Day two of the Computers in Libraries 2010 and Internet@Schools conference was packed with information and ideas I’ll be bringing back to school to implement. Gary Price of The Reference Shelf showed us many new Internet resources. Cheryl Lederle-Ensign and Erika White of the Library of Congress introduced us to their newly updated website and the myriad new resources for teachers. Paul Barron, director of library and archives for the George C, Marshall Foundation, talked about Google’s ranking system and how important it is for students to understand why the top three results may not be the best results. He said “bad decision making is usually the result of an inability to locate information.” For this reason, it’s imperative that school libraries teach students to locate the best information available so that they will be able to make informed decisions now and throughout their lives.

Krista Godrey, liaison librarian at McMaster University demonstrated how open-source applications like Libx and Zotero can assist students in searching, collecting, citing, and sharing their research source materials. Rebecca Jones (Dysart and Jones) and Deb Wallace (Harvard Business School) were exceptionally persuasive when they discussed how we can use critical thinking skills to make the decisions that will help us to progress inside our organizations.

The evening program was a lighthearted look at “hot” and “not” technologies. Sorry, ipad users, but that one’s a “not.” Html5 and anything that helps people to work better collaboratively came out with high marks in the “hot” category. The highlight of my day, however, was hearing the archivist of the United States and "Collector-in-Chief" share that the book he's presently reading is Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Computers in Libraries and Internet @ Schools 2010

Computers in Libraries and Internet @ Schools 2010
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Day one of the Computers in Libraries and Internet @ Schools conferences began with a keynote speech by Lee Rainie of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. He updated us with facts gleaned from their research about people’s online behaviors. He explained that many use online social websites like facebook and youtube to “build friendships, network with friends, create learning opportunities, and build reputational capital.” He said that librarians should become “nodes in people's social networks” as they seek information to help them both solve problems and meet their informational needs. Seven literacies that he mentioned as necessary for people to thrive in a digital world are among the many things we attempt to empower students with whenever we work with them. The literacies he focused on are:
• Screen literacy – understanding graphics and symbols
• Navigational literacy – giving students tools to understand where (in virtual space) they happen to be and to determine where they need to be and how to get there
• Connections and Context literacy – because web pages break everything into snippets of information linked to each other, students must learn to understand the context in which the information they are viewing is presented
• Skepticism – learning to look for accuracy and authority in the sites they visit
• Value of Contemplative Time – helping them to understand that it’s not enough to find a piece of information, but we must spend time with it and think about it to make connections with our world and determine what best to do with that information
• Content Creation – how to become publishers and creators of digital information; creating rather than collecting information
• Ethical behavior in this new world

Library of Congress North Side

Library of Congress North side
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

I arrived early for the Computers in Libraries 2010 conference and decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather to visit the capital's museums and stroll around the mall. While the cherry trees are no longer blossoming, it is definitely spring here in Washington, D.C. This shot of the side of the Library of Congress gave me a glimpse of what we have in store for us in Byfield in a week or two.

Visual Poetry

Visual Poetry
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Mrs. Gold's sophomores created visual interpretations of poems and shared them in the library today. We were delighted to see the creativity and talent displayed by our students. No two interpretations were alike.Mr. Mandel had previously instructed the students in video techniques and software. Each student created a film and uploaded it to YouTube so they could be shown in front of a large group.

New Entertainment DVDs

Entertainment DVDs - April 2010
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

A few days ago we mentioned our new DVDs shelf for the most recent movie purchases. Here is a selection of the newest of the new. Note the bright stickies on the cover. They tell you to look for the movie on the new DVDs shelf, rather than among the rest of the collection.

The new movies are incredibly popular. As I'm writing this, only one of the titles in the picture can be found on the shelf. Come in to get yours while you can!

April is Poetry

April is Poetry
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Pictured is just one of our five poetry displays in honor of the National Poetry Month.

"The sun just touched the morning;
The morning, happy thing,
Supposed that he had come to dwell,
And life would be all spring."

The quotation above is from p. 77 of The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson (811 DIC - at the moment on this display, though). Fitting for today's gorgeous spring weather, don't you think?

What's in Your Cellphone?

