• 03Jun

    Lisa Laughy - Archives Assistant

    The following is an excerpt from an article found in the Alumni Horae Digital Archive, now available online.  The Spring 1991 issue of the Alumni Horae celebrated the then newly completed and dedicated Ohrstrom Library.  In her article, The Libraries of St. Paul’s School, Librarian Rosemarie Cassels-Brown wrote her reflections on the place Ohrstrom Library would fill in this ongoing history:

    On a cold, sunny, but as yet snowless January day, just after the School returned from Christmas vacation, a colorful line of students and faculty, clad in parkas and heavy winter coats, stretched across from Sheldon to Ohrstrom. Piles of books were handed along, to be placed on the shelves in our new library. Conversations in the line were animated; the mood was one of celebration. . . . Although in terms of the number of books moved in this fashion it was a largely symbolic gesture, to those participating in the book brigade it meant: this is our library, . . .

    I sometimes wonder, as I move through this extraordinary building or take visitors around, what those who dedicated so much of their time and energy to the library in the early years of the School would think if they could see our new Ohrstrom Library —a spacious building, full of light, where students and teachers can pursue serious research as well as read for pleasure; . . . I hope our predecessors might be persuaded that in spite of much that would be new or unfamiliar to them, we are still concerned to be “an effective agency in the literary culture of the [students].”

    To read the full article click HERE to access the Alumni Horae Digital Archive, then under the “Browse” tab, in the “1990 - 1999″ folder, look for the “Spring 1991″ folder for The Libraries of St. Paul’s School article in that edition of the Alumni Horae.

    Article Source:

    Cassels-Brown, Rosemarie. “The Libraries of St. Paul’s School.” Alumni Horae
    Spring 1991: 16. Alumni Horae Digital Archive. Ohrstrom Lib., St. Paul’s
    School, Concord, NH. 2 June 2009 <http://archives.sps.edu/>.

  • 26May

    Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian

    The Encyclopedia of Taoism edited by Fabrizio Pregadio, Routledge, 2008.

    Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 299.51 P91T

    This 2-volume set describes the history, traditions and principles of Taoism. The encyclopedia is divided into 5 main thematic sections:

    1. Overview – including entries related to: Scriptures and Texts, Deities and Spirits, Sacred Sites
    2. The Taoist Universe – including entries related to: Doctrinal Notions, Transcendence and Immortality, Mountains and Mountain Monographs
    3. History- including entries related to: Pre-Han and Han Background, Shangqing, Contemporary Taoism
    4. Forms of Religious Practice and Experience – including entries related to: Meditation, Alchemy, Ritual
    5. Taoism and Chinese Buddhism- including entries related to: Persons, Texts

    Two additional, shorter, sections are included at the end of volume two: Miscellaneous Terms Related to Religious Ideas and Practices and Associations.

    Helpful for: Chinese Studies, Religious Studies, Asian Studies, Humanities

  • 21May

    Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian

    Nature and the Environment in 20th-Century American Life by Brian Black, Westport: Greenwood, 2006.

    Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 304.2 B56N20

    Did recent Earth Day activities generate an interest in topics related to the environment?  This new reference book is a great way to continue fueling the inspiration.  Read about oil and the automobile, the evolution of the National Park Service and/or the Donora Smog of 1948.  Dozens of additional topics are covered and discussed in this new source.  Photos and primary texts are scattered throughout the volume.

    Helpful for: Humanities IV, U.S. History Research, Environmental Research

  • 19May

    Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian

    Research and Discovery: Landmarks and Pioneers in American Science edited by Russell Lawson, M.E. Sharpe, 2008.

    Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 509 L44R

    This three volumes set presents scientific biographies, topics and inventions from fourteen different branches of science.  A handful of primary source documents conclude each section.

    Read about Weather in Early America, John Josselyn’s Description of Seventeenth-Century Fauna, Psychoanalysis in America, Count Rumford and/or browse the entry on New Hampshire’s own Mary Baker Eddy and her connection to Medicine & Health.

    Helpful for: Science, Humanities IV, Ecology

    Photo credit:

    Count von Rumford, Benjamin Thompson. Essays, Political, Economical, and Philosophical. 2 vols. Boston: Manning & Loring, 1799. Thomas Jefferson’s Library. Lib. of Congress. 17 Apr. 2009 <http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/jefferson/jefflib.html>.

  • 14May

    Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian

    The World Digital Library is a partnership between UNESCO and the U.S. Library of Congress.  The site aims to provide free access to digitized treasures currently housed in libraries, museums & other institutions around the world.

    Search by keyword or browse using different methods including: place, time or topic.

    Europeana is collaboration between dozens of European institutions including: museums, libraries, archives and galleries.  Currently housing 4 million items, the project aims to have 10 million items online in 2010.

    Search for James Bond, Descartes, hippos or Alice in Wonderland.  Searches may be further narrowed by item type including: texts, images, videos and sounds.

