1988年1月18日,爱荷华最冷的星期一。前一晚,温度降到零下十五度。史班赛公共图书馆一片死寂,没有灯光、没有活动、没有声响,直到我开关一开,它才整个活络起来。我走到员工休息室——其实就是一间小厨房,挂好外套,开始喝咖啡。员工休息室的中心,在靠墙的位置有一个带链盖的金属大箱子。箱子上有一个金属的投递孔:非上班时间的还书管道。 January 18, 1988, Iowa’s coldest Monday. Last night, the temperature dropped to minus 15 degrees. History Ban Sai public library a dead, no light, no activity, no sound, until I switch off, it was the whole network. I went to the staff lounge - in fact, is a small kitchen, hang a coat, began to drink coffee. In the center of the staff lounge, there is a large metal box with a chain cover at the wall. There is a metal delivery hole in the box: a non-working-life return pipe.