What's in Your Cellphone?
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

This month’s display touches off by taking a look at the ingredients of the iphone. A Bad Apple, there’s one in every barrel, is there one in every pocket? Taking a look at the actual mineral and metals content of our cell phones (not to mention computers, and electronics galore) it seems we are awash in “conflict minerals”. And these conflict minerals are disguised via layers of corporate greed. Who knew that Tungsten and Tantalum – critical to our electronic devices’ vibration motors and batteries – are mined in the Congo? That the Congo is rife with worker rights violations, which are really human rights violations! It’s good to be green and here’s a way to get closer to your green side, by checking the Guide to Greener Electronics before the next shopping trip. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/how-the-companies-line-up

Celebration of Chinese Culture

Celebration of Chinese Culture
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

The performing arts center was packed with students Friday night. Ms. Qian had arranged for a presentation by the Chinese Folk Art Workshop, Inc.
Hands-on activities in the foyer included calligraphy and making Chinese hacky-sacks, dragonflies, and clay figures.
The outstanding performance that followed included many forms of Chinese dance and folkdance, drumming performances, lion and dragon dances, and Chinese yo-yo demonstrations. While the Chinese Fold Art Workshop claims that its members range in age from 12 to 18, their performances were professional and exceptionally entertaining. Small children in the audience, high school students, and adults alike broke into spontaneous applause throughout the performance as we were delighted and transfixed by the myriad talents of these young people.

How Sweet It Is!

How Sweet It Is!
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

The spherical puzzle on the circulation desk has befuddled, baffled, confounded, and flustered students for the past month. One persevering student has finally completed it and can now reassemble it in less than a minute. Congratulations - hard work does pay off!

What Happens to Poems?

Shaun Tan's Tales from Outer Suburbia (shelved at JFic TAN) is a beautiful book full of astonishing, whimsical stories and illustrations. One of the stories, Distant Rain, talks about the fate of all the little poems people write but don't let others read.

This tiny excerpt (p. 28) should give you a taste of his extraordinary style. Come by and check the book out! While you're in, have a look at our poetry month displays in the lobby and the Bragdon Reading Room.

New Items to While Away a Rainy Day

New Fiction - March 2010
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Here's a sample of the latest batch of new books. Feel free to pop in and browse our new books shelves for some rainy day entertainment. Note also that we have a brand new section for new DVD movies. You can find it at the end of the entertainment DVD section, just above the audio books. (Look for the brightly colored signs!)

Poetry Month

800s - March 2010
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

April is the National Poetry Month.

Pictured is a brand new book of poetry in our collection. Naobi Shihab Nye collected poems from young authors - under 25, as she defines it - into a cool project. She says:

"Reading the poems for Time You Let Me In reminded me of the sensation of vast horizontal breathing. The voices of these wonderful writers open up into whole worlds of roots and humor, and snazzy intelligence. No matter what age we are, we need those voices." (Introduction, p. xvi)

Book Reviews in a Catalog Near You

You may know that our virtual library at LibraryThing links to book reviews. They have been written both by our users and other LibraryThing users. Did you know that our online catalog also has reviews? You can find them on the Comments tab under the book title.

Future of Publishing, Future of Books?

Every now and then, the media carries stories claiming that teenagers today don't read books. It's said that they're dependent on their cell phones and the Internet for communication, which makes for fractured attention span, poor literacy skills, and even behavior issues.

Doubtless these issues occur. They are not, however, the whole truth. The Internet and various social media offer teenagers invaluable opportunities to develop critical thinking and argumentation skills, among others; even detailed technology skills and literacy can be learned by interacting online.

This video, prepared by the UK branch of Dorling Kindersley Books and produced by Khaki Films, takes a stand in a creative way.

(Turn your speakers on if they're not by default - the voice over is worth hearing, too.)

Maintenance Crew cleans up our storage area

Maintenance Crew cleans up our storage area
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Today was a rainy day so, while students were huddling trying to stay warm and dry, the maintenance department did some indoor cleanup in the library, moving items that had been in storage to a place where they would be put to good use.

Civics classes

Civics classes
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Freshman civics students are in the library this month, learning to research using notecards, parenthetical citation, and MLA formatted works cited pages. They've chosen some very interesting topics including the death penalty, affirmative action, work-to-welfare, health care reform, stem cell research, and illegal drug use, to name a few. We look forward to helping them each step of the way so they'll have a great experience with their first formal research paper.

