State of the Library: February Edition

Hello all,
It's a short one this time around, but you'll find several attachments and articles of interest. Happy weekend!

New Additions

There have been many recent additions to the collection, the vast majority at the request of various members of the community. You can download the list here and peruse requests for psychology classes, current issues, English, and science, with subjects ranging from Calvin & Hobbes to Jackie Robinson. We added recent speaker Kortney Clemons' biography as well as some other interest books on the military and The Paralympic Games.

We have also recently received a generous donation of fantasy and science fiction books. Visit http://library.sagehillschool.org/, click "Sage Hill School Library", then on the left click "Resource Lists", and then click the tab on the right "Public Lists" to view continually updated lists of requests for various classes (and from students!).


Featured Resources

The new edition of Independent Schools features the article Gordon mentioned in the staff meeting, highlighting schools with a strong public purpose. The library subscribes to Independent School, which is published by NAIS and publishes four issues a year. (I found the article on "They Myth of the Model Minority" in the Winter edition very interesting.) You can read the article on Sage in the current issue in the downstairs library, as it is not live on the internet yet.

Also downstairs are other periodicals on education you might find intriguing, including The Chronicle of Higher Education, which has lately featured articles on financing college and the digitization of education.

Usage
We had over 160 books go out last month (significantly less than January but still high!) and our students accessed more than 1,700 full-text articles from our various databases. Nothing to sneeze at! Check out the wiki for more detailed statistics.

Note that Oxford English Dictionary statistics aren't available for the last two months; their new statistics program is glitchy, but they promise me numbers soon!

Library Environment
We're in the home stretch for the end of the year, and the library is very busy this season. If you would like to bring your classes into the library, please give us time to put it on the calendar so we can ensure adequate coverage--and if you want some research backup, I would love to assist, so I want to make sure I'm immediately on hand! Email me with times and classes, and I'll be able to better support your projects.

State of the Library: January Edition

Hello colleagues,

Welcome to the January edition of the State of the Library, which reviews the month previous. December was taken over by finals, with very few instructional days, so I skipped ahead to January, and there’s a lot to say!

Find this and other State of the Library update emails archived at http://libraryatsage.blogspot.com. (With images edited to protect copyright, and names edited to protect the innocent.)

In-Service Day

If you’re interested in getting started with PBworks but couldn’t make my session about it, you can download the handout here and watch videos, or come talk to me about using this website-creator tool in your classroom!

Usage

Things started up again with a bang at the library, and usage has shot up to higher than any other month this year. Electronic circulation went over 1,000 full-length articles searched, and book circulation is almost twice any other month so far at over 260. I’ll let the numbers speak for themselves!

As always, you may see more detailed statistics on the wiki.

Mission Statement

After months in the making, the library’s Mission Statement and Collection Development Policy is finalized and live on the web for our community. It’s important for every library to have a policy that guides acquisition of resources and keeps community goals in mind—I encourage you to take a look. The document is meant to be continually revised!

Featured Resource: ARTstor

ARTstor is an image database that shows art objects, paintings, drawings and even buildings in high resolution. The image view tool works in your browser and you can zoom in to items to see the smallest details, from cracks in plaster to fine brush-strokes. ARTstor also has a detailed image information feature that shows you measurements, collection locations, and more. Please check it out by visiting library.artstor.org while on campus. Register a name for yourself if you would like to visit off-campus. Let me know if I can guide you through the amazing features of this database!

Library Instruction & Class Visits

Multiple research projects are underway right now, with the history department leading the charge. Ninth graders in Patterns of Civilization are working on their National History Day projects. Nikole S. and Chris D. were kind enough to invite me to their classes to remind tenth graders in European history about our available resources as they begin research for their second semester papers, and also went over some database searching tips they’ll find useful as they continue their academic careers. The Chinese classes are studying Chinese culture with papers of their own, and Donna O.’s visual art classes received some detailed instruction on the featured database (below) ARTstor.

Resources

Tyler Z.’s science classes are working on comic strip based projects while Nathan H.’s current issues classes are delving deep into the Cold War and intellectual freedom issues. We’ve also had some arts requests for artist biographies and ceramics history, and a student request or two! Please let me know this month if you expect to request some library materials, as we are being careful with collection funds.

Service Learning

Our partners at Killybrooke brought some of their fifth graders into the library last Service Learning Day to partner with their buddies while they researched their science experiments. Fifth and ninth graders participated in a brief activity on why citation is important and then let loose to find sources and background information on important science concepts. The library is going to host third graders from El Sol at the end of this month for a similar activity! Click here to see the first handout.

