Library Shenanigans

shenanigan involving Nabokov’s galoshes

September 27, 2022 at 3:52 pm 1 comment

Marcia was at Cornell University in the late 1950s, when Vladimir Nabokov was teaching there. In the video below, she relates a story involving his galoshes. Visuals by Jonathan Caws-Elwitt.

Why does this count as a library shenanigan? Jonathan and I are glad you asked. As this Google Books screen-grab shows, Goldwin Smith Hall contained a small reference library in 1920.

That takes care of the “library” part. How is it a shenanigan? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s a sort of accidental shenanigan? Don’t quibble.

Entry filed under: academic libraries, perpetrated by students or patrons.