Libraries. I know, right now a good book is the LAST thing on your mind. You've got runners assaulting the front door, crawlers chewing on the back door, and you're working with extremely limited resources. But honestly, the library is one of the only reasons I would even suggest that you go into any sort of urban environment. If you're going to be in the closed layout of a town then you'd best have a really good reason to be there; cities are naturally chuck full of zombies, it's hard to see a runner at close quarters, and there is very likely to be all sorts of things that could infect you other than the zekes- don't forget that even though a zombie is dead, any contact with fluids nearby can result in infection and ultimately your demise.
So what about a library could be so important that you would dare leaving your bunker undermanned [possibly unguarded], and make a dangerous trek [possibly on foot], into the center of the enemies hunting grounds where the highest concentration of runners are looking for fresh brains? Suggestion: Secure the gun-lugging macho man to a chair before he reads this [Thespis, is Havoc secured?]
The reason, one of the only reasons I'd suggest you make that trek, is because knowledge is power.
"Power? Are you serious? You're worried about status and smarts at a time like this?!" -Not quite.
Think of it this way: we're normal people. Generally speaking we're high school and college students between 15 and 25 years old. We're academics. Face it y'all- we may not particularly like homework, but we can do research. We've been well trained to handle paper and memorize information.
"Write a paper? We may roll our eyes, but we can do it. Read Plato? Ok, Whatever. Survive a zombie Apocalypse? Ok, I think we can do that." -Wrong.
Like I said: We're students. Chances are, none of us know much about first aid, the spread of infections, how to purify large amounts of water, real architecture, making something fire retardant, growing potatoes under the kitchen sink to power the internet, what foods would be best to use, how to prepare them, or what to do if someone gets the flu and we have no medicine. What happens if someone has a mental breakdown? What happens if all the sudden someone gets really sick? Should you quarantine the person? What's the difference between the cold, the flu, and the Zombie virus?
Most of us are unorganized, unprepared, and uninformed. Simply a book on medicinal herbs could save your friends life. I've heard some horror stories from other bunkers where someone got the flu and half the bunker had to be restrained because they thought the poor guy had the zombie virus and were trying to kill him. That is called hysteria [just in case you didn't know].
In other words; a library can be the last ditch effort that saves your life.
Now, with all that said, libraries are, generally speaking, bad places to be in a zombie apocalypse. It's a closed building, it's dark, and the stacks tend to be too close together to see if there's a runner on the next row. Also they tend to be 'goldmines' for capitalists and other survivors who may not want to share resources. I've heard tell of a library in Tuscon where a mercenary group had set up shop and was demanding supplies in trade for books. Bet you didn't know that there were still capitalists in the post civilization era.
My suggestion is this; carry something with you that you can trade for books if there are mercs, if there aren't then you won't have to worry about being away from your bunker for a prolonged amount of time, you'll have supplies if you get hemmed in.
Another suggestion is this; if you haven't already lifted a shopping cart from the grocery store now would be a good time to do that. Books are heavy, and you may not be making another trip to the library in a while.
Here's another issue; What books should you choose? You're not going to have a lot of time once you get into the library, certainly no time to be browsing.
Obviously, not many of us have the Dewey Decimal System memorized off the cuff, so here is the basic run down.
000 = Generalities, 100 = Philosophy & Psychology, 200 = Religion, 300 = Social Sciences, 400 =Language, 500 = Natural sciences & Mathematics, 600 = Technology (applied Science), 700 = The Arts, 800 = Literature and Rhetoric, 900 = Geography & History
"Ok, that was nice; where should we camp out? We can't go row by row!" -You're very right. This is a list of books you're going to want in the long run, and where to find them. My suggestion is that you grab one of each- be sure to leave some for the next survivalist, the world is seriously going to suck if you're the last survivor, do the other bunkers a favor. Also, the Library is a necessary hazard- If you can, leave your radio frequency and the name of the bunker somewhere obvious so that any other bunkers that get there after you will have a way to contact you. There's safety in numbers, if you can make alliances with other bunkers then that's only more power for you!
