Saturday, June 18, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

CORRECTION, 6/19/05 - A photo caption in Saturday's edition misidentified audience members at a reading-aloud marathon in Henderson. The male dancers pictured are part of the "Thunder From Down Under."

READ UNTIL YOU LEAD

Henderson librarians shoot for record with 100-hour narration

Mae Giaimo reads as members of her team, the Thunder From Down Under and author Robyn Carr lend support Friday at the Paseo Verde Library in Henderson. The team's 100 hours of reading aloud has been submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records. Photo by Clint Karlsen.

The challenge called for daring, perseverance and a willingness to abandon personal hygiene for five days. Six of Henderson's most extreme librarians, undaunted by the prospect of becoming ripe while on public display, volunteered for the assignment: Break the world record for reading aloud.

On Friday, after 100 consecutive hours of turning pages in front of a video camera in the conference room of the Paseo Verde Library, the hoarse fellowship declared mission accomplished.

Gibson Library Branch Manager Mae Giaimo burst into tears as the sound of popping apple cider corks and a thick spray of liquid streamers heralded the end of their quest.

"I hate to say it, but this was my big, fat idea," said Giaimo, the team captain, who survived the week on multiple infusions of caffeine. "And I was able to talk five other idiots into doing it with me."

Giaimo's company will be notified in six to eight weeks whether Guinness World Records has approved the onslaught on the old read-aloud record of 81 hours. But team members are calling the effort a success, partly because it helped raise about $6,000 for MEL, Henderson's mobile extension library program that makes books available to rural residents.

"We've had different corporate sponsors every day, and they've been great," Giaimo said. "And we've also gotten nickels and dimes from the people who come to the library."

Giaimo assembled her team with an eye toward endurance:

• Bryan Fearn, a reference librarian, competes in triathlons.

• Internet Services Librarian Joan Vaughan has scaled the heights of Mount Kilimanjaro.

• The other marathon readers included librarians Marcie Smedley, Shannon Berndt and Michelle Mazzanti.

Vaughan, whose unwashed hair was tucked into a baseball cap, got to read the final words on Friday, ending the team effort with the last line of Chapter IV from Agatha Christie's novel "Remembered Death."

"I'm pretty thrilled," Vaughan said with a grin. "I'm especially thrilled not to hear anyone reading aloud right now."

The marathon began at 9 a.m. on Monday, and the five Harry Potter novels took the team 72 hours to verbalize. The rest of the time was filled with a variety of westerns, romances and mysteries. The librarians read in shifts and weren't allowed to leave the conference room for any reason except for a five-minute bathroom break each hour. Most team members managed to get about 10-12 hours of sleep during the marathon by taking naps while nestled in sleeping bags on the floor.

The close quarters, the zany nature of their task and the inability to wash made for some interesting moments, several individuals said. On Thursday night, fed up with his greasy locks, Fearn snapped and ended up treating his teammates to a re-enactment of a movie scene.

"I said: `Look guys, "Flashdance," ' " Fearn said, demonstrating the vigorous head-shaking he treated his co-workers to while attempting to dry out.

Giaimo said the attempt would not have been possible without the help of friends, family and Henderson library workers. Because the Guinness Book of World Records requires an audience to be present at all times during the marathon, those are the people who volunteered to fill in as listeners during the wee hours of the late night and early morning when the facility was closed to the public.

Support from the public was just as strong for the team as they entered the final leg of their marathon on Friday. Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson popped in to see how things were going. Male dancers from the "Thunder from Down Under" showed up just in time to be regaled with a reading from best-selling author Robyn Carr's latest romance release: "Runaway Mistress." Carr, who lives in Henderson, was also on hand to cheer the team on.

Carr was pleased her book was chosen as a marathon selection, but said it was a bit strange hearing her novel read aloud in front of a crowd. Because it was a romance, she tried to recall exactly how many blushing moments she'd penned.

"I kept thinking to myself, `What exactly did I put in the book?' " Carr said.

The "Thunder From Down Under" dancers came as unofficial good-will ambassadors because it was a group of Australian librarians that had taken the read-aloud record to 81 hours.

"We just wanted to show our support," Thunder dancer Adam Hughes said. "We're part of the Las Vegas landscape now. We live here. We work here. I live in Green Valley."

Henderson Library District Executive Director Tom Fay applauded the team for their efforts and raised a glass to their accomplishment.

"Here's a toast to the best group of people in the city of Henderson," Fay said.