Savidge/Bowers Library Blog

Happy New Year!

2011-09-02T14:41:00.000-04:00

Where did August go? Hey, where did SUMMER go? Here we are, back in the swing of things. It's a new and improved school year! Blue week only schedule, lots of new students (and faculty!), plenty of great classes to take and wonderful extracurriculars too.

And, of course, lots of new books and DVDs. I counted: last week alone I added 50 new DVD titles to our already-impressive collection, on everything from war to art to history and feature films too. Everything in the entire library except reference books can be checked out by anyone - students, faculty, staff - so come see what's new!

Realistically, however, you're probably here for a Mac charger. I have more of those too, so do stop by. And welcome back!

Name that search!

2011-01-26T10:54:00.006-05:00

I am about to roll out a fabulous new feature for the library, and I need your help. Early next week I hope to change the way you do research for your papers, homework, class discussions, even just to satisfy your curiosity. Instead of visiting four or five different databases on the library webpage, you will now be able to type your search term into one box, click a button, and as if by magic you will search every one of our electronic resources and the book catalog simultaneously. (Except Questia, and I'll say more about that later.)

Got that? Those of you researching Alexander the Great, Shakespeare, or the causes of the Great Depression - in the past you had to search the library catalog, then look for articles in Gale, then EBSCO, then Questia, and then some of you looked at Oxford Art Online and Bloom's too, returning to the library page every time. No more! Now you just type in "Alexander the Great," click the button, and wait for dozens of relevant resources to be returned, all in one spot. Except Questia. Why?

Because as you experienced paper-writers know, Questia keeps a digital bookshelf just for you, from which you can take notes, make a bibliography, and do other useful academic things. That requires an individual login and password, so a Questia search can't be jammed in there with the rest of the research materials.

It's still pretty revolutionary (some colleges are starting to do this, so you're ahead of the game!), still pretty exciting, and . . . you can do it from home, too. Ask me how!

So, why do I need your help? Because this fabulous new way to search needs a name. There will be a simple box in the library webpage and in it will be a single word that describes the wonder of this amazing new tool. Some obvious choices have already been taken: Searchasaurus is out, for example. I will award a small but very pleasant prize to he or she who thinks of the best, most exciting and appropriate name, with an extra prize for making it a cool acronym, like SCORE - Student Centered Online Research Experience. (No, that's not an option.) Open to students and faculty alike - time is running out, so get started!

The library wants your opinion!

2011-01-05T10:00:00.004-05:00

Hello, readers! I've been away too long, but as you may know I was busy enjoying my chance to teach Issues in Contemporary Society to the senior class last semester and it diverted my attention a little, if pleasantly. It was wonderful getting to know our seniors better, but equally wonderful to have a bit more time to devote to library tasks.

One of which is exploring e-reader technology for the library! Many of you have e-readers already, and I'd like to hear about it. Come see me at the desk and sing the praises of your Nook, Kindle, Sony, whatever - convince me that's what I want to buy. Your opinion matters. Can't stop by? Email me. Thanks!

Home at last

2010-10-22T09:03:00.000-04:00

This is Homecoming Weekend. Last night kicked things off with an epic bonfire and tonight is the all-school family picnic followed by what will be one of the most important games in Out-of-Door history: the first Homecoming football game at our very own field. At long last the Out-of-Door Thunder has a place to call its own: brand-new tennis courts, baseball fields, and a stadium for football and soccer complete with grandstand and concession area. It's been a hive of activity around here ever since I was hired on in August of '08: since then I have seen the Arts Building and Black Box theater, then some renovations on the Petrik Thunderdome gym, then the construction of the Gelbman Wellness Center, and now the Homecoming inauguration of Thunder Arena. Am I wearing my blue and white? You bet!

Saturday is the dance, and from the rumblings I've been hearing on campus all week it will no doubt prove historic in its own way . . . I'll be reporting on that next week. See you at the game!

Way past my due date!

2010-10-07T15:28:00.000-04:00

That was too easy, but it's not every day you can mix a library joke with obstetrical humor, right? As some of you may have noticed, I took leave last March, now have the second of two of the world's cutest children, and have failed to update the blog in about six months. I promise to more regularly appear here in the future. Other than the obvious, the really important thing is that I have shiny new databases to unveil. Want a personal demo? Come visit me at the desk, and prepare to be dazzled.

Breaking news!

2010-03-12T10:40:00.000-05:00

The Bolt has gone online! Moving from its traditional paper format to a digital one, Out-of-Door's own student newspaper debuted today in its shiny new form. Faculty adviser Ken Sommers and his team of hard-boiled journos made the switch after what was no doubt careful deliberation and some gentle polling. So, for the latest in ODA news, events and of course those bold opinions, visit The Bolt at http://theodabolt.com/.

100 days and counting

2010-03-10T15:34:00.001-05:00

Pictured above: Miss Mandel as wise, constant Penelope, wife of Odysseus, and Mr. Woods in his guise as President Truman. Mr. Woods claims not to like what his countrymen call "fancy dress," but I think his scarlet bowtie is quite dashing. Don't tell him I said so.

I can't believe it's been almost two years already, but I remember writing this very post at this time last year. Here at Out-of-Door there is a lovely tradition upheld by the senior class, in which the students honor their teachers with a dinner when 100 days of the graduating class's final year are left. This year we were able to hold the event in the new Black Box Theatre, part of the new Arts Building that opened this past fall. As ever, it was a glowingly special occasion - I know last year I derived tremendous satisfaction from hearing how my colleagues affect the lives of their students every day, and I am pleased to count myself among their number. This year I had the pleasure of hearing words from Anika P. and Sarah H., two articulate women with bright futures on the horizon. I am glad to have had some small impact on them during my short tenure here so far, and so although I am taking my leave on March 19th and do not plan to return to work until August, it's because of students like them that I will be back for the Senior Dinner in June, and commencement exercises shortly after.

Overheard in the library

2010-02-11T15:59:00.000-05:00

"Math is cool!" Really. I heard that with my own ears - the speaker was sitting right next to me as I was covering some books to get them shelf-ready. She meant it. She and two classmates were working on some fairly advanced math problems to prepare for a test, and they had a kind of dawning epiphanic moment when it all came together. It was nice just to be nearby.

Also overheard in the library is Miss Mandel's impassioned plea for some help with shelving the books. It's a mostly physical task but takes a little thought too, and that should be worth something. And it is! If you give me an hour of your time, I can give you community service credit. See me at the desk for more info.

Thunder Fun Day, complete with real thunder!

2010-01-29T11:41:00.000-05:00

Not only is it Friday, it's the day before Thunder Fun Day. Tomorrow is the Fourth Annual Thunder Fun Day on the Uihlein Campus at Lakewood Ranch, a day filled with games, music, food, and, well, fun. This year, some actual thunder too - the weatherpeople are predicting some potentially exciting meteorology out there. Never fear! Activities and events (including the cakewalk) are scheduled to take place under tents and inside the Petrik Thunderdome, so Fun can happen no matter what's going on in the sky. I plan to be there with my #1 Son and his grandmother, so Fun is a virtual guarantee. Thunder too, apparently.

So come on out and join us - it's going to be a rainy Saturday, so you can't go to the beach, cut the grass or wash the car. Instead, hear some live music, play some games, eat a little popcorn and be with your friends. And . . . if you're curious about the weather you might be seeing, we just got a five-volume set of the Encyclopedia of Weather and Natural Disasters, so there's no need to stay underinformed. See you there.

Second semester, third trimester

2010-01-06T14:46:00.000-05:00

Welcome back and Happy New Year! I haven't really discussed it on the blog because a) it's not really library-related; b) I don't want to be one of those irritating women who talks about nothing else and c) people under the age of about 25 generally find it uninteresting or potentially even icky, but . . . that's not just post-holiday weight gain I'm toting around.

I suppose it does become library-related when the librarian goes on maternity leave, though. So, exactly as we began the second semester here at school, I started my first trimester - I've got just three months to go before I take home Bundle of Joy #2 on March 24. Let me get this list of FAQ's out of the way first, and then we'll get back to the books:

1) It's a boy. We're planning to call him Rory.
2) I'm doing just fine, thanks for asking.
3) It is actually OK if you rub the bump as long as we've met at least once.
4) If you'd like more specifics, feel free to ask. Otherwise . . . see above.

Perhaps more significantly, I spent part of last semester re-labeling all the literary criticism to make it easier for you to find books for your research papers and I'm exploring wonderful new databases for electronic materials. Also, the library received a lovely gift that will allow me to purchase some terrific new resources for the study of Shakespeare and Elizabethan England. I'm looking forward to what the future holds - here and at home, too.

