Elementary teachers always have classroom libraries with books that get kids excited about reading. Once students reach middle and high school, though, Language Arts/English teachers often rely on school libraries. Do you?
About seven years ago I made a commitment to build my own classroom library. I’d read about the benefits for years from authors such as Nancie Atwell, Donalyn Miller, Kelly Gallagher, and Penny Kittle, but it took my own research to lead me to make the time and financial commitment. My classroom now holds 1,300 books and counting!
If you’re ready to start or grow your own library, here are some logistics to consider:
Acquiring books!
If your district is willing to stock your classroom library, thank your lucky stars! For most of us, though, it becomes a cost we bear on our own, despite our less than generous salaries. We do it, though, because we know it’s what’s best for kids.
You can start by raiding your own collection of YA titles. Depending on how often you buy books, you might already have a sizeable collection to share with students.
Used bookstores are a great way to grow your library quickly. I’ve even earned credit by selling back adult novels I no longer really want and replacing them with books for students. I used to have a couple of favorite used bookstores that I checked weekly. When I told them I was a teacher, they offered me discounts. Check with your local used bookstores to see if they will give you additional discounts.
I have also acquired a large number of ARCs (advance reader copies) from publishers. If you attend educational conferences, this is a great way to gain free books. I try to attend the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conference every year, bringing back dozens of ARCs and additional new books sold for a fraction of the retail cost.
Let’s be honest – this is the expensive part. If you’re a new teacher on a tight budget, it will probably take you years to grow your library. That’s fine. If you have a little money to play with, however, you can move faster. I spend about $30 a month buying two or three new titles or up to 6 used books.
Choosing an organizational system
You’ll have to decide how you want to organize your library. I didn’t give this much thought when I started, so I chose the most straightforward – alphabetical by author’s last name. I set up my poetry, short stories, and graphic novels on separate shelves, so students know where to get these quickly.
The better you know all of your books, the easier it is to select more creative methods that can be really helpful to students. For example, you could organize your library by theme, topic or genre. That way students who are interested in mysteries, sports or stories about friendship would have a quick place to start their browsing.
Labeling your books
If you want to easily identify your books and have a better chance of getting them returned, I recommend you develop a labeling system. I write my name in colorful sharpies (OK, I color-coordinate to the cover) on the top edge of the book. When a book is left out on top of lockers or in a classroom, my name is clearly visible, and books find their way back to my room.
Since my library is organized in alphabetical order, I also add stickers on the spine to identify genre to make book selection easier for students. I have a printed color key that fits into a plastic stand on my bookcase. I use round colorful stickers (like those for marking prices at garage sales) that I purchase from Walmart or Staples. For example, in my library, yellow represents mystery, red is fantasy, and blue is realistic fiction among other genres. I place packing tape over the stickers to affix them in place. When I have hardback books, I place stickers on the book jacket and the hard book cover underneath since many students prefer to remove the jackets when they carry the books around. These stickers also make my books easily identifiable at a distance. The goal is always to get your books returned.
Selecting a checkout system
I have tried various checkout systems through the years. When I first started teaching, I had notecards for each student in which they recorded their titles and crossed them off when returned. Then I developed a binder organized by class period with a sheet for each student. Both systems worked well, but it was difficult to hunt for books easily.
After investigating a lot of different online systems and weighing the features of each, I finally selected Book Retriever. It can be run from a computer (Mac or Windows), tablet or smartphone.
Books can be scanned into your library (and checked out by students) through a scanner app or you can buy a scanner to attach to your computer. Students simply scan the ISBN on the back of the books. If a book is an ARC (without a code) or if it won’t scan, students simply type in a title. If you have a lot of books to put in your library, the separate scanner is definitely worth the investment. Since students are not allowed to have phones in class at my school, I have a Chromebook set up as a checkout station, and I bought a scanner for only $19 on Amazon.com. My 7th and 8th graders love to check books in and out because they get to use the scanner like the one in the school library.
The system keeps track of books in the library, books checked out, and books overdue (you can set time limit on this). You simply add your students in at the start of the year, and they’re ready to go. Students can track their borrowing history at any time or search for a book to see if it’s available or which classmate currently has it checked out. They can also find a basic description of their book as well as other information, such as Lexile level or AR points for many titles.
Everything is stored in the cloud, so you can access it anywhere at any time. The cost for Book Retriever is $36 a year, although they frequently offer discounts for first-time users for the first year. Customer support has also been great. The few times I encountered a problem, I received an email response and a solution within hours. I have thousands of dollars invested in my classroom library, so the cost for this system is worth every penny!
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