Grier School

Grier’s Library is an information center that houses a high quality educational and recreational collection of physical and online resources freely available to students and teachers.

The library is conducive to individual or group reading, researching, and studying. Students may use the library during free periods, non-academic times, in the company of their teachers, and during evening study hall Sundays-Thursdays. In addition to daytime hours, the library is open most evenings and weekends.

Literacy Promotion

Borrow - Students may borrow books, magazines, audiobooks, eReaders, and DVDs from the Student Film Collection
Displays & Contests – the library features themed displays and contests throughout the year, sometimes linked to a teacher’s curriculum
Pennsylvania Young Readers’ Choice Awards (PAYRCA) program – As part of this statewide program, students read nominated books and vote for their favorite. The library offers prizes and other incentives for participation.
One Book, One School - We invite everybody in the Grier Community to read the same book during the course of the school year and celebrate with discussions and other related events.
Author Visits
Scholastic Book Fair

Library & Information Skills Instruction

Librarian, Rebecca Woolfrey, partners with teachers to offer annual library orientation and other research and information literacy instruction to students through their assigned classes. Instruction is based on the standards from the American Association of School Librarians for 21st Century Learners and helps prepare students for college-level research and become savvy information consumers.

Library Orientation

Introduces students to the library staff, space, and services. The main focus is the library’s software Destiny, which allows users to create their own logins, search for print and digital materials, access digital content, and manage accounts.

Other instruction topics:

Evaluating Web Sites for Credibility
Avoiding Plagiarism
Using Online Databases
Paraphrasing
Introduction to the Research Assignment
Citation Using NoodleTools
Note-taking and Outlines with NoodleTools
eBooks and eReaders

Meet the Staff

List of 2 members.

Rebecca Woolfrey

Library Department Chair
Website Manager
Bio
Mrs. Woolfrey received her Master’s degree in Library Science from the ALA-accredited program at the University of Missouri before moving to State College, PA in 2006. She also has a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Studies & Interior Design, plus minors in Art and French from the University of Missouri. She has completed graduate courses in Educational Technology and is a member of the professional organizations AISL and PSLA.

She has worked as an interior designer and as a university library reference assistant where she helped both students and professors with their research. Mrs. Woolfrey enjoys spending her free time with her family, enjoying the outdoors, and pursuing creative hobbies. Some of her favorite young adult authors include: Judy Blundell, Suzanne Collins, Maureen Johnson, E. Lockhart, Phillip Pullman, and J.K. Rowling.

At Grier, her duties include directing the Library, chairing the Grier Workplace Safety Committee, and managing the Grier website.
Andrea Cheatle

Library Assistant
Bio
Andrea graduated from Penn State in May 2019 with a B.S. in Secondary English Education and a minor in English. She began working at Grier School in August 2019 as the Assistant Librarian, as well as helping out with the barn staff a few days a week. Through her equestrian background and English knowledge, Andrea enjoys helping students around campus in different ways and spreading what she has learned from her own studies.

Library Website

Library Catalog

One School, One Story 2019
10/7/2019
Do you know just how powerful you are? Do you want to create a better world? Read what Olympic Gold Medalist Abby Wambach has to say about leadership, teamwork, and changing the world in her book “Wolfpack.” The library invites everybody at Grier to read this tiny little book with a great big message. Borrow a copy today. Be part of the conversation.
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Leave the Light On
9/20/2019
Every year, the American Library Association celebrates the freedom to read with a week-long event called "Banned Books Week." During this week, libraries across the country highlight the value of free and open access to information. This is in response to individuals and organizations that would like to ban, or remove, materials from library collections because they are not aligned with their own personal beliefs and values. It is the role of libraries to provide materials for all patrons, not just the vocal majority.
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Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
9/15/2019
You can celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month by reading a book written by a Hispanic or Latino author or that features a Hispanic or Latino main character. Many of these books on display in the Library right now, so please check them out!
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2019-2020 Reading Program Nominees
9/11/2019
The Pennsylvania Young Readerss Choice Awards (PAYRCA) Program is an annual statewide program that gives students the opportunity to vote for their favorite authors. At Grier, students who participate in the program receive Grier Bucks and chances to win prizes throughout the school year. To participate, students sign-up in the library between September and February and read titles from the list of fifteen nominees. Copies of the books are available through the library. Grier students vote before Spring Break and the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association declares winners in May.
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Public Media Broadcaster Speaks to Grier Students
4/10/2019
Grier students and faculty attended a presentation by regional broadcast media professional Carolyn Donaldson on Tuesday afternoon in the Library. The presentation was the culmination of the Library’s One School, One Story, a program that invites all members of the Grier community to read the same book and participate in a series of discussions and related events. This school year, Grier read I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai.

