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The Lea School Library is operated by Henry C. Lea Elementary School in partnership with three partner organizations: Penn Libraries Community Engagement, the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC), and A Book A Day.
Explore this page to learn how you can...
Learn about our library programming
Access our online library catalog system
Submit a request for library support
Learn about our online library resources
Learn about monthly book donations to the library
Learn about library partners
School Library Programming
School Library Programming
Our library partners facilitate the following library programming for Lea students and staff in the Lea School Library. During the COVID-19 pandemic, library programming has been re-designed to ensure students and staff have safe access to the library's books, resources, and services while adhering to the District's health and safety protocols.
Book check-out and check-in: Library volunteers from WePAC and Penn Libraries assist students in selecting and checking out books via the library’s Destiny library management system.
Book donations: Our partner, A Book A Day, regularly donates newly published children’s books to the Lea School Library collection. Eight new, quality hardcover books are delivered to Lea's school library every month, and since the beginning of the program in October 2014, A Book A Day has donated over 1,300 new hardcover books to the school libraries of Lea and Penn Alexander School. To learn about new and past additions to the Lea School Library, check out the Donated Books page on the A Book A Day website.
Library management and resources: Library volunteers from WePAC and Penn Libraries manage the library collection (e.g., organizing books, “weeding” out old books) and acquire new books and additional resources for the library. Note: Library staff are always open to book purchasing suggestions from Lea staff.
Research lessons and support: Penn Libraries staff teach basic research skills and/or work directly with students one-on-one, in small groups, or with the entire class on research projects (e.g., collaborative research teams that can work in small groups to conduct research and present findings on topics of their choosing related to their studies).
Library training: Library coordinators teach Lea staff how to search the Lea Library catalog, how to check books in and out of the library, and more!
Read aloud: Library volunteers from WePAC and Penn Libraries facilitate “read-aloud” sessions with classes in the lower grades when they visit the library.
ONLINE LIBRARY CATALOG
ONLINE LIBRARY CATALOG
Click on the link below to access Destiny, Lea Library's online card catalog system that lists every book in the Lea Library collection!
Library Support Form
Library Support Form
Whether you're a student working on a project for school, or a teacher looking for materials for your curriculum, or a caregiver looking for resources to support your child's literacy development at home, use the Google Form below to ask our Library Team for help!
Library PARTNER Resources
Library PARTNER Resources
Click on the drop-down boxes for detailed information about each resource!
Follow the link above and the links below to explore programs and resources provided by our partner, A Book A Day!
Every month, A Book A Day donates newly published children’s books to the Lea School Library collection. Eight new, quality hardcover books are delivered to Lea's school library every month. Since the beginning of the program in October 2014, A Book A Day has donated over 1,300 new hardcover books to the school libraries of Lea and Penn Alexander School.
To learn about new and past additions to the Lea School Library, check out the Donated Books section on this page, or click on the link below!
Each school year, A Book A Day coordinates visits by children’s book authors, illustrators, and publishers to meet with Lea students and teachers. Past guests have included Matthew Burgess, Josh Cochran, Kelly Starling-Lyons, Zetta Elliott, Rosa Chang, and Claudia Zoe Bedrick from Enchanted Lion Books.
In January 2021, A Book A Day provided the 5th grade teachers at Lea copies of “Drawing on Walls: A Story of Keith Haring,” written by Matthew Burgess and illustrated by Josh Cochran. Matthew Burgess led two virtual poetry workshops with the 5th grade students in April 2021, and Josh Cochran read the students’ writing and responded with his original design for the mural that bears the same title, "Superheroic Delight Song." This group poem was created using words and phrases from the students’ work, and the mural was installed on the 2nd floor of the school building in May 2021.
A Book A Day interviews children's book authors, illustrators, and editors. Check out the recordings and transcriptions of these interviews using the link below.
Check out A Book A Day's Instagram account for information about new books and interviews with children's book authors, illustrators, and editors!
Check out A Book A Day's YouTube channel cool videos about books and interviews with children's book authors, illustrators, and editors!
Follow the link above and the links below to explore programs and resources provided by our partner,
The Mirrors Collection from Penn Libraries Community Engagement contains books selected for school communities with a focus on social justice, health, and emotional literacy. The collection prioritizes books that showcase unique voices and riveting storytelling.
Grades: Kindergarten – 8th
Link: The Mirrors Collection
Contact: Gina Pambianchi, Community Engagement Librarian, ginapamb@upenn.edu
These resources guides from Penn Libraries Community Engagement cover a range of topics listed below.
Grades: Kindergarten – 8th
Contact: Gina Pambianchi, Community Engagement Librarian, ginapamb@upenn.edu
Link: Resource Guides
List of resource guide topics:
Embracing Emotions
Grief and Loss
Healthy Eating
Learning About Autism
Missing Friends
Our Aging Family
Unique Family Structures
DONATED BOOKS
DONATED BOOKS
See the books donated by A Book A Day for this school year (2021-2022), last school year (2020-2021), and all previous school years!
Click on the link to see the archive of books donated by our partner, A Book A Day, since 2014!
Library Partners
Library Partners
The Lea School Library is operated by Henry C. Lea Elementary School in partnership with three partner organizations: Penn Libraries Community Engagement, the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC), and A Book A Day.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding library programming, please contact the following individuals:
Rich Liuzzi, Lea Partnerships Coordinator, rjliuzzi@gse.upenn.edu
Gina Pambianchi, Penn Libraries Community Engagement Librarian, ginapamb@upenn.edu
Ellen Rosen, WePAC Library Volunteer Coordinator, ellenrosen16@gmail.com
Sibylla Shekerdjiska-Benatova, A Book A Day Executive Director, abookadayprogram@gmail.com
"Superheroic Delight Song"
Mural inspired by the poetry of Lea's 5th grade classes during the 2020-2021 school year
Mural designed and installed by our partners Josh Cochran, Matthew Burgess, and A Book A Day in May 2021
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