I have a guilty pleasure; children’s books are an addiction. My classroom library had a value somewhere between $12,000.00 and $20,000.00.
No:
- I am not exaggerating
- that did not include many of the books I used for instruction.
- that does not include books I pulled out for themes or for holidays
- his number does not include the books my students took home to read every night.
That estimated value only includes the books my students had access to all the time.
The books were curated for beautiful art and fantastic writing and themes. They were carefully selected for the ways in which they would shape my students’ hearts and minds.
I have always been a reader, and I have always been surrounded by books and readers. As I raised my own children I fell deeply in love with the beautiful stories that are in many children’s books. Then, I watched, as the books my children read, shaped who they became.
Beautiful books nurture students’ hearts and minds. Bountiful books nurture student engagement. Student engagement nurtures strong readers.
What is a Classroom Library?
A classroom library is a vital tool in nurturing the development of engaged and fluent readers. It is a place where students enthusiastically scan baskets of books for hidden treasures, and where they celebrate having grown enough as readers to be ready to access the next, more challenging, basket of books.
A classroom library is:
- A meeting place
- A space for making friends
- A treasure trove of adventures and imagination
- A fuel source for creative writing
- A mentor for spelling
- A calming place for weary travellers
- A powerhouse for creating a well managed classroom through supporting differentiation
Why are Classroom Libraries Important?
Children who have ready access to printed materials become more literate.
There are many benefits of a classroom library:
- Higher literacy rates
- More access to books for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds
- Student access to topics that are not specifically related to curriculum
- Supporting teachers who need to provide for students at all reading levels.
A large, well-stocked classroom library with well organized, easily accessed books is an evidence-based strategy for creating engaged learners. A classroom library that fits this description supports student autonomy. There are a sufficient variety of books to meet the needs of the interests of a multitude of students.
Research shows that increased engagement is one of the factors creating improved literacy skills.
Ready access to a well-stocked classroom library communicates to your students, “This is for you. You are welcome here.”
How to Organize a Classroom Library
The basic organization of my classroom library remained the same over time, but the appearance of it gradually improved.
My priorities were:
- Obtaining lots of books – which meant all the money was spent on the books
- Sorting and levelling the books
- Fitting all of the books into shelves my 6 and 7 year old students could easily reach
- Presenting books in a way that helped my ‘not yet’ and ‘growing’ readers quickly understand what they would find inside the book
- Creating attractive containers and tags that were aesthetically pleasing and helped my students to keep the books organized (oh no, I was not going to do that job).
Levelling My Classroom Library
I primarily used the online Scholastic Book Leveller to help me to “level” unlevelled books.
My initial book bins were blue plastic (in the first photo below), and they did include colour coded tags to help students find their correct level.
However, when I switched to the wooden tags (in the photo far below) I did not find it made a big difference. Students learned where the book bins they were drawing from were located, and then they just followed the trail from one level to the next.
My students had just a few minutes each week to select the books that would sit in their personal book boxes until the following week. Every minute they spent looking for books was one less minute spent on their beloved Buddy Reading. This system supported quick access and contented readers.
Having access to see the front (rather than the spine) as they flipped through the books was an essential part of the efficiency of my classroom library.
It also meant I could have more books! 😉
How to Build a Classroom Library
The big question here is, “Where did I get $20,000.00 for my classroom library?”
The simple answer is, I didn’t.
Books were accumulated in a variety of ways. The following list is not exhaustive, but it will definitely get you started.
1. Secure funding
I got about $1,800.00 for levelled books from my principal. I know there is a whole SoR contingent that may be ready to argue with me right now, but that discussion is for a different blog post. If you disagree with levelled books, then you will use the funding for books you believe have value.
I was very grateful, but let’s be real, $1,800.00 pays for one box of books. Levelled readers are not cheap.
2. Scrounge the discarded books other teachers threw away
Don’t get too grossed out. We had a system in which anything we didn’t want was just put in the hallway. We constantly scrounged from each other.