Coming in to the home stretch

2009-12-01T15:54:00.000-05:00

It's been on everyone's lips today: having just returned from Thanksgiving, we have two weeks left till the exam period and just three weeks overall till it's winter vacation. Where did the time go?

But don't panic! Instead, start revieweing your semester notes now, eat a nutritious dinner every night, follow it with a solid eight hours of peaceful slumber, and wash those hands. You don't want to sacrifice 16 weeks of work to a germ or two, and it would be tragic to have studied carefully all term just to go off-course at the last minute. So be sensible this year, although it just wouldn' t be exam time without injecting a little last-minute drama into the proceedings, would it? So say it with me now: "HOLY COW. I AM TOTALLY GONNA FAIL THIS TEST. I STAYED UP ALL NIGHT AND ATE PURE COFFEE GROUNDS RIGHT OUT OF THE JAR AND I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT THE KNIGHT'S TALE IN CHAUCER MEANS."

There. That's done. Now breathe deeply, return to your textbooks and grab that highlighter. And let me know if I can help with those final essays or paper revisions, OK?

WHAT TIME IS IT?

2009-10-23T15:35:00.001-04:00

Well, most of you would probably say that it's about 3:45, or early fall, or time for a snack.

But it's not.

It's hammer time.

That's right, it's Homecoming. I have to write this rather quickly, because it's also time for me to go home, change into something durable, pick up Mister Miss Mandel and our small son, and head to the family picnic before the big game. We are playing the Panthers of Bradenton Christian at Twin Lakes Park at 7 p.m., and it promises to be an action-packed night. At the pep rally today Coach Timmons, whom I believe has a touch of the poet in him, pointed out that in just four years we've gone from starting the football program from the very ground up to being a real force to contend with in a district championship.

We are Thunder Nation! And it is Hammer Time! It's also time for me to go - see you at the big game, OK?

Explore the forbidden - read a banned book!

2009-09-30T11:03:00.000-04:00

It's Banned Book Week! For most librarians, this is the equivalent of the first day of spring, or Fourth of July fireworks. You know the image we all have of shushing librarians in tweed skirts telling us what to do? Here's their secret: within those cardigan-wearing chests beat some very rebellious hearts. I haven't met a librarian yet who really believes censorship is a good idea. If you seriously ask a librarian point-blank for a piece of information, no matter how "dangerous" society deems it to be, I bet nine times out of ten she (or he) will drop everything to get it for you. And that goes double for something "dangerous" to read - watch those sensible shoes make tracks into the stacks to retrieve Huck Finn or Invisible Man at top speed.

Here in the Savidge Bowers Library, I'm proud to say that of the top 100 most frequently banned and challenged books of the last century, we own 83. And I'm working on getting the remaining 17. As I said, that doesn't make me unusual - it makes me part of a whole universe of librarians who care about helping people preserve their intellectual freedom. Today I had one of those singular moments that really makes a librarian feel like this is her calling, not just her job: Mrs. Dozier brought in a class of eighth-graders to look through the banned book display for some free-reading selections. Several inquisitive students asked who has the right to tell anyone else what they're allowed to read. "Nobody!" said Ryan F. That's exactly right - nobody. It's a short hop from banning books to banning speech to banning thought.

So, celebrate your personal freedom and pick a banned book for yourself this week. I can make recommendations based on taste, but only you get to decide which one you take home.

Autumn arrives

2009-09-22T09:18:00.000-04:00

Equinox: from the Latin for "equal night," meaning that the length of daylight and evening hours are just about equal at this time, the vernal or autumnal equinox.

Today, officially, is the first day of fall - my favorite time of year. Here in Sarasota it doesn't feel much like fall in the traditional sense; it is, after all, in the 90s or close every day. Still, there's the feeling that we're all settling in and getting down to business. School clothes, book buying, tests, Homecoming, Winter Break, spring finals . . . scholars often claim that contemporary humans have lost the cyclical sense of time our ancient forebears used to have, that because most of us no longer reckon our existence based on the planting cycle we forget there are seasons. But for those of us in academia, the years go by in a continuous spiral of beginning, middle, end and back to beginning. I've said this before, but I'll say it again - many people do not welcome fall with the same sense of pleasure I do, because if winter is the metaphorical death of the year, then autumn is its slow decline. For me, though, autumn will always be the finest season, a time of new beginnings and fresh possibilities.

Yes, we have it

2009-09-16T10:37:00.001-04:00

The Lost Symbol is here. That's right, we have it. Well, sort of. We had it, and then we lent it out. Most people think of the school library as the place to check email, do homework, and use the occasional Civil War reference book, but guess what? We are also a hotbed of the latest and greatest. When you wanted Twilight, I had that, and now that you want The Lost Symbol, I've got that for you too. Or, at least, I will have it for you when it comes back on the 25th, then the next one in line gets it. So, that's my point: put a hold on it in the library system, and you can claim your prize with just a few keystrokes.

While we're on the subject, I have New Moon, too. Ask at the desk. In the meantime, over the summer we received several hundred other new books, all of which are just dying to be checked out and taken home, so why not give another book a chance while you're waiting? You might just discover the next Great American Novel back there in the stacks before anybody else does.

Everyone's a critic

2009-09-04T11:15:00.001-04:00

This week I visited the 10th graders in Mrs. Giraud's English classes to show off one of my favorite features of the new library software system. The new system allows readers to write and post book reviews of books we have in the library - readers can give up to five stars for "awesome," and can include a written review of up to 1,000 characters. After they get approved by me (of course), they get posted to the catalog for everyone's edification - bang, we're just like Amazon.

In fact, I want and need these reviews and so do other students. When I go to purchase something for the library, I read reviews on Amazon and in Booklist and other trade publications - if the reviews are uniformly bad, I don't buy it. On the other hand, if all reviews about this author or that one are glowing, sometimes I buy everything he or she has written.

So if you've got a favorite author, now is the time for your voice to be heard! Want help finding the "reviews" tab in the library interface? Ask at the desk. You knew that already, right?

A childhood wish fulfilled at last!

2009-08-26T16:44:00.000-04:00

And you were all there to witness it. Yesterday I had the honor of representing the faculty against the students in the Thunder Cup Spelling Bee, ably assisted by Mr. Woods. As a child, I was an excellent speller - so much so that by sixth grade my English teacher excused me from spelling tests and sent me to the library instead. (Maybe that's where it all started?) For whatever reason, my town did not have spelling bees, so I never had the chance to put my skills to the test on local-access TV or compete for scholarships or any other spelling-related glamorous prize.

I will confess that I did not feel good about having to wrest the glory from Nick C., but a game's a game, I suppose, and Nick was very sportsmanlike indeed, as is his habit. The final word was "kaleidoscope," and although it was a major struggle at the time, I have never been more grateful I took Greek in grad school. Well, I might have been more grateful that day I got stuck in an elevator in Athens, but this was a close second.

Now all we have to do is get Arno Weller to ask me to my junior prom and we will pretty much have fixed up any lingering girlhood dreams from my past. Let me know if you find him, OK?

Welcome back!

2009-08-13T16:24:00.000-04:00

Let's see . . . I'm cataloging new books, making sure all my library patrons are updated in the system, had the chairs re-covered, there's a new photocopier - yup, the new school year is just around the corner!

There are some exciting changes to behold in the 09-10 season, including a brand-new library system with all kinds of great features. I can't wait to show it off to everyone. Plus, I've got scads of wonderful new books on all kinds of subject and tons of new DVDs, too. Stop by and see me and get the latest on what's new!

Vegas, baby!

2009-04-20T16:15:00.000-04:00

Well, you've heard the rumors. It's true: the librarians are converging on Las Vegas. That's right, we're going to kick up our heels in our sensible shoes. Do rhinestones go with brown tweed? Oh, stop. I've spent at least a portion of every day here proving that librarians are not at all the stodgy, puritanical, bun-wearing student-shushing harpies that popular culture would have us believe. At least, I hope so.

This week, the Association of Independent School Librarians is having its annual conference, and this year it so happens it's in Sin City. It's just the luck of the draw - it could have been Indianapolis or Pittsburgh. I"ll be spending the majority of my days learning about how other independent schools operate their libraries, what they have in common with us, how we might improve or be an example for others - very important, useful things. But, when in Rome . . . so perhaps in the interest of empirical research I might finally learn what "double down" actually means.

Already?

2009-04-13T13:07:00.001-04:00

Here in the land of academia, we divide our time into semesters, then quarters, then weeks . . . the short version is that having returned from Spring Break, we've got six weeks left! Didn't I just get here a few minutes ago? And yet here I am, six weeks away from the end of my first year as a librarian.

