Ohrstrom Blog » Ohrstrom Library

Seeking Ohrstrom Library Prefects: 2010-2011

Kevin Barry — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:47:15 +0000

Applications are now available for a student leadership opportunity at Ohrstrom Library. A team of 12 students in the current 4th or 5th forms will be selected this spring to serve as Ohrstrom Library Prefects from September 2010 through May 2011. Below is a description of the program and information about the application process.

How Will a Library Prefect Serve?

Will set a positive tone and example by exhibiting respect for the Library’s physical plant, patrons and staff; facilitating a quiet and harmonious study environment for all; and being helpful to students in need of direction.
Will meet with the Library Director and staff. Will offer advice and suggestions associated with the collections and operation of the library and its services. Will serve as a liaison between the student body and the library.
Will be visible, approachable and available to students; reaching out to those who appear to need guidance or assistance with locating library resources, and referring students to library staff for help with research and resource questions. Will serve as a peer resource for students who would like to discuss the topic of academic integrity in the library.
Will promote the development of library and research skill sets by learning how to confidently navigate the Ohrstrom Library website; locate cataloged materials in the stacks; and operate library equipment such as film readers, copiers and scanners.
Will possess an understanding of Ohrstrom Library’s expectations and discourage all behaviors that undermine the success, academic potential, or well-being of students using the library for research, study, writing, or reflection. Will discourage all abuse or misuse of library property, and report questionable or potentially dangerous behaviors to the library staff.
Will behave in an objective manner should conflicts with patrons arise, always honoring personal boundaries. Will refer or report students with policy questions, concerns or special needs to the Library Director or library staff on duty.

What Kind of Time Commitment is Involved?

If you are selected as a Library Prefect, you must fully commit to covering one weekly 1.5 hour shift in Ohrstrom Library on a mutually agreed upon evening.
Library Prefects will be on duty in Ohrstrom Library, Sunday through Friday evenings 7:30pm to 9:00pm.
Library Prefects will work in teams of two, one evening each week.
Swaps will be allowed but all shifts must be covered.

What Might A Typical Evening Involve?

Working out of a space adjacent to the Library Director’s office on the second floor of Ohrstrom Library, Library Prefects will make regular “rounds” throughout the building. During this time they might assist students who are having difficulty either locating materials or navigating their way around the building; discover routine problems that can be quickly solved or referred to the Library staff; cover the Circulation Desk for very brief periods if the Library staff are called away. They may shelve current periodicals, books and newspapers; assist with shelf reading; and as liaisons between the student body and the library, bring suggestions to the Library Director and staff regarding the operation, services, and best practices of the library.

How Do I Apply for Consideration and What Happens Next?

Access a PDF version on the application by clicking HERE, OR pick one up at the Circulation Desk in Ohrstrom Library.
Turn in the completed application at the Library Circulation Desk no later than Monday May 10 at 5:00pm.
Mr. Barry will acknowledge receipt by e-mail of all applications received.
All applications will be reviewed by Library staff and current 6th Form Library Prefects.
With applicant’s permission, applicant’s adviser will be consulted.
All applicants will be notified as to whether or not they have been selected by Friday Monday May 17 at 5:00pm.
Training and duty schedules will be completed by mid-September 2010.

Please see or contact Mr. Barry if you have any questions about the position or application process.

Holiday Greetings From Ohrstrom Library

Kevin Barry — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:29:01 +0000

A message from Library Director Kevin Barry:

Dear SPS Community,

Just a reminder that Ohrstrom Library is open Thursday December 17th and Friday December 18th from 8:30am to 5:00pm. Beginning on Saturday December 19th the Library will be closed through Sunday January 3rd.

Come by, browse and borrow some recreational reading, listening, or viewing to enjoy during your well deserved break.

We would love to see you, and many many thanks for being such a warm and supportive Library community.

Sincere best wishes and happy holidays from all of us at Ohrstrom Library.

Holiday Hours

Thursday, December 17	8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Friday, December 18	8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 19 – Sunday, Jan. 3	CLOSED
Monday, Jan. 4 & Tuesday, Jan. 5	8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 6	8:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Thursday, January 7	Regular Hours Resume

As always, you can see the Library hours HERE, or by clicking the link in the menu at the top of the page.

Image courtesy of aimilino01 under this Creative Common license.

Ohrstrom Library on Facebook: Your New BFF!

Lisa Laughy — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:13:47 +0000

Lisa Laughy – Library Web Sevices

Ohrstrom Library has a page on Facebook and you are invited to become a fan!

