Welcome to the Fieldston Lower Library!

The Fieldston Lower Library is a tremendous resource, with over 24,000 book titles (including hundreds of books on tape and CD) available to students, as well as professional books for faculty and parents. Our library is fully automated with an on-line library catalog, DVD, CD-ROM and online research tools, worldwide web Internet access, and a full text periodical database. The library catalog can be searched from any computer with Internet access, from school or home. As a member of the Independent Schools Multimedia center, the library has access to and borrows videos, DVDs, and other software for classroom use.

The Fieldston Lower Library is located on the third floor of the building and consists of two rooms. The larger room is used mainly by 3rd-5th grades for quiet reading and research. In addition to books and comfortable chairs and beanbags, this room is equipped with 12 computer stations and a computer projector set-up for class lessons. The smaller library room contains titles appropriate for grades preK-3 and is used for reading stories aloud, book discussions, teaching lessons, and other activities which require talking.

Our library curriculum is designed to be developmentally appropriate for pre-K through 5th grade elementary students, with the main values being to encourage an understanding of and appreciation for literature, to support life-long independent readers, and to develop age-appropriate research and study skills. Students from K to 5 have a regularly scheduled library period every week. In addition, the library is open throughout the day for use by individuals and small groups. Older children learn to search the library catalog, to use online encyclopedias and specialized databases, and to evaluate websites critically prior to using them as resources.