Philosophy

The department of Library and Information Services (LIS) provides service and support in three basic areas—the library program, technology education and technical assistance.

The Library Program

Affirming Friends School as a community of learners, the libraries teach information literacy and research, advocate reading, create comfortable and welcoming spaces, and support the school’s commitment to Quaker values, diversity, intellectual freedom, and community. The library program encompasses the libraries in each division. Each division library provides age appropriate materials and instruction that is integrated into the academic curriculum. The libraries also provide professional development resources for faculty and administration.

The libraries through their teaching, working with faculty and students, and varied collections support the school’s mission, promote the school’s coeducational college preparatory program, ensure that students and faculty are effective users of ideas and information, and encourage reading for personal enjoyment and enrichment

Technology Education

While technology is just one component of the academic program at Friends, we strive to integrate it into the lives of our students, faculty and staff in exciting, challenging and appropriate ways. Technology is used in our quest to help students and faculty explore various modes of problem-solving, leading them to discover when using a computer can open new doors for research or provide new means of communication, and moving our community to become independent thinkers and life-long learners.

The approaches to technology education focus on a common goal of integrating technology into academic projects and real-life experiences that will not have students learning specific technology skills ‘in a vacuum’. We team with our librarians and faculty to teach information literacy—the ability to find and use information—in combination with the specific technical skills that will help all our students be successful during their years at Friends School and beyond. Technology is yet another teaching and learning tool, which we incorporate in numerous ways at various levels in a child's intellectual and social development.

Information Services

The work that goes on “behind the scenes” is a one of the keys to the success of our academic program. Our Information Services (IS) team provides technical support via phone, email and on-site in the classroom. We are committed to providing outstanding customer service, supporting over 500 workstations and laptops in both a traditional and wireless computing environment.

Our long range plan for both maintenance and upgrade of the technology infrastructure and the integration of technology into our academic program can be found in The Friends School Strategic Plan for Library and Information Services.