Library Shenanigans

wingtips and squeaky toys

Wingtips. Photo provided by our anonymous Oxford shenaniganner.

Our anonymous Oxford alum sends us a second excellent shenanigan:

I’d nearly put this out of memory, but during the same period Doctor Quinn resolved to quiet the library (he’d have been aghast at the Half Naked Half Hour), and considerable effort was expended in the making of signs and in the consecration of so-called “Whisper Zones,” with (small) fines imposed upon those intent upon disregarding them.  This coincided with the discovery of a Pet Supplier in nearby Faringdon, who kept on hand a vast selection of very small “squeaky toys” intended to be clipped to the cages of Budgies, for the amusement of the birds and the vexation of their owners.

The wing-tip was the choice of the day for young gentlemen (and remains so in some circles to this day), and new stiff leather wing-tips will, before being fully “broken in” oftimes issue forth a squeaking sound, as the fresh, smooth leather rubs with each step – a sound not at all unlike that produced by a small squeaky toy placed beneath the instep, and muffled by one’s argyles.

We The vile perpetrators made a concord to speak not a word within the confines of the library, but instead to walk about as much as possible, usually in brief shifts, sometimes as many as a dozen at once.  The explanation, “new shoes” sufficed only a short time, and by the third day, new signs had appeared reading, “squeaking shoes must be removed when using the library.”  Thereafter, rows of wing-tips with paper ownership labels tucked in lined the entry hall; “squeakers” were placed beneath the sock, and the campaign continued unabated.

On the fourth day (or perhaps the fifth day – memory is unclear these many years now removed) new signs proclaimed “Students must be barefooted to access library materials.”  Undaunted, barefooted assemblages sat in mock misery, pocket squares at hand, blowing their noses with great fervour, each having taken a chill because of the draughts in the old building.  The following day, the library, devoid of all signs, recaptured its previous hum of muffled voices, and the matter was considered closed by both factions.

July 20, 2012 at 4:35 pm Leave a comment

library shenanigan, 1970s Oxford style

An anonymous shenaniniganner writes:

In the mid-nineteen seventies, at Finals, one of Oxford’s finest pranks (which truly means something, given past traditions) was perpetrated.  At the time, Vincent Quinn was Master of the Balliol Library, and his pride and joy was an original sky blue Morris Mini drophead with split folding windscreens.  The car was never seen in less than impeccable situation, and enjoyed a berth of expansive width in the park facing Broad Street to protect it from the evils of those who might park too close.

Not to be outdone by the parading of goats through Seny Hall, nor the wearing of Cat-In-The-Hat hats at the Snell Dinner, a group of Balliol’s finest and most intrepid – with the aid of a crane hire establishment – removed Doctor Quinn’s revered conveyance during the Finals Dinner to a new and glorious parking place, atop the Balliol Library, its front wheels perched upon the stone rail which surrounds the central tower above the fourth floor.

Christopher Hill, then Master of the College, made no inroads into any discovery of the masked perpetrators during the inquest which followed, as the crane hire had been paid for in cash, and the invoice signed, “Vincent Quinn.”

I hope it’s true! Thanks, anonymous shenaniganner. It’s too bad there’s no photographic evidence like that of a similar shenanigan at Cambridge in 1958. We must also bemoan the lack of documentation for Oxford’s “half-naked half-hour.”

July 17, 2012 at 9:48 pm Leave a comment

Live-In for Literacy in Canada

University students in Canada set up tents in their school libraries to raise money for Room to Read in support of literacy. Thanks, Dina Wood!

February 22, 2012 at 8:10 pm Leave a comment

Sometimes the little shenanigans are the best shenanigans

This mini-shenanigan took place in the study area just outside Special Collections, where I work. One student goofing with another, presumably.

October 18, 2011 at 9:07 pm Leave a comment