The Herbst Foundation Library is a curriculum-based resource available to students with a holding of over 8,000 titles in both traditional and electronic formats. The library houses a constantly evolving collection of fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, reference works, newspapers, and magazines.
The space is designed to facilitate student study and academic research, and includes private work areas, a networked laser printer/copier with limited free printing and copy services, wireless connectivity for electronic readers and mobile devices, and an audiobook and DVD holdings room. The library provides a relaxed atmosphere for reading, studying, browsing the nation’s leading newspapers and magazines, and collaborating on group work.
Library Hours:
Monday - Thursday 7:45 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Friday 7:45 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Please note that the library will occasionally be closed for meetings, student activities, and other special events.
Database Resources
Every library computer has full access to Riordan’s Follett Destiny Online Catalog, which features our complete library holdings, and to several research databases.
Introducing the BAISL Shared Digital Collection, a collection of ebooks and audiobooks available for checkout. To access the shared collection, download the Sora app from the Google Play or Apple App stores, or use it in the browser at SORA. When signing into the collection, select our school from the dropdown menu and sign in with your Google account. Watch Video Tutorial
When performing a search through the Follett Destiny Online Catalog, the search results page will display all available options: paper books held on the shelves, eBooks available for download, and audiobooks and DVDs available for checkout. The Follett Destini Library Catalog is searchable on any electronic device.
The Herbst Foundation Library uses the Dewey Decimal System, a guide to call numbers to locate books by using letters and/or numbers 000 – 900. Physical books held locally will have a call number displayed on the results screen corresponding to their physical location on the shelf. By clicking the graphic for more details, demarked as , additional information is made available.
For instance, a search for “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain will result in options for the eBook, the audio book recording, or the physical book held locally with the call sign of “FIC TWA,” indicating that the book is a work of fiction located on the shelves at the location of “FIC TWA.”
EBSCO Research Databases & eBooks
A comprehensive database that gives students and teachers access to 4,000 journals, magazines, and newspapers in all subject areas including many peer-reviewed and full text articles.
Engage advanced students and adults with thousands of articles, primary sources, and online books designed to support personalized learning and enhance digital citizenship. Contains up-to-the-minute access to worldwide news publications, government links from numerous countries, and multimedia reference materials. World Book Advanced uses technology to deepen comprehension, encourage collaboration between users, and create digital natives.
Newspapers.com is the largest online newspaper archive consisting of 300+ million pages of historical newspapers from 9,000+ newspapers from around the United States and beyond. Great for primary sources.
PBS LearningMedia
Offers access to thousands of innovative, standards-aligned digital resources.
Internet Archive
Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library offering free universal access to books, movies & music, as well as 279 billion archived web pages.
San Francisco Public Library
Find an article in a magazine, newspaper, encyclopedia, or reference book through several databases at once; access to eBooks, eAudibooks and more with your SFPL card.
EasyBib
Generate citations in MLA, APA & Chicago formats for your bibliography.
Congress.gov
Congress.gov makes federal United States legislative information freely available to the public. Contains legislation from the 107th Congress (2001) to the present, member of Congress profiles from the 93rd Congress (1973) to the present, and selected member profiles from the 80th through the 92nd Congresses (1947 to 1972).
Digital Public Library of America
The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world.
Google Arts & Culture
Google Arts & Culture is an online platform through which the public can access high-resolution images of artworks housed in the initiative’s partner museums.
Library of Congress
Search a growing treasury of digitized materials in many formats and languages.
New York Public Library Digital Collections
NYPL Digital Gallery provides free and open access to over 800,000 images digitized from the The New York Public Library’s vast collections, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints, photographs and more.
Library Policies
In order to maintain a proper library atmosphere that is conducive to study and research, the following rules and policies are enforced.
Library computers are to be used for academic work only. This includes research, working on school papers and projects, and using the Riordan Google for Education platform (student-issued email only).
Playing games, using social media (ie: Instagram, Snap Chat, Twitter), instant messaging/chatting, or other personal use that is not academically focused is prohibited on all library computers or on personal electronic devices inside the library at all times.
When printing to the library laser printer, please perform a print preview to view your document and note the number of pages you are printing.
You may only print school assignments and homework, and print jobs should be no more than five pages.
The library has student wireless (WiFi) connectivity for students’ personal electronic devices, which may be used for schoolwork.
Always log out of your computer account at the end of your session.
As stated in the Student Parent Handbook, every Archbishop Riordan High School student is expected to comply with the Honor Code. The Honor Code provides an explicit standard of academic honesty and integrity for every member of the school community. Academic honesty is expected for all assignments, whether single night homework assignments, quizzes, tests, multi-day assignments, projects, or exams. Violations of the Honor Code can include but are not limited to:
Copying or downloading another student’s work.
Giving or receiving unauthorized aid. (Authorized aid can include “cheat sheets” or notes not allowed by the teacher or communicating answers to another student.)
Using an electronic device to transmit information or as an unauthorized aid. (Electronic devices can include but are not limited to computers, iPads, iPods, cell phones, graphing calculators, digital translators, or cameras.)
Plagiarizing any part of published or online materials including Internet sites. (Plagiarism is the use of material composed by others and passed as one’s own, regardless of the source of the material.)
Please see the Student-Parent handbook for a description of other violations of the Honor Code.
All SFPL locations remain closed for in-person visits due to COVID-19. During this time, SF residents may apply online and receive fast access (within 48 hours) to the library's resources. Please provide your email address to receive notification of your card information. E-cards will expire on January 31, 2021, but can be reactivated by visiting the library upon its reopening for in-person visits.