Encyclopedias = 030-039
These come as top priorities. They're basically the 101 survey course of everything, not only that, but they're fun to read. Also check out the 610.00 area for Medical Encyclopedias.
Anything on Psychology and or mental health is also very important. Generally you'll find Psych books in the 150 section, though the 100 section is a good place to quickly glance through to see if you can find things that may be of help. In specific, Seligman's "Learned Optimism" [generally found at 155.2] can be a great help to your team's mental health.
In the 500s, Math is useful. Yes, we all hate it, but it's useful. Grab a few math books while you're there, that way when you NEED physics you can crunch the numbers.
In the 600s- get the cart ready, here we go.
615 Pharmacology & theraputics, 616 Diseases, 617 Surgery & related medical specialties, 619 Experimental medicine, 621 Applied physics, 627 Hydraulic engineering, 628 Sanitary & municipal engineering, 629 Other branches of engineering, 630 Agriculture, 631 Techniques, equipment, materials, 632 Plant injuries, diseases, pests, 633 Field & plantation crops, 634 Orchards, fruits, forestry, 635 Garden crops (Horticulture), 636 Animal husbandry, 637 Processing dairy & related product, 646 Sewing, clothing, personal living, 649 Child rearing & home care of sick [no, seriously.], 658 General management, 662 Explosives, fuels technology, 669 Metallurgy, 671 Metalworking & metal products, 672 Iron, steel, other iron alloys, 673 Nonferrous metals, 674 Lumber processing, wood products, cork, 675 Leather & fur processing, 676 Pulp & paper technology, 677 Textile, 681 Precision instruments & other devices, 682 Small forge work (Blacksmithing), 684 Furnishings & home workshops, 685 Leather, fur, related product, 690 Buildings, 691 Building material, 694 Wood construction Carpentry, and finally, 695 Roof covering.
I know that was a lot of information- but do you see now why you're going to NEED information? There's no one on your team who knows all of that stuff. This is the stuff you're going to need not only off the bat, but also long term for survival, some of these subjects aren't in reference to day at a time survival anymore, this has vision to it, and is a great way to boost your team's morale. Always have a future goal to meet, it makes life seem less hopeless.
In the 700s and 800s there really isn't much that is for survival only- but it's still important. Art is there to make life easier, to relieve stress and help you just enjoy life a little between the assaults. I would suggest 792 Stage presentations, 793 Indoor games & amusements, 794 Indoor games of skill, 795 Games of chance, 796 Athletic & outdoor sports & games, 799 Fishing, hunting, shooting - some may be more useful than others, but generally speaking they're just good for relaxing. Fishing is a good way to procure food- though with fish you have to be extra careful because water is usually contaminated and you don't want to risk infection for a mouthful of bass. Plays, poetry and things that can be read out loud and enjoyed by everyone are also a good way to relax at the end of the shift, you can find those in the 800 section [810-818]
Speaking of which; we now know that we're going to be spending a lot of time camped in the 600 section, and that you absolutely have to make a quick stop at the 150's for psych books. Here's something I bet you weren't expecting. Go to the fiction section and empty a shelf into the cart too.
"Fiction? Empty a shelf? oh, for kindling!!!" -No. For reading.
Just the fact that you're running your radio off of potatoes rigged into a battery states that you're not pulling enough electricity to run a television, so what do you do to get your mind off of the fact that you're trying to survive an apocalypse? Read something. A good book can be read out loud to the whole group and can be a great amount of fun and very enjoyable.
I once heard of a team in Utah who would read a book over their frequency and as a result they found three other bunkers that otherwise wouldn't have made it. The other bunkers joined with the primary and they have a small organized society set up now.
As you can see, survival is about more than just having enough ammo, and we hope you are able to get out to your local library soon to collect the information that you need.
-Avalon
