Below: Gunflint locals Elissa Grammling, Susan Weber, Thano Syroponlos and Beaner Cohen at the Geographic South Pole with the book donations for the Grand Marais Library. Left: Upon arrival in Grand Marais Linda Chappell, Mike Schelmeske, and Helen Muth excitedly unpack the “Arctic Books.”
In mid December, Director Linda Chappell received an e-mail message from Susan Weber at the South Pole indicating a desire to donate books to the Grand Marais Public Library and to the Library Friends of Cook County. Linda was excited and immediately relayed a message to me, “Looks like the Friends will be receiving some donations for the book sale from the South Pole.”
Picking up on the excitement, I was filled in on the particulars. Susan’s original message explained that in the process of re-shelving books in their Quiet Reading Room and other nooks used for popular fiction reading, she had come up with 225 pounds of duplicate and surplus books. Since the Antarctic Treaty and Antarctic Conservation Act require that surpluses be sent off the continent, she thought of Grand Marais and the idea of sharing. She noted that the people of Antarctica “revere books” and that the surpluses she had collected “had lots of joy remaining.”
Linda responded with our enthusiasm to accept the books and also requested a picture of the four Gunflint locals who are working at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, adding that Friends would like an article in the newspaper. This idea met with approval. Susan said someone there had the same idea so a picture came showing Elissa Grammling, Susan Weber, Thano Syroponlos and Beaner Cohen standing with the book donations at the Geographic South Pole. Susan included the names of two other Cook County affiliates who are at McMurdo Station: Josh Jipson and Tim Briggs. McMurdo is the shipping location in and out of Antarctica.
Nine boxes of books came in one shipment, though we had been warned that they may not arrive at one time depending on how they were shipped out. Celebrating their arrival in our local picture is Linda Chappell, Grand Marais Public Library Director; Mike Schelmeske, board member of Friends who regularly hauls donations from the library to the sorting area at City Hall; and Helen Muth, president of Library Friends.
Books in boxes are not as exciting as books in hand, so sorting and counting were done in the library. Susan Weber’s 225 pounds of donations translated into 204 paperbacks, 23 trade books, 67 hardback fiction and 14 Harry Potter! We had unboxed a wonderful assortment of authors and interests and a decision was made to offer these to our Cook County residents now rather than waiting to offer them at the annual Book Sale during Fisherman’s Picnic.
As a result, the books will be available at the Grand Marais Library during the first week of February. Come. Browse. It’s a rare chance to get a book that you like that is well-traveled and has a well-read heritage.
Thanks to the people of Antarctica for their donation. It is sincerely appreciated.
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