Libraries

Tradition meets innovation in University School of Milwaukee’s three libraries, melding book and paper resources with the technology necessary to serve our 21st-century learners. Our libraries also join together with classroom teachers to help students navigate the vast amounts of information available online, providing valuable information literacy skills and experience using online and traditional reference tools.

The Preschool and Lower School library provides a welcoming environment that encourages students to find books that not only fit their reading and interest levels, but exposes them to new authors and genres, cultivating an enduring love of literature. Preschool and Lower School students visit the library regularly, where lessons correlate with classroom instruction and research projects. They are taught how to locate and use printed and electronic resources, and learn concepts that build on analytical thinking and problem-solving throughout the Preschool and Lower School years.

Our Middle School library is a welcoming place for students and teachers to research, collaborate, study, and read. Research and information literacy skills are incorporated into the regular classroom instruction, and students learn how to evaluate information and access a variety of print and online resources. The library offers an outstanding current collection of juvenile and young adult fiction as well as a variety of databases. The USM libraries are excited to offer a new program that makes e-books available 24/7. 

The Upper School library is a critical resource for innovative research projects that spurt higher-order thinking skills. Students are taught to be responsible digital citizens equipped with the skills to conduct research and synthesize information across multiple disciplines. In the summer of 2012, the Stratton Upper School Library was renovated to serve the changing needs of our 21st century learners. The library now features an open concept design with additional outlets to accommodate digital devices. Two smaller rooms offer students the space for collaborative discussion-based work and the opportunity to create multimedia presentations using new technology such as VoiceThread.