Library
"Books train your mind to imagine to think big."
—Taylor Swift
The Coal City Elementary School Library is an exciting place to visit. The library currently offers students access to approximately 9,500 books, supporting a wide range of reading levels and interests.
Library Instruction & Student Access
Students visit the library one to two times per week for 30-minute sessions. During each visit, students participate in a read-aloud, engage in discussions about the featured book and ongoing library activities, and select two "good fit" books to check out.
In addition, some classes schedule extra visits with their teachers so students may choose two to three additional books for classroom reading.
Collection Updates & Improvements
A key focus this year is updating and modernizing the library collection to ensure materials remain current and relevant. Outdated and worn titles are being removed and replaced with new publications, updated editions, and additions to popular series.
Thanks to fundraising efforts and district budget support, more than 360 new books have been added to the collection.
Current Programs & Learning Experiences
Dinovember Celebration
Throughout November, the library celebrates Dinovember with dinosaur-themed lessons, activities, read-alouds, and displays.
Pumpkin Jack Science Project
Students are also engage in the annual Pumpkin Jack project, in which they explore the pumpkin life cycle and observe decomposition firsthand through a long-term classroom experiment. This year—2025—marks the third year of the project, which continues to use pumpkins from the same seed line.
Chicago Wolves Reading Challenge
The library partners with the Chicago Wolves for a voluntary reading challenge. Students who read for 40 minutes receive a free ticket to a Chicago Wolves game and are entered into a raffle for team merchandise donated to the school. The challenge continues through the end of November.
STEAM Scholastic Book Fair
The district’s second Scholastic Book Fair for the year will be held February 2-6.. This event will pilot a new STEAM themed format, highlighting books and materials related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. Students will attend the fair during their regularly scheduled library times.