Special Collections

"Culture Kits" and the Global Education Collection
Thanks to a grant from the PTG, we now have a new collection of materials that will help Grade K-5 students understand the larger world that they belong to, our global community. In addition to DVDs and books, we have assembled "culture kits" with items and artifacts from different countries. Current kits include Ghana, Turkey, Japan and Costa Rica. Families who travel overseas are invited to contribute small items for our shoebox-size culture kits.

The Parent Collection
We have developed a collection of books to help you and you child deal with some challenging family issues. Books on adoption, illness, death, social skills, child development, the facts of life and more are available for parent check out. Other topics include coaching sports and recommended reading for children of all ages. Please ask at the Circulation desk.

The Teacher Collection
The library has a selection of teacher resource materials on a range of educational theories, classroom management strategies and new technologies.

The Vacation and Travel section
When families travel, they often purchase books on the places they visit and donate them to the library. The books are kept near the computer corner and are available for check out.

The Japan Collection
Concord has an international relationship with the town of Nanae, Japan, on the northern island of Hokkaido. The Thoreau School is paired with the Onuma Elementary School in Nanae. Mrs. Pettyjohn was one of the lucky teachers who visited our sister town and school in 2008. The Thoreau Library has an extensive collection of folktales and fiction and nonfiction books about life in contemporary Japan. We also have a collection of Japanese items brought back from the trip housed in a glass-front cupboard in the library's computer corner.