Lisa Laughy September 15th, 2008
Lisa Laughy – Archives Assistant
One of the most compelling aspects of blogging is the opportunity to interact with readers through the comment section. Ohrstrom Blog gives the library staff a great new way to share library information with the SPS community, but it also provides community members with a way to share their thoughts with us. This two-way communication has the potential of making the blog, the library website, and the library itself a more dynamic place for St. Paul’s students and faculty. To that end, this post is your invitation to open the line of communication by leaving a comment on the blog.
The comments section on this and any blog post can be accessed by clicking on the small pale green words “Click Here to Comment:” positioned below the headline of the post (just underneath “Categories:”). You can also get to the commenting page by clicking on the headline of the post. Give that a try now and you can finish reading the post on the commenting page. . . . Now that you are there you can see the commenting form underneath the post. In order the leave a comment you will first need to fill in the “name” field and the “email” field. You are welcome to use a screen name, it’s not necessary to give your full name. Your email address does not show up in your published comment, but a valid address is required to help prove that you are not a spambot. The third field is optional for including your website address if you have one, and this will be included in your published comment. Once you get those formalities out of the way you are free to fill the comment box with whatever is on your mind and click on the ‘submit comment’ button.
Comments are moderated by the blog administrator, so your comments won’t show up immediately on the post. This delay keeps spam out of the comment section and also allows filtering out anything naughty or otherwise inappropriate. As librarians we are all about freedom of speech – as long as your comments are on-topic and use reasonable language you should make the grade.
Now you are ready to give commenting a try – leave a note to let us know you are out there, simply say hello, or let us know what you think of Ohrstrom Blog. It will be good to hear from you.
Tags: Ohrstrom Blog, St. Paul's
Lisa Laughy September 12th, 2008
Lisa Laughy – Archives Assistant
Thanks to ITG’s Gail Hersey Ohrstrom Library is now an official “course” on the SPS Blackboard utility. All students, faculty and staff have been enrolled, providing the library with a way to connect with the larger SPS community through Blackboard. If you are a regular user of Blackboard you can make a quick connection to the library website and blog by clicking on “Ohrstrom Library” in your course list on your home page. An animated feed ticker lists the most recent Ohrstrom Blog posts, and clicking on the feed box open the blog inside the existing Blackboard window. A list of quick links gives you access to the library website, the library catalog, and links to the online subscription databases – all without leaving Blackboard. Next time you log into your Blackboard account, click on your Ohrstrom Library course and see how it looks.
Tags: Blackboard, ITG, Ohrstrom Blog, Ohrstrom Library, St. Paul's School
Lisa A. Laughy September 10th, 2008
Lisa Laughy – Archives Assistant
Tuesday night marked the first evening of Study Hall on the lower level of Ohrstrom Library. Students have always gathered in the evenings at Ohrstrom, and it is traditionally the busiest time of day for library staff. The added presence of a faculty adviser brings the usefulness of the space into focus, with an eye (as well as ears) focused on containing the amount of social noise generated in order to provide the uninterrupted quiet that is so essential for focused study.
Library staff have added a number of signs on the lower level as reminders of this new program, designating the space as a “Quiet Study Area”. Even though the lower level has been set aside as a quiet space, students also should be aware of the noise they generate on all levels of the library as there are many students throughout the library that come here to avoid distraction. I have enlisted the help of the Ohrstrom Library Mascot, aka the Librarian Action Figure, to provide this visual reminder as well. She has left her usual post on the main level of the library (where she keeps vigil in the office window located in the Language Reference section) to pose for this photograph. She is demonstrating her practiced (and likely patented) “Shushing Action” to remind everyone of the new Study Hall policy now in place. Come spend your evenings in Ohrstrom and enjoy the quiet.
Tags: Librarian Action Figure, Ohrstrom Library, Study Hall
Deb Baker September 9th, 2008
Deb Baker – Interim Reference Librarian
It’s a human rights crisis, a regular news item, a campaign issue – and an ongoing reminder of what poet Robert Burns called “man’s inhumanity to man.” Do you wonder how genocide can happen? Want to know more about genocide in history or hear survivors’ narratives from Rwanda and Darfur? Check out the display of books, DVD’s, and articles in the Baker Reading Room, “Genocide: Darfur, Rwanda, Sudan.” For a report on genocide, policy analysis, chronologies, maps, and more, search “Darfur” or “genocide” in CQ Researcher through the Ohrstrom Library website.
HELPFUL FOR: Literature of Witness
Tags: Darfur, Genocide, Literature of Witness, Rwanda, Sudan
Lisa Laughy September 3rd, 2008
Kevin Barry – Library Director
I am happy to announce a collaborative initiative between Ohrstrom Library and the Office of Academic Support. Effective September 9th, the ground floor of Ohrstrom Library will serve as the new host to the School’s Study Hall program. During Study Hall hours, the entire ground floor of Ohrstrom will be designated and enforced as “quiet study space”. Faculty members assisting with the evening Study Hall program will be positioned in and advising from the ground floor foyer, and students who are participants in the Study Hall program will be sharing many of the same study areas currently employed by students and faculty on a regular basis. Integrating Study Hall into Ohrstrom Library is completely logical. It fulfills the Library’s mission of creating a culture at St. Paul’s School that is conducive to engaging in productive study, one that offers just the right amount of support and resources available but without distractions in a very comfortable and attractive setting. Using a variety of library spaces – individual carrels, soft seating reading areas, and tucked-away nooks - students who are part of Study Hall will thrive in a hospitable environment designed to suit their study preferences and styles.
More details regarding specific policies governing Study Hall Hours and program offerings are forthcoming from Kate Daniels in the Office of Academic Support. Contact information: kdaniels@sps.edu 229-4840 Schoolhouse 202.
Tags: Academic Support, Ohrstrom Library, St. Paul's School, Study Hall
