John Gray Park Library

The library is the heart of intellectual life at Kent. Centrally located between dorms and academic buildings, the John Gray Park '28 Library is the place to find resources - not just books and digital research materials, but approachable, knowledgeable people who are always available to help you. We're dedicated to your success and take pride in working in a place where your love of learning is supported and encouraged.

The Writing Lab is here, as well, and the staff of the Library and Writing Lab teach the first year course in research and learning techniques called New Student Seminar, so you'll get to know us (and what you need to know to do well) right away.

At any time of day, you'll find that this is a great place to get work done – whatever your preferred study methods. You’ll have all sorts of study spaces to choose from: large tables where you can work with your peers, individual study carrels when you need to be alone, easy chairs for comfortable reading, and group study rooms when you’re working together. You’ll also have completely silent areas in addition to areas where you may work together quietly.

The Library gives you ready access to our 40,000 print volumes, 1,500 of which are reference materials. Add to that our extensive and growing collection of digital resources and you have an impressive source for all kinds of information. We’re also equipped with a full-sized classroom with dual digital projectors for multimedia instruction.

And if you're looking for something to read for pleasure, check out our popular fiction, young adult, and graphic novel collections, or browse over 50 current magazines we receive. You can check out as many books as you want, all year long.

For your research, our subscriptions to more than 40 major online databases provide students immediate access to thousands of magazines and scholarly journals, regional, national and international newspapers, reference resources, multimedia content, and primary source materials.

Our library is comparable to that of a small college, which gives you a chance to familiarize yourself with both high school and college-level resources. As a Kent graduate, that level of comfort and access gives you a head start when you reach university and are expected to navigate the vast resources available for research today.

To help guide students in the research process, many of our classroom teachers bring their students in for guided research during the academic day, and our reference librarians conduct frequent instructional sessions and are always available for individual assistance. In addition, trained student research assistants (SRAs) are here to help you during study hall, too.

Thanks for all this goes to the Friends of the Kent School Library group, as well as several endowed funds: the Sandy Campbell-Donald Windham Library Fund, the Atkin Fund, the Braxton Book Fund, the Brodie Family Book Fund, the Elser Memorial Fund and the Leeming Memorial Fund. We also host a Birthday Book Program , in which parents donate books to the library to honor special occasions in their students’ lives.

Library Hours*:
Mon.-Fri: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday: 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
* Hours are expanded during exams.