Library Environment

Khara has been invaluable in the lower library over the past few months, and we both put an extra effort in during final exams to make the library a study environment, a new endeavor that was largely successful! Things are back to normal with a bustling library atmosphere that often has a couple classes at once, so let me know if you would like to schedule some time for your classes to focus here in the upstairs library.

Feedback Welcome

Khara and I have also discussed the library’s resources and policies quite a bit with our CAIS committee. Everyone has provided valuable feedback and we appreciate your surveys, commentary, and messages. Please don’t hesitate to communicate feedback to me about what the library has to offer! We’re always improving.

State of the Library: November Edition

Thank you all for your kind words about this communication, if you find it useful, please do let me know! – N.

Usage

As is typical this time of year as students begin reviewing for finals rather than launching new projects, library usage has dropped; both electronic and physical circulation. Electronic circulation has almost halved with over 360 full-text articles accessed, and physical check-outs rounded out at about 100. However, our magazine and periodical circulation doubled to about 50 documented uses. I hope next year I’ll be able to coordinate with a few more of the classes that visited last month, as I would be happy to make some resource-oriented activities for students exploring current developments in their subjects.

As always, you may see more detailed statistics on the wiki.

Library Environment: Finals

The week of finals, beginning with December 13, Reading Day, the entire library will be a quiet, individual study environment. I plan on making announcement Monday the 6^th, and with the help of facilities, Khara and I hope to make the downstairs library space a good spot for students to focus on reviewing on their own, rather than in rowdy groups. Please note the upstairs library will be closed all day December 14-16 as students with accommodations test there.

Databases & Magazines

Last month I asked some members of our Athletics & Wellness Program and members of the Library & Research Committee to evaluate a potential addition to our database collection, Teen Health & Wellness. The database offered a free subscription for a short time to evaluate the material. After some discussion, the committee is on the lookout for a more advanced database as the tone of some material is aimed for younger teens. However, I would love any additional opinion on the matter, and if you would like to visit www.teenhealthandwellness.com , the trial subscription is live until December 15.  Ask me for the connection info!

• Many of our databases are exploring options to make information mobile. ARTstor has recently released a beta (test) version of iPad, iPhone and iTouch software for image exploring, and Gale (Opposing Viewpoints & eBooks) already has a mobile application. I am exploring ways to promote these options while still respecting school cell phone policy on campus.
• Stay on the lookout for an updated Oxford English Dictionary layout, as it has recently been revamped. To see it now, go to http://www.oed.com/ and ask me for the password! The timeline of the English language is particularly interesting.
• There have been some updates and additions to our JSTOR academic database, and I will feature just a couple of them here in the hopes they might be of interest to you in your classes.

http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublication?journalCode=filmquarterly

“Film Quarterly, published since 1958, provides readers with insightful analyses of film, the film industry, and international cinemas. More than a glimpse behind the scenes, Film Quarterly offers serious film lovers in-depth articles, reviews, and interviews that examine all aspects of film history, film theory, and the impact of film, video, and television on culture and society.”

JSTOR only offers issues of this periodical three years older and previous, however the historical commentary might be of use to serious film, theatre, and art students.

For more current info, the library subscribes to Backstage West, a weekly bulletin for actors, and American Theatre, a magazine with reviews, previews, production schedules and articles. Both of these periodicals may be found on the downstairs shelves.

http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublication?journalCode=amerjmath

“The oldest mathematics journal in the Western Hemisphere in continuous publication, the American Journal of Mathematics ranks as one of the most respected and celebrated journals in its field. Published since 1878, the Journal has earned and maintained its reputation by presenting pioneering mathematical papers. It does not specialize, but instead publishes articles of broad appeal covering the major areas of contemporary mathematics. The American Journal of Mathematics is used as a basic reference work in academic libraries, both in the United States and abroad.”

JSTOR offers content from 2005-2010. In this field, the library also receives monthly issues of Math Horizons and The College Mathematics Journal.

http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublication?journalCode=anthquar

“Anthropological Quarterly, also known as AQ, is a peer-reviewed journal published by the George Washington University Institute for Ethnographic Research. AQ was founded in 1921 by the Catholic University of America and was published from 1921 to 1953 under the name Primitive Man. While continuing to publish outstanding, original, data-driven articles that advance ethnography and anthropological theory, AQ also asks intellectuals to contribute to on-going public debates relevant to contemporary experiences and public debates. Topics include: war, racism, poverty, nationalism, globalization, human rights, and the social, legal, and ethical implications of new genetic technologies. Essays on such timely topics are published in our ‘Social Thought and Commentary’ section.”

