Media Centers

Library Design

A vibrant, modern library media center supports all content areas, provides access to technology, and offers materials to help students explore and pursue postsecondary opportunities. With the support of the Astor Fund for Public School Libraries, school libraries are becoming vibrant centers of learning for all New Visions schools, helping schools prepare students for college and careers.

Promoting Literacy

For over a decade, Publishers Weekly and Scholastic Books have donated thousands of review copies of young adult books to the Astor Center at New Visions for distribution to schools and classrooms. Since 2006, the Astor Center at New Visions has distributed nearly 15,000 high-quality books to schools to support students at all reading levels. Teachers and librarians alike have commented on the impact of these resources:

"I cannot thank you enough for what you've done. The books you sent are titles that interest my students and that are well written. Not only have you made this part of my job more fun, but you've provided a window of opportunity for some students who rarely or never read. Now that we are building a classroom library, new things are possible for the students."

Campus Librarian Network

Established in 1997 by a generous grant from the Astor Fund for Public School Libraries, the Astor Center at New Visions is dedicated to improving New York City's school libraries and supporting professional growth among the city's school librarians.

The Campus Librarian Network (CLN) is facilitated by the Astor Center at New Visions, jointly with the NYC Public Schools Office of Library Services. It provides librarians monthly opportunities for professional learning and collaboration. Through this work, librarians develop strategies for fully integrating the library into the fabric of the school community and improving library systems and resources. In addition, librarians further their own understanding of students' media and information literacy skills to inform the larger teaching community with their schools.

Beyond the Campus Librarian Network, the Astor Center for Public School Libraries also supports New Visions' work in improving library facilities and hosts the Teacher 2 Librarian program, a certification program for teachers looking to expand into librarianship work.