In Class

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Frank L. and Helen Childs Boyden Library

The Boyden Library

Using the library website, students may access the library's catalog, area college catalogs, Massachusetts library catalogs and the Library of Congress catalog, plus many research databases. Interlibrary loans with nearby public and college libraries augment the library's resources. The library also houses the Academy Archives, a rare book collection and the Deerfield Authors and Publications Collection.

The library is named in honor of Frank L. Boyden, headmaster of Deerfield Academy from 1902-1968, and his wife Helen Childs Boyden, a chemistry and math teacher.  The library opened in 1968, the year that Mr. Boyden retired.

The Boyden Library supports the intellectual growth, personal exploration and creative opportunities offered Deerfield Academy students by providing comfortable spaces for individual or group study and a collection of over 85,000 books, research databases, periodicals, audio books, videotapes, DVDs, CDs, maps, and pamphlets that meets the diverse curriculum and leisure needs of students and faculty.

Staff is available to assist students with their research and to provide instruction on the use of library materials and electronic resources.  Library programs encourage each student to develop an inquisitive and creative mind through habits of independent inquiry.

Electronic resources include InfoTrac, Lexis-Nexis, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, the Encyclopedia Britannica, the Oxford English Dictionary, and many subject specialty databases. Staff are available during all open hours to assist students with their research and to provide instruction on the use of library materials and electronic resources. Most materials circulate for four weeks; videos and DVDs circulate for one week; reserve materials circulate for 3 days, overnight, or are restricted to in-library use. Renewal policies and fines vary. Reference books, current periodicals and items in special collections do not circulate.

The library is committed to facilitating student access to information by increasing their understanding of information resources and research strategies.  Librarians provide reference service, working extensively with individual students, and formal library instruction in cooperation with academic departments.

The goal of the library instruction program is to provide students with library research skills necessary to attain their academic goals at Deerfield, prepare them for using college and university libraries after they leave Deerfield, and promote their lifelong learning in a society where information is organized in increasingly complex ways.