The mission of the J. Josephine Tucker Library is to prepare students to become life-long and independent learners by acquiring research skills in an atmosphere where individual needs and intellectual curiosity can be pursued.

The library staff is dedicated to developing a collection that will support the curriculum as well as reflect the diverse interests and cultures represented by the CA community at large.

Students at Concord Academy are fortunate to have many library resources available to them. The J. Josephine Tucker Library provides a quiet haven for study and research on campus. Staff assist students and faculty in finding materials and using applied technologies. As committed educators, librarians teach bibliographic instruction in classrooms as well as when working individually with patrons on the research process.

The library’s collection of 20,000 volumes supports specific courses in the academic program with basic and supplemental texts as well as key reference materials. The collection includes over 100 periodical subscriptions, numerous online databases and encyclopedias, and over 1,200 feature films. Additionally, CA students have full access to the Concord Free Public Library (CFPL), located directly across Main Street from campus.

The CFPL contains 250,000 volumes, including a number of unique historical and local author collections. Through interlibrary loan, students can request materials from libraries throughout Massachusetts. CA students may also borrow from the holdings of the Greater Boston Cooperative Library Association, a union catalog of twenty independent schools.

History

The library at Concord Academy was built in 1987 under the direction of architect James Freeman (parent of John Freeman ’74). Prior to 1987, the Alumnae/i Reading Room, now the library’s reference area, served as the resource center for the campus, while the Concord Free Public Library met the school’s research needs. In 1997, the library was dedicated in honor of J. Josephine Tucker, former headmistress at Concord Academy (1940–49). During her tenure, Miss Tucker recognized the need for a school library on campus.

The library was refreshed over the summer of 2017. Now home to the Academic Support Center and a new multipurpose space for group collaboration or classroom use, the library has separate areas for quiet study and teamwork. The group spaces are equipped with whiteboards, projectors, and flexible seating, and new glass walls allow in plenty of natural light. Substantial changes in pedagogy and philopsophy about the use of space have taken place in the 30 years since the library was first built. With this redesign, the library is now well poised to support 21st-century learning at CA.

Concord Academy Archives

The Academy Archives are housed within the library and contains the records of continuing value to Concord Academy. Record groups include minutes of the Board of Trustees, campus publications such as alumnae/i magazines and newsletters, course catalogues, handbooks, viewbooks, graduation programs; student publications such as yearbooks, The Chameleon (literary magazine) and The Centipede (student newspaper). Other documents relating to the history of the school include photographs, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, audio and video recordings, and ephemera. Memorabilia is on display in the Main School hallway and special exhibits for visiting reunion classes are prepared each June for reunion weekend.

A growing alumnae/i and faculty collection features works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, feature and documentary films, and musical recordings. Noted CA alumnae/i include Queen Noor ’69, Julia Glass ’74, Caroline Kennedy ’75, Sebastian Junger ’80, Larry Goldings ’86, and Hilary Price ’87. Each May, a special exhibit featuring CA’s own writers, musicians, journalists, and filmmakers graces the library and provides inspiration for today’s students.

Library Hours

Daytime

Monday–Friday

7:45 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Evening

Sunday

7:30–9:00 p.m.

Monday–Thursday

7:00–9:30 p.m.