For Parents
At the Runkle library, we hope to inspire a love of books and reading by building relationships with students, maintaining a diverse collection, and providing rich library instruction. This page is a short introduction to the nuts and bolts of the library. Please feel free to contact me (email is best!) with any questions or concerns you may have.
Thanks, and happy reading!
Ms. Carney, Librarian
The Martin Sleeper Library
We are lucky to have a beautiful library space at Runkle. It is named after Martin Sleeper, a beloved former principal. Our 25,000+ volume collection contains a wide variety of picture books, fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.
Library Classes
Students in grades K-5 visit the library regularly with their classes, usually once a week. Older students come with their middle school teachers as needed. During library classes, students participate in a variety of literature and library skills activities and have the opportunity to borrow books.
Book Borrowing
The guideline for how many books students can borrow at a time are as follows:
K-1: One book
2: Two books
3-5: Three books
6-8: Four books
The loan period for all students is two weeks. If a student has overdue items, we often hold a book or two for a day to give them another chance to return them and check out something new. To avoid disappointment (and even tears!), get to know your child's "library day" and help them establish a routine for returning books.
Lost Books
If you cannot find the books checked out to your student, or your student's books are damaged, you are required to pay for a replacement. Please make checks out to Public Schools of Brookline and send them in to the library. Replacement costs are $18 for a hardcover book, $10 for a paperback.
Online Resources
The library catalog is accessible online here, and includes some ebooks and digital audio books. We also subscribe to many databases that students can access from the Research Resources page on this site.
Raising a Reader
Here are a few tips for making reading a central part of your child's life:
Empower them with choice. Studies have shown that student choice is a powerful motivator in reading. The Reading Lists on this site are a perfect place to start with hundreds of great books to choose from. Listening to audiobooks, either on their own or along with a print copy of the book, is another great way to get into a story.
Make reading part of your family’s routine. Set aside time for your child to read daily, model reading yourself, and of course, read together! I cannot overstate the importance of reading to your children, even after they can read on their own. Here’s an article from PBS that nicely sums up the benefits of story time.
Embrace Picture Books! We sometimes push kids out of picture books too early because they can read chapter books. I would caution against this! I read picture books with students of all ages at school, and I still read picture books with my sixth- and eighth-grader at home. This short article from the New York Times makes a great case for why we should all enjoy these amazing works of art.
Visit the public library. We have three wonderful public libraries in Brookline: the main branch in Brookline Village, as well as the Coolidge Corner and Putterham branches. You can visit the library, check out lots of books, talk with their amazing librarians, and attend special events.