Don't forget that in honor of the 250th kick-off weekend, Ms. Slater will be opening the Little Red School House for touring on Friday. She will guide visitors through the school house. The school house will be open from 8:30 a.m. until 11:15 a.m. and again from 12:00 noon until 3:00 p.m.
This is a wonderful chance to learn a little about early academy history. Welcome any and all who would like to stop by!
We extend our sincere thanks to Ms. Slater, our archivist, for making the tour possible.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Governor's Academy Mural
To celebrate the school's upcoming 250th anniversary, a mural depicting various aspects of the school history was commissioned. A mural committee met with the two artists, Joshua Winer and David Fichter, several times during the spring semester to discuss ideas.
In the summer, the painting began in earnest, and the mural took shape week by week. Here it is in its full glory, photographed by Mr. Oxton from the Fine Arts department. (Check out our Summer 2012 Flickr photos for some of the intermediate stages.) We are delighted at how the mural turned out!
Our archivist, Ms. Slater, will highlight different elements of the mural both in a series of library displays and in blog posts. Her first display is on William Dummer, the school's founder. The first blog post deals with the Mansion House, William Dummer's residence, and the Milestone, which was commissioned by John Dummer, William's cousin. Did you know that there are ghost stories connected to the Mansion House? Or that the Milestone was a part of fierce family rivalry in Byfield?Please read more in the Archives blog, and come in to see the display!
In the summer, the painting began in earnest, and the mural took shape week by week. Here it is in its full glory, photographed by Mr. Oxton from the Fine Arts department. (Check out our Summer 2012 Flickr photos for some of the intermediate stages.) We are delighted at how the mural turned out!
Our archivist, Ms. Slater, will highlight different elements of the mural both in a series of library displays and in blog posts. Her first display is on William Dummer, the school's founder. The first blog post deals with the Mansion House, William Dummer's residence, and the Milestone, which was commissioned by John Dummer, William's cousin. Did you know that there are ghost stories connected to the Mansion House? Or that the Milestone was a part of fierce family rivalry in Byfield?Please read more in the Archives blog, and come in to see the display!
Friday, September 21, 2012
A Hobbit Anniversary
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien was first published on 21
September 1937 – 75 years ago. It sold out by Christmas, but has never been out
of print since.
The Hobbit cannot really be taken by itself, for “it stands on the threshold of one of the most immense and satisfying imaginative creations of our time" – namely The Lord of the Rings (Helms, Randel. Tolkien’s World. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1974. Print. Page 52). Tolkien based a lot of his material on early Germanic literature, poetry, and mythology. His experiences in the First World War are often described as a source for many of the thematic elements in Tolkien’s writing.
Both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have
been adapted multiple times for stage, screen, radio, board games, and video
games. While many other authors had published works of fantasy before Tolkien,
the great success of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings led
directly to a popular resurgence of the genre.
Please check out our display in the hallway near the
Electronic Classroom for more!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Improved Printing Options in the Library
In last week's post about changes in the library, we already mentioned that the new, spiffy library copier also functions as a printer. Now there is another small change to report on the printing front.
Printing to the front desk printer has been disabled for students in favor of the newer and more dependable printers. Printing even longer .pdfs should now work without a hitch!
Here are your options in a nutshell:
Copier:
Color jobs as well as b&w
One-sided
Classroom printer:
Only b&w
Double-sided by default
Library 2nd floor:
Only b&w
One-sided
As always, if you have questions or if you need help, please come and see us!
Printing to the front desk printer has been disabled for students in favor of the newer and more dependable printers. Printing even longer .pdfs should now work without a hitch!
Here are your options in a nutshell:
Copier:
Color jobs as well as b&w
One-sided
Classroom printer:
Only b&w
Double-sided by default
Library 2nd floor:
Only b&w
One-sided
As always, if you have questions or if you need help, please come and see us!
Monday, September 17, 2012
Regarding Academic Honesty
To follow Dr. Quimby's talk about honesty, we pulled and displayed Jonah Lehrer's controversial book Imagine. He forfeited his career when it was revealed that he invented multiple quotes for his book.
If students have questions regarding academic honesty, there are many sources to turn to. They can talk to a teacher, or turn to one our learning center specialists. There are multiple books about honesty and cheating in our collection, including research and citation guides.
Honesty might feel like a theoretical exercise, but as Jonah Lehrer found out, it is very deeply tied to our everyday routines.
