Boxes and boxes

     Sunday afternoon I was the manager on duty.  I was at work to handle any unusual situations.  Since the Manitowoc Public Library staff is adept at handling most anything, this meant that I had four quiet Sunday afternoon hours to tackle some projects best done without interruption. So I wrote some press releases, worked on a report, and started cleaning out my office.
     Yes, with only five days and a few stray hours left at MPL, it was time to clean.  I did the easy stuff first. I took down photos from the wall. I put my MLIS degree in a box. I added some personal books.
     I have accumulated quite the collection of odds and ends in 13 years.  There's swag from assorted conferences, and magnets, mousepads, and other miscellany from folks who've tried to sell me stuff over the years. There are copies of articles that have long since outlived their usefulness and greeting cards from holidays past.
     So I'm packing and tossing and redistributing, and all the while wondering what will actually make the trip to Franklin with me.  My dictionary and copy of Robert's Rules of Order are long out of date.  I can't find my AP Style Guide, though I know I replaced my 1976 edition sometime this millennium. I'll take my coffee mug, though I think it will live at my apartment and not my office. It's a mug I actually remember my dad using. He passed away 26 years ago, but I like using his mug because it reminds me of him (not that I need a mug by which to remember him).
     Then there are the 13 years of business cards and six years of name badges, all with different titles. I'll pass along the magnet backs for others to use, but I think I'll toss the cards and badges. I don't need those mementos to recall the growth I've experienced at Manitowoc Public Library. 
     Yes, experience is what I most cherish and what will accompany me to Franklin Public Library and wherever else I may roam. I've grown a great deal during my tenure at MPL. I started as Public Relations Supervisor, confident in my ability to promote the library. After all, I had promoted a variety of industrial, professional and educational concerns.
     Little did I know I'd come to love libraryland. I love that a library is an essential service available to everyone in times of calm, as well as times of crisis. Libraries let everyone read, watch and listen to whatever they'd like. We try to make sure everyone can find something of interest on our shelves. Then we let people take the material they want and simply ask them to return it in a timely fashion. It's fun -- and fulfilling -- to help people. Yes, I stumbled on a great career in 2000.
    Now it's time for the next step in my career, fortified with more than a decade of library experience in addition to my business experience, but the question remains:  How much stuff should I take with me?  I think I'll consider that while I'm packing another box.