Ohrstrom Library

Introduction

Located on the shore of Lower School Pond, Ohrstrom Library, designed by Robert A.M. Stern, opened in January 1991 and provides the community with a dynamic and hospitable environment for study, research, and reflection. At 32,000 square feet, the spacious Library can comfortably seat more than 250 students at a time.

Ohrstrom Library and its staff actively support the academic interests of the SPS community by providing print and non-print materials, research support, and access to a wide array of online resources.

Click HERE to view Ohrstrom Library: A Slideshow.

Library Hours

The general hours for the Library are as follows (for daily variations see the calendar of library hours HERE):

• Monday – Friday: 7:45 am – 9:55 pm
• Saturday: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Sunday: 10:00 am – 9:55 pm

Services and Collections

• A comprehensive website http://library.sps.edu providing access to the online Catalog, the Ohrstrom Blog, subscription databases and a wide range of other library offerings and programs.
• A user services desk, conveniently located near the front entrance, for borrowing materials, obtaining research assistance, accessing course reserves and placing interlibrary loan requests.
• A collection of approximately 75,000 print volumes in open stacks as well as DVDs, CDs, Videotapes and SPS access to over 200,000 eBooks with remote access from both dorm and home. Approximately 22,000 physical items circulate each year.
• A fast-expanding eReference collection, accessible from Ohrstrom’s homepage, facilitating access to a wide range of high-quality reference works produced by more than 50 publishers that include handbooks, manuals, guides and thousands of other reference works. Remote access from both dorm and home.
• More than 85 periodical subscriptions, as well as access to thousands of digitized periodicals via full-text databases, including JSTOR, ProQuest Periodicals, EBSCOhost, Newspapers: 1851 -2004, London Times: 1785 -2007 and Newspapers: 1690 -2000. Remote access from both dorm and home.
• Equipment for in-library use including laptops, headphones, graphing calculators, CD players, and eBook readers.
• Online Reference databases including: NBC Learn, Britannica Online, Oxford Art Online, Oxford Music Online, ARTstor, Oxford Islamic Studies, CQ Researcher, Biography Resource, and Oxford English Dictionary. Specialized databases providing access to works of art, newsreels, and citation management software. Remote access from both dorm and home.
• The St. Paul School Archives containing school publications and records such as SPS yearbooks; thousands of photographs; the papers and correspondence of many former SPS Faculty and Rectors; old record books, letters, diaries and journals; school histories; and the non-current files and records of various administrative offices which have permanent historical value.
• Ohrstrom Library Digital Archives featuring online access to digitized photographs from the archives collection. Remote access from both dorm and home.
• Individual study carrels, a computer equipped classroom, and quiet evening study hall.
• Interlibrary Loan (ILL) for borrowing books and other materials not available at Ohrstrom Library from other libraries and organizations around the country.
• Librarians available for classroom research instruction and individualized assistance to students with research papers, special projects, and classroom assignments.