The Margaret Ann Young Library houses 12,000 books and reference materials including the Jean Riley Collection for Early Readers. The library is a warm, welcoming environment where the children gather to read, study and research. The library’s technology area has 14 computers and an interactive whiteboard for technology lessons.
The acquisition of literacy skills is essential for lifelong learning. Chapin’s Margaret Ann Young Library helps to foster literacy and develop inquiry, information, and digital literacy skills by providing students with books, reference materials and related media. It provides the school community with materials that reflect our diverse society, encouraging the exploration of different cultures, customs and life stories. The library curriculum seeks to instill in students a genuine interest in and an ability to conduct research, an aesthetic appreciation of literature and the arts and an intrinsic love of reading by exposing them to assorted print, non-print and electronic resources in a safe, supportive environment.
The library program follows a sequential curriculum designed to help students become both comfortable and effective in the use of libraries and knowledgeable in the areas of research, scholarship and academic integrity. It teaches students to be critical users of information in a digital age and affords them the opportunity to further develop and extend traditional literacy skills learned in the classroom. Within the contexts of exploring literature and multi-media, students in the library will practice reading, writing, listening, viewing, speaking, critical thinking and reasoning skills. The curriculum encourages collaborative academic and technological opportunities in order to extend classroom learning and promote a lifetime of independent learning.