The mission of the Speyer Library is to inspire and teach students to become independent thinkers who possess a love of literature.
We have more than 30,000 books, which are dispersed amongst the Speyer Library and satellite collections in the classrooms that change as fields of study change.
As the heart of the school, the Speyer Library serves to provide the resources that students and teachers need to be effective users of ideas and information, while supporting all aspects of the school’s curriculum. Through read-aloud, independent, partnered, and shared reading, along with classroom discussions and monthly/cultural book highlights, Speyer nurtures students’ love of reading.
In addition to what is found in the Speyer Library, all Speyer students also have access to ebooks. For our students in Kindergarten through Second Grade, the EPIC! online platform is used, while Sora is utilized in Third Grade, Fourth Grade, and Middle School.
The Speyer Library is woven into the curriculum — per six-day cycle, students in Kindergarten and First Grade have two library periods while those in Second-Sixth Grade have one period. In the Lower School library classes, students explore how a library is structured and how to choose a “just right book,” as well book talks from our Librarian and opportunity to recommend their favorite books to their classmates. Students in Fifth and Sixth Grades use their library period for book selection, free reading, and research time.
All of our Middle School students have the opportunity to sign up for a library elective (electives meet two times per six-day cycle and change each semester) and also use the library for research and independent reading time during recess. Students choose books based on interest and ability and are encouraged to always keep exploring.
Outside of the school day, the Speyer Library is home to various INspeyerED Afterschool classes and book groups.
The Spanish Satellite Library is a dedicated space for developing language acquisition beyond the Spanish classroom, made possible by a portion of the Class of 2021’s graduating donation gift as part of our Financial Literacy Curriculum. The Spanish Satellite Library is a learning hub where all of our students can be exposed to books that instill confidence and love in reading and acquiring vocabulary, which is fundamental to learning, personal growth, and enjoyment of any successful language acquisition process. Furthermore, it directly represents the windows, mirrors, and prisms for Speyer learners to understand themselves and their world through different perspectives.
In addition, the Class of 2026’s graduating donation gift was a Research Library in the Library Annex on the stairwell landing. This will be a welcoming Library space filled with reference materials, books, and academic journals related to the Speyer curriculum and curated by the teachers to support class projects and student research! This library of print resources will be supplemented by online databases, reference sources, and subscriptions to support digital research in the older grades.
Just as field trips to our city’s museums, theaters, and cultural spaces encourage our gifted learners to delve deep in their learning, the Speyer Library hosts numerous author visits and workshops throughout the year. These memorable visits not only enrich the students’ understanding of both written and visual storytelling, but also ignite a passion for reading and writing.
Below are just a few of the authors Speyer has welcomed to the Boulevard: Wendy Mass, Kwame Alexander, Stuart Gibbs, Neil Schusterman, George O’Connor, Gordon Korman, Veera Hiranandani, Karina Yan Glaser, Dave Roman, and Soman Chainani, Adam Gidwitz, Dan Elish, Yangsook Choi, Abby Hanlon, Karina Yan Glaser, Veera Hiranandani, Gordon Korman, and Steve Light.
Head to the Speyer News section to see the latest best-selling authors who have visited Speyer and inspired our Dragon writers.
Speyer fifth graders eagerly participate in the Speyer Newbery Challenge. The Newbery Medal is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Every fall, books that are potential Newbery winners are presented to the students, and after a librarian-led book talk, they choose the books they will read in the first round of the challenge. From October through the middle of January with second and third rounds of reading, the fifth graders meet periodically to discuss the various titles and write book recommendations for their classmates. As the time of the real Newbery Medal vote draws near, the students meet again to defend their choice of the book most deserving of the award. A “Speyer Newbery” vote is taken…and when the actual winner is announced, the students see how their choice compares to the selection by the official Newbery Committee.
In the Spring, Speyer students in Kindergarten through Third Grade participate in The Cook Prize (which honors the best picture books in STEM) and The Irma Black Award for excellence in children’s literature. Sponsored by the Bank Street College of Education, the awards are unusual in that children are the final judge of the winning books. In their weekly library class, the students read each of the nominated books, exploring and analyzing the author’s purpose as well as the impact of each book’s illustrations. Sometimes, the books are read a few times to fully judge them properly. Knowing that schools all over the world are reading the same books at the same time, and voting on them just like they are provides additional perspective and conversation about books and literacy.
