altivo | A series of strange coincidences

Most libraries in the US no longer have card catalogs. We use computer databases instead, and mine is no exception. We do, however, still maintain what is called a shelf list, a series of catalog drawers that contain one 3x5 card for each book we own, arranged in the same order in which the books would be on the shelf if they were all here. Various incidental bits of information may be recorded on those cards, such as the date a book was sent to be rebound (yes, we still do that occasionally) or the name of a donor, etc. We no longer type those cards up manually, but instead have them generated by our computerized cataloging system as we catalog each new book. The cards are actually printed in Dublin, Ohio on a specialized printer that does only catalog cards, and are mailed to us daily.

I do check to make sure all of them arrive. As it happens, the shipments for December 21 and December 23 have been missing, and I'm on the point of ordering them to be reprinted. I figured they got lost somewhere in the holiday mail, because they are just small envelopes. Today the December 23 packet arrived. We didn't notice the cancellation on the envelope (they are mailed using a postage meter, so typically have no cancellation.)

When I took the cards from the envelope, a small handwritten note fell out:

1/8/06
Hello, Harvard Diggins Library,
Just thought you would like to know that these cards arrived in Juneau, Alaska on Jan. 7, in a package of gifts from Norway. The Norway package had been damaged & repaired, & somehow your envelope ended up included--imagine our puzzlement when opening our Norwegian treasures!
Best Wishes for 2006;
Your friends in Juneau

On re-examining the envelope, sure enough, it was cancelled on the back in Juneau, Alaska, on January 8. I wonder where the other packet from December 21 got to...

Threaded | Flat

That must have been a bizarre series of events! I'd love to see the story as an animated short: the damaged package gets tossed onto a pile of mail, a loose box flap scoops up your small envelope, the package gets sorted to Juneau, the recipient opens it and looks puzzled, a larger envelope is addressed, and your surprised eyes greet the note.

I can just see it, with that classic music from cartoons that always seems to indicate "work is happening". Doot doot doo, doo dooty-doo doo doo; doo doo dooty-doodle-doooo do! (...or something ;) What fun!

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote
Ludo ergo sum!

Now that is a modern marvel. One would think that after going that far it would be past any point of return. Well, I guess you can chalk that one up to "unbelievable events of January post". hehe

I wonder what excursion Dec 21st went on.

Hmm, thats interesting for sure :) They make daily life a bit more colorful.

Wow, that's definitely bizarre. It makes you wonder what the exact series of events were. It sounds like perhaps the box of Norwegian gifts perhaps got caught on a machine inside the post office, and maybe the person who repaired that parcel just figured it had fallen out of the bigger box. I guess we'll never know.

That's like getting home from Chicago and finding your luggage has been to Hawaii.

Amazing, but not the most amazing... I've heard of mail being delivered 100 years after the intended recipient's death...

This would be why my holiday mailing are eitehr a month early or a month late, because I have bad luck with them going around the world when sent during the holidays...

We've had a few do it, but one of the wierdest was a post card bound for a house of a friend about 50 miled from here... We got a call from a post office in Denver, Colorado, appologizing for the delay, stating they just received the card with a shipment from Germany and were going to put it in with the overnight shipment they were sending to where the friend lived anyway... yay for reliability in the postal industry.

You realize that you've just doomed the local librarians here?

*drums his fingers as the system slows way down. With a grin he
leaves the round stand up table with all the terminals and
wanders over to the guy at the desk*

"Hey man."

The librarian looks up, he's about mid 40s, crew cut, articulate,
a decent sort.

"Can I help you?"

I shrug and point over my shoulder at the other smoldering
patrons waiting for the system to unstick.

"Hey, the 'puters are down, can I use the shelf list?"

The librarians eyes get wide.

"Y-your not supposed to know..."

Suddenly large anthro wolves rush out of a back room
and drag him away.

"WAIT! I...I...."

XD

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