The phrase “Jewel in the Crown” in reference to the Coffman Library first appeared in the February 1986 edition of 1666 Coffman News. Interestingly, that article’s headline reads: “Two-Storied Library Overlooks Golf Greens.” Today our library is still the “Jewel in the Crown,” while the golf course’s future is debatable.

In 1986, there was no carefully developed, spiffy new collection to greet residents on move-in day. Instead, before they moved in, each new resident was given a quota of books that s/he could donate to the Library. New resident and former Professor of Theatre Arts Dr. David Thompson supervised volunteers who sorted and categorized those books. By December 1986, the books were on the shelves, ready for browsing and borrowing.

We are indebted to those pioneer residents who donated books from their personal collections. Some of those early donations (e.g. art, drama, fiction, and poetry) are classics and still on the shelves today. Their local history donations constitute the core of the Library’s MINNESOTA/MIDWEST collection on the Library’s upper level.

Those early Library Committee members also recognized that there were important books throughout the collection written or edited by Coffman residents and deserving to be in the permanent collection. These were assembled together, also on the upper level, in a section designated 1666 AUTHORS.

Budget, collection size, and usage statistics from the early days are sketchy. However, in an April 1992, 1666 Coffman News article there was a hint of overcrowding on the library shelves. By late 1993, the overcrowding was impossible to ignore.

In a December 1993 article, resident and former Director of University of Minnesota Libraries Edward “Ned” Stanford wrote that the shelves were “bursting at the seams.” His compelling case for removing (weeding) less useful books from the shelves was approved by the Board soon after.

​Today, the Library Committee adds books to the collection based on written guidelines. We keep detailed statistics on which books are of most interest to residents. We try to assign more shelf space to residents’ favorite genres and subjects. We address crowded shelves as soon as we recognize them. In short, we do what we can so that our Library’s collection lives up to its “Jewel in the Crown” nickname. 

change and how we will be judged by future generations. It is also an intricate story of adultery, secrets and lies. And there is a murder as well.

By 2119, the world population has declined due to environmental changes and global conflicts. Many animals have become extinct.  Britain is an archipelago of islands, America is partly under water in a state of civil war, China is a democracy, and Nigeria is the tech hub of the world.   Nature, however, is beginning to flourish once again. People drink acorn coffee and eat protein bars.  Universities still exist! And so does the internet! But there is no GPS as the satellites have burned up. Encryptions no longer work due to advances in computing, and all material that previous generations put on the internet, including emails, journals and texts, are freely available to everyone (beware of what you post online!). 

The first part of the book is narrated by Tom, and the second part is narrated by Vivien.   The narrative takes interesting twists and turns. McEwan’s writing is cerebral and stylish. The characters continue to reside in my head, and I would love to read the book all over again.

I have always enjoyed reading Ian McEwan’s works.  I loved Atonement (I enjoyed the movie as well) and Amsterdam.    I recall not liking Saturday as much.   I remember reading On Chesil Beach, but I cannot recollect my feelings about the book.

What We Can Know was published in September of this year and is not in the Coffman Library yet.  Our library owns Atonement (2014), Sweet Tooth (2012) and The Children Act (2014); all can be found in the Fiction section. ​

 secrets. The story moves with Nuri from Cairo to London to Geneva and various places in between.

Matar’s language is chiseled and elegant as he describes Nuri’s efforts to develop an intimacy with his father after his mother’s death and his longing for his father after his disappearance.  In searing, sensual prose, Matar delves into Nuri’s relationships with the women in is life: his mother, his stepmother, and their family maid Naima. The story told from the point of an adolescent has an Arabian talelike quality and is a compelling work of fiction exposing the gruesome wrongs which are sometimes inflicted upon innocent bystanders.

There are several autobiographical elements in this novel.  Matar was born in New York City to Libyan parents.  He spent his childhood in Tripoli and Cairo and now lives in London and New York.   His father, Jaballa Matar, a prominent opponent of the Qaddafi regime was kidnapped while living in exile in Cairo and is still missing. Much of Matar’s writing deals with absence and loss.
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The book is not currently a part of the Coffman Library’s collection.  In the meantime, if you are interested in the author our library does own Matar’s My Friends. Look for it in the Fiction section shelved under the author’s last name.