Before the Chandramohan Library...

 

...here is what the Jorgensen Library looked like--a single story and a bit smaller than the downstairs is now.  Just before the beginning of demolition, Mr. Bachmann wistfully looked over the magazine section.  The old library was the space where, as an English teacher, he directed a production of "Guys and Dolls!" 


The left side shows the group study space where the downstairs reading room is now.  The photo in the center shows Mr. Bachmann taking a last lap around the library just prior to dismantling and demolition.  The photo on the right shows the area where our 12 desktop computers lived, along with part of the reference collection. 

 

The class of 2007 wouldn't be able to use the Senior Patio (which you can see on the upper right, through the open door) or the Senior Lawn the following year because of the construction going on.  Although they were given Jorgensen Patio and the lawn across from it, it wasn't the same as the special place they'd looked forward to using for years.  AND, they would graduate before the opening of the new library!  As a consolation prize, we let the class of 2007 write messages all over the walls of the old library.  They ranged from "Thou shalt not write on walls--every mother to every child," to "Looking out this window, I see the patio that will never be ours.  Viva la revolucion!"  And we tried to get every student from the class of '07 to sign the "'07 Pillar".  Graffiti ranged from the humorous, to the absurd (like the entire song, "Dixie" written around the entire space), to the touching.  

 



 

Neither our current students, nor many of our teachers, knew the former library, with all of its quirks and craziness.  Just imagine the downstairs library, about 2/3 its current size, with over 100 students inside on a rainy day!  But we remember it fondly and offer a look at the pictures I took in those last days.  If you'd like to see more, please stop by and ask to see them!  We'd love to share them, as well as some great stories with you!

 

 

Mrs. Hodge

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

 

 



Here's looking at you.....

 

It’s been a busy week: class elections, seniors choosing topics for their American Identity papers, students preparing for tests and presentations, the happy excitement surrounding Mr. Flintridge Prep, an art show, a flash-mob of dancers (the prelude to “will you go to Prom with me?”). All this, and more.

When the activities at Prep reach a frenzied level, there is a solution: a few moments of deeply satisfying fish staring. Let your mind wander as you enter a salty underwater world. Watch the coral open and close their tiny circlet of tentacles. Observe the patterns of the darting fish. Discover the newest hiding place of the striped shrimp. Feel the relaxation….

A hearty and heart-felt thank you to the Marine Life club for bringing the idea to life. We appreciate the beauty of the tank as well as the excellent care it is receiving. What a nice addition to the ambiance in our lovely Chandramohan Library.

 

-Mrs. Eldridge

Thanks for asking!

Students may not concur, but one of my favorite times of year is the “Second Semester Research Paper Season.” 

All of our 9^th-graders are studying some aspect of pre-1500 world history, and I am personally enjoying every minute of it!  

Sideways view of 9th grade history
book cart and its contents

One of the best things about being a librarian is the fact that I learn something new every day.  What have I learned from our 9^th grade students?  Mateo has taught me that Pythagoras discovered the diatonic scale, and that he was killed because of his fear of beans.  You read that correctly.  Read about Pythagoras and his ‘interesting’ views about living beings and rules of life, in general, and you’ll discover a man who isn’t simply known for his theorem.  To quote Bad Religion, “Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.”  Ari’s question about Vladimir I led me to read about the man who once was a pagan with seven wives, until he converted to Christianity and founded the Russian state.  Aubrey’s topic was Scipio Africanus, about whom I knew absolutely nothing.  Why is it that I know about Hannibal, but not Scipio Africanus, who defeated Hannibal and never lost a single battle as a commander of Roman forces?  Maybe Hannibal is remembered because of the elephants…?

 

Our AP Art History class is working on their research of a non-Western work of art.  It’s a challenging assignment, using peer-reviewed, scholarly sources, critical analysis, and going far beyond a Wikipedia-type paper.  Thank you to Marina and Christine, who have selected works by Ando Hiroshige, whose woodblock landscape prints are absolutely magnificent!  

Hiroshige woodcut

Kate’s selection of the Taj Mahal led me to read about Indian architecture and the beautiful mix of styles incorporated into this wonder of the world.  Steven checked out a book about wabi-sabi, not for his paper, but to read for pleasure. 

 

Our students will often apologize for ‘bothering’ us with questions.  Please, don’t apologize--we love your questions!  They lead us to learn more about you and what you’re learning.  In turn, we are enriched by learning right along with you.  Please keep those questions coming!

 

Mrs. Hodge

A Look at Librarians

An amazing and soulful photographer, Kyle Cassidy, composed a photographic essay about librarians. His work is featured in a Slate article, "This is What a Librarian Looks Like."

