The Elementary Library is located on the third floor of the West Building and caters to all students from K1 through Grade 5 learning through the Primary Years Programme (PYP). The collection contains materials to support the PYP, with many non-fiction and reference titles, and an excellent selection of picture books and chapter books from multiple perspectives to encourage literacy and inquiry learning. Teachers can access big books, posters and charts, audiovisual material and professional research books related to the PYP. Computers are available for students to search the library catalogue and access online resources.
The Elementary School Librarian plans activities with teachers and encourages good reading habits in our younger students. All Elementary students from K1 through Grade 5 visit the library once a week with their class. Students in Grade 1 to 5 are also encouraged to visit the library during the week using the library pass system to return books they’ve finished and check out new titles as many times as they need. For K1 to K3 students, the library program is designed to encourage a love of reading and includes read aloud activities and other tasks based around their current unit of inquiry. For students in Grades 1 to 5, in addition to reading activities, students also learn about how a library is organized and develop information literacy skills that enable them to access information for their research using books and online resources.
Opening hours
| Mondays | 8:00 a.m. – 2:40 p.m. |
| Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays | 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.* |
*Students who wish to visit the library after school must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Borrowing
Students are permitted to borrow up to 10 items at a time (including any printed resources and laptops). All items available for ordinary borrowing are checked out for two weeks, and students may renew an item if it has not been reserved by another student. Parents/guardians are also welcome to borrow items from the library.
We expect that all students and their families will treat our resources with the utmost care. We understand, however, that accidents do happen. If an item is damaged, please don’t try to fix it yourself. Please contact us as soon as possible to report any damages or loss. In the event that a library resource is lost or badly damaged, the borrower will be required to pay for its replacement or repair.
Click here to access the KIST Libraries online catalogue…
Special programs
In addition to regular library services, library staff also organize a number of special reading programs during the school year as outlined below.
Book club
In this program, families with children up to Grade 7 are able to purchase storybooks and other reading materials from overseas publishing companies. Book Club operates several times during the year.
Sakura Medal
The Sakura Medal program—a reading competition that runs from November to May—is designed to develop a love of reading in students attending international schools around Japan. It challenges students to read a selection of books, vote on their favorite titles and take part in annual book trivia competitions held at one of the participating international school in the Tokyo area.
Interested in donating resources to the library?
We appreciate donations of good quality, clean and undamaged items to the library; however, we ask that you please contact us prior to making a donation to discuss the nature of the donation, and if possible, to provide a list of the titles you wish to donate. This helps us identify the usefulness of the items for our collection and whether they will match the requirements of our curriculum.