As some journeys end, others are just beginning: the seniors go off for their internships for the month of May and return for commencement before they fly the nest for good, off to college and the great beyond. "Commencement" is an interesting term to use: it literally means that something begins - we picture it as the end of a long journey, but it's also where the path starts, doesn't it?

If I seem more philosophical than usual today it's because I'm contemplating my own journey. Several weeks ago I was hunting through some stored clothes, looking for my cap and gown to wear to commencement. The more degrees you have, the more elaborate the gowns get and so my ensemble includes a red velvet hood, along with assorted tassels. I found it, hung it up to shed its wrinkles and went on my way that day. And then suddenly I realized I'd be wearing it twice this year. My own graduation is mere months away, the culmination of years of work, and so in that regard I think I feel a little bit of what our seniors are experiencing - the relief at least, if not that delicious sensation of what the future might hold; that's already been fulfilled for me (see above!)

I have been working towards a master of arts in library science since 2003 and this summer I can finally enjoy some more letters after my name, finishing the last two classes required of me and taking that short but meaningful walk across the stage. And after that, a well-deserved celebration! The beauty of graduating as an adult is that one can plan one's own party; I suppose the downside is that I also get to pay for it, but hey, won't I be doing so with funds I earned because of the job I have due to the degree I'm getting?

So happy graduation, everyone. May your journey take you wherever you wish to go.

Toga party!

2009-03-20T15:35:00.000-04:00

The ninth grade English classes are doing research papers on aspect of Greek and Roman life - what kinds of jobs people had, what they did for fun, what they ate, how they fought, what their music sounded like - all my favorite stuff. In graduate school (art history school, not library school!) I wrote my thesis about Greek jewelry, because I think that people's everyday personal objects tell us what we really want to know. Their literature and marble buildings tell us some very fine things about them, truly, but how a lady wore her hair or whether she liked long necklaces or short gives us a more evocative peek into her mindset, I think. Certainly what they ate makes us grateful to be in the 21st century - you were picturing a nice Greek salad and some baklava? Sorry. Not in 450 BC - try coarse bread and olives, some fish if you were wealthy.

So I got to host the ninth graders here in the library all week and point out where the best books are for their subjects, introduce them to the mysteries of double-sided copying, and offer to be of service for search terms and suggestions. I'm pleased to say they took me seriously, and I've been fielding requests ever since. In many cases I've copied articles from some of the larger books to preserve their bindings (but you have to do the bibliography work yourself - there's no free lunch!) So you out there, if you're looking for that article on how to fold your peplos or what silphium tasted like . . . see me at the desk!

Incidentally, for you sharp-eyed folk who looked at the picture: the Greeks didn't wear togas. They wore all kinds of other big folded and pinned pieces of cloth, but not togas. Go ahead, ask me about it. I'm here weekdays until 4:30.

Not quite infinity, but definitely the future

2009-03-06T14:34:00.000-05:00

Last night was the 100 Days, excuse me, 86 Days Dinner. It was well-attended by two Belles, one Cruella, three Minnie Mouses (Minnie Mice?) two Jack Sparrows, three or four toy soldiers, Winnie the Pooh, Ursula, Tigger, Pocahontas, the whole Cool Runnings bobsled team, Tinkerbell, Hades, Hercules and his muse, and Jiminy Cricket, just to name a few. But the real showdown was between the two Woodys. Dan B. looked great, but Mr. Newhams looked even greater. (Sorry Dan.) And in a beautiful bit of symmetry, Dan's tribute to Mr. Newhams left many of us a little moist around the eyes.

One of the things I enjoyed most was hearing about all the accomplishments of my colleagues and what an impression they have left on our soon-to-be graduates. It's a good feeling to know I am among such a caring, skilled group of teachers and I am glad to be counted among them. I was also impressed by the public speaking abilities of our seniors; not everyone finishes high school with such a well-developed sense of calm behind a podium addressing a crowd and it's a more useful skill than you might think.

Eighty-five days left to go. Time flies, huh?

100 days to go

2009-03-05T11:46:00.001-05:00

Happy March! Tonight is the 100 Days Dinner, an event at which senior students and their teachers enjoy an evening of togetherness over country-club food. But that's not all. Because I'm a newbie, I had no idea of the entertainment. Not only are all attendants required to come in costume, but each teacher is lauded by several students with original speeches about his or her fine qualities. This year's theme is Disney, and if I told you how much of my week I spent researching characters and their attributes for students and faculty, you'd be amazed. But do credit my professionalism: you want information, and I provide it, whatever it is.

The best term I can use to describe what I feel for the students . . . is pity. That's right, pity. Why? Because that's an impossible task. For those of you who have known your teachers since seventh grade, how do you encapsulate all you might feel for them in a minute or two? And in my case, nine of you have only had me as a teacher since January - how could you actually fill a minute or two? Furthermore, it's a tribute, not a roast, so you can't be funny, and report cards come out on the 26th, so you can't be honest either! You don't want to be sappy, because that's embarrassing and your fellows are watching. You don't want to be lame, because, well, that's lame.

So yeah, I pity you, you poor dears. On the other hand, I feel lucky as heck because I get to dress up in blue velvet pantaloons and eat some lovely chicken dinner while at least two or three of you tell me how great I am, and then of course I get to blog about it the next day. See you at 6:30!

Out-of-Door wins 114-108!

2009-02-25T11:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's Academic Olympics match was a roller-coaster ride the whole way through: first we were up by 18, then we were down by 20, then Alex pulled us out of the fire with a 12-point music bonus question that saved the day. In the end it came down to the team question, and we earned 6 points to their 2. We even had spectators: Mr. Latta stopped by to witness the drama, and Ms. Kozak couldn't tear herself away. What's next for our heroes? Tune in next time and find out.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-13T13:39:00.000-05:00

There's something about me you should know: I love candy. Shocking, isn't it? I'm always the one cracking down on the lollipops, the gum, the chocolate bars. You'd think I was hatin' on candy in general. Nope! I love candy, and I know I'm not alone - bugs love it too, so when you share it with them it causes icky problems for the books I also love . . . you see the problem. I'm torn between my two great loves, candy and literature.

And that brings me to my next point: whatever information your little heart desires, I can fix you up. Just this morning Miss Barlow asked about the origins of Valentine's Day and I said I though I had some research on that. I believe she may have thought I was kidding, but in three minutes I was back with the February 14 entry from Butler's Lives of the Saints, right here in our own reference section. See? She had a desire for information and I fulfilled it.

So eat some candy (far away from here!) and celebrate love, in all its glorious forms! Have a wonderful week off, and I'll see you all fresh and eager on the 23rd.

Alexander the Great, right here in the library

2009-02-12T16:11:00.000-05:00

Today I had the pleasure of meeting most of the ninth grade. I had met many of you before in different circumstances, but today I got to be a professional about it: I came to Mr. Dougherty's World History classes to show students what the library can do for them. Specifically what it can do for them while they're working on presentations about Alexander the Great for later this semester. We talked about the library catalog and how to look for books we own, how to use Questia to find electronic books and articles, and the superstar favorite: how Questia will format its sources into an MLA-style bibliography, all ready for you to download and insert your other sources for attaching to a paper. I bet I have some new fans now!

Get smarter!

2009-02-06T10:29:00.000-05:00

We're all humming along here, trying to stay warm - the library has big beautiful windows that let in lots of natural light, but it's fair to say it's a little on the brisk side in here with all the glass. It does foster a kind of measured, scholastic-type environment: glasses-wearing lasses with hair braided against the inevitable static, lips tucked in against the cold as they peck their calculator keys; bent-headed boys in sweaters rubbing their hands along their insulated coffee mugs while they pore over books for their research papers.

There's no chance of a beach visit, pool swim, or even a Frisbee game tonight, so let me suggest this: how about the school play? Get Smart is on at the Lower School campus, totally free for faculty and students, $5 for lucky guests. It opened last night and early reviews are glowing. Catch it tonight at 7, and Saturday at a 2 p.m. matinee and again at 7 in the evening. Shoe phone's ringing - it's for you!

I have cooties!

2009-01-30T16:02:00.000-05:00

There, I said it. Now you know my awful secret. Except it's not a secret, and I'm not alone. EVERYONE HAS COOTIES THIS WEEK. Every single substitute on the list has been pressed into service and teachers are begging each other to cover one another's study halls. I personally had to do a half-day yesterday because my son had the throwing-up cooties, and I dragged myself here today using sheer willpower alone because I have the coughing cooties.

