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About the Library
The Middle School Crane Library is located on the Mezzanine level, above the Crane High School Library. Two full-time librarians and one part-time library assistant serve Dalton's fourth to eighth graders, faculty members, staff, and parents, in this well-designed, lively space.
The Reading Room, with carpeted steps and an inviting window seat, provides sanctuary for those who wish to read quietly. Most of the fiction titles are in this room.
Seven desktop computers line the north wall. When demand is very high, students and teachers often use laptop computers from the library classroom. There is a photocopy machine and a networked laser printer. Two microform readers enable library users to view and print New York Times articles from the publication's inception in 1851, as well as many other periodical articles from past decades.
The Middle School Crane Library has approximately 12,000 volumes, fairly evenly divided between nonfiction and fiction. There are subscriptions to more than a dozen magazines on various topics (sports, science, history, pop-culture, literature). Middle School students are welcome to also browse and read the many High School magazines located in the periodical collection on the balcony, which is maintained to support the curriculum and to nurture a strong, life-long love of reading.
Fourth and fifth graders have weekly library classes, while sixth to eighth graders attend library classes when scheduled by their subject teachers. All students are free to visit the library to read or conduct research during Lab or when directed by teachers. The library curriculum focuses on three major aspects:
Appreciation of literature and literary elements;
Information literacy skills: identifying, locating, and evaluating materials, in print and other formats;
A sense of community and civility: respect for communal space, shared resources, and other community members.
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