I will be the first to admit that when my new manager first booked a meeting with me called ‘Copy Libraries’, I was a little sceptical. Plus, it seemed a bit pushy. I immediately sent back a meeting request entitled ‘Get Coffee’ and she accepted. Okay. My manager and I had taken our first steps towards understanding each other, and our almost crippling dependence on caffeine.
A writer prepares
Not wanting to lose momentum on this exciting (if somewhat eccentric) new directive, I got started right away. I adopted the Stanislavski method favoured by acting greats Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman and Alec Baldwin. Speaking in hushed tones for the days leading up to our meeting, I looked disapprovingly over my spectacles as I lent books to people knowing that they would be returned dog-eared and overdue.
Lesson One
It was two coffees into the meeting with my manager that I realised I had seized hold of the wrong end of the stick vis-à-vis “copying libraries”. The hours I had spent categorising my local newsagent’s stock in increasing numerical order relating to three digit classifications were wasted. Thanks anyway, Dewey Decimal. Sorry for the mess, Mr Patel.
So! Okay. We were going to set up a library of copy for our clients. What a great idea. And, in retrospect, it does make a lot more sense than mimicking a book depository. Lesson learned.
