Four Wonderful Months in Leysin

by Christie Kwan

My time here in Leysin has come to an end. I had a great time here and met many amazing individuals. It was a very different term as I worked at both Savoy and Belle Epoque campuses. I commuted from Belle Epoque to Savoy almost everyday and I got to interact with older and younger students. It was very interesting how a few years difference in age can affect the way how one acts. 

I had different jobs at different libraries from making book covers to finding missing books. As a Fine Art major, I got to use my creativity skills when I make posters, book covers and decorating bulletin boards. This year, the Savoy Library is responsible for student’s mail. Therefore, I set up a system where students would receive an email from the library every time they receive mail. The system proved to work very well as the library is not crowded with students’ packages.

One major project I had was to catalogue all the Chinese books in the Mother Tongue section. Albeit, Chinese is my first language, I can only read Traditional Chinese and I struggle with Simplified Chinese. Most of the books here at the Savoy Library were in Simplified Chinese, and it was a struggle. Another struggle was that most of the books at the Savoy Library are very outdated to the point that the publishing company does not exist anymore. It was very hard to find information on the internet on Chinese publishing companies let alone Chinese publishing companies that existed ten years ago. Moreover, I had always struggled with typing Chinese on the computer. Therefore, I found a website where I could write in Chinese with my mouse pad. It was a tiring process but nonetheless, I finished translating all of them.

Working at LAS taught me many things. I learned to work with young adults and what goes on at a library. I’m glad to have worked with both Rebecca and Amanda because they are both amazing individuals. Best of luck to the coops working at the Savoy and Belle Epoque libraries!

Martin Brocklehurst Returns to LAS

Hear Martin Brocklehurst present "The New Citizen Science" at an LAS Libraries Lecture Series event in Savoy Library on 23 November at 18:30. Discover how big data, crowd sourcing, phone apps and social media are revolutionizing science—and how you can be a part of it. Mr. Brocklehurst will describe the excitement that is driving today's citizen science community as it taps into people who enjoy using modern technology to participate in crowd-sourced scientific experiments. He is a co-founder of the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA). This talk is supported by LAS Alpine Institute and LASER.

OverDrive Updates

I am excited to announce several updates to our OverDrive digital library website that are now live.

• Narrated (embedded audio) eBooks and enhanced audiobooks are identified by special text on the cover image, in addition to information on the details page.

• You can now renew digital titles.
  
  If there are no existing holds on a title, the renew option appears on your digital library bookshelf three days before the title expires. Renewing a title does not extend the lending period, but allows the you to borrow the title again right after the lending period expires by placing a hold on the title.
   

1. After clicking renew:
   Note: Anyone that has not previously placed a hold on a title will be asked to enter their birth date before proceeding.
   • Users 13 and over enter their email address and can select to automatically borrow the title at renewal.
   • Users 12 and under receive a message that the title is renewed. An alert icon on the user’s account at the digital library will indicate when the title is available.
2. Once borrowed, you must download the title again or select Read (in your browser) to continue reading.

If a title has holds, the request again option will appear, allowing the user (of any age) to join the holds list to borrow the title again as soon as it’s available.

Information has been added to your digital library help page to help you with the new feature.

If you have any questions, please contact a librarian.

Metaphysical Markers

by Alex Kasperkiewicz

Has anyone seen the ruler? Or the headphones? Or just one of the countless pens that are missing? I never once thought the most unpredictable thing about working in the library would be the location of the scissors, or the sharpies, or the phone charger. How can so many objects be constantly changing positions within the school? Maybe they come alive and move about, like some especially uninteresting version of Toy Story starring office supplies.

I guess I should be delighted that the library resources are being used to their full extent, but at the same time I just want my tape dispenser back.  I wonder what over-the-top solution exists to solve this problem. Perhaps I barcode absolutely everything and insist that everything must be checked out. Post-its to paperclips, three weeks or it’s the apocalypse.

Missing office items aside, every request that comes through the doors of the library is a puzzle. It can be a barebones economics research topic or a sudden calculus problem being placed on my desk with a confused student standing behind it. Helping students with their academics is incredibly rewarding not only because I impress myself by remembering calculus from two years ago, but also because I am thrilled that they won't be handing in a blank math assignment.

Working in the library has been a blast! However, it is important to zoom out and realize that it's not just the missing markers, staplers and glue sticks I will be missing, but also the staff and students who have made the last four months an unforgettable experience.

Final Lecture of the Year on May 4th

Did you ever wonder if there are native speakers of Klingon or Esperanto? How can babies talk before they can make words with their mouths? Discover this and other language mysteries at the final library lecture of the year. Visit the Savoy Library on Monday, May 4 to see Dr. Paul Magnuson's Language & Linguistics class present the language awareness exercises they developed for the book they wrote: Language Awareness. Check out the cover below.

The presentation will be fun and interactive. Be ready to get aware!

Final Book Giveaway of the Year!

The last book giveaway of the year is on Wednesday, April 29 in both Belle Époque and Savoy libraries. Stop by and take home books covering psychology, language, learning, and more. Check it out @ LAS Libraries!

Artist Keegan Luttrell to Speak at next LAS Libraries Lecture on April 27th

Come to the Savoy Library on April 27th at 7:30 p.m. to hear artist Keegan Luttrell talk about her artwork, practice and inspirations at the next LAS Libraries Lecture Series event. Some of her artwork will also be available for viewing. More information about Ms. Luttrell and her work can be found on her website. Check it out @ LAS Libraries!