Grier invited Carolyn Donaldson, Community Engagement Manager for WPSU Penn State and former WTAJ-TV news anchor, to visit Grier and talk about how media is a means to spread ideas and advocate for change, the way Malala did and continues to do through blogs, interviews on radio and television, streaming media, and printed publications. Donaldson tied Malala’s message and mission to US First Amendment rights and how public media entities like WPSU give diverse voices a place to be heard. She cited the WPSU program “This I Believe” as a way for anyone – Grier students included – to tell their own story.
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Virtual Guest Speaks to Grier Students about Gender Equity in Higher Ed
2/21/2019
Tuesday, a graduate student Shannon DeHoff from Penn State University joined Grier via Skype video chat to describe her work with the University Park campus’s Gender Equity Center. Librarian Mrs. Woolfrey arranged for this presentation in conjunction with the schoolwide read I Am Malala by equal education activist Malala Yousafzai. The presenter addressed the biggest obstacles to higher education access for women in the United States today. Among the students who attended the program, many were members of the Grier Bridge club, which seeks to promote the welfare of girls and women worldwide. The Grier students in attendance engaged with the speaker, asking questions about her role and the challenges facing women on college campuses. After the presentation concluded, the students continued to discuss how they might apply some of the Gender Equity Center’s advocacy and education strategies to prepare Grier students for college life.
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Voting Now Open
2/15/2019
Did you participate in the Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Awards Program (PAYRCA)? PAYRCA is an annual statewide program that gives students the opportunity to vote for their favorite authors.

Grier students who read THREE or more books from the list of fifteen nominees are eligible to vote using the form or link below.

Grier students may vote until March 17th. Grier votes will be tabulated and submitted to the state organization. Finally, the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association will declare a statewide favorite in May.

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Discussion & Donuts
1/31/2019
Grier students and faculty gathered in the Library for Discussion & Donuts where they talked about the school’s One School, One Story book selection I Am Malala by the young global education activist and Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Malala Yousafzai. The students participated in discussion sessions before school and during the afternoon Extra Help period. Students shared what they were most surprised to learn about Malala’s story after reading the book, their thoughts on the role of Malala’s parents, and Malala’s resilience and current mission.
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Mosaic Encourages Students to Stick Together
1/17/2019
As students pass through the Grier library or take a break from homework, they can participate in a collaborative project by adding some of the nearly 4,000 half-inch, colorful sticker squares to a color-coded poster. The students are working together to create a sticker mosaic. The subject of the mosaic is a mystery at the start, but will be revealed slowly as students make progress. The mosaic unites the student body of Grier and promotes a great message: Stick Together!
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Read the Rainbow
1/8/2019
The Library's "Read the Rainbow" book display invites readers to explore books featuring LGBTQ+ characters. We researched multiple sources to find a diverse collection of highly recommended books across many genres, lengths, reading levels, and formats. One of our favorite tools for locating LGBTQ+ books is the website Queer Books for Teens, which includes a searchable database of books and detailed descriptions. Grier maintains a list of LGBTQ+ titles in a Kaleidescope Destiny Collection.

Take a look at some of the titles featured in our 2019 display:

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Bullying Prevention and Digital Citizenship Seminar Informs Grier Students
11/16/2018
Education and Outreach Specialist Michelle L. Nutter from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office of Public Engagement visited Grier recently to give a special presentation during. Students across all grades gathered in the Dance Building after lunch to learn from Ms. Nutter who addressed topics relating to bullying prevention and digital citizenship.
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One School, One Story 2018
11/6/2018
The reading program One School, One Story challenges anybody and everybody that is part of the Grier community to read the same book and to participate in activities and discussions throughout the year. For the 2017-2018 School Year, the selected title is I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick (Young Readers Edition).
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Lifelong Learning & Literacy

The library is conducive to individual or group reading, researching, and studying.
21st Century Learners

Instruction helps prepare students for college-level research and become savvy information consumers.
Love to Read

Colorful displays, reading programs, and events foster a love of reading..