And summer break begins.....

Can't come for a laptop ...
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

The laptops are in orderly stacks with neatly banded chargers (no more spaghetti!) The items on the lost and found display have mostly been reclaimed. Wishes for a good summer have been floating around since lunch. AND, I have probably chatted with the last student attempting the tangram puzzle. We at the library wish all a wonderful summer full of reading, relaxation, and rejuvenation.

We've got a Monster!

The library monster
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

There's a monster in the library and he's showing up everywhere. His picture is in the copy room, in the magazine room, on the computer monitors and even on the ceiling!
So we asked
"Who is the library monster?
Why is he (or she) so angry?
Is there a story to tell?'

Here's what we learned...
"I came from the evil Boston Public library where I had been caged up for 15 years. My mother was brutally killed when a library cart sped out of control running her straight over. From then on I decided to get revenge by eating other books and scaring library goers. I wish I could be a normal book and be loved but the anger overwhelms me. So watch out. I will eat your books and assignments in fits of literary rage!
- Library Monster
P.S. The reference books taste the best."
"Such a sad tale. Would a little bibliotherapy help?"
"Probably, I eat books because I'm unhappy and I'm unhappy because I eat books. Your sympathy soothes me but I fell as if a tasty book is the only thing that can fill the void in my heart.
- Library Monster
P.S. I feel like I have a chance to start a new chapter in my life (pun alert)

Time to say goodbye

Second Floor
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Well, everyone, my time here as the evening librarian is over. I have managed to finish my Ph.D. this year while working at Governor's Academy, and will take a position in the fall as a Faculty Fellow at Colby College. Luckily, I will have a few Governor's alum there to remind me of the wonderful community I was lucky to work in during this past year.

I will miss all of the library study hall regulars! Take care of yourselves and study hard!

Darla Linville

Memorial Day 2009

Memorial Day 2009
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Steve Barton, Governor's Academy Class of 2008 and a student at The Citadel, spoke to the school during our Memorial Day service. He spoke of the sacrifices made by soldiers and asked if anyone was familiar with the name "Paul R. Smith." Sergeant First Class Smith saved his unit at the Baghdad airport in 2003, but gave his own life to see that his men would arrive home safely. Sergeant Smith was awarded a posthumous medal of honor.

Steve also asked us to each view one of the following war films during exam week and to consider the sacrifices made by the men who served in those battles as we watch. The films he recommended are We Were Soldiers, Saving Private Ryan, and Band of Brothers.

Last minute activity before exams

Last minute activity
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Summer Travel

Maybe you are going someplace exotic this summer. Maybe your plans are already made: to climb to the high peak or dive deep in the clear blue ocean or to explore that far-away city. However, if this summer you'll be in more familiar locations with some time on your hands, you can always get a taste of the excitement through travel literature. In these stories, intrepid travelers with a gift for storytelling have set their adventures to words.

In Beyond the Sky and the Earth, Jamie Zeppa decided to not go to graduate school, and instead to travel to Bhutan, a mostly closed Himalayan country with a need for English teachers, in 1989. She left her overly cautious grandfather and her very stable boyfriend to seek an unknown adventure with unexpected consequences. Through Jamie's eyes, we meet her students, we learn about the customs, and we see the incredible landscape of this mountainous, Buddhist country.

Annie Hawes takes on a different kind of adventure, into the flavors of northern Italy. With her sister, she signs up to graft roses for the winter in a small Northern Italian town. She doesn't know much about roses except that they smell nice, but figures she will catch on when she arrives. This account reveals Annie's experiences as she inadvertently breaks social customs and misunderstands communications. The funny mishaps of the British sisters and the delightful descriptions of their meals remind readers of their own experiences of learning to love a new place.

Happy travels!

Archives Researcher Publishes!

Rachel Hope Cleves, an assistant professor of American History at Northern Illinois University, spent time last spring in our archives researching Elijah Parish whom she describes as "the short, loud and morbid minister of Byfield, Massachusetts, who for two decades prior had been preaching passionate sermons against the depravity of democratic bloodshed." We have as part of a collection many of his sermons and letters. Our association with the Byfield Parish Church goes back to Moses Parsons who was tasked with the responsibilty of choosing the academy's first shoolmaster. Her book, with a nice bit of appreciation in the preface, arrived recently in the mail. We are happy to have been part of her research process and look forward to delving into the Byfield preacher's role in this period of history.