Frank L. and Helen Childs Boyden Library

The library is named in honor of Frank L. Boyden, headmaster of Deerfield Academy from 1902-1968, and his wife Helen Childs Boyden, a chemistry and math teacher.  The library opened in 1968, the year that Mr. Boyden retired.

The Boyden Library supports the intellectual growth, personal exploration, and creative opportunities offered Deerfield Academy students by providing comfortable spaces for individual or group study, and a collection of over 85,000 books, eBooks, research databases, periodicals, audio books, DVDs, and CDs that meets the diverse curriculum and leisure needs of students and faculty.

Electronic resources include Academic Search Premier, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, JSTOR, ARTstor, the Oxford English Dictionary, and many subject specialty databases. Staff are available during all open hours to assist students with their research and to provide instruction on the use of library materials and electronic resources. The library is committed to facilitating student access to information by increasing their understanding of information resources and research strategies. Librarians provide reference service, working extensively with individual students, and formal library instruction in cooperation with academic departments. Library programs encourage each student to develop an inquisitive and creative mind through habits of independent inquiry.

The goal of the library instruction program is to provide students with library research skills necessary to attain their academic goals at Deerfield, prepare them for using college and university libraries after they leave Deerfield, and promote lifelong learning in a society where information is organized in increasingly complex ways.