Library
The Library is a special place at ABS as it serves all students and staff. Libraries are for much more than reading and borrowing books. They are community hubs that provide spaces to learn, read, get information, and participate in education and improvement programs. Here at the ABS Library, we encourage students to become autonomous community members with knowledge of the layout and labelling to empower them for purposeful investigation as a class member and as an individual. Students can access the library catalogue, choosing to read before they enter the space. Middle and high school students are encouraged to use the library for study and small group projects, and also to pursue their personal, self-improvement interests. Along with regularly scheduled library periods, elementary teachers bring small groups in for focused practice, to participate in library sponsored novel studies, and to source their class libraries with ABS library materials. Elementary students can visit independently before and after school.
Students and staff can check out materials from a variety of formats i.e., audiobooks, Follett eBooks, Guided Reading kits, teacher professional materials, launchpads, and fiction and nonfiction books for students. They can also find a comfortable spot to read the newspaper or a magazine. Computers are available for educational use.
There are also opportunities for students to develop their personal skills. Seniors volunteer at the library, learning organizational skills and small business management concepts while they accumulate hours towards their graduation requirements. Tenth through twelfth graders can apply to participate on the Student Library Council. Ninth through twelfth graders can volunteer to assist our youngest community members at our biannual book fairs, where students can purchase books for their home library, while elementary students participate in an annual short story writing contest, quarterly Drop Everything and Read events, or Read with Friends.
Campus organizations use the library space for meetings and competitions, so the librarians work hard to make the space welcoming for all students and staff to fulfill a variety of educational and personal development needs.
Moreover, the library is a community for users all over the campus to gather, get information, learn, and grow. Our aim is to support life-long reading by demonstrating that reading happens in a variety of delightful ways.