A Monty Python moment

A Monty Python moment

Sometimes patrons of the library are so off the wall, their story needs to be told for everyone to enjoy. Last night a real zinger of an exchange went on. I had to bite my tongue to avoid laughing out loud.

I can't repeat it all but it was something like this. Richard is the librarian.

Richard: May I help you?
Lady: Can you help me? Where is the office?
Richard: Which office would you like?
Lady: Where is the office?
R: Is there someone you want to see?
L: Yes, where is the office?
R: Do you want a faculty office?
L. Where is the office?
R: What would you like to find in the office?
L. The office.
R: Do you want the GED office, registrar, or continuing ed office.
L. : Yes, the office.
R: Do you want the business office?
L. Yes, the office.
R: Do you want to register for classes?
L. I just want the office.
R. Ok. The security office is on the first floor, let me show you the way.

Richard finally got rid of her by politely showing her the stairs to the first floor.

Yarmulke Part 2 : Head Gear in General

Shana tov everyone,

So far I've been working on the question of yarmulke and Jewish head gear for 6 weeks. The more I investigate the more I find out is unknown. Here is the link to part 2 : Head Gear in General. Please consider this a work in progress. Changes and corrections are always possible.

The topic this month for Librarian's Lobby September 2008 is Head Gear in General
http://home.earthlink.net/~ddstuhlman/crc101.pdf


May everyone have a happy and sweet new year.

Tetragramaton in St. Louis

A couple of weeks ago the St. Louis Jewish Light published a magazine with an article about St. Louis Jewish history. ("Historic Heritage" by Jamie Sokolik. St. Louis Jewish Light , September 2008 vol. 61. no. 36 pages 22-30,48)The writer made a comment that the tetragramaton name for God appears on the outside of the St. Louis Old Cathedral. She thought it was misspelled and did not know why. Upon examining some old Bibles I am not so certain this is a mistake.
The letters look like yod-chet-vav-chet instead of yod-hey.

While viewing Library of Congress' web site for Hebraica I saw a picture of a Bible published Amsterdam --Biblia Hebraica (Amsterdam, 1667).

Note the four-letter name of God, the Tetragrammaton, surrounded by light, at the head of the title page. This edition was aimed at both Jews and Christians. The letters look just like the inscription on the Church. I don't know if the church caligrapher was copying from a Bible like this, following a tradition of not writing God's name, or just made an artistic error, but I would not be so quick to say that he made a mistake.