Antartctica Display

Antartctica Display
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Tuesday was Museum Day. The Frosh visit to the Museum of Science inspired us to gather together materials about the Antarctic and Polar regions, and people studying them.

Earth Quake Display

Earth Quake Display
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

The January earth quake in Haiti and the more recent one in Chile prompted us to build a mini-display. We're concentrating on the mechanisms of quakes. Did you know that there's almost constant seismic activity here in Massachusetts as well?

Founder's Day Display

Founder's Day Display
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Here is a glimpse of the Founder's Day display, created by our archivist Laurie DiModica. The display includes many fascinating photos from the 1800s. One shows the little red schoolhouse in its original location, right here where the Pescosolido Library currently stands.

Two other new displays are also up in the library - come in to enjoy before heading off to spring break!

Founder's Day

Founder's Day
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Today we celebrate the opening of our school, first known as the Dummer Charity School. On March 1, 1763, Reverend Moses Parsons of the Byfield Parish Church opened with a prayer and and spoke on Isaiah 32:8 - "But the liberal deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall he stand." On March 1, 2010 we watched images of our past history. Headmaster Doggett led us in a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday and we were treated to cake as we left Morning Meeting. Archivist Laurie DiModica created a display in the library's foyer and had major school documents on display for students.

Reading for College, Reading in College

We all know how important reading is for your education. It is also a recognized fact that as you advance in your education, there seems to be less and less time for reading amidst assignments, labs, papers, exams, talks, presentations, conferences, and other projects.

One way to tackle the increasing load is becoming a more efficient reader. Timothy Burke at Swarthmore College writes about college reading in particular, and offers the following helpful and humorous advice:

"The first rule, in some ways the only rule, is skim, skim,
skim. But skimming is not just reading in a hurry, or reading sloppily,
or reading the last line and the first line. It's actually a disciplined
activity in its own right."

Skimming should give you an idea of the structure of the piece (book, article, etc.) to move on to finding the central concepts and the sequence of the arguments.

You should, of course, also read the footnotes, of which there are five different basic kinds: 1) Logrolling; 2) Weird little stuff that distracts from the main point but which is still kind of interesting; 3) Oh, by the way, there's one teeny tiny little exception; 4) Look, Ma, I did the reading; and the 5) You want proof? I'll give you proof footnotes.

Also, even if it seems cumbersome and time-consuming,

"if a term recurs regularly in a text, or seems particularly central, you MUST
learn to pick up a dictionary and find out what the author means. Learn to keep
one by your side and don't try to bluff your way past such a term. An initial
mistake about the meaning of a term can rapidly multiply into a gigantic
misreading if you're not careful."

Last but certainly not least, take notes and prepare for discussion.

Read more - even skim! - at Staying Afloat: Some Scattered Suggestions on Reading in College.

Creature Comforts

Special Purchases - February 2010
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Rainy, chilly days like today are perfect for cozying up with a book. The new books shelves have just been refreshed, and the tower display in the front hall has plenty of new reads in it.
If you are more of a visual person, check out our DVD shelving. Both the non-fiction and the entertainment collections have new items. And yet another batch of books and visual materials is currently being processed.

Taking my life for a walk

Taking my life for a walk
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

It's not unusual to see faculty members walking their dogs and children past the library. This is the first time we've seen one walking his children and video equipment. It was a lovely day for a walk, though.

Washington on Excuses

Washington on excuses
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

"It is better to have no excuse than a bad one."

This thought, accompanied by President George Washington himself, currently adorns the library lobby. Students have been very taken with it.

Personal ILL delivery

Personal ILL delivery
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Our library is very active in Inter-library Loan. As a member of the MassCat network, we loan to readers across the state and bring in books and videos to our students. Thanks to our regional library system, we have delivery Monday and Thursday afternoons. We also 'give and take' from the libraries of the schools in the Greater Boston Cooperative Library Association. These books usually travel by mail. A recent meeting, however, had librarians exchanging books in person.

