The Library Staff

Judith A. Sheridan, Librarian

    Mrs. Sheridan began her career in education as a science teacher.  After thirteen years - and a new degree - she became a school librarian.  Before coming to Tamanend, she worked in the Pennsbury School District and at our sister schools Holicong and Lenape.  Mrs. Sheridan loves being a school librarian, and she especially enjoys working with the Tamanend students.

Kristina Holloway, Library Assistant

    Mrs. Holloway comes to Tamanend with many educational experiences.  For several years she worked with children diagnosed with autism.  Following that she served as director in childcare facilities.  She joins us this year after being home with her family.

Circulation Policy

        The library holds over 13,000 titles in our print collection, including books, pamphlets and newspapers.  Nearly all of the items circulate, including reference books and encyclopedias.  That is, they can be checked out and taken home.

        Most of the items circulate on a two-week basis, with unlimited renewals.  Selected items circulate overnight which means they cannot leave the library until the end of the school day and must be returned before homeroom the next school day.  Overnight items checked out on Friday are due back on Monday. Overnight items checked out on the last day before an extended break are due back the day we return from the break.  There is no limit to the number of books a student may check out at one time.

        Fines are assessed on overdue books at the rate of 5 cents per day per book.  Students must pay for lost or damaged books.  They get money back if the lost book is found at a later date.

 

 

Hours

        The Tamanend Library is open everyday during the regular school day hours from 7:30 AM until 3:00 PM.  Students who need to stay later can make arrangements with Mrs. Sheridan.

        During the school day, students may use the library on their own before and after school and during the resource period.  They may also return items when they are passing from class to class.

        When assignments necessitate, teachers bring students to the library for an entire class period of research.

  
   

Electronic Resources

        The Library relies heavily on its electronic resources, and students are taught how to access these tools from computers located in the library and throughout the school.

        The paper card catalog is a thing of the past.  Students now search in the internet public access catalog (IPAC) when they want to find books.  Because the library system is networked throughout the entire district, students are able to search every Central Bucks school library collection from the Tamanend Library.

        Magazine articles are also available online.  Students use tools like Student Resource Center and POWER Library to locate the articles.  They can print out the full texts of articles or they can email the texts home.  Students can also use these research tools at home.

        In addition, the library subscribes to online encyclopedias and several specialized references selected specifically to support the 9th grade assessment.

 

 

Accessing the Internet

        Students have access to the internet through the computers in the library.  They are encouraged to use the internet when it is the appropriate source of information, and in fact, some of the research tools to which the library subscribes are available only online.

        Searching the internet is a learned skill.  The internet is a vast resource, and the validity of the information it contains varies greatly.  Students receive instruction in internet searching skills and strategies, and they are also taught to evaluate the sources they find.  In some research situations, usually because of time constraints, the students are limited to using bookmarked web sites which have been preselected by the librarian and the classroom teacher.

         Internet access on the Central Bucks network is monitored by a filter known as SurfControl.  This device prevents students from going to inappropriate web sites.

 

Word Processing and Graphics Tools

        The following word processing and graphics tools are available for students to use at the Tamanend Library

       In addition to the computer-based tools, the library also provides free access to copiers and scanners.