The Head-Royce Libraries provide abundant space, resources, and information services to support and inspire the curiosity and intellectual development of our HRS Community.
About the Library: Head-Royce’s Read Library is a quiet, comfortable place for middle and high school students to work, study, or relax. The great light and comfortable seating make it a perfect place to read, think, or daydream. The mission of the library has always been to support the curricular needs of our students and faculty as well to promote independent reading by providing a rich selection of fiction and nonfiction materials for all levels and interests. In addition to its extensive collection of databases, the library also offers laptops for checkout, thereby allowing our mobile/roaming scholars to access electronic resources, collaborate with other students, and respond to queries from faculty anywhere in the school.
Our Library Mission: The Head-Royce School libraries provide quality library materials and information services to support independent reading and complement the K-12 curriculum. The librarians hope to foster a love of reading and support our school mission to inspire within our students a lifelong love of learning. We provide tools and skills for searching, evaluating, and using information effectively and attempt to engender within our students strong standards of integrity when using information resources.
Library Policies
Library Policies: The Head-Royce Libraries provide great spaces and extensive materials to enlighten and enrich the community. Community members are encouraged to check out or suggest materials for purchase, seek assistance with research, study in a beautiful space or join together for special events.
The Head-Royce Libraries conduct an ongoing program of library skills instruction, book talks, and special research for classes K-12. The Read Library is centrally located between the middle and upper schools, and there is also a library for grades K-5 located in the Lower School. The libraries currently have over 22,000 volumes and several general and specialized Internet database subscriptions. Updated daily, these include INFOTRAC, SIRS, and the New York Times, current and archives.
In an effort to support an environment conducive to learning, courtesy, and respect, Read Library users are requested to maintain the following standards:
- Maintain a clean environment including leaving food and uncovered drinks outside of the library.
- Maintain an atmosphere that allows other users to focus and study by keeping conversation at a level, character, and length that will not disturb others. Additionally cell phones should be set to mute/vibrate, and calls must be taken outside.
- Use library computers in accordance with the Head-Royce Acceptable Use Policy (pages 9-10 in the Head-Royce School Directory and Handbook); this includes no gaming or social network sites and no streaming media (including music and video) without faculty consent. These guidelines also extend to personal computers used in the Library.
- Respect all library furniture, computers, and other resources; and avoid altering or removing any items.
- Use the “quiet room” exclusively for individual silent study, unless permission is granted by library staff for a school meeting.
- Refrain from engaging in disruptive behavior in the library.
Individuals who are not able to adhere to these standards may be asked to leave the library and may be subject to additional disciplinary action including detention or extended suspension of library privileges. Students seeking an environment for group conversation will be directed to the cafeteria or the dean's lounge. In order to maintain open communication within the Head-Royce community, parents/families and homeroom teachers will receive written notice when students are asked to leave the library or privileges are modified or revoked.
Read Library is open Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.– 5 p.m., and Friday 8 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Library materials are checked out for a period of 2 weeks. Library users are notified of overdue materials through homerooms (for Lower School) and individual email (for Middle and Upper Schools), and are responsible for replacement costs of library materials that are not returned. Library users with materials outstanding by the final due date at the end of the school year will incur a nonrefundable charge through the Business Office regardless of later return.