Dummer Influence from 1700s

Paul Revere's midnight ride to Portsmouth is well known in in these parts of Massachusetts. Less known are the efforts of one Wentworth Cheswell, an alumnus of the school. He acted as town messenger for his home town, Newmarket, NH, and rode to Exeter with instructions to militia men much like Revere.
Wentworth's grandfather Richard had been a slave in Exeter who won his freedom and purchased 20 acres of land for himself. By all accounts Wentworth's mixed racial background was of little concern in his life in New Hampshire and at Dummer: he also served in the army, worked as schoolteacher, and held several public office positions.
Stories like Wentworth Cheswell's reinforce the value archives can provide to an institution. We are enriched by a better understanding of our history and the contributions our alumni make to the society. Read more of this fascinating story at the Governor's Academy Archives blog.

Ah, February!

resting up for a busy day
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Snow outside, warm and cozy inside. What a nice place to catch a nap!

Historical Fiction

Historical Fiction - February 2010
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Among the latest new books there are a few based on, or inspired by, historical events or people. Interested in Shakespeare? Check out Lisa Klein's re-imagining of Macbeth from the point of view of Albia, gifted with second sight and raised on barren moors by three sisters (Lady Macbeth's Daughter). If spy action is closer to your heart, try Lauren Willig's take on espionage in nineteenth-century Europe (The Betrayal of the Blood Lily). Or conspiracy, political backstabbing, and scheming in ancient Rome as imagined by Robert Harris (Conspirata).

Happy Year of the Tiger!

Chinese Picture Books
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

The Pesky Library celebrates the Lunar New Year with a (visual) bang! We have a display of various decorations and Chinese books. We have cook books, folk tales, and books about the rich culture of China. The children's books have texts both in Chinese and English, and wonderful illustrations. Come, browse, and enjoy!

Pondering Librarians

Pondering Librarians
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Yesterday, we hosted the February meeting of the Greater Boston Cooperative Library Association. This group is composed of private school librarians working to share ideas, make collaborative purchasing agreements, and promote professional education. Suzanne Levasseur shared what she learned from the New Hampshire School Library Conference. In this slide, she shares what Doug Johnson said about knowing ones’ worth: understanding what school librarians do better than anyone else in the school, and making sure that the faculty and administrators understand how much we contribute to student success. We also heard from Liz Gray who shared information gleaned from her trip to the Oxford libraries as part of an Oxbridge Academic summer program, “The Library and the Academy.” We also had a chance to congratulate Liz Gray on her wonderful interview in the New York Times, Do School Libraries Need Books? Great job, Liz!

Problems with Prints

We're currently having problems with our printing machinery. Both the front desk printer and the color printer are out of order, and the copy machine is also acting up.

When printing in the library, please send your document to the Library Classroom (i.e, the electronic classroom) or the Library2ndfloor printer. Please do not use the LibraryCopier as printer if it should appear in the printer list; you'll fill up the job queue with jobs the copier can't handle.

Hope these tips help. We're sorry for the trouble; we're working to solve the problems.

Valentine Station

Valentine Station
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
Come make a valentine
for someone sweet to you!

Another Puzzle Solved

Another Puzzle Solved
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

If you're waiting for a video or a textbook to check out, or if you just want to exercise your mind, stop by the front desk and try out our puzzles. In fact, we'd love to have you come in and introduce yourself, tell us what you like to read, and get to know us. Or, if we already know you, we've got a new puzzle out! Come test your spatial abilities.

Author on Display

Ray Bradbury Display
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”

This month we highlight Ray Bradbury and learn about his likes from an ALA poster.He eats a can of Campbell's tomato soup "every week of my life." And when he dies, he plans to go surfing in Paris. (We are all bemused by that one....) Stop by to learn more about his life and peruse a story collection or grab an episode of The Ray Bradbury Theater.

New Art and Recreation Books in the Library

700s February 2010
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

We're excited about two of our new arts book. Obey: Supply and Demand/ The Art of Shepard Fairey takes us on a delightful romp through stamps and propaganda. The free poster that came with the book is nice, too.

For something a bit different, try Drawing Down the Moon/ The Art of Charles Vess. As Susanna Clarke says in her forward, his art is reminiscent of "the Golden Age illustrators of Edwardian story-books." Whatever your taste, stop by and enjoy these or one of our other art books.

Green copying instructions

Green copying instructions
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Saving energy is only a part of the on-going Green Cup Challenge. You can also make a difference by cutting down on your paper consumption. (After all, it does take energy to turn trees into pulp into paper, and transport all that to the various places of processing.)

Our new copier has a double-side function. We made a cheat sheet for you, and posted it on the cork board above the copier. The next time you need to make a copy, try going double-sided!

