Library

The library program at St. Catherine's encourages individual curiosity, intellectual discovery, and a lifelong love of reading. Library resources include a carefully culled selection of books and DVD's, periodicals, and online subscription databases as well as a classroom set of iPads for instruction in Gr. 5 and 6 and a half dozen Internet and productivity desktop workstations.

 

List of 5 items.

  • Lower School Library

    We have a dedicated library for our Lower School students.  In a space designed for the flexibility of storytime, database instruction or author visits, students find a variety of picture books, nonfiction, and chapter books with strong appeal. Our Lower School librarian checks out books to students to ensure a good match of books to students.
  • Wright Library

    Located in the heart of Turner Hall, Wright Library houses over 12,000 items for students' recreational reading and research needs in grades 5 through 12. Class and club meetings, impromptu classwork and student break-out sessions can fulfill the ideal Learning Commons model of library design. A variety of seating, from conversational sofa arrangements and work tables to individual carrels and seating cubbies, allows students to choose their environment: interactive whiteboards, SMARTboards, and other projection technology support student creativity.
  • Learning and Study Spaces

    Wright Library offers a focus on instruction with its Library Classroom, hosting over 350 on-site research classes for Middle and Upper School, and students can find spaces like the Small Group Room and Focus Room for group study, as well as the Media Lab, a sound buffered room ideal for video and audio production. 
  • Research

    Across the grades, we teach research skills using a variety of student-centered projects. Utilizing our 70+ subscription databases begins in the second grade, with upperclassmen accessing the college-level resources. Some seniors participate in the Intensive Studies Program and design a research project in the areas of STEM, Entrepreneurship, the Arts or Global Engagement.
  • Bears

    The library team found a creative way to foster physical distancing by placing 19 stuffed bears throughout the spaces. The girls participated in a contest to name the bears with some of the winning names as Bearrie Underwood, Ella Fitzbearald, Katy Bearry, and Gwen Stuffani. 

List of 4 items.

  • Our Library Collection

    Because librarians cannot read every book, selections for school, university, and public libraries are all made using the same criteria, namely that the title must receive at least three positive reviews in professional journals. All the materials in our collections have received three positive reviews and/or have received national awards for their literary and artistic merit. 
  • Selection Criteria

    Our libraries utilize the standards set by the American Library Association and the American Association of School Librarians which provide guidelines around access and acquisition. Materials selected should:
    • Support and enrich the curriculum and/or students’ personal interests and learning
    • Be appropriate for the subject area and for the age, emotional development, ability level, learning styles, and social, emotional, and intellectual development of the students for whom the materials are selected
    • Incorporate accurate and authentic factual content from authoritative sources
    • Exhibit a high degree of potential user appeal and interest
    • Represent differing viewpoints on controversial issues
    • Provide a global perspective and promote diversity by including materials by authors and illustrators of all cultures
    • Demonstrate physical format, appearance, and durability suitable to their intended use
  • Encouraging Reading at Home

    Parents play an integral role in developing strong readers as well by having books available in the home and modeling reading in front of children, two proven factors that support the acquisition of reading skills. Children who read frequently not only exhibit higher GPAs and test scores but also display more empathy, having lived many lives through the experiences of characters in books. 
  • Lifelong Readers and Learners

    The wide range of books and materials available in our libraries allows families to support their children in reading books that meet their developmental needs and their family’s beliefs and values.  Understanding that some people will find material objectionable while others will not, educational institutions generally use guidance and expectations rather than censorship or book banning to maintain an intellectually vibrant space and community.  Books help our students understand the world around them and develop curiosity, empathy, and social acumen. Our goal is to continue the School tradition of graduating lifelong readers and learners.

List of 3 members.

  • Photo of Courtney Lewis

    Ms. Courtney Lewis 

    Director of Library Services and Innovative Research
    Hampshire College - BA
    Antioch New England Graduate School - MS
    Simmons College - MS
  • Photo of Christina Irving

    Christina Irving 

    Librarian, Lower School
    Hendrix College - B.A.
    University of South Carolina - M.L.S.
  • Photo of Shelley Huntington

    Mrs. Shelley Huntington 

    MS/US Librarian, Faculty Advisory Council
    University of Virginia - BA
    University of Pittsburgh - MLS

Old school newspapers available via Virginia Chronicle

    • Private Girls Elementary School: St. Catherine's School
6001 Grove Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23226 | 804-288-2804
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