The classroom library is a treasure trove of learning. Giving students access to books promotes reading and literacy, which affect every sphere of education. In this article, I’ll explain everything you need to know about classroom libraries and provide you with FREE resources for getting started.
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Creating a classroom library is a simple strategy for supporting student literacy, and literacy supports achievement in all content areas. For this reason, every teacher should consider adding books to their learning spaces.
Classroom libraries can be as big or small as your space allows. What’s important is that books are available and students have opportunities to browse, read, and even check them out.
In this guide, we’ve answered the most frequent classroom library questions including where to find books, how to set up a bookshelf, and how to implement a digital checkout system. Let’s take a look!
Quick start guide
If you’re in a hurry, this 3-step plan will help you get your classroom library up and running in no time:
- Gather books for you library.
- Display the books in your classroom.
- Have students check out books by signing a library checkout form.
Start by gathering books from your personal collection, asking friends and family for donations, and seeing if staff members (teachers, librarians, etc.) have any to spare. Display them on a shelf, ledge, or rack in your classroom and have students check them out by signing a library checkout form.
Click here to download our FREE library checkout form.
How to build a classroom library
Setting up a classroom library involves:
- Sourcing books.
- Selecting a library location and furniture.
- Setting up a checkout system.
- Organizing the library.
- Facilitating checkouts and returns.
- Hiring a student librarian (optional).
In the following sections, we’ll discuss each of these. Keep reading to learn more!
1. Sourcing library books
Books are the foundation of every classroom library. Here are a few suggestions for finding books for free or cheap:
- Ask family and friends – The people closest to you may have books they’re willing to donate, especially for a worthy cause. See if friends or family any you can take off their hands. Some might even pay you to get rid of them!
- Ask staff members – See if anyone at school has books lying around. It’s likely someone has a few stashed away from previous years they would be more than happy to give you. Check with your school librarian; there may be extras for you to choose from in storage.
- Frequent thrift stores – Secondhand shops are the perfect place to find great deals on books. Places like Goodwill and Ollies are personal favorites, and our entire classroom library was built almost exclusively from them. Watch our video to see for yourself!
- Visit garage sales – People are always looking to get rid or books at garage sales. Check your local listings and and get their early. You might even try calling sellers ahead of time to see if seller have anything they’re willing to let go of early.
2. Selecting the location/furniture
Finding a spot for your library setup is as equally important as finding books for it. Key questions to consider are:
- Is there a spare cabinet or closet I can use to hold my books?
- Do I need library furniture (bookcases, shelves, etc.)?
- If so, where will I place the furniture?
- Do I want new or used furniture?
- Will I need tools for assembly?
- Will my library be easy to move?
- Am I comfortable with students being near the library?
- Do I trust them not to steal or tamper with books?
Answering these question help you determine the best location for your classroom library.
In our case, we had a low budget and needed a library that could be easily moved when necessary. For this reason, we decided to use crates as library containers, as they were available for free at our school and could be carried easily. Although it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing setup, it serves our purposes well.
Get creative and find what works for you!
3. Setting up a classroom library checkout system
In order to keep track of books, you need a classroom library checkout system. The two best options are:
Pen and paper method
In our quick start guide, we suggested using a manual system such as our FREE form library checkout form to keep track of student checkouts. This form has a table for documenting students’ names, book names, checkout dates, and check-in dates by hand. This method words well for small classes, small libraries, and younger students. However, it is extremely tedious when serving a large student body, and it’s for this reason we use a digital classroom library checkout system.
Digital checkout system
Booksource Classroom is a free platform made specifically for teachers, and it has all the features you need to implement a sophisticated, digital checkout system for your classroom library. Once you create an account and log in, you can begin scanning books into your inventory, setting up students accounts, and keeping track of checkouts in no time.
Books can be scanned into your library by scanning the barcode with your computer’s webcam or phone camera (with the mobile app). You can also enter the books ISBN number found near the barcode or by searching for the code on ISBN search.
Booksource Classroom also gives you library stats and offers suggestions for improving your library. For example, if your library could use more informational texts or books by African American authors, the platform will tell you.
