Something Feral

Digging up the flower-beds.


Monday, May 11, 2009

Better ladder than never

Honestly, I can't make this stuff up:
ACADEMICS at Oxford University have banned step-ladders from its world famous Bodleian library – because of health and safety fears.

The ban means students are unable to reach books on the top shelves but dons refuse to bring them lower because it would remove them from their “original historic location”.
"Besides," the health and safety officer said, "it's common knowledge that those books contain ideas not listed in the Party-approved literature lists, and we certainly wouldn't want that sort of rubbish floating about within easy reach... It causes sluggishly-progressing schizophrenia, and if that's not a health and safety issue, then I'm the Queen-Mum."

5 comments:

Jesse said...

Obviously, what is really going on here is that the academics think their students are so hopelessly stupid they can't even be trusted to use a ladder without hurting themselves, much less read a book. So any discussion about where the book is located is moot.

Something Feral said...

Hmmm, interesting tack for an argument, Jesse. I'm curious to why the texts have not been reproduced previous to this incident if the librarians are so very concerned about their condition.

I'm not sure I can blame the librarians; scholarship isn't what it used to be. All the more reason to supply reproductions, I would imagine.

And welcome, Jesse. I just starting reading your blog recently, so I'll add that to the blogroll soon. Stop by anytime!

Mike said...

Nothing stupid out of Britain surprises me. A willful, forceful display of common sense would be shocking.

Wonder Woman said...

I wonder how many lawsuits happened that would make people actually ban the use of ladders in a library. One apple...
Location, location, location!

Learner said...

Facepalm, indeed