LAS Libraries Lecture Series Event on April 20th!

Ah, the advantages of learning skills as a youth! The challenges of learning a new language as a linguistically untalented adult can be formidable. The most obvious predictable discovery, however, is that it takes some effort and commitment to succeed. Come hear how Dr. Ira Bigelow dealt with the challenge of learning a new language in the next LAS Libraries lecture series event "My Journey with Conversational Spanish." There will be videos, snacks, and more in the Savoy Library on Monday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m. Check it out @ LAS Libraries!

GLOBE Day is on March 16!

The Science Department and LAS Libraries will host GLOBE Day, a mini science conference by LAS students, on Monday, March 16 in Savoy Library. Students will present science posters from 16:30 to 17:30. Look at their posters, talk about the science they did, and learn about the GLOBE program or NASA's Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment. Enjoy a dinner break at 17:30, then meet back in the Library at 18:00 to hear Dr. Christophe Randin talk about Leysin's ecology and local climate change. Dr. Randin is visiting us from the University of Lausanne. There also will be snacks! Check it out @ LAS Libraries!

See Hugh Kelly & John Harlin at the Next Library Lecture on March 9th!

LAS Libraries will host Hugh Kelly and John Harlin at the next Lecture Series event on Monday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. in Savoy Library. The talk will be about peak oil, climate change and the economic consequences. Discussions will focus on positive and constructive responses to energy limits and climate change. There also will be snacks! Check it out @ LAS Libraries!

Carolyn Turgeon Library Lecture was a Hit!

About 40 people attended Tuesday's lecture series event with author Carolyn Turgeon. Ms. Turgeon, who talked to the group via Google Hangouts, discussed her books and influences, her interactions with publishers and trying to get her writing published, and what it is like making a living as a writer. Students also had time to ask questions about her life and work. 

Paul Magnuson Talks About Hacking at Last Night's Lecture Series Event

No, not the illegal kind of hacking, but about how people hack their own education. People broke into groups, discussed what hacking is and gave examples of personal hacks they have done in education and life. 

Come hear author Carolyn Turgeon talk about her books & movie deal!

LAS Libraries will virtually host author Carolyn Turgeon at the next Lecture Series event on Tuesday, February 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Savoy Library. Carolyn Turgeon is the author of five novels: 

• Rain Village
• Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story
• Mermaid
• The Next Full Moon (her first children's book)
• The Fairest of Them All

Her book "Mermaid" is being made into a movie by Sony Pictures. Come hear about her books and the movie-making process. Learn more about Carolyn Turgeon online at carolynturgeon.com and read her mermaid blog at iamamermaid.com. There also will be snacks! Check it out @ LAS Libraries!

Next Book Giveaway on Wednesday, February 25!

Next Library Lecture on 16 February!

LAS Libraries will host their next Lecture Series event on Monday, February 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Savoy Library. Paul Magnuson and some students will present "Hack School: Linguistics and Languages." Find out answers to questions like: What is LASER? What the heck is hack school? Why are the students of Linguistics and Languages writing a book? Is the class really a Duolingo class? Hear about how students are learning to hack (construct) their own ability to learn. Students say, "The goal is to quit waiting for the teacher to tell us what to learn - and how to learn - so that we can practice the skill of working toward a goal we want to accomplish, using the resources we think best." And there will be snacks! Check it out @ LAS Libraries!

Paul Magnuson writes about

Hack School

Among the initiatives in our research center this year are two activities we call hack school. One is an after school activity for coding and robotics, the other a linguistics class.

While the format and subject areas differ, they share the perspective that students must learn to create their own educational path, not simply adopt this or that teacher's program. Through a combination of blended learning, guidance from the teacher, reliance on peers, and self-motivation students hack - or create - their own learning.

In coding, students choose a programming language, or languages, and create a course for themselves using for example Khan Academy, Treehouse, Code School and other resources to learn. In linguistics, students learn language online and from each other to create an exercise in linguistics, which they test on each other in class and will publish at the end of the year online. 

There is not a textbook, but rather an almost unlimited range of digital, material, and human resources. There is not one end goal but many. It is messier than a traditional syllabus, much harder to grade, and can just as easily let a student slip through a crack as provide the opportunity to shine brighter than imagined possible. 

Fundamentally, being able to hack one's own learning is a skill that students must have. A school model that supposes it can provide the information that students need cannot keep up with the rate of change in what adults actually need to know. What one must know simply changes too fast. 

So we're teaching students how to hack. How to position themselves to continually learn. How to leverage available resources. How to choose their own goals wisely ... and how to reach them.

Students get Excited About Writing at Last Monday's Library Lecture

Students and adults alike had fun doing quirky writing exercises with Sarah Hathorn at last Monday's library lecture. People acted out their favorite book characters, made up stories with funny words, and wrote exciting stories from everyday occurrences. A recording of the library lecture is available on the LAS Libraries YouTube channel.

 

 

Next Lecture Series Event on January 19!

LAS Libraries is hosting Sarah Hathorn at the next lecture series event in the Savoy Library on Monday, January 19 at 7:30 p.m. The author of the Teenagent Trilogy will talk about her experiences and share tips on how to improve your writing skills. There will be snacks. Check it out @ LAS Libraries!

Book Giveaway on Wednesday!

Savoy and Belle Époque libraries will have book giveaways on Wednesday, January 14. Stop by any time throughout the day and give these books a new home. There is something for everyone: fiction, drama, history, travel, and more. Check it out @ LAS Libraries!