Quick Facts

8:15 am - 5:50 pm Monday - Thursday
8:15 am - 3:30 pm Friday
 

The Katz Library Mission Statement

It is the mission of the Katz Library to support the academic and extracurricular programs by providing a wide range of both print and digital resources. With varying emphasis relevant to students’ ages, the goals of the library are:

1. To develop a life-long love of reading and foster a heightened imagination

2. To promote good citizenship and a pronounced sense of civility

3. To inculcate a spirit of independent learning and a self-confidence that will serve students beyond their years at Horace Mann

Circulation

Books circulate for a period of three weeks and audiobooks circulate for a period of two weeks; these materials can be renewed as needed. Books on reserve, textbooks, reference books, and equipment such as laptop chargers, phone chargers, headphones, and calculators are for same-day use only. Laptops can be borrowed for same-day, in-library use only. Please return all materials on time so that they may be used by others who need them.

Charges for Lost Materials

Charges for lost materials are calculated on the basis of replacement costs for those materials. NOTE: library materials must be returned or paid for before seniors can receive their cap and gown for graduation.

Computer Use

Students may use the library's desktops and laptops for school-related work only. The table with the desktops is reserved for students who need to use those computers. Students are not allowed to play video games anywhere in the library, on any device.

Behavior

We ask students to respect the community’s need for a quiet and clean atmosphere where all can read and study in comfort. Students may eat small snacks and drink in the library, but they must clean up after themselves so that all spaces are ready for everyone to use. Cellphone use for phone calls is not allowed in the library. Headphones must be worn or the volume turned off on devices while utilizing social media, watching videos, or listening to music. The library offers different areas that allow for various study styles. The main area of the 2nd floor of the library is for silent, independent study. Students on the 1st floor of the library may work together, but loud talking should be kept to a minimum. Group study rooms, located on both floors of the library, provide students with a place where they can study together. Although students may talk here, excessive loudness is not allowed.

Katz Library Collection Development Policy

The library welcomes donations but reserves the right to accept gifts for the collection or to donate them to the Parent Association-sponsored Book Fair.

Horace Mann Alumni/ae Collections

The Horace Mann School has many distinguished alumni/ae who have published professional writing. The school attempts to obtain at least one or more copies of books by our graduates. Where appropriate, circulation copies are integrated into the main collection and are designated with ALUM in the call numbers. Recently archived copies are displayed in a case in the Katz Library. Older titles are displayed in Olshan Lobby.

Henry Geldzahler Collection

Henry Geldzahler (HM '53) willed his collection of books to the Katz Library. Mr. Geldzahler was the first curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of Twentieth Century Art. His generous donation has strengthened our modern art book collection.