Classroom Library

Building & Maintaining your own Classroom Library

First starting out teaching, it can be hard to acquire a whole collection of books to create a class library. Don't worry! Definitely don't go out and spend your life savings on all new books. There are easier and cost efficient ways to acquire a classroom library in a short amount of time. Some tips I would suggest for starting your collection is to check out yard sales where you can get books for a quarter or less. Also, post on social media that you are in need of a wide range of children's books and see if any of your family and friends are willing to donate or sell their old books to you for a decent price. Keep collecting books and your library will grow more and more each year. Even reach out to parents and see if they are able to donate any books to their child's classroom. Parents love to help out!

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Okay, so now you have a bunch of books and don't know where to put them all. It is time to create a class library. I suggest buying low cost bins or baskets to separate books by genre or however you would like to organize them. Some teachers like to do it by author's last name. I would suggest using visuals to make your signs for each bin look more appealing and to help young readers find books they are interested in.

Now, if you don't establish rules on day 1 with your classroom library, chances are it will turn into a big mess. Kids will not care for the books and some can get ripped or ruined. Kids will also not put the books back into the proper bin. It is essential that you teach students how to properly handle the books on the first day of school. If students can't respect your books, then they should not be allowed to borrow them! I also like to allow students to "check out" books from my library if they truly love it and don't want to put it down. Type up some cute library cards or check out slips. Make it fun! Making reading fun will encourage students to love reading.