddha, possibly lying buried near the rubble of the two huge Buddha statues blown up by the Taliban in March 2001.

My daughter wanted to know, among other things, "why is that lady driving in a car," “what are those mountains,” "why is that man crying," and, I kid you not, if the Taliban "needed a time out.” We watched, over and over again, the Buddha being blown up, and heard from the archaeologist, who had studied these Buddhas decades earlier, described how he felt when he heard of the destruction. We also heard from a man who had been taken from his house, tied up with a rope, and hoisted onto one giant Buddha, where he was forced to drill holes and insert dynamite into the statue. We watched another man recount his bold move to cover the oil paintings in the national museum with watercolors so the Taliban wouldn't destroy them. But, really, what we saw was the raw determination of these people to save their own national treasures. Their commitment to preserving the art, words, religion, and spirit was overwhelming and truly awe-inspiring.

So what does Red Bull have to do with the destruction of ancient religious statues? Well, I'm not sure, but the contrast was so great, I found myself thinking about it, and the power of history, for the rest of the night.

As one of my final papers in graduate school, just as the destruction of museums and libraries became fodder for a night or two of evening news, I wrote about the power of these cultural treasures—both the power to revere/preserve them and to destroy them. Throughout history, invading forces have sacked these information and cultural centers, often before destroying anything else. But what I remember most of all, what has stuck out in the fuzzy section of my brain that contains the "grad school paper" details, is that people actually destroyed their own information and cultural centers. Information really is that powerful! And here we are as the gate-keepers! And here they eat trays of Girl Scout Samoas!

I suppose I want everyone to respect our hallowed halls, want everyone to hush in a library, and want people to read the signs...

Just another brand new blog

Fresh out of the 5 Weeks to a Social Library, where I rambled on a frequent basis, it only seemed appropriate to set up my own blog. Not only is the customizable template attractive, the joy of trying out a new blogging software seems to fit this experimental phase.

I'm the Reference Archivist and Student Supervisor at the Oregon State University Archives. I've been here since July, and feel moderately more confident in my ability to match researchers with primary resources-- moderately. I spend a lot of time trying to figure out exactly how this works, and will probably dedicate a lot of words in this blog to working out things I've read, thought, or heard. My 5 Weeks blog showed me that discussion can happen, so if you have something to say, I'd love to hear it!