Here is Kyle's favorite composition (it was not chosen for the Slate article).


Erin Berman, San Jose Public Library: Libraries are centers for knowledge
that everyone in our society can access. They provide a place for
discovery, creation and innovation. Libraries are our future
without them our democracy is lost.

Follow some of the commentary about the essay here. And here.
Kyle's photographic work served as our inspiration during a blogging workshop I attended in Tucson, Arizona in 2011. His ability to infuse photographs with a thoughtful, narrative quality continues to inspire me.

-Mrs. Eldridge

What's so great about reading?

One of my favorite books is called To Dance with the White Dog, by Terry Kay, which was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation.

Our Association of Independent School Librarians (AISL) was fortunate enough to have Mr. Kay as our keynote speaker at our 2006 conference in Atlanta.  We all loved this particular part of his presentation & I wrote to him, asking for permission to print it in our blog.  He said he would be delighted to have us use his copyrighted speech, and sent an updated copy.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Mrs. Hodge

  While Reading

While reading, I have been –

        -- A cowboy (and an Indian) with Zane Grey and Louis L'Amour

        -- A Confederate soldier with Joseph Pennell and Philip Lee Williams

        -- A pirate with Robert Louis Stevenson

        -- An orphan with Charles Dickens

        -- A dust-bowl traveler with John Steinbeck

 

While reading, I have been –

        -- A whaler with Herman Melville

        -- A gold-dreamer with Erskine Caldwell

        -- A small-town barber with Wendell Berry

        -- A runaway with Mark Twain

        -- An old-time gospel god with James Weldon Johnson

 

While reading, I have been –

       -- A b-flat coronet player with William Price Fox

 -- A battler of windmills with Miguel de Cervantes

 -- An attendant in the House of Gentle Men with Kathy Hepinstall

 -- A basketball player with Pat Conroy, a fire-fighter with Larry Brown, a defense attorney with John Grisham.

 

While reading,

          -- I have touched the ocean's darkest depths and walked on planets in solar systems       beyond our seeing.

          --I have climbed mountains lost in clouds, and walked the different road with Robert Frost and gazed at the little cat feet of fog with Carl Sandburg and danced to the language-music of Byron Herbert Reece and Sidney Lanier and Emily Dickinson.

 

I have flown with Lindbergh and John Glenn, stood at Gettysburg with Lincoln and in Montgomery with Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

While reading, I was at Dachau on the Day of Liberation and at Hiroshima on the Day of Death.

While reading, I have sat at the feet of Abraham and Moses and Jesus and Muhammad and Buddha, and all the other men of God, and also those who would kill God -- the insane, the madmen, the bigoted, the fanatics.

 

While reading, I have been boy and man, girl and woman. I have been young and old. I have died and have been re-born.

 

While reading, I have become people I cannot be, doing things I cannot do. And I do not know of another experience that could have given me such a life. 

 

                                                            Terry Kay

To Dance with the White Dog

The Book of Marie

                                                            Copyright, 2006

                                                (Revised: 9-10-12)

                                                www.terrykay.com

Library as Sanctuary

"A library is a good place to go when you feel unhappy, for there, in a book, you may find encouragement and comfort.  A library is a good place to go when you feel bewildered or undecided, for there, in a book, you may have your questions answered." 
                                                     --E.B. White (author of Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little)

North Hollywood Library

Children's Reading Room

My first memory of a library was in the children's room of the North Hollywood Library (now called the Amelia Earhart Library) in North Hollywood Park.  It looked a lot like it does today, but the high ceiling & upper windows letting in lots of light weren't part of the room.  The dark bookshelves were there and they were stocked with all the books I loved.  Mrs. Gould, the children's librarian was there, too.  It was cozy, welcoming, and my weekly visits were wonderful.  I decided early on that a would be a librarian.


George Peabody Library, Baltimore, MD



All Souls College, Oxford, UK

Here are a few photos of libraries I have visited, along with lovely library quotes, courtesy of Daniel Dalton of Buzzfeed.  Please share some of your favorite libraries in the comment section.  I'd love to add them to my list of places to go and things to see! 



Long Room at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

 

New York Public Library

Mrs. Hodge


  

Stuttgart City Library, Stuttgart, Germany
I've never been here, but I'd love to see it!  I'd also like to know how they keep everything so clean!






  


Recharge in the Library

 

Recharge in the library

Need a charge? Head to the Chandramohan Library where you will find 2 charging stations with chargers for most every kind of phone or tablet.

This brilliant solution originated in the Library Advisory Council’s meetings last spring and the response has been great! Students appreciate a place to recharge knowing that soon their phones and tablets will be fully charged.

-Mrs. Eldridge