Roots of Science Fiction

Have you ever thought about where fiction comes from? What about the different genres of fiction?

"Science Fiction came of age in the 19th Century under the talents of writers like Mary Shelley, Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells. But before these authors stands a long history of proto-science fiction tales, replete with voyages to the moon, socially and technologically advanced civilizations, and visions of the future." (Read more at io9.)

It's easy to believe that inventions like railroads, vaccinations, and mass media give authors wilder ideas than a two-man saw, for example, even if the latter represented a significant advantage over the one-person model. But would you believe that the first space opera was written in the 2nd century CE? Lucian of Samosata's A True Story places inhabitants not only on the moon but also on the Sun, and does not stop there. Our library does not carry Lucian's works, but we have plenty of sci-fi and fantasy for those days when you'd like to really get your feet off the ground.

Get Your Green On

Get Your Green On 2
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

At the library, we are encouraging awareness of the on-going Green Cup. We are reducing our electricity consumption by turning off the lights upstairs and the study rooms between 4 and 6:30 p.m. If you need the lights on in order to study, please ask at the circulation desk.

As always, feel free to pop in for information and enlightenment. We currently display some materials in the reference area, and we'd be delighted to help you with research.

Student Art in the Student Center

Student Art Works in the Student Center
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Artwork is on display in the Student Center following last week's student art show. Many of these works were entered in the Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards competition, netting the school 25 awards including four Gold Key Portfolio Awards. At this morning's all-school meeting, kudos were given (a headmaster's tradition) to winning students and their teachers . The Governor's Academy has a history of excellence in art education, and this year's students are all to be congratulated for their outstanding accomplishments.

Salinger Passed Away

One of the great names in American fiction, J. D. Salinger, passed away at the age of 91. Best known for his work The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger wrote many of his works about the dysfunctional Glass family. In the 1970's, Salinger stopped giving interviews. He lived secluded in Cornish, New Hampshire.

We created a small display to commemorate his work. Please come in and have a look.

The 2010 National Green Cup Challenge Is On!

Welcome back from the semester break!

It's time for the 2010 National Green Cup Challenge! Created by schools for schools, the Green Cup Challenge is the original student-driven inter-school energy challenge. Here at Governor's Academy, dorms also compete against each other, and we compete head-to-head against Brooks. We hear there is also a plan afoot to sell "green" carnations the week before Valentine's Day.

This year, the competition runs till February 22nd. Read more at the Green Cup Challenge web site, or come by the library to check out information about different energy sources and policies. We have plenty of materials, ranging from the policy decisions to solutions for the future.

Checking out the videos

Checking out the videos
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

VHS format was great in its time. Starting in 1976 we no longer needed to go to the theater to see a movie. We didn't need to wait for a television station to air old movies in order to see them. And if we wanted to watch the same movie over and over, we could do it as often as we liked. We could own the right to play a movie (for personal home use!) as often as we wanted for a nominal fee. Our recreational choices had expanded. The world would never be the same again.
The Actors Guild was outraged; they feared the loss of income from royalties and even feared that people would no longer go to see movies. Fortunately, everyone seemed to benefit from the advent of the VHS movie format. Movies are at least as popular as they've ever been. Move movies are being made all the time.
But, there was a problem with VHS format - after about 20 years, the tapes degrade and the movies can no longer be viewed.
We're in the process of converting our VHS tapes to DVD format. Not all of our movies are presently available to purchase on DVD, but we've been steadily replacing them.
In this picture, two students are considering the free VHS tapes that we recently replaced in our collection. We now own more than 95% of our entertainment videos in DVD format. It will be a bit longer before that percent of our educational videos become available in DVD format, but we're working constantly to ensure that we can provide the materials our student and teachers need for their educational and recreational fulfillment.

We All Have Dreams - What Are Yours?

We All Have Dreams - What Are Yours?
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

After this morning's assembly, where we watched a tape of the 1963 March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, students attended their normal classes where each teacher incorporated the day's theme into their lesson. Mr. Werner's AP students will be researching the history of integration at the Governor's Academy. Mrs. Rokous's students will watch "The Human Family Tree" to see what science has to say about the concept of race. Each teacher has chosen something meaningful to him or herself to help our students understand what Martin Luther King day is about. The day will conclude with a coffeehouse assembly where students will perform their interpretations of the meaning of the day. The day's theme is "Listen!" and we hope to all be better listeners after today.

