Library & Research

The BENEFITS of taking time to read ARE EXTENSIVE! 

Students at Dunstan are encouraged to step away from devices and schoolwork to read for enjoyment. Students will visit the school library very 4-6 weeks to participate in lessons connected to:  proper digital citizenship,  the use of a variety of digital tools, and understanding a variety of elements related to the reading of various forms of text.

Students are welcome to read whatever interests them when reading independently, they just need to be sure the material aligns with their families expectations and values.  

Titles available within Dunstan’s School library have been reviewed to make sure they have at least 2 positive reviews and are appropriate for middle school students but some text may stretch the boundaries of what your family is comfortable with.  If a title within the collection does not align with what you feel is appropriate for your family, please have your student return the item and choose something different.

Checkout Policies

• Fiction Titles (those identified as FIC) have a 28 day loan period upon initial checkout with one renewal extending the due date for an additional of 14 days.
• Nonfiction Titles, Graphic Novels, and Story Collection (those identified by numbers, GN, and SC) have a 14 day loan period upon initial checkout with one renewal extending the due date for an additional of 14 days.
• Reference Titles (those identified as R) are overnight checkout only and must be returned the following day.

Printing Instructions For Students

Like any other district material loaned to students, loss of damage of a library item must be reported to Ms. Dolan as soon as it happens and paid for. Students will need to speak directly with Ms. Dolan in the library to determine replacement cost and to pay for the item (exact cash amount or check payable to Dunstan Middle School). If the item is paid for and found within the same school year, the amount paid will be refunded to the student. After that, no refund will be issued if the item is located.

In an effort to make sure we are putting books on the library shelves that are high-interest, modern, and have multiple positive reviews for a middle school audience, please use Dunstan’s Library Amazon Wish List when considering a donation to Dunstan’s library. If the book is on the list and you have a gently used copy, we will gladly take it. If you have books at home that are not on the list, please consider donating them to another worthy cause. Thank you.

Dunstan’s Library Amazon Wish List

Ms. Dolan is always looking to get student voice in the purchase of library books for our school library. If you’ve read an amazing book and are interested in recommending it, please go through the following steps:

First, check Dunstan’s Library System to make sure the book isn’t already in our library collection. (Remember-Spelling matters so make sure you spell things correctly.)

Second, the book being recommended has to have at least 2 positive reviews from the resources listed below AND they have to be listed as appropriate for grades 5th-8th/ages 9-13.

• Kirkus Reviews
• School Library Journal (SLJ)
• Booklist
• The Horn Book Inc

*YA books that are listed for a more mature audience (ages 14+/grades 8+) are generally not allowed on middle school library shelves.

Third, if the title is not currently in Dunstan’s library collection, has at least 2 positive reviews from those resources listed above AND are listed as appropriate for the grades/ages listed:

• Send an email to Ms. Dolan with the subject heading Book Recommendation that contains the following information:
  1. Title of the book
  2. Author of the book
  3. The name of the 2 review resources you used (Kirkus, SLJ, Booklist, Horn Book) that had positive and age appropriate reviews of the title.
  4. Copy and paste the 2 positive reviews into the body of the email.

• Dunstan promotes a learning environment that values academic honesty.
• A lack of understanding by the student is not a reason to lose one's academic integrity. Students must seek the assistance of their teachers if they struggle understanding a skill or concept enough to paraphrase and make connections of their own.
• Students should avoid the act or appearance of academic dishonesty, which might take the form of plagiarism, cheating, forgery.
• Google Classroom automatically runs an Originality Report whenever a written assignment is submitted to determine potential plagiarism.
• When a student questions whether work might be identified as academic dishonesty, they should check with their teacher for clarification and guidance.
• Academic dishonesty may lead to a referral and classroom or office consequences.
• When in doubt, check with your teacher before engaging in questionable behavior.

“A reliable or credible source is a source that can be backed up with evidence, is free of a person's biases, and comes from a trustworthy author or organization. They are used in research to help back a person's information that they are giving.” Study.com

When doing research for academic purposes, it’s essential to make sure the information you’re finding is reliable/credible. Doing straight Google searches to find the information that you need is not the best way to go because anyone can create a website (whether they know anything about a topic or not) and the site isn't checked for accuracy and/or bias.

Ms. Dolan and school staff members want you to use the resources and databases available through the Jeffco Public Library (JCPL) system because these resources ARE published by credible sources AND checked for accuracy and/or bias. Save yourself huge time and effort by using these resources because you won’t have to check to make sure the same information is found across multiple resources. You can find the information you need and just cite the source. That’s it.

Students who use the resources available to them through the JCPL system DO have to have a JCPL account. Visit any JCPL branch (WITH A PARENT/GUARDIAN) to complete an application and get a JCPL Card.

Jeffco Public Schools Values Belonging: In Jeffco, we cultivate environments where all students, staff, families, and members of our community are safe, accepted, respected, included, encouraged by others, and feel that their voices and perspectives are valued.

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