Library
“Libraries are essential to communities and no other place comes close.”
— Toni Morrison
The library, with its separate Elementary and Secondary areas, is the heart of intellectual life at Pilgrim School. The library has a robust catalog to keep students excited about whatever interests them. Complimenting our collection is our library’s inviting atmosphere. Students are encouraged to use the library before school, at lunch, during recess and break times, and after school.
Developing Young Learners
The Elementary Library is a place of magic, excitement, and curiosity, with engagement starting in our Early Education program. Consistent, weekly visits ensure the library is integrated into daily student life through story times, reading challenges, and book clubs.
Our librarian acts as the central resource, working with students individually to support their assignments, homework, and recreational reading choices. Library staff also assists teachers with classroom book selection, and their expertise becomes crucial for success as students transition to the more intensive research assignments in the Secondary program.
Our collection offers over 15,000 book titles (including an extensive collection of multicultural novels) supplemented by periodicals and audio-visual collection. We also offer an extensive reference collection housed in closed stacks upon request to both faculty and students. And if these weren’t enough options for students, we host a yearly book fair to further deepen students’ love for reading.
Meet our Librarian, Ed Rosini
Ed Rosini is so passionate about the work he does at Pilgrim School. Whether he's reading books (in silly voices) , playing with the primary school on the field, or helping our students find that "just right" book, Mr. Eddie can always be found in the library, with the lamps on and the door open.
“Libraries are treasure troves, bringing riches to relieve the stresses and trials in a student's life. Jumping into a new book, embarking on an adventure, reading about people and places and things we've never seen before - it's real life magic. In this day and age, technology is a given if not an inevitability, and providing our students with time to read and explore books from our excellent collection in the safety and comfort of our cozy little library is, I believe, is it's own kind of magic. We aim to teach our students how to wield that magic and make it work for them! Whether it be conjuring classic books, stories, and tales from the deepest recesses of our stacks, or simply summoning the next Captain Underpants, helping young folk not only to use the magic of reading, but also to find joy in it, is the real treasure we're after.”
-Ed Rosini
All of our Early Ed and Elementary students have one period of designated library time in their 8-day rotation, but students can (and do) visit the Library on any of their lunch or recess breaks. Starting in Kindergarten, students can take out books with their very own Library card and we love to see them learn how to responsibly care for their books and practice returning them when they're finished.
California K-12 Digital Resources
Online content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Gale, and TeachingBooks are available — at school, at home, in libraries, on laptops, on phones — to all.These digital resources are provided for all California students from the California State Library.
Encyclopaedia Britannica (PreK-12)
A comprehensive interactive resource for research and learning for grades K-12. Includes correlations to California Content Standards and other valuable teacher resources. Post links directly to each school level, elementary, middle or high.
TeachingBooks (PreK-12)
One stop provides resources for books you are reading and teaching, including author and illustrator interviews, lesson plans, and other enrichment content.
Gale (Grades K-12)
Gale STEAM resources provide essential, curriculum-aligned digital content for California K-12 learners. Include links to resources for elementary, middle and high school content.