I taught college for eight years before coming to Out-of-Door and I don't ever remember being sick this frequently, even when I lived in Ohio. I'm trying to view this as a chance to become immune to a wider array of bacteria, but it is growing difficult to remain cheerfully optimistic about it while I'm actually doing it. I suspect the vector of the disease at hand is my mega-stapler, Dewey. Dewey will easily slam through 25 pages or more at a time, so everyone wants to feel its awesome power. Evidently they're doing so with germy hands, see: You sneeze, then pick up stapler. You tell me stapler is out of staples. I go to refill stapler, touching sneeze-germs. AND THEN I GET THE COOTIES. And so does your girlfriend, because she touches it next, and then you hold her hand and you get them again. It's a vicious cycle, people! See than bottle of hand sanitizer? Use it. That can of disinfecting wipes? Help yourself.

Help keep American cootie-free!

Term paper season has begun!

2009-01-22T14:58:00.000-05:00

Business is big - circulation numbers are way up, at the end of the day I can't remember if I ate lunch, mail goes unopened. It's term paper season! Every day I'm getting exciting requests for research help on a wide array of topics. And I love the chase: part of what drove me to librarianship is the thrill of the chase, the smug sensation of having found the perfect source no one else thought of, in a place no on thought to look. So bring it on! I love a challenge. Just try to come see me during your free period instead of expecting me to sort through every one of the 10,850 items we have in here off the top of my head in the three minutes you have before your C block class.

See you at the desk.

Yes, we have DVDs!

2009-01-12T15:17:00.000-05:00

And yes, you can check them out! I guess I'm the only one who knows: we now have a collection of more than 100 DVDs, all of them ready and waiting to be checked out by students, faculty and staff. So that means you! And better than Blockbuster or Netflix: these are free. You do have to return them, but they're free. Totally free. Does it get any better than that? Nope.

So here's a random sampling (sort of) of what we've got: O Brother, Where Art Thou; the Leonardo diCaprio version of Romeo & Juliet; Billy Elliot; the whole Engineering an Empire series; L'Auberge Espagnol; 8 Women; Mayans & Aztecs, and so much more. And I'm not done buying yet, so come see me at the circ desk and tell me what you want. I'll see if I can get it.

Olympics season has begun!

2009-01-08T16:05:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a start to 2009! Welcome back, everyone. The wrapping paper has been recycled, the New Year's resolutions have been made, and it's on to spring semester. We had hardly scuffed our spring term sneakers when it was time for our Academic Olympics team to face off against Booker High on Tuesday. In our very first match ever, the Thunder pulled ahead in Round 2 and then Round 3 was a nail-biter the whole time, right down to the final point that separated the two teams. In the end, we lost by only that single point. I don't call that a loss, actually. It was our first year playing, our first match ever, and we weren't even in school the day before. So hats off to Tim, Lauren, Trey and Anika - great job! We even had spectators. A few people were milling around the library or checking email on the iMacs and they too were gripped by the spectacle and couldn't bear to leave in the middle of the drama.

Join us for our next home games on Jan. 20 and Feb. 24th. If you want to, you know, bring pompoms or paint yourself blue and white or whatever, we would think that is cool. No, really.

Checkmate!

2008-12-19T09:39:00.000-05:00

There's a giant chess set in the library. No, really. Coach B and I moved the reference section out of the way and set up a giant papier-mache chess set, made by Ms. K's art class, right in the center of the library. It's blue and white, of course, and the finials represent all the different things in which Out-of-Door students can participate: there are basketballs, baseballs, a pink-and-white volleyball, drama masks, a pencil, a paintbrush, musical notes, and naturally, Thor's hammer.

Yesterday there were not one but two chess matches in here. Students asked permission first and moved the pieces very carefully, and played actual chess games. So it's not just public art - it's interactive public art! After the break the pieces will be moved to the tops of the tall book stacks, plus we will have a new display in the glass case by the desk - small works of art by our own students, with art supplies and art books too. As you know, I start teaching the art history class in January, and since it's my display case I get to use it to advertise my wares, so to speak. Hey, we started the year with a lacrosse exhibit - I'm just being fair, right?

Two down, four to go!

2008-12-17T14:40:00.000-05:00

Let's see - I had a faint cold feeling at the back of my neck today, so that can mean only one thing: MATH EXAM. And boy, was it. The entire gym, er, Thunderdome, was filled with long tables, three students to a table, plus pencils, calculators and scratch paper. Alas, no lucky trolls or other apotropaica. (Look it up. We have the whole Oxford English Dictionary in print, although I suppose strictly speaking that's not English.)

Math was this morning, followed by science in the afternoon. That seems either to be a sensible packaging of like topics together, or a diabolical plan to menace the non-logical. Whatever! It's 2:45 now, so the bulk of you are done. Tomorrow, English and foreign languages. Friday is reserved for history, plus any extra topics left hanging around, so allegedly we're done by noon, and then the joy begins. Winter break! I can almost taste it. Bet you can, too. After that double helping of exams, of course.

Zero hour

2008-12-15T15:26:00.000-05:00

It's exam week. This morning I announced that as promised, the library would be open at 7 a.m. Given that it's Monday I didn't expect too much patronage this morning, and I was right: one customer, for the copy machine only.

I also announced that there would be enforced silence, in order to let studiers study. There's been some trouble with that, so I fear that tomorrow there will have to be some sad detention-bound faces in the crowd. If you'd police yourselves, I wouldn't have to do it. But because you don't, I have the grim task of meting out divine justice, so to speak. Today I also got to eat lunch standing up in Mrs. B's office because apparently there was a soccer game in here last week. I admire high-spiritedness, but only from afar.

Looking for the art history class?

2008-12-11T14:12:00.000-05:00

As you know, in addition to being your librarian, I'm also the resident (sole!) art historian. This week I have had the pleasure of meeting many of the students who plan to enroll in the art history class. Some of you inquired about the nature of the course and perhaps thought better of your initial decision, but many decided that the notion of homework and tests wasn't that hard swallow and signed up. The next step is to get the textbook. I didn't put it on Classbook because it's $15 cheaper, or even more, on Amazon. So click here, order your book, and put it under your pillow till January. Get a jump-start with a little osmosis, yeah? More to follow - stay tuned.

Yes you can!

2008-12-09T15:35:00.000-05:00

This week I have been pleased to field a number of requests about book borrowing during the winter break. In almost every case, the answer to whatever you're asking is yes. How often does that happen? See if these apply to you:

Can I reserve a book to read over break? Yes!
Can I check things out right now to read over break? Yes!
If it's due during break, can I still keep it? Yes!
Can I renew it if I need more time to read it? Yes!

See? I'm in the wish-fulfillment business. Best part of my job.

Exam week hours

2008-12-04T11:09:00.000-05:00

The people have spoken! The consensus seems to be that people would prefer to be in the library earlier rather than later, which makes a certain amount of logical sense: more study time BEFORE the exam, not after. There might be some general exhaustion at the end of the day, too, that sends people right home instead of back to the tables. So from Dec. 15-18 we will be open from 7 a.m. to 4:30, and on Dec. 19 from 7 a.m. to noon. Good luck!

That time of the year . . .

2008-12-03T14:10:00.000-05:00

You can feel it in the air - it's the last stretch before final exams later this month. Today is the 3rd, and exam period begins the 17th. I hear from some of my favorite students (you know who you are!) that they would very much appreciate it if the library were open extended hours during exam time. I'm thinking it over. There are only so many hours in the day, and I'm here for quite a few of them already. However, exams are serious and I can certainly appreciate that. So, my question to you, reading public, is this: morning or afternoon? I'm not a morning person, really, but I could be convinced to open up at 7 instead of 7:30. Or, I can keep the library open till about 5:30 if you'd rather. The general impression I got was that morning was preferable, but I thought I would put it to the people and let the masses decide.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-25T11:14:00.001-05:00

By this time tomorrow I will be about forty-five minutes away from Cincinnati. (I hope - holiday travel is notorious for terrible delays.) It is not the town of my birth, but it's close enough. I'm actually from Dayton, specifically from south Dayton - Centerville, to be exact, and if that doesn't have Mayberry connotations I don't know what would. Dayton is actually a nicer place than people probably imagine, or at least it was until GM laid off about 400 workers this week, but it seems to be the default city that authors use to refer to a place that is almost but not quite the middle of nowhere, bigger than the oft-cited Peoria but certainly not Chicago, or even Kansas City . PJ O'Rourke did it, Vonnegut did it too (and PJ, you should know better - you're from Toledo!)

But I left Dayton at 18 to go to school in Cincinnati, and I stayed there through college, a crummy corporate job, then grad school, then my first three years teaching. I met and married my husband in Cincinnati. So, in essence, it's where I really became a grownup. It's a far cooler place than people envision: everyone calls Sarasota the cultural coast, but every time I walk into any grocery store, fabric store, restaurant, shopping mall or preserved 19th century building in the Queen City I'm reminded how varied, cosmopolitan and steeped in history it really is. I'm like Marco Polo up there: I leave room in my luggage for all the exotic spices and luxury fabrics I want to smuggle back here every year.