Invariably, Booksource Classroom is the best classroom library checkout system.
4. Organizing your library
Classroom library organization involves selecting a labeling system, labeling your books, and putting them on display. Here is a breakdown of each step with helpful suggestions:
Classification systems
The most common systems for labeling books are:
- Library of Congress Classification System
- Dewey Decimal Classification System
- Alphabetical (by book title)
- Alphabetical (by author last name)
- Topical
The Library of Congress and Dewey Decimal Classification systems can be complex and time-consuming for beginners. For this reason, we recommend alphabetical and topical systems, as they are both simple and effective.
For fiction, we suggest alphabetical (by author last name). Some books can be challenging to label based on their title, such as those that begin with “The” or those best known by their subheadings. Labeling by last name is simple and straightforward.
For informational texts, we recommend labeling books by topic. Select genres/categories for each topic and assign letters to them (G for gaming, H for history, etc.). This keeps genres together and makes it easy for students to find books on the topics they’re interested in.
Labeling books
Labeling books is the final step before placing books on shelves. At this point, you should have a classification system selected. If you opted for a classroom library checkout system, you should also have a digital inventory set up.
The two most common types of classroom library labels are:
- Owner labels
- Classification labels
An owner label indicates book ownership and other useful details, such as where to return the book. For example, an owner label might read: From Mr. Harris’ classroom. Please return to room 212. This serves as a reminder to students and tells others where to return the book if it ends up “lost.”
Classification labels are placed near the bottom of a books spine and provide author names, call numbers, or letters which denote their location in the library. You can print labels or purchase color-coded, alphabetical letters such as the Geelin Alphabet Book Spine Stickers.
Putting books on display
Placing books on shelves is the final step of the classroom library setup process. Other than making sure you have enough room to hold your collection, there really isn’t much to it. Organize titles based on the classification system you selected and watch your library finally come together!
5. Facilitating checkouts and returns
With your classroom library in place, it’s time to begin checking books in and out. The process you use for this is highly dependent on circumstance, but here are some questions you should consider:
- How much class times can I spend on checkouts and returns?
- Will students be allowed to checkout books every day?
- Will students be able to checkout and return books on their own?
- Where will students return their books?
These are questions only you can answer, and it will probably take some trial and error to find a system you’re satisfied with. The system we use in our 7th grade classroom is as follows:
- Students are only allowed to checkout books on Friday, which is “Library Day.”
- Books can be returned via our class return basket any day of the week.
- A student librarian facilitates all checkouts and additional returns on Fridays.
- The student librarian trains students on library procedures and consults with the teacher on any library-related issues.
- The teacher manages the library inventory, reinforces library procedures, and trains new librarians as necessary.
On Fridays, we hand our library folder to the class librarian, and they facilitate our library day while the rest of the class participates in sustained silent reading. We double check to make sure all books are both physically and digitally returned in our classroom library checkout system.
6. Hire a student librarian (optional)
Assigning student librarians is a learner-centered strategy that teaches leadership and responsibility. It also makes library management much easier. Follow these steps based on Vygotsky’s gradual release of responsibility for the best possible outcome:
- Decide on expectations and procedures for library management.
- Compile a library folder with instructions and important information the librarian will need.
- Select and train librarians in your expectations and procedures.
- Have librarians shadow you as you facilitate the checkout and return process.
- Monitor librarians as they facilitate the checkout and return process on their own.
- Allow librarians to manage the library independently.
Classroom library ideas
- Permission slips – requires students to have their parents/guardians sign a permission slip before allowing them to checkout books. This helps protect you and weeds out students who are not serious about library usage. We’ve lost numerous books from students who checked out books only for the novelty of doing so and never brought them back. Click here to download our library permission slip.
Final words
Building a classroom library is a rewarding experience for both teachers and students to enjoy. Hopefully you’re full of new ideas after reading the information we’ve shared with you.
Did you find this guide helpful? Is there anything we left out? How can we improve? Please leave your constructive feedback in the comments section below.
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