Puzzlers

Puzzles
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

In addition to the ever popular daily tangram, we now have several new puzzles to challenge our students.

Haiti Aid at TGA and Elsewhere

We've had some problems accessing our blog provider, but we're delighted to be back.

This week's big news is the massive earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Tuesday Jan 12th. The State Department has set up a telephone number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti. The toll-free number is 1-888-407-4747.

Several efforts are underway to send help to Haiti. President Obama promised the Haitians "will not be forsaken." Not all calls for help are legitimate, though. The FBI has issued a warning for Haiti relief scams. We encourage you to use well-known organizations (for example, the American Red Cross and Doctors without Borders) to channel your help.

At TGA, students have organized a Jeans day on Monday for Haiti. They're asking for a $5 donation. Look for Imogene and Mei Li, or check your e-mail for more information.

The boy who harnessed the wind

The boy who harnessed the wind
Originally uploaded by afromusing

Last Friday’s convocation speaker was Chris Bradford, cofounder of the African Leadership Academy. He began by telling us the tale of William Kamkwamba, the subject of the book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. William came to the attention of Mr. Bradford after the news media spread the story of a boy without a high school education who used a library book to construct windmills. He used those windmills to provide electricity for his family and village. The founders of the African Leadership Academy are dedicated to helping those future leaders of Africa who show the determination act in order to solve the problems they perceive.
The Governor's Academy is looking forward to their partnership and student exchange being planned with the African Leadership Academy.

The boy who harnessed the wind photo Originally uploaded by afromusing

Peak Performance and Emotional Balance

This week’s faculty meeting included a talk by Richard Ginsberg Ph.D.,designed to help us balance our students’ desire for peak performance with their need to grow up healthy and emotionally balanced. Dr. Ginsberg spoke about the adolescent body and mind and how it develops. He helped us understand what we should expect at various ages. He explained what top athletes experience during peak performance as well as helping us understand what psychology professionals consider to be an emotionally healthy adolescent. What he left us with, however, was a re-affirmation of our core values as a school and a commitment to work hard to enable our students to become young adults whom we will be proud to have taught.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Welcome back from the break! I hope your holidays were invigorating. Students are back at the library, and the campus is full of energy!

We here at the library have been busy right from the start. There are five new displays to check out.

The first, right by the circulation desk in the lobby, celebrates yesterday's convocation speaker Frank Shaeffer and his work. In the corridor we have two displays, one about the wild west and the other about short stories. The reference area hosts a series of videos on Martin Luther King, Jr., and human rights issues around the world. Lastly, we commemorate the late Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy with a display.

Please stop by and be inspired for the new year!

Frank Schaeffer Convocation Display

Frank Schaeffer Convocation Display
Originally uploaded by Pesky Library

Today, Frank Schaeffer, author of Portofino, Crazy for God, and several other books spoke to our community. During his introduction he promised to tell us how he "commits spirituality." Regaled by tales of his life in a cult-like evangelical community followed by his involvement in big-time politics and the creation of the right-wing of the Republican party, he proceeded to explain his world-view. In brief, he said that "the most dangerous thing in the world is absolute certainty." He deftly clarified, when asked, that this is not only his view, but a paradox that fits into his philosophy that the question is the answer; the really big questions have no right or wrong answers. He advocated embracing paradox, considering that the question may actually be the solution.

What Mr. Schaeffer meant by the danger of absolute certainty is that insisting that everyone who disagrees with you is wrong, stupid, or evil leads to acts of hatred, war, and terrorism. He warned us of the danger of needing to be right, how it leads to an inability to see the complexities of the world for what they are. Those who write off everyone who doesn't think like them can quickly learn to view their verbal opponent as the enemy. It also leaves us easily manipulated by the power hungry.

Spirituality, to Mr. Schaeffer, does not involve being right about who or what God is. Instead it is about becoming the person who would make a good husband, grandfather, neighbor, or companion on a desert island. It was easy to see how Mr. Schaeffer's life led him to this conclusion. He grew up in a fundamentalist evangelical hippie community and was later courted by the powerful people searching to transform America into a myopic society. I look forward to reading his books.