I have a lot to be thankful for this year: I have this dandy new job, Mr. Librarian is also gainfully employed as a professional artiste, my little boy is the paragon of little-boyness, my parents are well and happy . . . and I have somewhere great to visit. After which, of course, I return here to the palm trees and brand-new pink stucco termite-free condos.

FACULTY WIN TURKEY BOWL, 13-12

2008-11-24T15:10:00.000-05:00

You heard it here first, folks: it was faculty against the seniors in a flag football match for the privilege of a dress-down day. And who's wearing jeans tomorrow? That's right: THE GROWNUPS.

This was the exciting conclusion to a day full of surprises. This is my first year here at Out-of-Door, thus my first Turkey Bowl, and the thing I witnessed today that impressed me more than anything else was the degree to which the students seem happy to humiliate themselves in the name of sportsmanship. I saw the Dougherty Authority wearing screaming pink T-shirts (and matching headbands, in some cases); One Love sporting Rasta caps with faux dreadlocks (and if you've never seen that on a freckled Irish lass of about sixteen, you really haven't lived); a team of brides and grooms in tuxedo T-shirts and white plastic tiaras; and a whole squad of Gaffinators in superhero blue with red capes. "I can't believe I'm getting paid to sit here and watch this," I said to my boss on my way out to the field. He pointed out that it is a teacher's salary, after all, but hey - some things are priceless, aren't they?

Including the right to wear blue jeans behind the desk, while I watch the troops roll in wearing their corduroy trousers with belts and collared shirts!

Need info on that other Turkey Bowl? Click here.

News you can use

2008-11-20T11:23:00.000-05:00

This morning I had the pleasure of working with Mr. S's journalism class. To give the students a taste of real-world journalism, the class puts out a newspaper every month. With every issue, they sharpen their skills - they're working their way into being real-life, hard-boiled newsmen who eat tacks for breakfast and wash them down with vinegar. Or something like that. Mr. S. kindly asked if I would draw upon my previous experiences in the media and say something useful, so I tried. Once upon a time I was copy editor, then copy chief, then editor-in-chief of my college newspaper, The News Record. At the time it was published three times a week and had a circulation of well into the thousands. Because we were self-funded we received no material support from the university and it gave us a rather broad freedom. That being said, however, all journalists are supposed to enjoy broad freedoms, as are in fact all Americans living under the protection of the Bill of Rights. There has been some exciting debate on campus lately, fueled in part by some opposing viewpoints on the opinion page, and that's perhaps the best lesson of all: that the things we think and write and share with others affect the people around us. Words have worth. Pick the good ones!

Turkey Bowl

2008-11-19T14:08:00.000-05:00

Clearly we're one step closer to Thanksgiving Break, because Monday is Turkey Bowl Day here at Out-of-Door. All the teams are thinking up names, making the T-shirts, planning their strategy. I've never been a huge sports fan (surprise!) but I have to admit the energy is exciting, even infectious, and the tradition of team names is particularly enchanting. I'd list them here but I don't want to ruin the surprise. I was trying to explain Turkey Bowl to my husband last night, and it went something like this:
"Hey! Monday is Turkey Bowl at school! Everyone's talking about it! It's an annual tradition where all the classes get together on the quad and-"
"Bowl with turkeys?" finished Mr. Librarian.
"No," I said, "but that would be pretty great, too."
In fact, there actually is a scene in a Christopher Moore novel where stockboys at an LA grocery store bowl in the aisles with frozen turkeys after hours, but I don't see us recreating that any time soon, alas.

There are all kinds of myths and notions about the turkey, some of them substantiated, some of them not. Everyone seems to agree they're not too bright, but they sure are pretty. More so when roasted to a crackling bronze and surrounded by a wreath of fresh parsley, with apologies to vegetarians everywhere. Apparently a number of Native American tribes believed eating turkey would make you weak or cowardly, because the birds themselves were thought to be so. So, turkey is actually . . . chicken.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Is this Florida, or what?

2008-11-18T14:08:00.000-05:00

In case you've been under a rock or something this week, we're having a cold spell. Actually, I kind of like it. First of all, as you know it's been a while since I've had to be dressed like a grownup five days a week and this is giving me a chance to wear all the nice woolens I saved from my previous life up North - major wardrobe expansion. Second, it's perfect weather for settling in with a book, of course! A book, some hot chocolate, crackling fire, a cat for company . . . I don't need the glamorous life, just give me good literature. Apparently I'm not alone, either: my circulation statistics are way up.

Speaking of books, unless you've been under the aforementioned rock, you know that Twilight is being released as a film this Friday. If you need a fix before then, see me at the desk. I've got it up front for now because it's circulating so fast I'm afraid it will start smoking. Don't know what all the fuss is about? Stop any random girl on the street between ages 11-17 and ask her what she thinks of Robert Pattinson. And then take two steps backwards, place your index fingers in your ears, and prepare to resuscitate her from hyperventilation.

Lollipops are candy, too

2008-11-12T08:11:00.000-05:00

I'm very pleased to say that I have noticed a significant drop in the amount of in-library eating I'm seeing these days, with one exception: lollipops. Or suckers, whatever you want to call them - you know, candy on the end of a stick? I've heard a variety of entertaining, albeit specious, arguments that somehow lollipops should be exempt from the library ban, but they're not. "But it's in my mouth!" I hear that a lot. Except it isn't. It's in your hand, then it's on the floor, then it's dropped on the pages of a book, then it's stuck behind The American Civil War Almanac.

I'm not sure why a group of young people would want to walk around looking like Telly Savalas, drooly little white sticks poking out of the corners of their mouths, but evidently they do. I'm not going to judge you on your choice of cuisine, but I can make you consume it somewhere else, so keep those suckers outside!

My evil plan is working

2008-11-04T16:24:00.000-05:00

Today I installed a display of musical instruments from around the world: we have a berimbau, a full set of Turkish nais, a kalimba from Africa, and the reigning favorite - an oud, way up on the top of the cabinet. So far two people have requested to play it, and several more stood transfixed, staring up at it. So, my evil plan is working. People are coming into the library and learning new things.

This is Halloween

2008-10-31T13:57:00.000-04:00

I'm seeing some great costumes from the circ desk, both inside and outside the library. Alex just left, waddling around in his inflatable Sumo wrestler suit. A whole herd of cats went by, some fairies, a troupe of rednecks complete with rebel-flag tattoos, there's an inflatable elephant standing on its head somewhere, two angels, Laura as a gypsy, several cowgirls, all four Ninja Turtles, and my favorites: Nick and Taylor as the Mario Brothers, followed by Maria as Sarah Palin, a close second. (Nice suit - very authentic!)

There was some discussion at lunch among the faculty about whether we were more or less effective in our Halloween getups: Mr. N, who came as Sweat (and was accompanied by Miss E and Mrs. F as Tears and Blood, respectively) said he actually felt better sans tie, and I volunteered I felt more benevolent and terrible as the harvest goddess herself. But what about the students? Can actual learning happen when the head is under a halo, a cowboy hat, or a witch's peak?

The Greek philosopher in me says yes, not so much book-learning as perhaps a firsthand experience of what our ancient predecessors knew all along: sometimes you have to give Apollo a day off and let Dionysos take over. Furthermore, we do learn by doing. I forgot my sheaf of wheat today, one of Demeter's attributes. I kicked myself, but look at it this way - at least I knew enough to understand what I'd left out.

Math test

2008-10-28T16:07:00.000-04:00

Today I got a really great request: some information about the Mayan system of performing mathematical calculations. It's well-known that Mayan reckoning of time is some of the most accurate in the history of the world - how did they do it? Turns out they used a vigesimal, or base-20, system. Euro-Westerners use a decimal, or base-10 system. The Mayans also had the concept of zero long before anyone in this part of the world even thought of it. Among the Maya, who inhabited parts of Mexico and areas of Central America between about 1000-1675, zero was represented by the sign of a shell, 1 was represented by a dot, and 5 a stick or line, grouped together with the horizontal lines below and the dots arranged horizontally above. To create larger numbers another group was simply placed vertically atop the previous group, and this upper group of signs increased by the power of 20, allowing for much larger numbers. I don't get to do much math, or much investigation into ancient hieroglyphic either - in my mind, I was Indiana Librarian today.

