Learning at the Library

With Blessings: Fall 2018 Education Program 

In searching the Ziegfeld Collection of International Children's Art, I was drawn to the Glen of Aher, a colorful painting by Mary Hickey, 15 years of age, that she did at the Country National School, Ireland, sometime in the 1950s. This piece felt homey, positive, and welcoming, with its bright country cottage, grazing animals, and lush …

On Composition: 2018 Spring Education Program 

Some months ago, a gorgeous still life mysteriously wended its way back to the library and propped itself casually beside my desk. Whence it came, and where exactly it needed to go, required research, for the colorful study of a shiny blue teapot surrounded by bright apples and oranges on a copper tray, red cloth and …

Grassroots Algorithms: A New Book Display on Social Media 

Grassroots Algorithms: A New Book Display on Social Media 

Looking into the crystal ball, we see a plethora of possibilities that may foretell the future -- good or bad -- of social media. Creativity on the up, privacy on the line, video more integrated, advertising run wild... We also can harvest data, crunching numbers to make sense of current trends and future directions of websites …

After Totality: Education Program: Summer 2017 

August 21, 2017 ushers in a field trip to the Russell rooftop, where we, equipped with cereal box viewers, pinhole projects, or special glasses, wait with bated breath. The new Moon is set to pass between the Earth and Sun, casting its umbra, or darkest part of the shadow, on Earth. Although we are not …

Home and Hearth: Fall 2016 Education Program Highlights 

In the other gardens And all up the vale, From the autumn bonfires See the smoke trail! -- Robert Louis Stevenson, "Autumn Fires", A Child's Garden of Verses "Fairy Figures Round a Camp Fire," by Paula Ahti, Ziegfeld Collection of International Children's Art Inspiring "autumn fires" celebrate the work of our faculty, staff, and …

World as Classroom: A New Everett Cafe Book Display 

A major attraction to working at Teachers College is our international student body and depth and breadth of our faculty in their work across the globe. Interestingly, our students come from all over, faculty members consistently engage in international initiatives, and staff is dedicated to training teachers who have served abroad (Peace Corps Fellows) and plan …

Hello, Education Program 

Opening Days. A flutter of fresh faces. A rousing rag and a fallen moustache. A wandering through floors, librarians leading. A panoply of news. A flurry of questions. Woodwinds rising. Leaves turning. Student, teacher, writer, artist, friend uniting. So begins the Education Program, to inform about the latest thinking in education and engage members of …

Harlem Week 2013 

I noticed a long line this morning stretching across 120th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam. After a little investigating, I realized this was for a career fair on Columbia University's main campus. The career fair is in conjunction with Harlem Week 2013. Harlem Week, you ask? Here is a snippet from the official Harlem Week …

Process in the Education Program 

"It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it." -- Oscar Wilde

Process in the Education Program 

“Why do we do what we do?” asks a colleague over the cranking of coffee machines in the Everett Café. I flip through the numbers and think through the presentations: an estimated 1,500 events since the inception of the Gottesman Libraries' Education Program, enhanced by introductions at professional conferences, staff meetings, and the events themselves. …

Unwrapping the Fall Education Program 

Here are a few good numbers for you, Enjoy them, a present, for all, shining true, Heralding the attendees of collaborative events, From September through December On the calendar we went. In the halls of great Gottesman, With lively spirit and cheer, We donned music, displays, a new tier Of Socrates, films, scintillating speakers, Cool …

Kids First: Five Big Ideas for Transforming Children’s Lives & America’s Future, with David L. Kirp 

Renowned education expert David L. Kirp speaks on Kids First: Five Big Ideas for Transforming Children's Lives and America's Future (PublicAffairs, March 31st, 2011). In his latest publication, dedicated to "the unsung heroes -- those whose tireless efforts are changing the arc of children's lives," he outlines a clear policy agenda that places kids first …

A Library Without Fines 

"Overdues," by Shel Silverstein, from A Light in the Attic What do I do? What do I do? This library book is 42 Years overdue. I admit that it's mine But I can't pay the fine-- Should I turn it in Or hide it again? What do I do? What do I do? Yesterday Frank …