3. Books that were donated by parents
This was not a particularly huge source of books, but it happened.
4. Scholastic books
If you place a Scholastic order you know what I am talking about. For those of you who don’t know, when you place a scholastic order you get credit towards books for your classroom. Our librarian also had a book sale before Christmas each year, and she shared some of her credits with the rest of us.
5. The biggy – the local public library
Twice a year our local library puts very good quality used books, including big beautiful large picture books, on sale. These are taken from the public collection for a variety of reasons, but some of them were in such good condition that they seemed new. My first year, for about $125.00 I got more than 10-12 boxes (you know – photocopy paper boxes) of books.
In those boxes were everything from hardcover Jan Brett, World Guinness Book of Records and Elephant and Piggy books, to paperback Geronimo Stilton and Magic Treehouse books.
6. Book drive
I never actually did this. There was no more room in my class for books. But a colleague did a book drive, and it was a great success. Parents were free to donate books that they wanted to get cleaned out of their house. Super simple. Especially right before Christmas. 😉
7. Approach your local Parent Advisory Committee
This is not a strategy I used, but it is effective. If this is an option in your school, use it!
Make Your Classroom Library Attractive
One of the huge contributors to the success of my classroom library was an old, donated leather couch. Your couch does not have to be leather. You are fortunate if it is because leather is easier to clean. Any couch will do. My students loved to read together on the couch.
The couch faced two bookcases, and it had another low book case along its back. Simple, and cozy.
How Many Books Should A Classroom Library Have?
I have read research that supports a minimum of 700 books, and research that says a minimum of 10 per student. But which in my classroom that would have meant only 220 books. The problem with these numbers is that that number of books does not offer enough variety to get students through a year.
My classroom easily had over 1,000 books (I would actually say 2,000 but 1,000 seems safer to say), but that fluctuated, of course.
However, ultimately, start with what you can obtain because quality is more important than quantity. Then grow your collection when and as you can until you are out of room in your classroom.
Maintaining Your Classroom Library
As I mentioned above, I did not spend hours maintaining my classroom library. Hours setting it up, definitely, but once it was done I spent very little time on it.
My students knew how the library was organized because they accessed it regularly. And a part of the organization was their book box. Each week they had a book box in which they select 2-6 books at their reading level, and another 1 that was higher than or below their reading level. Each week they had time to put their old books away properly, and they were to select the new books they wanted to read. I did periodic spot checks to keep things honest.
My students were not required to sign out the books because they all stayed in the classroom. I used far less expensive books to send home with them. I felt that my time and energy was more worthwhile being spent organizing engaging lessons than administering a classroom library.
Some books probably got lost over time, but it really wasn’t noticeable. And my collection was large enough to sustain the loss. Besides, I loved to go back to the library sale every year anyways.
Of course, some books did not get put back correctly. One of my classroom chores was for students to organize the books. And, at the end of the year we had a massive, every book in the collection, organizational hour. It took an hour because suddenly the students were rediscovering old favourites, or making goals to stay in my class to read intriguing new books. 😆
Create the Classroom Library You Need Today
Classroom libraries are an essential part of a strong literacy program. A robust library and a cozy corner nurtures reading engagement, and engaged readers are strong readers.
A classroom library is not just for assigned reading times. My classroom library was accessed:
- when lunch and snacks were finished
- while they waited for morning circle
- as an incredibly popular early finisher activity.
During free time I allowed students to look at any book during those times. This was a privilege because during silent reading they had to read from their book boxes. They challenged themselves to read books beyond their ability and they reread and reread beloved books below their ability. Both of these tasks contribute to strong readers.
As long as this post is it is not an exhaustive explanation. For more information, please consider reading, Journal of Language and Literacy Education, Voices from the Field.
If you haven’t started already, consider starting your classroom library now. Small but mighty is better than not at all.