    Helpful for:  Humanities III, Humanities IV, Humanities V, Religious Studies, Art, Science, books, Primary Sources

  • 12May

    Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian

    The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History edited by Bonnie G. Smith, Oxford University Press, 2008.

    Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 305.4 Ox25W

    Browse through this new 4-volume set with 1250 entries focused on women’s issues.  The encyclopedia looks at the lives of individual women worldwide from the perspective of culture, work, politics, religion, health, achievements and activity.

    A sampling of topics include: Capitalism, Explorers and Exploration, Food Riots, International Lesbian and Gay Association, Islamic Empires.

    Individual biographical entries include: Queen of Zaria Aminatu, Empress Wu Zetian, and Big Mama Thornton.

    Helpful for: Humanities V, Humanities IV, Women’s Studies, World History, Global Studies

  • 08May

    Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian

    Gathering primary sources for your Fifth Form paper?  Ohrstrom Library offers the following sources and suggestions:

    Online Databases:
    These databases, available through the Library’s website, are those most commonly used by Fifth Formers looking for primary source periodical material.

    • London Times – Provides the full-text of this newspaper from 1785-1985.
    • Historical Newspaper Collection – Provides the full-text of 6 major U.S. newspapers from 1851 through the early 2000s.
    • JSTOR - features a collection of 750+ journals, most dating from at least the 1800s forward.  (Note, be sure to watch the date.  A recent article on your topic represents current research, not a likely primary source.)

    Books – More Primary Source Potential:
    You can locate primary sources published in book form by using the following terms as subject searches in the Library’s Online Catalog.  Or, conduct a keyword search using one term below combined with your topic (i.e. Correspondence, Darwin; or Sources, Inquisition).

    • Correspondence
    • Diaries
    • Interviews
    • Personal narratives
    • Speeches
    • Sources

    Frequently, primary sources are embedded within books considered secondary sources.  For example, a book about the Cold War may contain the text of a relevant speech, letter and/or legal document.

    Venturing Online – Visit the Library @ Delicious:
    The Library has begun collecting high quality websites in its own Delicious account.  Click on the “Primary Sources” tag to generate a list of websites housing exceptional collections of primary sources.  Top picks are also listed in the Fifth Form paper research guide.

    Google Advanced Search Techniques:
    As a final online tip, try searching your subject in Google, but first, limit the domain to .edu and add the word archives to your search string.  If a University or College library has digitized a special collection in your area of research, this search could help you find it.

  • 07May

    Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian

    The Oxford Companion to the Year by Bonnie Blackburn & Leofranc Holford-Strevens, Oxford, 2003.

    Kate Greenaway

    Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 529.3 B560

    The first half of this volume offers a day-by-day listing of associated events and people.  The focus is on British and U.S. events with some non-western celebrations included.

    The second half of the volume describes the history of the Christian calendar and major non-Christian calendars.

    Helpful for: Celebrations, Browsing, History of the Calendar

    Photo credit:

    Greenaway, Kate. Calendar for 1884 : Three Women. 1883. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Inst., Williamstown, Mass. ARTstor. ARTstor. Ohrstrom Lib., Concord, NH. 18 Apr. 2009 <http://www.artstor.org/>.

  • 05May

    Lura Sanborn - Reference Librarian

    Handbook to Life in the Medieval World by Madeleine Pelner Cosman and Linda Gale Jones, Facts On File, 2008.

    Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 909.07 F11H

    Divided into twelve topics, this reference set presents daily life during medieval times.  Topics are presented from the viewpoint of medieval Christians, Jews and Muslims.
    A sampling of topics include: Warfare & Weapons (including an entry on Women’s Arms), Mysticism & Magic (including an entry on Alchemy), and Clothing, Costume & Textiles (including an entry on Fashionable Hats and Headgear).

    Helpful for: Humanities, History, Religious & Social Studies.

  • 30Apr

    Lisa Laughy - Archives Assistant

    Just in time for the Fifth Form Humanities research paper assignments, Ohrstrom Library staff members have prepared an online research guide to help you through the process. The Fifth Form Paper Research Guide has been added to the Ohrstrom Blog and contains key information, such as:

    • A list of reference books in the library that can help you find a topic
    • Step-by-Step guide to the research process
    • Search strategies for finding periodical articles in magazines, newspapers, scholarly journals, reports, and more
    • A list of librarian approved web resources for accessing photos, artwork, video and other documents and primary sources
    • A link to our Delicious account where you can access more, newly added librarian approved web resources

    You can access this research guide by clicking HERE. There are also permanent links in the blog sidebar under the “Research Guides” list heading, a link in the fly-out menu of the Ohrstrom Library website under “Research > Research Guides”, and a link on the Ohrstrom Library main page in Blackboard (Click on “Ohrstrom Library” in your course list).

    This research guide will be your best friend over the next few weeks, so be sure to bookmark it and visit it often throughout the research phase of the assignment. For additional research assistance contact Ms. Sanborn or any of the Ohrstrom Library Staff.