en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:46:20 GMT 15 By Eric Hoh, Editor-in-Chief
I love the library. What do you think the odds are that I can find ten randomly selected people who would be able to say that without their fingers crossed under the table, behind their backs, or in their pockets? Slim to none, if you ask me, and I’m pretty sure that slim just left the building.              The library is one of the most under-rated hangouts in America today. There is nothing better than a quiet, relaxing place where you can just go and enjoy yourself. You don’t even need to read. The library is a place to think, a place to evolve.  It’s a veritable incubator of free thought and speech.             I spend a large amount of time in our school’s library. Actually about a third of my time in school is spent there. It has the atmosphere a lot of this school lacks. The staff is friendly; the books are free to read. What more could you ask for? On the other hand, I think I spend way to much time goofing off in there. It’s easy to wander in and get wrapped up in a theme week event.             Banned book week is always a riot. I got to make one of the signs that went up in the front. Another big week is National Library Week. In recent years, the librarians have formed so-called “Flash Mobs” during the event. The flash mobs will show up in the cafeteria or in classrooms and read from classic children’s books. I believe it is a usually a work by the famous word-surgeon, Dr. Seuss.             I love being here. Library time is some of the best in the world. We have all sort of interesting machines here as well. The first thing you would notice are the sixteen computer terminals, available for student use from 6:30 am to 3:30 pm every school day. There’s the laminator that, as you know, is used for covering paper in plastic to protect it. Then we have the poster maker, I don’t know how but it can turn a small sheet of paper into a giant poster. Lest I forget, the server wall, which is hidden deep in the bowels of the back rooms, controls every computer in the school.  I guess the point I’m trying to make here is that even this giant room filled with books is pretty tech-saturated.             My personal favorite aspect of this book haven is the abundance of comfortable seating. There are couches. There are butterfly chairs. There are soft seats. You want it? They’ve got it.             I feel like I’ve skipped the most important part. With almost twelve thousand titles, the library will always have something new for you to read. The average book age of 1994 means they have a good mix of recent best sellers and literary classics. A library is like a museum you have to read through ]]> Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:37:41 GMT