Moving Day : Student Booklift Writes Library’s Opening Chapter

Tuesday’s student mobilization at California Lutheran College in Thousand Oaks was one for the books.

More than 1,000 of them marched for eight hours in orderly lines to empty the shelves of the old library and carry 100,000 books 200 yards to a new one. Scarcely a Library of Congress catalogue number was mixed up in the process.

The school turned to students after learning that professional movers would charge up to $30,000 and take up to two months to do the job. That would have been costly for students, who will soon need to study for final exams.

Room for 170,000 Books

It would also have been too expensive for the 25-year-old church-affiliated college, which relied on donations to pay for its new $4-million, brick-and-glass Pearson Library.

The new library has room for 170,000 books; the old one could hold only 100,000. The college has been storing 20,000 volumes in Camarillo.

Moving day was class-free so the 1,500 undergraduates could help, and librarian Ken Pflueger said he was a little afraid of the lure of the beach.

“I was really relieved to see it cloudy and chilly this morning,” he said. “It’s perfect weather.”

Library workers emptied the old shelves, handing stacks of books to students in two lines. One line stretched toward fiction, the other toward nonfiction.

Stickers on each armload denoted the destination. Rock music throbbed along the line of march to keep the pace brisk.

“I’m sacrificing economics and math classes for this,” said Teri Grimes, a 20-year-old junior majoring in German. In front of her, freshman Larree Carnes, 17, laughingly disagreed. “I’m not sacrificing anything ,” she said.

‘Better Than Dorm Room’

Jeff Birk, a 20-year-old sophomore history major, clowned around by putting one of the shelf locater stickers on his nose as he toted a set of reference books.

“This place is going to be OK,” he said, looking around the new library. “I’m moving in. I like it better than my dorm room. This place is certainly cleaner and more comfortable.”

The students were directed by Armour Nelson, 71, a retired English professor who works twice a week in the library. He wore his old Army uniform and barked directions. “Today I’m an authority figure,” he said.

Robert Hage, Ethel Beyer and Nena Amundson, college staff members who helped set up the 20,000-book campus library when the school opened 25 years ago, were among scores of college employees who helped carry books Tuesday. All three had helped move the library to its second home in 1961.

College president Jerry H. Miller had good news for students with past-due books in their rooms.

“They should keep them out a little longer,” he said. “We’re waiving overdue fines.”