The Scale of Systems

The scale of systems. It’s a concept that has been dancing around the front of my brain. Cars, desks, chairs….other humans, a few select dogs and cats –these are things that are in my world. And, they’re human-scaled. The human-scale is understandable and comfortable. But lately, I’m experiencing a growing awareness of two other scales: the big vista and the little view. Today: the big vista.

The big vista doesn’t fit in the camera’s viewfinder, it defies the camera lens. It’s vast: too big to absorb without a shift in gaze. It’s complicated: each part is complex. It is alive: it takes huge amounts of energy, brainpower and planning to keep it working.

Last month, a journey across the big vista of Southern California’s water system changed my pattern of processing information. I joined a group of local residents on the “rolling college of knowledge” (a tour bus) as we made a loop around Southern California, touching down at pumping plants, water channels and treatment facilities. There were things that filled my senses – gigantic machines and pristine bodies of water. And things that filled my soul – American Bald Eagles and desert moods. But there were things that I learned that I could not fit into my processing structure: statistics, politics, long-range planning and, of course, scale.

Frustration filled the end of our first day on the tour. Too much information. The big vista of California’s water system was too big, too complicated and too interwoven to comprehend all at once. I struggled to comprehend this new scale of understanding. To survive this influx of information, I began to ask different kinds of questions to build my understanding. And that was thrilling. To construct a mental model that could hold the new bits of information, shifting and redefining them until they became categories, hierarchies and relationships that made sense to me. Now, I could use the new information to ask more questions and build even more relationships.

And then, I had a realization: my struggle with the big vista parallels the research process we ask of our students: choose a big vista – bigger than you can comprehend all at once. More amorphous than a teacher, less contained and organized than a textbook. Absorb everything. Record your thoughts. Ask questions. Look for answers. Then, pull all of that together into a comprehensible whole that answers a question that reflects a deep understanding of the big vista.

While I’m grateful for the opportunity to build a new system of questioning (that now lives in my life-skills  toolbox), I’m reminded of the arduous nature of that process. And, the way it dovetails into a responsibility to respect our students’ learning process. To respect start-up time, margin for error and the journey of self-discovery. As they develop ownership of their own learning process, they are, as one student put it, “liberated.”

I Want/Don't Want a Kindle

I truly believe in change.  I do.  But some of my best childhood memories are found in the pages of a good book…a physical book.  I loved the feel of the well-worn pages, the musty smell of the children’s reading room of the North Hollywood Regional Library, browsing the stacks to find my next read, and talking to Mrs. Gould, my favorite librarian.  Fast forward to the 21^st century and The Kindle.  I’m told over and over, “It’s GREAT!  I can load hundreds of titles on it, it weighs next to nothing, and there’s no glare reading outside.”   It does sound great…the promise of taking numerous books with me on vacation without weighing down my luggage, downloading free classics, no pages flapping around me while reading on my patio.  I’m a woman poised between two worlds.  I fear leaving behind libraries as we know them, seeing Vroman’s and other bookstores close, & ultimately losing the physical book altogether.  I appreciate much about library technology…no more real ‘card’ catalogs, the ability to find timely information in a flash, downloading music on iTunes, keeping in touch with my kids & old friends via Facebook .  I know it’s not all bad. 

My Kindle is still in perfect condition

So here it is…”the box”.   This was a Christmas gift from my husband—the very same husband who heard me say, “I know I’ll eventually want a Kindle, but I’m just not ready yet.”  This is as far as I’ve gotten since I tore the colorful wrapping off the package.  It’ll happen.  I’ll open the box…just not today. Meanwhile, you’ll have to excuse me.  My bookshelves beckon.      Mrs. Hodge

What's the worst book you've ever read?
To some, the answer comes quickly. Ask others, and there follows a long, thoughtful pause.

Our Middle School Library Advisors group posed this question to the student body - and the display upstairs in the library holds the answer - a selection of "the worst." The advisors seeded the display with their own worst titles, then opened the question to other students who put books and short reviews into the display case.

How do you define worst?
Is it boring? Offensive? Is the main character someone you just can't relate to? What if the the book makes you angry, or anxious? Sometimes, I get annoyed with the choices that the main character makes. But does that make a book the worst?

The display case is full. Some titles are expected. Some are surprising. Like Twilight. It's not in the case, although more than a few students suggested it. Twilight is a title that is both wildly popular, but also widely disliked. Why isn't it in the case? Because all three of our copies are currently checked out.

