'Immortality in a binding'
Books are livelihood
By GARY BURGE
To some people, books are just things to lug to class or an escape from a dreary evening, but to Miss Alexandra Mason, head of Special Collections at Watson Library, they're a livelihood.
Books are "immortality in a calf binding." Miss Mason says. "Either you're interested in books or you have to reinvent the wheel everytime you want to drive a car."
MISS MASON, better known as Sandy, is well equipped to reinvent the wheel if the occasion should arise. As head of Special Collections, she controls more than 80,000 volumes and related materials including a Roman tombstone and tapes of Allen Ginsberg reciting his poetry.
And Miss Mason seems as versatile as her collection. She is usually found in her office sorting books to be added to the bulging, temperature- and humidity-controlled stacks in Watson's basement. About 50,000 of the 80,000 books have been acquired since the librarian came to KU in 1957.
Although she says she applied for the Watson job because of an advertisement in the New York Times literary section "that made Kansas sound wonderful," Miss Mason became interested in Lawrence when she was working for World Book encyclopedia in Chicago.
World Book, like many encyclopedia companies, gives coupons to its customers entitling them to free research information. "At that time," Miss Mason says, "they kept a staff of about 30 librarians who did nothing but
WEATHER
The U.S. Weather Bureau predicts partly cloudy skies and cooler temperatures tonight and Friday High today near 70 and low tonight in the 40's.
Free to Kansas Students 25¢ to others
A new booklet, published by a non-profit educational foundation, tells which career field lets you make the best use of all your college training, including liberal arts courses—which career field offers 100,000 new jobs every year—which career field produces more corporation presidents than any other—what starting salary you can expect. Just send this ad with your name and address. This 24-page, career-guide booklet, "Opportunities in Selling," will be mailed to you. No cost or obligation. Address: Council on Opportunities, 550 Fifth Ave., New York 36, N. Y.,
answer silly questions—some or which were not really silly."
MOST OF THE questions involved extensive research; often several different persons would write in the same question. "A lot of people seemed to be interested in Quantrill and the guerrillas in Kansas, Ha, ha! Little did I know . . ." Miss Mason says.
Quantrill was a civil war bandit who burned and ransacked Lawrence during a raid in 1832.
Despite her interest in books and her job as librarian, Miss Mason will not readily admit to being a book collector on her own time. "If you work with them all day, you hardly want to read them all night," she says.
However, Miss Mason owns about 3,500 books of her own, "mostly modern books but with a few older ones thrown in."
"A BOOK NOT BEING used is a dead book," explains Miss Mason. "And it is sometimes difficult to throw one away. I think I've
Daily Kansas Thursday, April 13, 1967
11
Dwight Boring* says...
But 3,500 volumes is a lot of paper in any body's book.
"If You'd Like to Know How to Get the Most for your life insurance dollars, contact me and I'll tell you about College Life's BENEFACTOR, a famous policy designed expressly for college men and sold exclusively to college men because college men are preferred life insurance risks. No obligation.Give me a ring.now."
*DWIGHT BORING
thrown away about four books in my life. Actually, Milton said it best: 'He who destroys a good book, destroys reason itself.'"
2020 Harvard
Lawrence, Kansas
Phone VI 2-0767
representing
THE COLLEGE LIFE
INSURANCE COMPANY
OF AMERICA
And although she is usually found surrounded by books, Miss Mason says she has no fear of becoming a bibliomaniac, a person who's "a little nuts about books."
"I ended up moving out of my house one time because it got filled up with books," Miss Mason says with a grin. "The house wasn't very strong and I was afraid the books would fall through the floor."
... the only Company selling exclusively to College Men
Big bands are back . . . with the shazam of cymbal contrasts livening these swinging young shapes. Pastel rhythms in posh, linen-textured 100% rayon What a cool way to make the summer scene! Sizes 5-15.
$12
APRIL 18,19,20
Distribution of Second Issue
Cover & First Issue Also Available
Strong Rotunda
ALL YOU NEED IS YOUR BLUE RECEIPT CARD