The Ohrstrom Library Facebook Page has been set up for a few months now and the number of fans is growing every day. If you spend time on Facebook, becoming a fan of the Ohrstrom Library page is a great way to stay in touch with library-related news and information. Links are added to new Ohrstrom Blog posts as soon as they become available. New links added to Ohrstrom Library’s Delicious account are posted as well. When you become a fan of Ohrstrom Library you will receive updated notices of these postings on your account’s Home page News / Live Feed. You will then be able to keep track of all of the great new reference books, reliable online resources, and the latest news from Ohrstrom Library. It is an effortless way to stay connected while networking on Facebook.

To become a fan of Ohrstrom Library, log into your Facebook account and type “Ohrstrom Library” into the search box. Look for the familiar Ohrstrom logo under the “Pages” heading. Or – click the link located further down in the Ohrstrom Blog sidebar where it says “Ohrstrom Library on Facebook”. Once you are a fan, invite your friends to join too!

Ohrstrom Blog: What It Did on Its Summer Vacation

Lisa Laughy — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:47:50 +0000

Lisa Laughy – Library Web Services

While SPS students were off on their own summer adventures the Ohrstrom Blog took advantage of the down-time to make some improvements. The summer months were jam-packed and fun-filled for the blog and now it has a new look and offers some great new features to enhance the users’ experience.

When school ended you may remember that the blog had the following look:

Now the design is updated to coordinate with Ohrstrom Library’s other web resources including the new online catalog:

You may already have noticed the new poll feature located in the sidebar on the left asking the question: “How many books did you read for fun during your summer vacation?” Take a moment now to submit your answer the poll and be sure to return to see how your choices compare within the larger results. New polls will be added on a regular basis so check back often.

Additionally, a visually interactive Library calendar has been added. You can access the calendar through the “Hours” link in the top menu above or through menu in the Library website. Running your mouse over the day block on the calendar will show you the hours the library is open for that day.

Ohrstrom Library’s New Catalog: A Summer Makeover

Lisa Laughy — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:21:01 +0000

Kevin Barry – Library Director

Ohrstrom Library’s online catalog has a whole new look and feel. Over the summer months Library staff have been working hard to customize the new catalog, incorporating graphics and a color palette in concert with Ohrstrom Library’s other web resources. The “out of the box” functional elements have been reorganized and rewritten with a focus specifically on the Ohrstrom users’ needs.

Be assured the new Online Catalog includes all the familiar information and options offered by the earlier catalog interface. You will continue to see a basic record, location and call number for any item held by the library, and you will continue to be able to do advanced searches, opt to view a full catalog record, mark records for printing, and sort by a variety of elements. While searching the online catalog, you will now be able to see the exact date due back for any item in circulation.

In the upcoming weeks you will receive a user ID number and pin number via email. This will allow you to log in to the “My Account” area to place online holds, renew items, and to view the items you have checked out.

A specially customized Help file is available in PDF format, accessible through links located on every page of the catalog. It provides basic information on new features like “My Account” as well as searching tips and guidelines. If you have any questions about searching the new catalog don’t hesitate to contact Library staff.

The Library staff is very pleased with this new online searching interface and excited about expanding the usability of the Library’s holdings through the improvements it provides.

New Library Display: The Berlin Wall

Lisa Laughy — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:00:30 +0000

Lisa Laughy – Archives Assistant

ASP Master Teacher Richard E. Schade, SPS 1962, has put together a multifaceted display in Ohrstrom Library on the subject of the Berlin Wall. The main level of the library in the Baker Reading Room features a display of books gathered from Ohrstrom’s own collection, accented with easel displays of photographs of the Berlin Wall taken by Schade. He has also printed a bibliography of the books in the display that is available as a handout.

The lower level of the library features a display wall with reproductions of periodical articles from the Library’s collection. Articles from Life, Newsweek, and other publications from the time of the wall’s creation provide a contemporary perspective of the world’s response to the division of East and West Berlin.

Schade has this to say of his display, titled “BERLIN STORIES: The Response of American Magazines To the Building of the Berlin Wall (1961)”:

The Berlin Wall came into being on August 13, 1961 and was breached on November 9, 1989. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall, it is fitting to look back, even as its fall is commemorated.

Not only does the Ohrstrom Library have pertinent books on the history of the Berlin Wall, but its magazines provide reports with a sense of immediacy. In the same year as Maris and Mantle were locked in a home-run duel, Berlin was at the center of a major Cold War showdown; it at the brink of war between the United States and the Soviet Union over the status of Berlin.

