All Good Things Must End

Students have completed finals, printed out boarding passes, and are ready to go home for the holidays. The library is closing today at 3:45 and will reopen on January 2nd. Many members of the faculty, staff, and student body have already been in to check out pleasure reading and DVDs for the break. If you still need some diversion for over the holidays, stop by in the next couple of hours.

The Ledge

It’s always startling to realize the information you can find in a library. On a recent trip to the public library, I picked up a copy of Down East Magazine and came across an article about an ill-fated hunting trip right after Christmas back in 1956. It told the story of a fisherman, who along with his son and nephew, lost his life after being stranded on a ledge when his skiff drifted away while duck hunting. After spending much of the last three summers sailing the waters in Harpswell, along with many trips to Estes Lobster House, I had never heard the story about Buster Estes. This true story inspired Lawrence Sargent Hall, who was then a professor at Bowdoin College to write the short story, “The Ledge,” which won the O. Henry Memorial Award in 1960. If you’re interested in reading this or any other short stories, take a look at our short story collection near the circulation desk.

Ornament Hunt

Ornament Hunt
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

The tradition continues. All students, staff, and faculty have an ornament hanging on the trees outside the library. The trick is to find yours. I found mine. Thanks!

Carolers in the Library

The most lovely of traditions! Mr. Seufert brings his German I class and Miss Keegan brings one of her Spanish classes to sing holiday music for us. We are an appreciative audience.

A Murder of Crows - Crow Intelligence

As Ms. Chase was walking back from lunch yesterday, a murder of crows settled by the library's back door. For her, Hitchcock used to always come uneasily to mind. Since she saw the TED talk by Joshua Klein on crow intelligence, however, she is no longer wary of them (or at least not in the same way!). Take a look yourself:

 

If you are interested in learning more after watching, try the DVD A Murder of Crows (shelved at DVD 598.8 MUR) or the book Crows: Encounters with the Wise Guys of the Avian World by Candace Savage (598.864 SAV).

Latest Reviews: December 2012

Fiction - Annotated Austen - October 09
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Looking for a read? Why not search our LibraryThing collection! Below you can find links to reviews of just some of the books recently read by our staff.

The latest reviews in our "virtual collection" include Souls in the Great Machine by Sean McMullen, Persuasion: An Annotated Edition by Jane Austen (edited by Robert Morrison), and Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi.

You can always find even more reviews through our LibraryThing profile.