Do you consider yourself a “resident” of the library? If so, do you really know everything about it? Maybe you think you do… But sitting down with Mrs. Voorhees one day, we learned a lot more about what this great place offers. Perhaps you really don’t know all there is to know.

At the most basic level, the library staff works to help students from the Modern European, U.S, and Ancient and Medieval History classes on their large research papers. They help students from other classes with whatever research assignments might be given.

The library provides students with access to many scholarly online databases, including more than 150,000 ebooks, millions of articles, and more. Using one’s Kent School credentials, this database can be accessed, not just on campus, but from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.

The JGP ’28 Library’s phenomenal resources do not stop at research, however. The newly added Bloomberg terminal is the go-to machine for anyone interested in stocks, trading, and the financial market, and anyone aspiring to work at such companies as Goldman Sachs, J.P Morgan, or Merrily Lynch. It provides the user not only with complete information on the every single company in the world but also with an online course approximately twelve hours in length. After completing the online course, one is “Bloomberg certified,” a status acknowledged by all investment banks. The Bloomberg machine is a great source of information for the 94 students playing the Wharton investment game, and those in Mr. Sullivan’s global finance class are given extra credit for using this resource.

There is something less noticeable than the new Bloomberg machine, though; the brand new suggestion box at the front table of the library. “We always get new books, but we want to know what our students want to read,” said Mrs. Voorhees.

In the effort to bring students joy and stress relief, the library staff have also set out puzzles, Go sets, and coloring pages next to the front desk, alongside board games suggested by Mr. Jandreau and Mr. Austin.

For those too preoccupied with academics to enjoy these games, student research assistants and peer writing tutors are available to give aid on assignments during study hall each night. This year, math and science tutors are stationed from 8:00 to 10:00 at the first table on the right, too.

When asked what the library will look like in ten years, Mrs. Voorhees has her own expectations. She believes she will keep most of the print books, because, despite new technology, they have been very popular recently, and many of them are not easily available in digital format. If anything, she may reduce them by ten percent to make space for more study rooms.

She also anticipates doing more with Open Educational Resources (OER). OER are used for classes that either do not use a textbook or do not have a textbook that would fit the curriculum. The librarians would work with the teachers of such classes and find sources for the course.

Additionally, she sees continuing to develop as an in-depth research skills course, while still keeping the basic content of time management and adaptation to boarding school life.

In conclusion, Mrs. Voorhees shares the sentiment of the library staff as a whole: “We would always want the library to be a comfortable location for students to find information resources as easily as possible.”