Spring Break Day 5

Not a good day.  Went to the class I love that occurs on Friday at the Y.  It's a sports-fitness class.  I was taking it a little easy and doing okay but then rolled my ankle coming off a Bosu.  End of class for me.  Fortunately, I don't think it is very serious.  I iced and elevated yesterday.  Today it's just a little swollen, and feels more tight than sore.  So I'll try to stay off it today.

The only thing about this that really ticks me off is that I just missed two weeks of workouts being sick.  I NEED to get back to the gym...or stop eating.

NO Easter candy for me tomorrow.

Rats.

Spring Break Day 4

Met some Friends of the Library cronies for brunch at a local kitchen.  It's always fun to see them outside the area we usually see them.

Our Friends group has encountered some difficulties lately. We received a donation of some very high value, unique books. Despite them being behind a locked door, someone (staff, volunteer, maintenance?) stole some of them. This isn't the smartest thief -- the books are part of what is called the Dietrichstein collection.  They were wealthy European collectors of the 18th century, and their books are eagerly watched for.  So unless it goes into a private collection and never sees the light of day again, there's no money to be made.

What's interesting is the positive response we've received from the antiquarian book world.  They have watch lists and postings and people who regularly view the ebay-type sites looking for stolen items.  Book lovers, unite!

My friends and I are also trying to look down the road 10-15 years.  Donations to libraries are down because people are not buying as many physical books. Yet, county governments have come to rely on the friends groups for money. In 10 years, when our book sales are much smaller due to dwindling supply, it is doubtful that county demand for revenue will be any less! So we need to look at how our Friends group might morph into something different.  Some Friends groups raise money with gala events or big dollar author talks.  If we go that direction, they'll have to do that without me.  I don't mind packing boxes and running a cashier stand, but I am so NOT a gala-event type person!

What is your library doing to enhance its collection?

Here are some photos of unique items we offered during the recent sale.

Spring Break Day 3

Yesterday we traveled to Annapolis, Maryland to visit a college my daughter is interested in. The college is awesome.  St. John's College is a Great Books school, with an amazing record of producing graduates who can THINK. They area eagerly sought by graduate schools.

The school is small -- fewer students in the undergraduate body than in her class year at our high school. And if she'd been in the public schools around here the entire time she'd been in school, she would be woefully unprepared for St. John's. But she was in a Classical school through 8th grade, so she is not only prepared, but eager to continue learning for learning's sake.

St. John's does assign grades, but does not tell them to the student except by specific request to the registrar. They would forego them altogether if graduate schools didn't need them.

This school is not  a good match for everyone. But if you know a student who delights in learning, not in just "getting the highest grade", you might want to tell the parents to look into it. You can read more about it at these links.

St. Johns College Website

St. Johns College Wikipedia Article

And here are some photos of the day. The college is in lovely old town Annapolis.  The main building was started as a governor's mansion back in the day, but that governor ran out of money and was not re-elected, so the building was given to the college.

Street side of the main building -
where each class meets for chorus class.
Beautiful to sit outside and listen.

Building that contains the dining hall.
See the actual hall below.

The library is my favorite building (big surprise). From the outside, a 17th century building. But inside ... well, judge for yourself.

Formerly the hall of records for Maryland. When they outgrew the building,
they donated it to the college. It was moved here through the streets of
Annapolis.  Can you see the dates?  The Hall of Records was established
1634.  The Greenfield Library, 1696.
Yeah, I thought so too.  But check out the inside below.

And finally, the ENTIRE student body gets their mail here. That's how small and personal the place is.

Upside:  Incredibly great place for students who love to learn through the classics

Upside for my daughter: A perfect match

Downside: Same people every day for 4 years might get really old

Downside for my daughter: Tuition is $42,000 per year

Ouch.  Yeah, we're praying about that.