Switcheroo

2008-10-24T15:40:00.000-04:00

If you visit me at the circulation desk you will notice that I appear to be drowning in a sea of VHS tapes. I am, actually. I am trying to totally renovate our collection of video materials: get rid of what's just collecting dust, replace the old favorites with DVD versions, get new and exciting things for the future. Surely though, as I take things out of the collection and donate them or let people choose things to take home I will be criticized for appearing to just let go of a valuable resource. Believe me, I agonize over every title that I take out of the collection - what if I weed this thing someone was about to love? - but here's my criterion: if no one has checked it out it the last ten years, it goes. That's pretty generous, I think. If you really desperately want to hang on to a VHS copy of Shane, let me know and you can hoard it yourself. Otherwise, please understand that growth sometimes involves sacrifice, and the future looks bright (and easy to store on disk!)

. . . what is your quest?

2008-10-21T15:36:00.000-04:00

I don't know how many of you have used Questia in the past, but the library does subscribe to it and today I worked very hard getting every student and teacher his or her own password to use it! Questia is a full-text source - books and articles! - a very valuable resource for researchers, writers - anyone wanting more and better information than Wikiwhatever can provide. I'll be doing a more formal introduction to the delights of Questia later on, but feel free to stop by the desk and ask me all about it!

Great new stuff in the DVD section

2008-10-17T15:28:00.000-04:00

This week I added four of my very favorite titles to our DVD collection: Pyramid, Roman City, Castle and Cathedral. These are all video adaptations of the books by David Macaulay, in which he illustrates the construction of all of these through his wonderful drawings and clear explanations. He uses a fictional setting to describe real techniques: the Roman city, for example, never existed but is a kind of composite of what Roman provincial towns were like and how they were built. I have shown these every year in my art history classes and can't wait to do so here. If you want a sneak preview, though, they are ready and waiting for you to watch them.

THERE IS STILL REALLY NO EATING IN THE LIBRARY

2008-10-15T15:42:00.000-04:00

In the last two weeks I have found myself repeating over and over again that there is no eating in the library. Is it OK to eat apples? No. Is it OK to eat after school but not during? No. Is it OK if I'm at a table and not looking at the books? NO. And here's why:

There you are, eating your granola bar or whatever at the table. Crumbs fall from your hand onto the carpet. Someone opens the door and a bug crawls in. Attracted to the granola crumbs, it crawls a little further, scarfs them up, and goes looking for another snack. And finds one in the glue bindings of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Music, which it proceeds to eat and thus refreshed goes searching for a mate. They reproduce, and now you're eating in a library full of bugs everywhere.

Stop eating in the library, or I'll tell the bugs where you live.

Everywhere a sign

2008-10-08T14:32:00.000-04:00

As part of my overall plan to improve the way the library works, I have started making new (and I hope better) signs to mark the bookshelves. This may seem like a small thing, but not being able to find the right shelf holding the book you want is a really big deal when you're between classes and in a hurry. Now we have signs that have directional arrows pointing to the side of the bookcase in which the books are organized. For example, on the bookcase nearest the easy chairs, the biography side is clearly marked with an arrow and the word "biography," and the other side, which has fiction, has its own arrow and the alphabetic span of books in that area.

I'm all for wandering around the stacks, of course, but sometimes you just really want that copy of Robin Lane Fox's biography of Alexander the Great and don't have time to wait. Now you don't have to.

Electronic resources

2008-10-06T14:51:00.000-04:00

I am very, very, very happy to say that today I got two requests from different students to show them how to use the electronic resources we have here at the Savidge/Bowers Library. If you're wondering the same thing but are too shy to ask, here's some help. You can just click here to go to the library's databases page, or you can go to the school's site first,then go to "academics," then select the link for "library," and then you can click on the icon for the database you want. I recommend the Gale Student Resource Center Gold collection, by the way. I further recommend choosing only full-text articles, because otherwise you're just frustrating yourself. If you don't check that box it returns everything out there, including stuff we don't have, and there you are wanting something you know exists but can't access. Terrible! So pick the full-text option and then you can read or print to your heart's content.

If that doesn't get you where you need to be, come see me. That's my job, remember?

Holy shift!

2008-10-03T16:47:00.000-04:00

Today is Breast Cancer Awareness Day, and in addition to my pink ribbon I am wearing jeans. A $5 donation buys the giver the chance to wear denim to work and I took it! I dedicated today to physical labor: I shifted too-tightly-packed books onto empty shelves to make room for new titles and to give me a chance to clear out ten years' worth of dust. You deserve a clean working environment and so do I. Next week, new shelf labels to tell you where I put stuff, whee!

Help me help you

2008-10-02T16:17:00.000-04:00

I hear through the grapevine that not everyone knows I'm here to help you. Oh sure, everybody comes to me to unjam the copier, refill the stapler, save their homework to flash drive and print from my computer - I even gave out a Band-Aid today. But what I'm really best at is finding the information you want. Need to look up a passage from the Aeneid in the original Latin? I got it, with the English right next to it. Want a subject to analyze for your math-class graphing problem paper? I can do that too. What about the history of the Protestant movement? I have all the answers you need.

All you have to do is ask. But I can't read your mind - you gotta come up to the desk!

Banned Books List

2008-09-29T15:01:00.000-04:00

It's here - Banned Books week! I have gotten several very gratifying requests all day, including one from a student who actually checked one out with the intention of reading it. I have also gotten several requests for the list itself, too. There is a display of all the banned books right on top of the reference stacks; all ya gotta do is look. Still, if it's the raw info you're after, here you are (and thanks for reading the blog, by the way!):

1. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
2. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
3. Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes
4. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
7. TTYL by Lauren Myracle
8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
9. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

We don't have #1, #7 or #9. One and 9 are for an age group far below the Upper School: And Tango Makes Three is for very small children, and It's Perfectly Normal explains the changes your body goes through at puberty, and by seventh grade you're probably already there. That leaves #7. TTYL is a novel in text-message format. I don't object to the content - I just think the literary form itself is too ephemeral to have proven itself just yet. If it's still banned next year, then I'll buy it, but for right now it seems like a flash in the pan. And yet people were bothered enough by it to ban it!

Greatest books

2008-09-26T15:25:00.000-04:00

Just to see how we're doing, I did a little digging in our OPAC. (That's our online catalog, what used to be the card catalog when it was still on, you know, cards.) Do we have the 100 Greatest Books Allegedly Ever Written? Actually, we're doing pretty well - we had all but about 10 of them and considering the physical size of the library that's fairly impressive. Naturally some personal favorites didn't make the list, but then again there were some titles that brought a smile to my face, forgotten old friends I should revisit one of these days. I spent the afternoon shopping around to fill in what gaps we do have, and that led me to wondering . . . is your favorite book in here? What is it? This is your library - make it so. If there's a book you're dying to read and haven't had a chance, let me know. I may not have much power, but I can do that - just ask!

Bite into a book!

2008-09-25T14:38:00.000-04:00

Teen Read Week is on the horizon, and in this, my inaugural year as a real live librarian, we get to celebrate Books with Bite. The American Library Association gets to pick the theme, of course, and it's like they read my mind, for as you will soon see for your own selves, I absolutely loooove Halloween. I love everything about it: the costumes, the candy, the cooler weather, the vague suggestion of prankishness, even its connection to the celebration of seasonal change and harvest holidays.

As soon as my groovy graphics are done, I'll be putting up the book display. Vampire fiction is an obvious choice and we're pretty well-stocked at the Savidge-Bowers library, but how about books about food and cooking? Bite into that with your vampire teeth!

Falling forward

2008-09-23T15:52:00.000-04:00

Things are happening: the cobwebs are being swept away, shelves are being shifted, posters are being hung. It sounds like spring cleaning, but it's not. It's autumn, my favorite time of year. Autumn for me is rife with possibilities and sweet rewards. The new school year starts in autumn, with new clothes, new classes, new friends. There are new books to read, crisp juicy apples to eat, and a breath of coolness in the air that makes you reach for a sweater. I love fall. I know everyone sees it as just the season that precedes winter, the metaphorical death of the year, but for me fall is always the start of something lovely.

I even like the candy corn.

Explore the forbidden in the library

2008-09-22T14:58:00.000-04:00

This year, we celebrate Banned Books Week from September 27-October 4. I announced this to the faculty a couple of weeks ago and someone said, "Do they still ban books?" Sadly yes, now more than ever, though her optimism touched me. Each year a top 10 list of the most-challenged books is compiled. In 2007 alone, more than 400 books were subject to some form of challenge or censorship in our nation's libraries.

It is both inspiring and terrifying that people give this much accord to books. As much as people ignore and demean literature these days, they certainly give it a lot of attention when it says things with which they do not agree. In books are contained ideas and when ideas themselves are suppressed, oppression is the rule of the day. First you can't read that, then you can't say that, then you can't think that . . . where does it stop?

