But as she entered the marble lobby, Violet’s mood shifted. The frenetic world of campus life slipped away and the quiet fell around her like snow. She closed her eyes and inhaled the smell she’d loved since she was a child, as if she were arriving now into a world of familiar friends. The fragrance of paper, glue, and leather. The scent of books.
Her job as a library page for Harvard’s rare book and manuscript collection, was the only thing that had kept Violet grounded since the accident. When she applied for part-time work through the Student Employment Office, she had no way of knowing that the position she’d receive would provide more than the extra money she needed,but also a refuge. Upon learning about the job, Violet had assumed it would be mostly running rare books that were requested by students or scholars, shepherding them from the stacks, to the peaceful sanctuary of the Houghton Reading Room. Only later would she realize it was so much more.
Madeline Singer, the head of special programs and the librarian curator for the Harry Elkins Widener Collection, was the last person she met in the interview process.
“I’m so pleased to meet you.” Madeline gestured for her to sit down. “I’ve already gone over your application and heard many wonderful things about you from my colleagues.”
“It’s great to meet you too,” Violet said, as she settled into the spare chair. She glanced at the tower of papers on Madeline’s desk, the stacks of books with sticky notes peeking out, and the coffee mug that said in bold block letters:JUST ONE MORE CHAPTER. Her initial nervousness softened.
“I’ve met with my staff and we’re happy to be able to offer you a job as a page at the library. We have an amazing team of students working with us, every single one of them is a great lover of books. As you can imagine, we only offer this job to students who are extremely mindful of the precious nature of our collection.”
“Thank you,” Violet stressed the words, hoping to magnify her gratitude. She had wanted the job so much. “I know how priceless so many of these books are, Ms. Singer. I’ll be extremely careful.”
“Good. That’s what we want to hear.” Madeline pushed a strand of silver hair behind her ear.
“The majority of our rare books and manuscripts will be accessible when a request comes in. You’ll get an index card with the necessary information and call number to retrieve it,” she elaborated. “We trust our pages to put each book on a trolley and transfer them through the library tunnels and elevators that connect to Houghton’s readingroom. All of that is quite straightforward. Later today, one of the other student pages will be sure to run through the protocol with you.
“The only exception is when you get a request for the Widener Memorial Collection. Those books are especially precious to Harvard. It wasn’t an accident that Mrs. Widener made sure that Harry’s collection was the central room of the library.”
It was true. From the moment one walked through the building’s entranceway, you could see Harry’s memorial room and his oil portrait above the fireplace emerging just beyond the top of the marble stairwell.
“I didn’t even know you could take his books out,” Violet admitted. The wooden bookshelves in Harry’s room ran from the floor to the ceiling, each one filled with precious leather volumes. But a protective glass covering shielded them. The collection had always appeared to Violet like a permanent museum exhibit. One could see his vast library, just not touch it.
“Yes. They’re available to read, but there’s an alarm code. So when a book needs to be taken out, you’ll need to find either me or another librarian to put in the code so you can retrieve the book from behind the glass casings with a key.”
Violet nodded and made a mental note.
“And while we’re on that subject, you might have read in last week’sCrimsonthat we’ve had some extremely unfortunate vandalization at Widener recently. Several books have been discovered slashed or with pages torn out.”
Violet had seen the report in the last issue of the school paper. She’d been so disturbed by the thought that anyone would purposefully destroy a book. “Yes, I did see that… it’s just awful!”
“It really is. And we have to be extra vigilant about our security now. I’m particularly concerned about the Widener collection and the Memorial Room. The staff has to take every precaution. We’ve even stopped putting a book from Harry’s collection on his desk because weneed to keep every volume safe.”
“That’s understandable,” Violet said.
“The administration has asked that we only have library staff inside that room, not the independent custodial company we use, while the investigation is ongoing. So while I know it’s not in your job description, I’m wondering if for the next few weeks I could entrust you to just take a damp dust rag and wipe down Harry’s desk and the table in his room?”
“Of course.”
“Then there’s just one more thing…” Madeline leaned forward.
“I’m sure you know the Widener Memorial Room has had fresh flowers placed on Harry Widener’s desk each week since the inception of the library.”
“Yes,” Violet answered. She had remembered being very moved when her tour guide had stood outside the steps of the library and described how Mrs. Widener had asked for fresh flowers to be delivered weekly to Harry’s Memorial Room and that they be placed on his desk so it looked like her son might arrive at any moment and sit down and read.
“While a standing order with the florist is easy enough, I’ve always ordered the flowers myself in the past because I wanted to add a personal touch and honor Harry’s legacy. The curator before me did this as well. I remember her telling me that ordering the flowers helped her feel connected to Harry’s spirit. Madeline’s eyes softened. “I’ve always felt the same.”
“That’s a lovely sentiment,” Violet said. “And I’m sure if Eleanor Widener were alive, she’d be extremely touched that so many curators have taken her request to heart.”
“Yes. Absolutely. So you can imagine how annoyed I was with myself when I actually forgot to order them last week! I blame it on the investigation and the looming deadline for an article I’ve been working on.
“Anyway, I was thinking it might be smart to give the responsibility to a motivated student like yourself who can keep track of these things.”She folded her hands. “I don’t want to overburden you, but of course, we’d be paying you for the extra time you put in.”
“Honestly, that sounds great. I’d be happy to have a few extra hours of work.”
“Wonderful. I appreciate it so much.”
“This will allow me to keep focused on my research.” Madeline let out a deep sigh of relief. “I’m hoping to publish my paper this spring.”