If students have questions regarding academic honesty, there are many sources to turn to. They can talk to a teacher, or turn to one our learning center specialists. There are multiple books about honesty and cheating in our collection, including research and citation guides.
Honesty might feel like a theoretical exercise, but as Jonah Lehrer found out, it is very deeply tied to our everyday routines.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Little Red School House
The empty flag stand in the original Little Red Schoolhouse now "flies" the flag that would have been there in 1763. Ms. Slater sent away to England for a linen English flag. It is easy to forget that William Dummer was a Royal Governor during difficult times in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He established the school in his will before the events of 1776. You can see additional pictures on today's Facebook post.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Changes in the Library Since Summer
A few days ago, we already mentioned some of the changes that took place in the library over the summer break. Here is more detailed information on those changes.
Quite a few parts of our book collection moved to make space for the new Center for Teaching and Learning. The history collection is now in the Bragdon reading room, the graphic novels have moved to the glass room, and the periodicals have moved into the Lyons nook (nook near the glass room). We know it’s a lot to remember, so we have a Quick Guide to Locations available at the front desk to help you.
Our Flickr and Facebook pages have lots of photos of the various stages of construction. They also include documentation of the steps needed to bring our gorgeous new mural to life.
A small but helpful change, we hope, is the addition of a couple of workstations for a quick email check or for printing something for class. They are located in the nook between the front door and the elevator (to the left as you walk in). You also now have the capability of printing (both color and black and white) to the library copier, so please send your jobs there and remember to pick them up!
Last but not least, the library has an amazing collection, but if there’s something specific you would like, please stop by the front desk to ask. We’re glad to help you.
Quite a few parts of our book collection moved to make space for the new Center for Teaching and Learning. The history collection is now in the Bragdon reading room, the graphic novels have moved to the glass room, and the periodicals have moved into the Lyons nook (nook near the glass room). We know it’s a lot to remember, so we have a Quick Guide to Locations available at the front desk to help you.
Our Flickr and Facebook pages have lots of photos of the various stages of construction. They also include documentation of the steps needed to bring our gorgeous new mural to life.
A small but helpful change, we hope, is the addition of a couple of workstations for a quick email check or for printing something for class. They are located in the nook between the front door and the elevator (to the left as you walk in). You also now have the capability of printing (both color and black and white) to the library copier, so please send your jobs there and remember to pick them up!
Last but not least, the library has an amazing collection, but if there’s something specific you would like, please stop by the front desk to ask. We’re glad to help you.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Latest Reviews: September 2012
Welcome back! We hope that your summer break was relaxing and inspirational. Below you will find reviews of just some of the books read by our staff during the summer months. Why not have a look to see whether one will tickle your fancy?
The latest reviews linked to our "virtual collection" include Delirium by Lauren Oliver, The 20-minute Gardener by Tom Christopher & Marty Asher, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.
You can always find even more reviews through our LibraryThing profile.
The latest reviews linked to our "virtual collection" include Delirium by Lauren Oliver, The 20-minute Gardener by Tom Christopher & Marty Asher, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.
You can always find even more reviews through our LibraryThing profile.
Friday, September 07, 2012
Head Start for Fall
General registration opened today, and we already see our students using the library to hang out, use a computer, or read a book or a magazine.
There were many changes in the library during the summer. The most notable one is the gorgeous mural celebrating the 250 years of Governor's Academy history. All the windows were replaced. Parts of the collection were relocated and rooms repurposed in preparation for the new learning center. There is new carpeting and paint. Details are still being worked on in some areas of the library. There is also new equipment. We are in the process of improving our signage to reflect all the changes and help people navigate the library better.
There is one thing, however, that does not change: We are excited to greet both returning and new students, and also look forward to welcoming the faculty and staff.
Please come in to say hello, and do not hesitate to ask us if you cannot find something. Welcome back, each and every one of you!
There were many changes in the library during the summer. The most notable one is the gorgeous mural celebrating the 250 years of Governor's Academy history. All the windows were replaced. Parts of the collection were relocated and rooms repurposed in preparation for the new learning center. There is new carpeting and paint. Details are still being worked on in some areas of the library. There is also new equipment. We are in the process of improving our signage to reflect all the changes and help people navigate the library better.
There is one thing, however, that does not change: We are excited to greet both returning and new students, and also look forward to welcoming the faculty and staff.
Please come in to say hello, and do not hesitate to ask us if you cannot find something. Welcome back, each and every one of you!
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