Research Center
Family Hours
8:30 - 9:00 AM M-F
4:00 - 5:00 PM T/TH
The Lake Country School library, known internally as the Research Center, is a resource for students and parents/caregivers alike! Lake Country students are great researchers, so we call our facility that functions as a library the Research Center to emphasize its place in the school.
The school library has over ten thousand books and offers students literary activities and access to a wide variety of digital resources and databases. Students may also check out Chromebooks and other audio-visual equipment. In addition, the RC offers a lending library of Montessori and other child development resources for adults.
Toddler Story Hour
Wednesdays
9:10 - 10:00 AM
Open to the PublicThe Research Center also hosts a weekly toddler story time where families with children under the age of three are invited to listen to stories and participate in fun activities led by our Research Center Coordinator. All families, regardless of their current affiliation or connection to Lake Country, are welcome.
We strongly encourage every student to have a local library card in order to access digital databases. For the Hennepin County Library card application, click here.
The Research Center is a key component in our commitment to anti-bias anti-racist (ABAR) pedagogy. We strive to provide resources that, in the words of Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, are "windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors" for children to see themselves and others.
Our RC Catalog is accessible by clicking the button on the right. Once you are there, click on Lake Country School. In the left column, click on Catalog. From there, you may use "Library Search" to view our complete catalog, or "Resource List" to view suggested titles by category.
RC BlogBelow you will find recent posts from our RC Blog. This blog, written by our RC Coordinator, discusses what's going on in the RC, book recommendations, heritage month info, and so much more!
![Black History Month]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1755890193/lakecountryschoolorg/iatoesm2z9vfjlsd8npj/RCWinter2025_1.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1755890193/lakecountryschoolorg/iatoesm2z9vfjlsd8npj/RCWinter2025_1.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1755890193/lakecountryschoolorg/iatoesm2z9vfjlsd8npj/RCWinter2025_1.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1755890193/lakecountryschoolorg/iatoesm2z9vfjlsd8npj/RCWinter2025_1.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1755890193/lakecountryschoolorg/iatoesm2z9vfjlsd8npj/RCWinter2025_1.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1755890193/lakecountryschoolorg/iatoesm2z9vfjlsd8npj/RCWinter2025_1.jpg","width":2200}])
February is Black History Month! This year marks the 100th Anniversary of what was originally a weeklong observation started by Carter G. Woodson in 1926. For the past few years we have been celebrating Heritage Months with book baskets and readings specific to different levels of the school.
This year, E1 and CH students will be offered a selection of books by Minnesota Black authors. Some of those authors will be featured in our after school story times on Tuesdays, so please come to the RC after school every Tuesday in February!
Our focus for E2 and JH will be Minnesota Black history, stemming from the work of the Sebathani Living History Museum. The museum is in our neighborhood and hopefully this work will inspire some visits! Please contact srichardson@lakecountryschool.org with any questions or comments.
This week, as we celebrate Dr. King and look to the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement, the RC has books applicable for ALL ages. One of my favorites (for E2 and up) is "More Than a Dream", a fantastic book by St. Thomas professor Dr. Yohuru Williams. The book explores the radical roots of the March on Washington and the many activists in addition to Dr. King who made it possible. Also check out "We Dream a World: Carrying the Light From My Grandparents Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King"
The RC can be a resource for books to uplift, comfort and support during challenging times. "The Breaking News" and "We Are the Builders" are titles I have been recommending lately. We also have many books that document and celebrate the immigrant experience as well as books about the realities of separation and deportation. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or needs you may have.
And on an exciting note, mark your calendars! To celebrate Black History Month we will be hosting afterschool story times every February in Tuesday featuring local Black authors reading their work. Please come!!
Happy New Year - and happy new books! At the end of the year I spend hours perusing a variety of "best of" lists, and we have quite a few new additions to the RC. From the sublimely silly "Cabin Head and Tree Head" to historical fiction like "The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli", and "Rebellion 1776", from the early chapter book "Troubling Tonsils" to fantasy like "Splinter and Ash" to nonfiction like "A World Without Summer", and some new picture books to boot, there's something for everyone!
A reminder - I am giving a virtual workshop on digital research for elementary and JH students on Thursday evening from 7-8 (subtitled "How to Avoid Google and AI While Building the Research Muscle".) It will cover digital resources that you can access from home. Please RSVP here and feel free to reach out with any questions.