In a school library this is a particularly ponderous situation for the librarian, at least on the surface: it's my job to choose books and materials from the hundreds of offerings out there, and I have to decide what's suitable or not based on audience, budget, relevance, and other factors. What might be appropriate for one child may not be appropriate for another, but that's really up to that particular child's parents, at least while he's a minor. Taking a book out of the library at one individual's suggestion makes it impossible for anyone else to access it, and this means that one person's voice speaks for all of us. And that's pretty much what censorship is, one of the ugliest things on earth. Want to know more about your rights? Try the American Library Association.

Quiet, please

2008-09-18T15:22:00.001-04:00

Today should have been quieter than usual, with the seniors away to meet their kindergarten buddies at the Lower School and the freshman on an all-day field trip, and yet it wasn't. It was the loudest day of the past six weeks.

The juniors are noisy. Well, many juniors are noisy - I hate lumping all of you together like that, but there it is. Perhaps you could start policing yourselves. The strangest part is that the very noisiest among you seem to have the least sense of it. Here, let me help you: if you are talking more than six inches away from someone, and that someone does not have to strain to hear you, you are talking too loudly.

This is not a totalitarian regime and I do not get any particular joy out of shouting or silencing people. But it is a library, and many people are here to study quietly and when you disturb them I am going to be a pain about it. You can talk anywhere, but quiet studiers need to be in the library, so they win.

Project Gutenberg

2008-09-18T15:22:00.000-04:00

Among the many things I overhear in the library are requests to photocopy multiple pages from a friend's book, because:
a) the photocopying student lost, forgot, or never obtained his own copy
b) the homework is due tomorrow.

This is very sad, for a whole lot of reasons. Helpless trees have to suffer and die a needless death, and it means wasting electricity on copies, plus the gas it cost to ship the copy paper itself. Stop the madness, people! There's an easier way, and it's totally free.

Project Gutenberg is a website devoted to digitizing and making available the literature of the world for free, in easy-to-download formats. Sometimes multiple editions of the same work or multiple translations are available, and you may not get the exact one you want, but reading any version is better than not reading it at all, especially when that essay is due. Anything that is old enough to be in the public domain will likely appear there, such as Beowulf, the Iliad, or Romeo and Juliet. Your favorite novel may not be there, but that won't help you get the A in AP English - this will. Try it.

STOP EATING IN THE LIBRARY

2008-09-17T14:51:00.000-04:00

Today I visited a few of you to kindly request you not consume Goldfish crackers and SweeTarts in the library. It's not because I'm anti-food. (In fact, if you've met me in person, you'll notice I seem to like it pretty well!) And, actually, I do happen to think nothing makes a good book even better than a crisp juicy apple or a stack of cookies with a glass of milk. Alas, it is not to be in the library, at least not this one. Silverfish, pictured here, are attracted to sugary, starchy foods and once they're done eating that, they move on to paper, glue and book bindings. You may think your crumbs are microscopic, but a) the silverfish are pretty small so that's a meal to them; and b) I find whole pretzels, orange peels, and entire candies all over the place EVERY DAY.

I realize we have a lot of meetings in here, and muffins and such seem to be an integral part of them, so this may seem hypocritical. But those muffin-filled meetings are usually populated by adults who can find a trash can for the remains rather than shoving them behind the Dictionary of the Middle Ages. Trust me, there is no library in the world that has a "Yeah, it's totally OK to hang out and eat chips around the books" policy. Even hard-core specialty libraries with students who never seem to go home have rules about eating near the books.

But here's a hint: check the book out, take it home, and I will never know you read it while eating Froot Loops. In your Superman underwear.

What I overhear in the library

2008-09-16T15:38:00.000-04:00

As much as try to change the myth, evidently there still persists the idea that the librarian is just the lady who checks the books out and says "shush." I didn't get three college degrees just to wave the barcode reader around, people - take a hint. I know some things, and the most important thing I know (at least where you're concerned) is how to get the information you want. Every day I hear groups of students talking about homework problems and they never know I'm right behind them, waiting to help. I'd never barge right in, of course, because eavesdropping is rude. In my case it's unavoidable because you're right in front of me, talking loudly enough for me to overhear, but I still like to maintain the pretense of your privacy.

Just this afternoon some students were apparently trying to make up some sort of set of rules, a new Magna Carta or Ten Commandments, that kind of thing. The king-daddy of them all is the Code of Hammurabi, which dates back to about 1750 BC and is full of all kinds of interesting aspects of Bronze Age Mesopotamian life, a document so interesting law students continue to study it today. But did anyone ask me the question that would get that answer? No. Because I'm just the lady who checks the books out and says "shush."

I overhear other things, too, by the way. Just yesterday at assembly we reiterated that "retard" is a hurtful, disrespectful thing to say and it's especially offensive to people who care about someone with a developmental disability: a brother, a son, a cousin, even just a friend. The R word popped out again today, but I am happy to report that one student did the right thing and corrected the other.

Wash your hands, OK?

2008-09-15T15:01:00.000-04:00

This will be another short post, because your librarian is sick today. I don't know if it's from all the dust in the stacks, if my little boy is bringing exotic germs home from day care, or if all this exposure to adolescents is too much for my system to take, but whatever the case I am brought low and will be leaving early today. In the meantime, take care of yourselves and wash your hands frequently with soap. And if you can't do that, stop touching my phone!

Quoth the librarian . . .

2008-09-12T15:31:00.000-04:00

It's here! The Edgar Allan Poe action figure with removable raven! It arrived this morning and I'm pretty sure some other unnamed foes were thinking of purloining it, but their tell-tale hearts gave them away. I swooped in and rescued it for the contest. Speaking of the contest, it's the Reference Question of the Fortnight Contest, of course, but I'm getting so many questions I may have to make it weekly. Maybe. Do let me interject this, though: I'm the one in charge of filling out the little slips that get folded and put in the basket for the drawing and if I decide your question's not worthy, it doesn't go in. Make it a good one. Last week someone gigglingly asked me what Spanish for "hello" was, in the hopes of upping the statistical chance of being drawn and while I don't want to quash the spirit of free inquiry, I'm not going to stuff the ballot box with dandruff just for the sake of bulk. Remember: the librarian is better than Google, but the very same quality of discernment that allows me to tell if you're still confused or need more help also allows me to figure out if you're kidding, OK?

Russian around

2008-09-10T14:51:00.000-04:00

This morning I had a request for information on Russian poetry. (The best-loved Russian poet, by the way, in popular view seems to be Pushkin.) In response to this, I did a search of our electronic resources and found four articles and printed them out. After that, I found 19 books in our catalog as well and checked those out to the student. I flagged a few of the most important resources, tucked the articles in a book, and left a note on top of the stack for her to find during her lunch period. Naturally the gracious young lady was grateful, and I appreciate that, but I'll let you in on a little secret.

THAT'S MY JOB. No, really, it is. What does a librarian do? Why, sit around all day, occasionally say "shush," and check books in and out. Actually, no. Librarians organize and provide access to information. It's just that a lot of our day is spent shushing and checking, which sometimes gets in the way of what we really love to do, which is help people find the information they want. So this morning I might have gone a little overboard, but it's only because I was so happy and excited to receive the request. So ask away! Tomorrow it could be you walking away with 19 books, four articles and a note!

Short and sweet

2008-09-09T14:26:00.000-04:00

That's me! But seriously folks . . . this post will be brief, because I am due at a meeting at 3:30 at Riverview High. My mission is to gather some information about competing in the Academic Olympics. Official sponsor Mr. Woods can't attend due to other obligations, and Coach Brewer tapped me to go in his place. Why?

Because in your midst, folks, is a former regional champion at both the high school and college level. That's right, we took it all the way to Kalamazoo before being edged out by Eastern Michigan University in 1995. My thirst for information has deep roots, y'know?

In closing, all you out there making a million copies of your college app: be gentle with my machine. It jams when overheated, so be sure to give her a chance to cool down every once in a while. We'll all be much happier. (There's probably a metaphor in there somewhere.)

What's plaguing you?

2008-09-08T14:27:00.000-04:00

I love reference work - it's what I was born to do. This is no time for me to launch into my usual diatribe about how librarianship is not about reading, is not about shushing, is not about doing anything but inviting people to read . . . this is about what librarianship IS, particularly reference librarianship. I love reference work because it gives me a chance to solve a problem - someone needs information - and it allows me to be a kind of information detective. It's far more exhilarating than people imagine, and before your nerd detector starts beeping let me take a moment to remind you that Casanova was a librarian too, OK? In any case, today's reference flavor was Black Death (caramel sauce on the side!) I had at least four requests for material about infectious diseases that might be related to the plague, and I was never so happy to think about boils and pustules as I was today.

