The Joseph Dana Allen Library

The Heart & Hub of Poly

Located at the center of the Dyker Heights campus, The Joseph Dana Allen Library is the heart of the school. It serves Middle School and Upper School students and is the venue for numerous engaging events such as guest speakers and student presentations. With floor to ceiling glass windows overlooking the Quad and historic reading rooms, the library is one of the most beautiful spaces on campus.

Consisting of a main floor, two classrooms, a reading room, and a reference room, students and faculty come to the library for a variety of reasons. It is the main hub that connects everyone at school. On any given day, when you walk through its doors, you will find students doing homework, reading, working in groups, studying for exams, getting research assistance, and gathering for community events like Town Halls, open-mic “Coffeehouse” and college visit events, and more.

The library boasts more than 25,000 titles, 90 databases, 1,200 electronic books, and 2,000 DVDs in our collection.

Our dedicated and friendly library staff support the curriculum by teaching students to access, evaluate, and utilize information in a variety of formats. Our goal is to provide our students with everything they need to succeed at Poly Prep in an increasingly technology-dependent world while continuing to promote the importance of reading, for personal enrichment, as well as academic success. When they graduate, students will have gained a solid foundation for the tools of academic research that will serve them well in college and life.

“So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place, you can install, a lovely bookshelf on the wall!” 
— Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The Poly Writing Studio is located within the Joseph Dana Allen Library. This unique resource, staffed by faculty and senior peer leaders, helps Upper and Middle School students with a wide variety of written projects, from crafting simple paragraphs to college essays. Students are welcome during any stage in the writing process, from brainstorming to the final draft.