Meet Urvashi Dave, a welcome presence at the Check Out Desk and an organizational diva behind the scenes. Here’s what Urvashi has to share:
Q: How long have you worked at the Princeton Public Library?
A: Since September 2008.
Q: What do you like best about working in Lending Services?
A: I love working with people and I love books and reading. At PPL and especially in Lending Services we have a good team.
Q: Tell us about your journey to Princeton.
A: By the time I turned five, I had lived in five different towns in India. So I think at some point in my life, I came to accept it as my destiny that I would move around a lot. I was born in Rajkot and lived in Chotila, Quilon, Pappaniseri, Bangalore, Bellary, Ahmedabad, Baroda, and Calcutta. My point of entry to the U. S. was Chicago in 1978. The first time I saw snow was on Thursday morning of Thanksgiving – two feet of snow! It is a beautiful memory etched permanently in my mind. I also remember leaving work and rushing home to watch “The Brady Bunch,” “Star Trek,” and other shows. I was 23 years old and had not watched a show on TV. I loved going to see plays and I saw “Camelot” with Richard Burton, “The King and I” with Yul Brynner, and “The Nutcracker” with Baryshnikov. In 1980 we moved to Ann Arbor, where we took to driving and seeing the country. Later we lived in Salt Lake City. We visited all the parks. In 2000 we moved to Dallas, and in 2004 to New Jersey.
Q: Did you go to a public library in India?
A: Growing up, I did not have access to any library. My dad used to travel by train with his work and he loved reading novels. I sneaked fiction from his bag. I remember reading Agatha Christie. In college on the way home I found a few small shops in the city that rented books. I saved all my money to rent books. My husband and I were engaged when I was 17. His first gift to me was “Dr. Zhivago.”
Q: What are some of the best books you’ve read recently?
A: “People of the Book” by Geraldine Brooks, “The Lost Painting” by Jonathan Harr, and “My Name is Red” by Orhan Pamuk.
Thanks, Urvashi!