Library

The St. Clare library is a safe and welcoming environment that boasts an excellent collection of books, periodicals, and resource materials in a fully automated library. Students are encouraged to check out materials and engage in lessons that develop information literacy skills and digital citizenship as well as an appreciation of literacy and love of reading.

Students learn about library citizenship, book care, parts of a book, how the library is organized and are introduced to many different genres and authors throughout the year. They enjoy listening to stories read aloud and choosing books to check out and take home as they become independent readers.

Students learn about different genres of literature, reference materials and resources, Children’s Book awards, the Dewey Decimal System, and literary elements. They become more independent as they learn to navigate online resources such as Oslis and Destiny on their own. Fourth and fifth grade have the opportunity to participate our Book Club/Battle of the Books program, meeting as a group once a month.

Students expand on class projects during their Library time by doing independent research specialized assignments. 6th-8th graders are invited to participate in our Middle School Battle of the Books program, meeting monthly during lunch.

Helpful Resources

  • The Destiny St. Clare library management system brings library books, textbooks, and instructional media together on a single shared server with easy browser access and shared student data so that our library content can be accessed from virtually anywhere, including books and thousands of K-12 appropriate websites that are continuously vetted (by Follett) for objectivity, accuracy, authority, and currency. 2nd-8th grade students receive training on how to use this robust resource.
  • We receive EBSCO Host through the Oregon School Library Information System, a valuable database that provides access to over 11,000 periodicals with the full text of articles, along with reference books, maps, and other resources in electronic format. Students in grades 3-8 are trained to use this database.
  • Multnomah County Library also provides a wide range of resources for students at all grade levels.