Space Update
We saw
a big return in our summer investment in the library space. Acoustics are a
hundred times better, best demonstrated during the administration of
extended-time PSAT tests in the upper library October 17th. The
lower library was very busy after all the regular-time PSAT students were
released, but our extended-time students enjoyed a much quieter environment
than we have been able to offer before. The furniture in the lower library is
also being well-used and well-loved, particularly the couches,
newly-upholstered chairs, and the low table with chess and checkers games
available. (Chess Club has been revived as a student activity, and so far it
has fostered good-natured sportsmanship across grade lines and social circles
amongst our students.)
eBook Update
The
library has enlisted the largest eBook service in schools to provide Sage Hill
with an eLibrary. OverDrive is used in the entire Orange County Public Library
system as well as in our own Newport Beach Public Library, and it allows
community members to check out eBooks the library purchases on popular consumer
devices such as iPads, Nooks, Kindles, Macs and PCs.
The eCollection is very young and
small, but we hope to continue investing in it as we do the physical
collection, which will probably hit a “ceiling” of around 20,000 to 25,000
books in the next ten years judging from growth and physical space limits. We
currently have a collection of around 16,000 that is still in robust use.
iPads in the Library
Two
iPads have been purchased for in-library use and were briefly on loan to the
Admission Department for Open House. We’re currently calibrating the iPads,
purchasing protective covers, and working out ways to keep them available
within the library space, perhaps with a tether or a sign-out process. They
should become available by the end of the month or the beginning of November.
