Libraries

Libraries

ASD Libraries serve to inspire and guide students. The libraries provide students with access to information and literature through dynamic virtual and physical spaces. The libraries are a center for collaboration, communication, and innovation.

Purpose Statement

The libraries offer a variety of resources to current ASD students, parents, and employees. We encourage students to become lifelong learners by promoting a love of reading. We collaborate with faculty to teach the skills necessary to meet academic and personal informational needs.

Philosophy
  • Patrons follow the ASD Core Values: respect, responsibility, compassion, excellence, and integrity 
  • The ASD libraries follow the ALA Library Bill of Rights
  • Patrons have the right to see themselves and discover other perspectives in library books and materials
  • Patrons have the right to choose what they access
  • Patrons respect others’ rights to choose their own materials
  • ASD libraries follow the UAE data protection laws
  • ASD libraries and their patrons respect the ethical use of information including copyright and citation
ES Library

Elementary Library

The Elementary Library is a learning hub that serves to inspire and guide learners on their personal learning pathways. As a result of this, student voice and choice are prevalent through our practices and library lessons and routines. We believe that students have the right and responsibility to check out materials that will best fit those learning pathways. Elementary students visit the library on a regular schedule to find books and attend lessons on independent book choice, research and inquiry practices, and other activities to support literacy growth.

The ES Library team includes two teacher-librarians and two library instructional assistants. The Elementary Library offers a wide variety of resources for research and recreational reading for students, parents, and staff. The collection includes books, ebooks, audiobooks, and electronic databases.

Learn More (ES)

Past Highlights

Visiting Author2

Visiting Author: William Kamkwamba, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. William's workshops gave students the opportunity to build side-by-side with him. Students were asked to consider a local problem in the UAE and to design a prototype to help solve the problem. Some of the students ideas included litter management, stray pet solutions, water conservation, and ocean cleaning. Many students also wanted to build prototypes of windmills, just like William. 

Visiting Author3

Visiting Author: Laura Vaccaro Seeger. With Laura, many students created cut-out books inspired by the books The Hidden Alphabet and First the Egg. Laura challenged our students to think differently, to think about the "empty space" and design a letter hidden within a picture. Some students drew portraits using the letters in their names just like Laura did in her book Walter Was Worried. Students were all thrilled to learn more about Laura's creative process, intentional design and the meaning behind many of her beautiful picture books.

Reading Dogs

Reading Dog Program. ASD’s Elementary School Library organized the first Reading Dogs sessions in partnership with The Animal Agency in January. Students welcomed reading dogs Tess, Millie, and Ginger that are specially chosen, child-friendly, and extremely calm reading companions. Research supports that reading to a dog helps children relax into reading, open up, try harder, and have fun.

MS Library

Middle School / High School Library

The MS/HS Library is a spacious, bright, and inviting space in the center of campus designed to meet a variety of learning needs. Students have access to group study rooms as well as spaces for collaboration and reflective reading. Students can visit the library throughout the day and with their classes on a flexible schedule. Parents can visit before and after school on certain days. The library team (two teacher-librarians and 3 instructional assistants) supports student learning by helping students find books to read for pleasure, assisting in individual inquiry projects, and teaching information literacy lessons to classes as they conduct research. The library collection includes print and digital books, digital magazines, audiobooks, databases, and games.

Learn More (MS)
Learn More (HS)