About the Libraries

The Lower School Library serves the Lower School first- through fourth-year students (first through fourth grades) in this dedicated space on Lower School Campus.

The Middle and Upper School Libraries, located on the Upper School campus, serve Middle School first- through fourth-year students (fifth through eighth grades) and Upper School ninth- through twelfth-grade students.
Middle School students may visit for independent reading and special programs during lunch recess, as well as monthly class visits for book checkout. Instruction typically is held in the Middle School building.
Upper School students may visit during free periods, lunch, and daily Flex times. Instruction may be held in the library or in Upper School classrooms. 

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

Famililes 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. 

Our libraries utilize the Information Literacy Framework authored by the Association of College and Research Libraries. Librarians have adapted these frames for age-appropriateness and our own teaching at Carolina Friends. These frames are grouped into two threads:

Information is not neutral:

     Authority is Constructed and Contextual

     Information Creation is a Process

     Information has Value

Be an Active Researcher:

     Research as Inquiry

     Scholarship as Conversation

     Searching as Strategic Exploration

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.