The library also receives Policy Review, New Republic, The Economist, Atlantic Monthly and Foreign Affairs, all of which discuss current issues in depth. Read these and other current periodicals in the downstairs library.

Good luck to you all as finals season begins, and I wish you a very happy holiday as it draws near.

State of the Library: October Edition

Welcome to the (slightly late) edition of the State of the Library, which reviews the month previous. It was a busy month for all of us with our wonderful Service Learning launch, Conferences, and grades, and I hope it went well for all of you.

Usage

In-house circulation is steady at just over 150 checkouts, but our database usage saw a big jump after Ninth Grade Library Orientations and the beginning of National History Day research, coming in several hundred over last month at 633 full-text articles retrieved in October. I’m pleased to see that our students found our new Opposing Viewpoints Database helpful, as statistics show a strong 75 retrievals (great for a new resource!).

Check the Wiki “About the Library” spot for more specifics on library resource usage.

In non-academic events, the Admission Office made great use of library facilities with a Parent Coffee and their (wildly successful) Open House.

New Additions

75 titles have been added to the collection, including popular fiction like the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, which is about to hit theatres at the end of the month. (I can’t help but admire a single-mom working as a teacher that found the time to write a best-selling children’s series, especially one that matured so well over the years it was written.) We have also added books on scholarships, service learning, and the English Department’s chosen short story collections: This I Believe I and II are available for checkout.

For a full list of the new additions last month, visit the wiki’s front page or click here.

Events

Last month I saw every ninth grader for the annual Ninth Grade Orientation. We tried a new twist this year to get students more involved in learning to use the library, and the activity included a lecture but also a worksheet that helped students choose a topic that interested them and practice searching and finding resources. The choice of topic rather than a closely guided scavenger hunt made this year’s orientation more engaging than ever before, and I hope to keep improving it! I would love any tips or recommendations you may have.

To see the resources used in Orientation, visit the Orientation page at the website.

In November I hope to get a few kids excited about National Novel Writing Month, headed by a non-profit organization that encourages writers to reach 50,000 words at the end of the month. The event encourages free writing and expression, and many students need to shut down that “inner editor.” I partnered with the teen services librarian, Mara Cota, of the Newport Beach Public Library, and there are “write-in” events being held at the Central Branch.

This is a busy month for our students with studying and college essays, however, so I don’t push this event too hard.

Recent Articles on Colleges, Education, Service and School Life

You may need to sign into the Electronic Library via Sage Community at sagehillschool.org in order to see the articles. Let me know if you have any difficulty doing so!

Click below for articles:

State of the Library: September Edition

Hello all, I hope your first full month of the year went well. See below for some resource updates and some food for thought articles if you’re of the inclination. Thank you for your enthusiasm for Banned Books Week! The displays will remain for another week before our October horror displays replace them. Happy Fall! - Nikki

Usage

The Library is off to a running start this year thanks to promotions from Student Council and the Ninth Grade Service Learning research portion, clocking in with about 150 print check-outs and 160 database articles. (Check the Wiki “About the Library” spot for more specifics.) Usage is typically modest the first month of the year and statistics don’t reflect the sheer number of students who use library facilities during the day (ask Khara!)—but we still fared well against last September, thanks to the English department’s quiet reading program and some service learning research by the ninth graders.

Ninth Graders will hopefully receive their library orientation by the end of October. Let me know if you would like to schedule library time or if you’d like me to introduce any resources to your students, whether during class or after school individually. In non-academic news, this month the library hosts a Head of School luncheon and the PSAT test.

New Additions to the Print-Collection

Our first order of the year has gone through, and it contained requested resources for Chinese language, Spanish research projects, and Visual Arts, as well as replacements for last year’s lost texts. Stay tuned for actual lists next edition, or check out http://library.sagehillschool.org > Catalog > Resource Lists (on the left) > Public Lists (on the right) for books as they’re cataloged.

New Database

“Opposing Viewpoints in Context” is a living database inspired by the successful Opposing Viewpoints print series. Far from just a data archive, it aggregates news media content as well as opinion essays for educational research. Due to the popular circulation in our print-library of this series and several research projects that delve into opinion essays and contemporary controversies, I hope this database sees a lot of use! It’s already been popular with Mr. Rice’s Psychology classes this month.

Recent News & Articles in Education and Reading

You may need to click through from the Electronic Library to read some of these, especially if you're not on campus. Click here for directions.

Google News Search for recent articles in "Education": Click here.

Fore more articles, click below: