• Welcome to the McMurray Library

    Library

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Hours
    The library is open for drop-in use throughout the day: as students enter the building in the morning; during homeroom; during class periods with teacher permission (and a green library pass); and after school until 3:15. It is also open during both lunches.
     
    Loan Period 
    Students may have up to five (5) items checked out at any one time; the loan period is three weeks. Students may renew materials they need for longer than three weeks; they just need to bring the book to the library in order to renew it. This policy helps students keep track of the materials they borrow. Students may check out library materials as long they don't have any overdue (or lost) items. If the student has an overdue item, it’s a simple matter of returning it or bringing it to the library to renew it in order to check out additional items. There are no fines for overdue books; however, students are responsible for lost or damaged materials.

    Thank You, PIE, for funding the purchase of graphic novels and other visually rich books.

    With PIE's generous support over the years (and seed money from the Foege family 15 years ago), McMurray currently houses an extensive selection of outstanding graphic novels (as well as other visually striking and content-rich books that have wide appeal). It's clear that our students appreciate that this is the case: when they enter the library, a great number of students--reluctant and proficient readers alike--make a beeline to our first-rate graphic novel collection. 

    These students recognize a fundamental truth about graphic novels, a visual form of storytelling that merges images and text: like "regular" books, graphic novels represent every reading level and every interest. Additionally, graphic novels (the latter part of the term is something of a misnomer) encompass every genre--realistic fiction, science fiction, historical fiction, mystery, fantasy, traditional and classic literature, memoir/autobiobraphy/biography, informational, and poetry--with the same unlimited range of content and complexity as "regular" books. (And there are even some graphic novels without text, usually referred to as "wordless" graphic novels. They, too, cover an equally expansive range.)

    McMurray's flourishing graphic novel collection is a significant resource that supports the development of reading skills, visual literacy, and creative expression and communication. Graphic novels, as well as other highly visual books, engage readers, enrich learning, and exercise the skills needed to navigate the vast landscape of visual information.

    Graphic Novels

    Homework Help

    KCLS Study Zone Plus: Connect to virtual homework help and resources.

    Tutor.com is an excellent free resource for homework help that you can access with your KCLS student account. One-on-one, live tutoring is available from 2 pm to midnight daily. If you'd like some help with any type of homework, this might be just the help you need! Here's the link (link in Spanish); you will need your KCLS student account number and password. (See KCLS video tutorial in the section below if you need help identifying your KCLS student account number and password.) 

    Here's some additional information about Tutor.com

    Library and Book Information 

    • Library Tutorials  

    KCLS Student Account video tutorial from Ms. Jaffe explaining how to access and use this account. Watch this brief additional video tutorial that completes the explanation.

    • Other Book Resources 

    Black Liberation Reading Lists 

    Reading list for teens

    Reading list for kids (includes middle school books)

    Social Justice Booklists

    Here are more than 70 carefully selected lists of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators.

    Author Fan Face-Off Series

    Fan Face-Off pits a book fan against a book author in a 10-minute, Jeopardy-like face-off. The YouTube series is the brainchild of YA author Steve Sheinkin, who came up with the idea of superfan readers quizzing authors on their own books. In an interview in School Library Journal, Sheinkin expresses his hope "that kids and fans will play along, so it will be not so much the kid on screen, but you--the watcher--against the author."

    The series has recorded shows with great authors, including Katherine Applegate, Stuart Gibbs, Jennifer Holm, Cece Bell, Adam Gidwitz, Pablo Cartaya, Tom Angleberger, Nic Stone, Victoria Jamieson, Kenneth Oppel, Kate Messner, and many others. 

    Cool Videos About Books and Authors

    Be sure to look through the entire ever-expanding list!

    Additional Cool Resources

    Jason Reynolds: "Write. Right. Rite" Series

     A Live Reading of Neil Gaiman's Coraline, hosted by NY Public Library (scroll to bottom of page to see all chapters)