If you're like me, then you cherish your classroom library and all of the magic that it can provide to a room. It's also incredible decor with all of the bright colors and intricate designs.
I am incredibly proud of the library that I have been able to build over in just 5 years. With almost 400 books already, I can't imagine what it will look like in 35! Hopefully, it will be a library that Belle would be envious of! I'm surely envious of that massive library in the Beast's castle.
If you are still on level 1 Belle status, then here are some tips and tricks I've picked up along the way for how to build and maintain a classroom library that students will want to explore and Belle would be proud of!
Building
1. Friends and Family donations -- Hit up everyone you know and ask if they have grade-level appropriate books that they are willing to part with. When I say grade-level appropriate, I mean a WIDE range. I teach high school so I have anywhere from 4th grade to college level reading. I don't level my books because who has time for that, and I also think kids should be able to read whatever they want when they get to pick their own independent book (whole-class novels are different)
2. Goodwill/Dollar Tree -- anywhere you can get a book for a $1 is a good place! Dollar Tree has shockingly new books for this low price, and Goodwill is, of course, a haven for well-loved books. I've probably bought 70% of my books from places like this.
3. Donor's Choose -- Not everyone is allowed to use this in their district, but if you are, I highly recommend testing it out. I got around 30 books from a funded project. Mainly friends and family donated, but then I also had one donor who randomly knew of my teeny tiny school and wanted to help out. These books were super new and high-interest, so they are some of my most checked out books. Click here to visit their website.
4. First Book Marketplace -- This is an absolute GEM of a website. If you teach at a school that receives Title I funds, then you can sign up and shop their store. They have hundreds of new books (like brand new, just released!) for a discount. Most are less than $5! They also have what they call a "book bank" where they sell bulk sets of a books for a HUGE discount. I'm planning on using this next year to buy my students books before they leave on winter break or potentially on their birthdays. Click here to visit their website.
5. Organizing -- I used to organized by a slight leveled system based on my own opinion of the books, but that made it more difficult for students to find a genre they would like. So, I switched to organizing by genre, and I have had so much more success! Click here to download library labels!
Maintaining
1. Check out systems -- I use an old school library card check out system to keep track of who has my books. This can be a harder method since you have to buy the cards and pockets, then find a place to keep them, but I have loved this method for the past 5 years! I also got a cute little stamp from Etsy, so that if someone finds the book they know who to return it to. These are the cards and pockets that I buy from Amazon. Other systems include digital check outs and then the classic list. Digital check outs are very useful and easy to use, but they are harder to set up in most cases. I've seen some people use apps and others use Google Forms. I love technology, don't get me wrong, but I'm bad about keeping up with digital systems like that. Here's a really great article about the different apps and tools you can use. I'll discuss Libib in a little bit! Why is this important? Part of maintaining a library is making sure you get your books back, so when you know who has them, you can hunt them down.
2. Get your books back -- My main advice for getting my books back is to start asking for them around March. If they are still reading them, then I don't take them, of course, but if they have had a book in their locker or backpack for awhile and they aren't reading it, I ask for them back. Some people believe the idea that "if they take it, that means they really needed it or loved it" While this could be true, usually they just forgot they still had it! If I want to maintain a classroom library that is robust for years to come, then part of that is getting my books back before summer. I've only had a handful of books not come back, and those people either replaced the book or payed me my fee of $5 for a missing book. I know not all schools would allow you to charge for non-school bought materials, but my students understand the consequence of losing or completely destroying a book. Another way I manage this is by passing out these reminders to students, so they can go home to look for the missing book.
3. Keep track of the books you already own -- I realized after buying too many of the same Nicholas Sparks books that I needed something to keep track of what I already own, so that when I'm at Goodwill, I don't buy a duplicate (unless, I think I need one). I use the app Libib to do this! It's perfect for what I need. All you have to do is scan the barcode on the back and it will input the book into your library. If it doesn't come up, you can also manually enter books. This has saved me so many times from buying too many duplicates of novels. It also helps if you want to complete a series, but you can't remember which ones you have.
4. Purging Un-Loved Books --
This is one of the hardest things to do as a book lover. You know that there is a book for everyone, and you might just have to wait 10 years for a student to pick up that one book, but ultimately it's taking up precious real estate in your classroom. Ashley Bible @buildingbooklove has an excellent model of the 5-Star Library. She only keeps books that up the overall rating of her shelves. Now, once you've done a purge, what do you do with them? First thing, you can donate them to Goodwill or another place. That's easy enough! Another thing you can do is save them for blackout poetry! tear out the pages and put them in a box for the future. I have done both of those things, but my favorite thing to do is sell them for 25 cents to my students. In the picture, you can see my two bins of books. Like I said earlier, most of the books I buy are $1, so this way, I can earn a couple dollars to get some new and exciting books. I also sometimes just give away my books to them, especially if they had already bought a few books.
5. Book TLC -- Students are reckless and harsh on books. It's in their backpacks, being transported from room to room and with each time they take it out of their bags, it gets a little more worn. First tip: take away the dust jackets when they check out a hardback. The dust jacket is the thing that gets ruined most easily. Second tip: if a spine is tearing, put some packing tape over it to secure it for much longer.
I hope this was helpful to you! If you have more tips on how to build or maintain a classroom library, please leave them in the comments for others to read!
--Amanda