The launch of both a new school year and a new Mission Statement for Colorado Academy has the library team—including Allison Jensen, Mary Leyva, Lindsay Beatty, and me—thinking about how our library spaces and programs fulfill the mission and vision of our school. It’s always our hope that our work in the two campus libraries helps students become “curious, kind, courageous, and adventurous learners and leaders,” and we’ve been wondering how we can do the same for the adult members of our community.
Specifically, we’ve been reflecting on the second tenet of Colorado Academy’s mission, which centers around nurturing curiosity as “the foundation of lifelong, creative discovery.” Libraries are by nature centers for curiosity and lifelong learning, and it’s important to us as a library department that we fulfill that role for not only our students, but also for the faculty, staff, administrators, parents, and caregivers in our community.
Are you #412 on the holds list?
As adult readers (and lifelong learners), many of our parents and caregivers know the unique disappointment of checking the public library’s website and discovering that they are number 412 on the holds list for a popular new title that they’ve been dying to read. What you might not know, though, is that Raether Library can help alleviate that disappointment!
We prioritize maintaining a large, current collection of popular adult titles that we add to each month, and both Colorado Academy employees and families of current students are encouraged to take advantage of it.
Been waiting months for a public library copy of Where the Crawdads Sing? You’ll be, at most, third on the holds list at Raether. Tired of buying an expensive hardcover copy of a book every time your book club meets? It’s likely we have a copy that you can borrow! Don’t forget that the Lower School Library also welcomes parent and caregiver checkouts if you’d like to borrow more titles than your student is able to on their own account.
Our hope, as we begin this school year, is that Colorado Academy’s many library resources will continue to nurture the curiosity and pursuit of lifelong learning not only for our students, but also for their teachers and families, as well. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to any member of the library team should you have any questions or reading needs!