Welcome to the ISB Library

Head Librarian: Maria Falgoust, MLIS (mfalgoust@isbrooklyn.org) 

Librarian: Amy Ribakove, MLIS (aribakove@isbrooklyn.org) 

Looking for something specific? Our online bibliographic database contains all of the print books carried by our library. 

SEARCH OUR ONLINE CATALOG (DESTINY)

ISB community members can also browse and borrow from our digital library through Sora. Here are directions for setting up a Sora account.

BROWSE DIGITAL CONTENT WITH SORA

Philosophy

International School of Brooklyn’s School Library seeks to implement, enrich, and support our innovative educational program through access to multilingual resources and development of curriculum; to provide access to materials that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in our community; and to improve reading and research skills through collaboration, and traditional library education practices. The library also seeks to encourage reading as a pleasurable activity by providing a growing selection of age-appropriate, engaging fiction and nonfiction, and by regularly presenting educational and entertaining library programming. The school takes seriously the charge of creating life-long readers. The American Association of School Librarians’ National School Library Standards guide our library program.

About the ISB Library Collection

The ISB Library is located in our Learning Commons in the West Building in the lower level. The Library provides the following:

• A trilingual collection of approximately 14,000 volumes.
• Print and digital materials that celebrate the diversity of the world and challenges students to engage in the global community.
• Picture books, children’s fiction, folklore and fairy tales, poetry, and nonfiction books (including biographies, sports, science, art, poetry, music, and history).
• A growing collection of professional development material, including subscriptions to School Library Journal, France-Amérique, and Teaching Tolerance.
• The Librarians provide support to teachers and students around research skills and digital literacy and encourage parents to use the library.

Open Library Hours

The Library is open for staff and students every school day 8am – 5pm. Middle schoolers are permitted to study and relax in the Learning Commons after school. At this time, the Library will not be able to accommodate parents and caregivers. This will be revisited later in the school year.

School Library Program

Pre-K 3 & Pre-K 4 students have library class once each week for a thirty minute period. Kindergarten – 5th Graders have library class every week for forty five minutes. These lessons include stories, discussions, and activities. Librarians also engage with the school community by coordinating special literary events and pushing into classrooms for research skills lessons. All students may check out eBooks and audiobooks through Sora. Middle School students have access to the library daily before school, during their morning break, and after school. On Tuesdays and Thursdays they may use the library during their Lunch/Recess Period. The Librarians run a 5th/6th grade book club during the winter in addition to The Booklets, our Library Club. Middle School teachers occasionally collaborate with the librarians for special projects.

Library Committee

The Library Committee proudly supports our beloved library with special projects, events, and maintenance assistance. Committee members may choose which projects most interest them. This is a great way to get to know the library collection. The Library Committee is spearheaded by ISB Librarians Maria Falgoust and Amy Ribakove, and ISB parents Lucrecia Briceno and Marianne Gimon. Email the library committee at librarycommittee@isbrooklyn.org for more information.

Library Committee Projects and Events

• Library Maintenance: shelving and inventory. Inventory can be done in sections. Please volunteer during regular time slots for shelving and possible self check-out training classes!
• Multicultural Book Club: promoting attendance, in collaboration with the Diversity Committee.
• Collaborating with librarians on various resource lists for all grade levels, Dragon Times articles, and more.
• Used Multilingual Book Fair: planning and running the Book Fair.
• Book Processing Parties: applying preservation materials to paperbacks and hardbacks to increase their longevity.