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An Independent, Coed, Friends School, Nursery Through Grade 12

library

Libraries

Moses Brown School libraries provide inviting facilities and an innovative program that enable our community to become confident, proficient, and ethical creators and users of information. 

This is supported by:

  • a safe and welcoming place for study and collaboration
  • instruction and promotion of scholarly research and learning
  • encouraging values of curiosity, integrity, and respect
  • and development of lifelong reading for pleasure and personal growth.

The two libraries on the Moses Brown campus—the Jones Library (middle and upper schools) and the Goff Library (lower school)—are staffed by three professional librarians who teach research, advise on projects, and guide reading for pleasure.  Our librarians teach students to evaluate sources and build skills to engage in scholarly conversation among peers, academic sources, and teachers. 

Digital and print resources are available in each library and for each division to meet the needs of various ages of our students. Students can check out print books, search for books on the Accessit library catalog, or access digital books through Sora, available on each of the divisional library websites. With close to 60 databases and curated libguides for the divisions they serve, MB libraries provide expansive resources to meet the needs of students who vary in age from nursery through grade 12. Many classes have custom built libguides, and students can also access resources from around the region through the interlibrary loan service. 

With a diverse selection of current, age-appropriate titles for each division, our librarians can be responsive to student requests and curricular needs.  They support students’ self-exploration and help them build curiosity about and empathy for people and situations that appear different to them. The libraries also have programming that support social justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion work. 

Jones Library (Middle and Upper Schools)

Originally constructed as a gymnasium in the early 1900s, the Jones Library was converted to a library in 1978, and completely renovated in 2016 as part of the Woodman Family Community & Performance Center project.

The Jones Library is modeled on evidence-based best practices for 21st-century library design. It contains:

  • a classroom
  • three study rooms
  • reading pods
  • and flexible spaces for teaching, research, and presentation.

Its open learning space is used daily for 9th grade study halls, and its mezzanine study rooms are used regularly by all upper school students. To support our Friends school identity and mission, Jones Library also houses an extensive collection of Quaker books.

Goff Library (Lower School)

The Goff Library was renovated in 2022 as part of the lower school reconstruction project, and contains a carefully curated collection of print and e-resources for our youngest learners. This space hosts and provides:

  •  nursery and pre-primary lessons  once in a seven-day cycle
  • classes with kindergarten through 4th grades two to three times per seven-day cycle.
  • introduction to research skills in kindergarten and expanded research guidance in 1st-4th grades. 
  • a dynamic and supportive space for cross-grade collaboration