Be sure to take in the displays in the Baker Reading Room and the lower level lobby on your next visit to Ohrstrom Library.

Photo of the Berlin Wall by Richard Schade.

ASP at Fifty Two

Lura Sanborn — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:06:18 +0000

Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian, ASP 1995

Welcome to the 52nd Session of ASP!

St. Paul’s School founded the Advanced Studies Program in 1958 to provide talented New Hampshire public and parochial high school juniors with challenging educational opportunities, and use of the Ohrstrom Library is integral to this enriching experience. The staff of Ohrstrom Library welcomes ASP faculty and students and hope that you enjoy and take advantage of its collections and services this summer.

Did you know?

The ASP went co-ed in 1961 (10 years before SPS).
The ice-cream machine in the Upper is provided by the ASP.
In its early years, the ASP was primarily focused on math and science, offering such courses as: biology, calculus, chemistry and physics.
The evening door count at the library is at its highest during the ASP. During the 5 week 2008-09 summer ASP session, Ohrstrom Library had 18,118 visits.
Man and Media, a pre-cursor to today’s Mass Media course, was taught by author, and former SPS and ASP faculty member, Richard Lederer.
College Counseling services were added to the ASP in 1979.
In a green effort, the school dining hall went trayless in 2006 – beginning with that year’s ASP class.
The School Rector, William R. Matthews, Jr., SPS ‘61, is also a former ASP faculty member.
Despite the flood of May 2006, the ASP still ran, but without access to Hargate or Ohrstrom Library.
Returning ASP faculty member, Richard E. Schade, SPS ‘62, met the very first ASP class during his summer job at the SPS school bookstore.
There are currently over 10,000 ASP alumni!

What/who else was “born” in 1958? : The Grammy award, Sweet ‘n Low, Pizza Hut, Cocoa Krispies, American Express, Kevin Bacon, Madonna and Alec Baldwin.

Reflections from the Horae: Ohrstrom Library, 1991

Lisa Laughy — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:09:44 +0000

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 .

Postcards from the Past: SPS Historic Postcard Exhibit

Lisa Laughy — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:00:35 +0000

Lisa Laughy - Archives Assistant

The Historic Postcard online exhibit has now been updated to reflect the redesign of the Ohrstrom Library website. Originally created in 2006, the exhibit has a new look as well as some new features.

Here is a description of the exhibit excerpted from the “About” page:

The SPS Historical Postcard exhibit presents images of St. Paul’s School from the late 1800s to the present. The scenes and buildings depicted by these postcards provide glimpses of the School as it has grown and changed over the decades. Images of vanished buildings, unfamiliar perspectives on buildings still in service, and of the School’s changing landscape (for example, the School’s stately elm trees from the days before Dutch Elm disease) offer an evocative mixture of the familiar and the unfamiliar, and invite us to view the School today with a fresh perspective.

The exhibit contains 79 postcard images gathered from the SPS Archives and loaned by friends of St. Paul’s School. It includes individual pages for each postcard and a slideshow of all 79 postcard images. Images are of vistas of years past, including familiar as well as “vanished” buildings.

Read more about the Postcard Exhibit HERE.

Access the Postcard Exhibit Galleries and Slideshow HERE.

Selected Websites: They’re “Delicious” and Good For You Too!

Lisa Laughy — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:34:59 +0000

Ohrstrom Library is now collecting links to high-quality web sites and storing them in our own Delicious account. For those of you unfamiliar with Delicious, it is the leading social bookmarking website where users store, share and discover bookmarked websites. The links stored in the “OhrstromLibrary” Delicious account are selected based on quality, stability, relevance to SPS curriculum, authority and currency of information.

Students will find this collection of links very useful when pursuing a wide range of research projects. Working on your Humanities V paper topic? Click on the “Humanities5″ tag and see all the links helpful for starting your research. Looking for those seemingly elusive primary sources? Now you can click a tag and have access to a number of great websites chock full of primary sources. Library staff have pre-selected only the best online sites, and organized them in a way that makes them immediately useful for students. “Tagging” organizes the links into useful subgroups, allowing easy access to web resources without a lot of browsing. New links are being added all the time, so the collection, while selective, will continue to grow.

For quick access to the latest links, a page has been added to the Ohrstrom Blog sidebar to the left. Look for the “Selected Websites” link under the Research Guides heading.