Preparedness Pays Off!

In recent library weirdness, I got to work only to discover the lights off and nothing working. It seems there was a power outage in town. Fortunately, I usually start my workday an hour before we open to the public in order to handle the various tasks required to get ready for the day. Unfortunately, many of those tasks require electricity and an internet connection nowadays. I carry a Streamlight flashlight, but one needs both hands free for work in the stacks.

I remembered that the recent wildfire flare-ups had led to me just chucking my entire backpacking kit in the back of my vehicle. There were two essentials out there: a headlamp to see better while shelving books in the dark, and instant coffee! Three cheers for preparedness! Disaster averted!

And we even had hot water because we have an insulated water boiler for tea. But wait, there is no electricity for the pump button. What do I do? Oh, right, I have measuring cups from baking programs. Disaster averted yet again!

We did what we could in the dark and waited to see whether power would be restored. Our policy is basically, "wait and see for an hour." It so happened that power kicked back on about 15 minutes before opening time, so we were able to get all systems up and running.

I already wrote about the headlamp, because I had the Black Diamond in the backpack's waist belt. As for the coffee, it ain't great, but I have had worse. It's not necessarily this taster's choice, and I need to try a few more instant coffee options to see whether I can do better.

I also found myself pondering architecture and natural illumination. More clerestory windows would help bring natural light into our building over the top of the bookshelves, but windows also create an insulation and energy efficiency problem since even with triple-glazed insulated windows, it's still basically a massive hole in the wall. We are so reliant upon electric lighting that design does not account for when the electricity doesn't work. There's always a tradeoff. Power is an assumption baked into modern residential and commercial design. I'm not saying this is bad, just that it's something to consider if you find yourself weighing options in the design phase of your own building project.

Reminder: Hive Power Up Day starts at midnight UTC on the first day of each month. In just a few hours as of this post going live, it will be September 1st, 2023. If you can stake at least 10 Hive Power, you'll earn a badge at HiveBuzz! If you're reading this after that date has come and gone, plan ahead for whichever Power Up Day is coming next!