Happy Friday

2008-09-05T14:23:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you, but I'm having a great day. This day is so great I wouldn't care if it were Monday - it's a great day! Today we announced the first winner of the Reference Question of the Fortnight Contest. Christian won a disco-ball air freshener for his locker or car and a ruler listing the world's greatest artists in chronological order for asking about the location of Sardinia.

After all that fanfare I ordered a bunch of new things for the library, including books in French and English and some more prizes for the contest. Gotta keep the momentum rolling, and people are catching on: today I helped people find information about infectious diseases, Biblical literature and Greco-Roman goddesses. Did I mention it was a great day?

Library litter

2008-09-04T16:21:00.000-04:00

If you've been in the library after school this week, you've seen me in my after-school jeans in the stacks, shifting the reference books around, weeding out old materials and dusting the shelves. What I'm finding tells a mighty interesting tale: although Out-of-Door Academy students do break rules by eating in the library, they seem to be doing so with relatively healthy snacks. I did find several foil candy wrappers, but the majority of the offenses this week were orange peels, a banana skin and some granola bar wrappers.

You're hungry, I get it. I'd like to think you're so caught up in what you're reading you can't bear to go outside, but I suspect it's more akin to laziness. When you leave behind wrappers, crumbs, orange peels, latte cups, whatever, it attracts our friends from the animal kingdom and they sometimes enjoy a book buffet by dining on the paper and glue. And if they're really hungry and you're kind of sleepy . . . who knows what you'll find crawling in your hair?

So stop eating in the stacks. Just step outside, finish your snack, and get back to that delicious book. If it's circulating you can even take it with you and read it in the sunshine under a tree.

Behind the scenes

2008-09-03T16:41:00.001-04:00

What's new? In the words of the B-52s, something big and lovely. It doesn't show to the outside world yet, but behind the scenes (and behind the desk) I am trying to bring about some exciting changes. Other than the nice new smell and the plant on my desk, I mean. Very soon I hope to be able to offer some really wonderful new online databases with great electronic sources, easily searchable and oh-so-useful for that term paper you're already thinking about.

This Friday I will be announcing the first winner of the reference question contest. I can't pick the best one because they've all been great, so I will have to leave it up to Fate and make it a drawing instead.

Finding my niche

2008-09-02T16:04:00.000-04:00

As with any new venture, there's a period of settling in, meeting new people, getting the routine down. Here at Out-of-Door Academy there is an emphasis on excellence in academics, athletics and the arts, of course, but this being fall the athletic side of things is the most visible - right now I am watching the cheerleaders practice, saw a colleague bounding down the hall in shorts on her way to volleyball practice - and it leaves me feeling a little bewildered. Not the sporty type, you see. Don't get me wrong: I'm all for vigorous exercise in the fresh air, healthy sportsmanlike competition, and all that. I just don't like engaging in anything that involves me allowing missiles to be lobbed my direction at 30-plus miles an hour and that cuts me out of most extracurriculars.

Till now! Mr. Brewer announced today the school is looking into forming an Academic Olympics team. I helped my team make it to regional championships in both high school and college, and now, finally . . . here's a sport I can play! I hope there's a uniform. I mean, besides the regulation pocket protector.

Another year flies by

2008-08-29T14:31:00.000-04:00

I awoke today with a strange feeling that today was somehow different. It ambushed me like a thief in the night - I'm 36 today. Literally old enough to be your mother, and because of that I am of course tired and so I will keep today's post short. The best gift of all is one I have for you: we are on the very brink of getting one of the best online sources of all - the Grove Dictionary of Art. I don't think it quite excuses me from doing nothing the rest of the year, but if my charge is, in the words of Mr. Mahler, to make us "world-class," then we are one step closer!

The view from my window

2008-08-28T14:39:00.000-04:00

This morning they poured concrete slab for the new Arts Building just across the way, so the big plan to have the place up and ready for next fall seems to be within reach. This morning the library hosted the Parents' Association meeting, and we are getting ready for the Board of Trustees at 4 p.m., and all day long I have had people thank me and apologize for invading the space. The truth is . . . I like having company. If they'd let me I'd serve the coffee myself. Don't get me wrong, I had some things to do this morning that didn't happen, but really if given a choice between crawling around in the reference section dusting the encyclopedias or listening to a nice talk and meeting the parents . . . what would most people pick?

Right. The dust will be there tomorrow!

Library Olympics

2008-08-27T14:48:00.000-04:00

I really need some new clothes! I have spent the better part of the day on the floor, in a skirt. My focus for the next few weeks will be weeding out-of-date materials from the collection, starting with reference, and shifting the books around to make room for new things. While I'm in there, I've been dusting - might as well do it now rather than later. (By the way, folks, I am finding a whole lot of candy wrappers wadded up and tucked behind the rows of books. Candy's forbidden in the library, of course, but even more forbidden is littering!) So there's your librarian: on the floor, trying to keep her knees out of sight, covered in dust and heaving around armloads of books like it's an Olympic event. Maybe it will be - 2012, here I come.

What's new in the library?

2008-08-26T14:43:00.001-04:00

Other than the blog? Today I cataloged and labeled a whole bevy of new things to put out on the shelf tomorrow morning. I got your AP test prep books right here! Also, several volumes on Roman emperors, some new fiction, and the latest edition of the MLA handbook. Get 'em while they're hot.

And what's the librarian reading these days? To my delight, I found a collection of short stories by M.F.K. Fisher on the shelf. I have an abiding interest in the literature of food - I like to feed all my senses, you see, and in the interest of time I can feed several at once by reading about food - and Miss Fisher's prose has a delicious combination of lyricality and good humor that make it irresistible.

I did notice that although we allegedly have four titles by Kinky Friedman, none of them are on the shelf. Whoever took them without checking them out and is now holding them hostage . . . GIVE THEM BACK. Just leave them on the desk when I'm not looking and no one will be the wiser.

My evil plan is working!

2008-08-25T15:21:00.000-04:00

This morning I announced the Reference Question of the Fortnight Contest and I am pleased to say that people seem to be getting into the spirit of it. The point of said contest is to encourage people to approach me with their questions instead of Google - it reinforces the purpose of libraries and librarians, and gives me a chance to show people what resources we have already, like science magazines, online databases, reference books and other materials. Google works sometimes, but:
a) it doesn't know or care if you're still confused
b) unless you really know how to do a targeted search, it gives you too many hits
c) not all the information it retrieves via the Web is really that worthwhile
d) you cannot win glow-in-the-dark vampire teeth by asking it your question

See? Ask me. Make me work for that paycheck. And of course, there's the Shakespeare nodders to consider, too.

A powerful discussion

2008-08-22T16:00:00.000-04:00

Today the whole campus gathered together in the Thunderdome to start the discussion of Bryce Courtenay's Power of One. After a brief introduction by the AP lit students, the student body broke out into smaller discussion groups facilitated by faculty. Here in the Savidge-Bowers Library Ms. Evans and Mr. Newhams welcomed comments and input about the nature of thinking with the head as well as the heart and how that can affect one's entire life. Lurking in the background at the circulation desk I was able to observe the transformative nature of powerful literature.

People assume librarians do what we do, say it with me now, "....because I love to read." In fact, I do love to read, but in the three days I have been installed here as the librarian I haven't read more than a short article or two at my desk. Librarianship isn't really about reading, per se, - look it up anywhere and you'll see that the real definition is the organization and management of information, as sterile as that sounds - but if there's one thing that's true it is that our central mission is to promote and shepherd along a love of the written word. Today only reinforced the choice I made five years ago to become a librarian.

Contest!

2008-08-21T14:10:00.001-04:00

New this year is the Reference Question of the Fortnight Contest. Any time you are in the library and ask an interesting, relevant question, you can enter to win a small, quirky prize and be the envy of your friends at morning assembly every other week. Here are some examples:
- How can I find more information about Florida plant species?
- What's the French word for trash can?
- How is coffee harvested?

Here are some things that don't count:
- Where's the bathroom?
- Can you help me make copies of this?
- What's a fortnight?

So, come on up to the circulation desk and ask away! You never know - you could be the one walking away with a big sparkly tricked-out bookmark or other weird swag.

Welcome back!

2008-08-20T14:34:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the 2008-2009 school year, and welcome to the Savidge/Bowers Library Blog. Here you can find information related to library resources, activities, projects, books - just a little taste of what's new.

What's really new, of course, is the librarian. My name is Miss Mandel, and this is my first year at Out-of-Door Academy. I direct the library and teach art history as well. Please feel free to leave pleasant, relevant comments . . . especially on things you are reading!