About C.V. Starr Library

The C. V. Starr Library supports the school’s mission of “nurturing the whole person: body, mind, and spirit,” through the activity of reading aloud and the subsequent learning that comes from sharing books. Reading provides “mirrors and windows” by which and through which we develop an understanding of ourselves and our world. A heighten sense of empathy develops from the exposure of books that reflect a reader’s culture and identity, as well as having access to books that allows students to peek into the lives of those that are different from them. During library, students are reminded that they are in charge of their learning. Beginning in JK, students are encouraged to explore the library’s collection to find books that satisfy their curiosity, nurture their personal or academic interests, or to read and experience the ultimate escapism. The library is invested in helping parents raise readers, because “the child who reads becomes an adult who thinks,” and he or she will be more prepared to “understand and contribute to a diverse, changing world.” 

General Information

Borrowing Books

Ms Perna's Recommended Reading Lists

Library News

The Making of a Life-Long Reader
The Making of a Life-Long Reader

There are many different people who help students become lifelong readers. A child’s parents, teachers, and peers all contribute to that child’s life of reading through bedtime stories, the first book read independently, conversations about favorite books, and other milestones on the journey to shaping a life-long love of literature. But one very important step in the life of a young reader happens right here in the C. V. Starr Library at St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s.

C. V. Starr Library: Latest Book Acquisitions
C. V. Starr Library: Latest Book Acquisitions

These titles have recently been acquired by the Library and are now available for holds and in-person checkout. Popular titles are available in multiple formats (audiobook, eBook and print). Digital titles are accessible online via Sora. 

C. V. Starr Library: Latest Book Acquisitions Fall 2021
C. V. Starr Library: Latest Book Acquisitions Fall 2021

These titles have recently been acquired by the Library and are now available for holds and in-person checkout. Popular titles are available in multiple formats (audiobook, eBook and print). Digital titles are accessible online via Sora. 

Librarian Angela Perna Joins New York Times Discussion on “How to Raise a Reader”
Librarian Angela Perna Joins New York Times Discussion on “How to Raise a Reader”

In a school full of book lovers, Angela Perna is the “head reader.” As the school librarian, she presides over the C.V. Starr Library and Learning Center and its collection of nearly 24,000 volumes, a host of online resources, and lists of book recommendations for every occasion: summer reading, holidays/cultural celebrations, grief and hardship, and more.

Alumna Author Offers Lesson in “Living History”
Alumna Author Offers Lesson in “Living History”

An accomplished alumna returned to St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s to share the fruits of her scholarship with students, faculty, parents, and alumni. Anne C. Bailey ‘82, a professor of history and African American studies at SUNY Binghamton, offered excerpts from The Weeping Time, which chronicles one of the largest slave auctions in American history.