Children in every grade level from Kindergarten through 8th grade visit our library weekly. The library is the hub of our busy school!

Almaden Country School provides students and teachers support from a full-time librarian who delivers a comprehensive and unique library curriculum adhering to the AASL (American Association of School Librarians) Standards for the 21st Century Learner.

The ACS Library Program

In addition to her duties orienting students to library resources and providing guidance with library research, our librarian works with individual teachers and classes to assist with their assignments, extending the walls of the classroom by some 15,000 volumes!

Our online catalog makes our collection accessible to families from home at any time, also.

National Recognition for the ACS Library

In 2010, our library was recognized as one of only 4,000 nationwide selected to receive the We the People "More Perfect Union" Bookshelf. This award, presented by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the United States Congress, honors school and community libraries committed to promoting discussion about our nation’s history, aspirations and ideals. The We the People award reflects Almaden Country School’s commitment to educating children about patriotism, civics, and citizenship, and we’re proud to receive this distinction from the NEH and Congress.

Unique features of the ACS library

The Birthday Book Squad (BBS)

BBS delivers “Birthday Books” to students on their special day, the children read and then donate their Birthday Book back to the library. The BBS students produce a newsletter with book reviews at least twice a year.

Each year, BBS hosts a school-wide BBS Book Drive. Since the event began in 2007, BBS students have collected more than 6,000 books and redistributed them locally and globally to those in need. 

Book Fairs

The ACS library hosts a week-long Book Fair twice annually. Volunteer students and parents donate hundreds of hours to magically transform the library into a bookstore decorated with literary themes — Dr. Seuss and Harry Potter, most recently — and we partner with local bookseller Hicklebee’s to provide a wide assortment of book titles and related media.

The ACS Book Fairs are enormously popular with the children and generate enthusiasm for reading campus-wide.

Author Celebrations

Author Celebrations help our students learn about the lives of the people behind the books they love. We dive into the worlds each author has created and through various activities learn more about the author and characters from their books.

Typically, one to two of our older students will escort the class to the library for this event “in character” (Willy Wonka was recently spotted in this role) and visit with the class about what it’s like to actually live in the world we’ve read about.

Author Celebrations are a favorite activity in the spring at ACS.

Author Visits

It’s always exciting to have authors visit campus and share with students and teachers about their craft! Thanks to our relationship with Hicklebee’s Bookstore, ACS is able to bring numerous authors to campus during the school year coinciding with their readings and book signings at the store.

Summer Reading List

ACS understands the importance of a low-key, relaxing summer but also appreciates that summer reading is important for children to maintain their literacy skills. This is why our librarian works with the classroom teachers to compile a summer reading list appropriate for each grade level.

Our students appreciate that reading is a fun way to travel to far away lands, undertake countless adventures, and pursue their interests during the summer.