The texts in our library don't circulate, but are for use within our facility. These resources provide additional ways for students to get information that they need. They are a source of ideas and helpt to enhance creativity.

Staff also find the library a terrific way to stay current, to gain inspiration, and to provide a perspective of floral art trends over time.

Our library is very much a research collection in our very specialized field.

Graduates of our school who are within traveling distance of the school are allowed free access to our libary resources even when the course is over! This has worked out well for many of our students when confronting interesting design issues or problems. A simple example: One of our graduates needed to track the history of wreaths for a public exhibition that she was doing. Our library provided her with the information she needed.

We are fortunate in being able to consult with a trained floral designer who also has a Master's in Library Science. (not illustrated here!) Her unique combination of skills has provided additional professional guidance in terms of developing our collection, organizing our resources and cataloging.

A unique multiyear project has culminated in an electronic database catalog. We hope in future years to make this resource available via multiple terminals throughout our facility.

We are constantly adding titles to our library. As our close friends and student body are multinational, we are fortunate in that we have access to floral art books from all over the globe. We invest heavily each year buying additional books.

We feel that it is important for a floral design school to have a world class library in floral art. There is research evidence that suggests that libraries strengthen school programs. Besides the obvious benefits to an educational program, and to backup services for our graduates a quality library indicates a willingness of a school to re-invest in resources that are of benefit to its students.

Rittners Floral School is a fun place! We want our students to enjoy our resources!

You know, that's the kind of a school I would want my family, friends or myself to attend!

Rittners Floral School Library Readers' Advisories....

Bibliographies--Children And Nature, Gardening, and Crafts