After class this morning, I did my usual library stacks visit - trading in old books for new ones. While digging for books, I found a U of I Board of Trustees charter mis-shelved (it was in the 350s when it’s call number was a C IL something… So I brought it back to the desk. I also reshelved another book in the 350s that was misshelved (it was stuck in an end shelf when it actually went a few rows in.) To do this, I needed to adjust the PITA bookends for said shelf. I also moved another bookend around on another shelf to stand the books upright better than they were.

(I’ve also decided the new sprinkler system in the stacks makes it even harder to navigate around. If some of those spaces were tight before, imagine a pipe sticking down through most of the hallways 6″ or so. It’s worse than Rossinnos in there.)

Then, considering I didn’t have lunch plans, and I remembered the email from earlier in the week, I decided to give blood. The Red Cross is collecting today and Friday upstairs in the Union. This time, I did what’s called a “double red” donation. I’ve seen it before, but never had the time to try it. It uses apheresis to take out twice the red blood cells as traditional whole blood donations. It pumps some blood out, does its thing to suck out the red blood cells, and pumps the rest back in. It does this through the same needle, and takes about 20 minutes longer than a normal donation. It was a pretty good experience, and I’d probably do this again. It actually takes less volume than a whole blood donation, and doesn’t have so much of the side effects since it can put the rest of the platelets and white blood cells back. For my troubles, I had a nice chat with the red cross ladies. They gave me lunch, a card for free music downloads, dessert, and a t-shirt.

(I also ran into Yi Ding in the union shoppe. He’s home for spring break, and will be starting a job in Chicagoland soon. I didn’t have the heart to tell him we’re still using his userhelp code.)

As far as cleaning up the stacks, and giving blood: I didn’t *have* to do these things, but I was right there, and I knew I could do them, so why not? I believe in Ghandi’s “be the change you want to see in the world.” Can you imagine what our world would be like if everyone gave a little back?