Torringford Library Media Center, although small, has many visitors daily.  We have an adapted flexible access schedule, which allows for in-depth and sequential lessons for project units.  Our doors stay open from before the morning bell for teacher access to the shelves and planning time beyond the time the last student has boarded the bus.  

This year completes the second year of having a full-time library media specialist, Mrs. Bourque, in the school.  Mrs. English, the Media Associate, is never without a great suggestion for the students next book.  We pride ourselves in being accessible and willing to help.

A big thanks goes to the wonderful parent and adult library volunteers who help us reshelve and check-out books in our busy library which services more than 600 students.

Morning and afternoon kindergartens visit weekly for book exchange and a story.  As is the case with all our students the goal is to have even our youngest library users become independent.  Many times the "story" is not just sharing a story,  but a time which includes brief instruction about our library, how to care for books, practice for sustained silent reading, and sharing their new selection. 

First grades also have a book selection time weekly, but are very flexible should the time slot be needed for unit research.  In first grades students are getting to know the various sections of the library, particularly the difference between fiction and non-fiction.  By the end of the year many have discovered favorite types of books and are able to locate them on the shelves with minimal assistance.  At the first grade level most research work takes place in the classrooms, with the library being a classroom resource.  Thanks to the flexible access, spontaneous discussions in class can generate the need of a small group to appear at our door with the call number in hand.  (Athena, our electronic catalog, is fully-accessible throughout the school on our network.)  The students have already completed a search and know which books are here and which ones they would like to check-out.

By second grade students have had instruction on using Athena.  At the end of the year, improved spelling and weekly practice locating books on the shelves makes students eager to try to independently locate a book of their choice from the catalog. 

During the library book selection times teachers are expected to stay to assist them since they know the students' interests and their reading levels best. Often the guidance of more than one adult is necessary when the group comes as a class to offer suggestions for books they might enjoy. 

One of the third grade units on Earth and Moon brought all the classes to the library to utilized websites to locate specific answers to questions. Both class instruction and small group instruction is common at this level.   There are many times when small groups schedule instruction time to utiliza the Big6 Research Model to supplement classroom learning.

Fourth grade students spend many hours of reading to become an "Olympic Reader."  This is a school program that requires students to read 2002 pages in order to receive their award before the student body during a Town Meeting.  The expectation is that many genres of literature will be sampled which leads to lessons, book talks, and suggestions on the variety of book in the library and how to search for them.

All fifth graders utilize the library during their Biome unit as they

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