I've enjoyed the conversations circling around this display.
No bland discussions here.
Plenty of opinions, passion and diverse viewpoints.

Counter-Fit

L.A. Day sign-ups

There are many days when I look up at our counter and feel overwhelmed by everything on it, but before I begin to hyperventilate and have a “fit” I remember that most of it has a good purpose and that it is, in fact, the perfect home for what is there.

I can hardly remember what our counter top looked like with nothing on it!  At first glance it is truly overwhelming. On the one side you have many opportunities to be as busy as you want. Today you can: sign up to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House, attend a baking seminar, and participate in the Film and Music Festival. If you are a sophomore, you can apply to be a committee head for JPD, a senior boy, Mr. Flintridge Prep, and senior girl, Emcee for Mr. Flintridge Prep!  On the opposite side you will find what you need to do take care of school business: sign out sheet for lap tops, the school newspaper, bulletin announcements, facility requests, activity proposals, community service information, and login information for JSTOR…whewwww!  Not interested in any of these? Just wait a minute and there will be more!  We have just about anything you could ever want!

Mrs. Ursettie

Dewey or don't we? or What ARE those numbers for?





Beautiful centuries-old volumes at Oxford University





I can think of fewer things more dull than waxing poetic about the virtues of the Dewey Decimal System.  However, when a junior approached me and said, “I’ve never understood what these numbers are for”, I realized that he was, in all likelihood, not alone.  So, boys and girls, this will be a brief description to satisfy your need for logic and stability in a turbulent world!

Think of the numbers on the book spine as their address.  It’s where they live on the shelves.  Book nerds memorize them unintentionally:  we know that the Civil War is 973.7 (973 is U.S. History & the .7 indicates the years 1861-1865), British poets are in the 821 section, and cookbooks are in the 641s.  There truly IS logic here:  if you’re looking for Military History, you’ll look in the 355s (300s are Social Sciences/Social History), weapons are found in the 623s (600s are Technology), but the specific history of World War II is in the 940.53 or .54 sections (940s are European History).  Don’t snicker…somebody needs to be the keeper of such information, just as someone needs to know advanced calculus (and that is definitely not me!).

When you’re researching your topic in the library, find books in the library catalog, note their Dewey #, and search the shelves, using the handy little guides on the inside edges of the stacks.  They’re in numerical order, so they’re easy to locate.  If you’re looking for a particular title about Korea, look around in the 951.9 section; there will be several other titles on the same, or closely-related, topic.  This method works for whatever topic you have—look around the same call number to find similar information. 

And there you have it—another tool to craft the quintessential research paper!   So, Dewey?  Sure we do!

Mrs. Hodge

Technology and expectations

“Papa! No working! No work!” an exasperated Zack exclaims.
His stuffed bear, dizzy from its recent shaking, refuses to produce technology.
Zack has expectations. And they’re based in technology. Deeply seated expectations: movement, light, sound, even voice recognition. He’s come to expect it. And this stuffed piece of quasi realistic bear is falling short of the mark. Patiently, his dad explains, “Zack, it’s a stuffed animal. It doesn’t do anything.” A pause. Then, “Papa – not working!”

What is the value of technology? Can we only assess value when the technology is missing (or not working properly)? I share Zack’s exasperation. There is a bit of Wi-Fi saturation at school, and at home.
Devices that responded as quickly as I could type are now lagging.
It feels like the rapid expansion of technical complexity is folding in on itself – making mischief among the devices.

Complexity is wondrous. It can be as captivating as the patterning of a barrel cactus bloom. With layers of symmetry inviting your speculations about geometry.
And equally challenging.
I know one thing though: I want to go forward.
Like Zack, I have expectations.
-Mrs. Eldridge

Why blog?

Why blog?  For librarians “of a certain age," blogging isn’t usually the first item on our “to do” list.  Maybe that’s the point…to step outside our comfort zone, to meet students, current and past, in a way that’s familiar to them.  We want to share our varied views of this busy corner of the Prep world.  We’ll talk about events in and around the library, what’s new in the world of books and non-books, amusing interactions with students and teachers, or things only vaguely library-related.  We’ll even throw in some photos!   The library is the figurative and literal center of campus—we think it deserves a blog.  This is where you come in:  we’d like to find a great name for this blog.  If you submit the winning name, you will receive a semi-fabulous prize!  Intrigued?  Then, please shoot us an email with a clever, amusing, eye-catching title.  Fame and fortune could be yours!  Well, maybe that’s a bit overstated, but you get the idea…
-Mrs. Hodge