9 Ways to Grow a Classroom Library

Do you dream of a classroom library that would make Belle delirious with nerdy joy? As a teacher living on a teacher’s salary, it is challenging to grow your classroom library. Here are 9 quick tips that helped me gather THOUSANDS of texts for my library.

1. Advertise your quest to ALL

• Post on your personal social media for family & friends. “In search of donated children’s books any age, any topic”.
• Mention it when people ask you what you need for your classroom.
• Always take WHATEVER books are offered (see number 8 for why).
• Let the caring adults in your classroom know too. Tell them that that book will “spark joy” for you, even if it doesn’t for them anymore

2. Incentivize students to bring in old books

• If you have a classroom economy, offer a few dollars with a capped amount in mind for each book brought in.
• If you use a treasure box, offer a trade. X number of books gets you a trip to the treasure box.
• Avoid inflating grades or giving an unfair advantage to students with more resources by not offering extra credit for books

3. Garage Sale Facebook Groups, Neighborhood Sales, & Marketplace

• Moving from 6th grade to Kindergarten? Put that library up on Facebook Marketplace and gain some seed money for your new library. You can also add that you are willing to trade libraries in the description.
• Neighborhood garage sales are always a great place too. Try telling a seller that you are a teacher and willing to take all of their books for x dollars. More than likely, they are more interested in getting rid of the books than risking having to haul them all to the local donation shop.
• Join your neighborhood Garage Sale social media accounts and keep an eye peeled for bulk book posts.

4. Avoid overpaying

• I average 50 cents for a paperback. (I really prefer 25 cents if possible)
•  Hardcovers I usually pay no more than $1, unless it is a read-aloud.
•  Try creating a budget for your monthly book purchases. I liked to keep mine in an envelope, that way I could carry over any unspent money to the next month.
• Scholastic is great. Encourage your students to purchase at book fairs to help the school library. BUT, try to avoid paying for your own books at these fairs, as you miss out on bonus points towards free books in your account.

5. Library Book Sales

Many libraries have book sales now. Friends of the Library, The Library Support Group, etc. These groups take old library books and sell them to raise money for the library. Sometimes, there are books that were purchased in bulk and now the library doesn’t need all of the copies they originally ordered. Long story short, their surplus is your gain. Most of the time these organizations offer teacher discounts and special bulk buy prices. Check out your local library website to find out if you library participates in something similar and then mark your calendar for the next one.

6. Ask exiting teachers

Exiting teachers don’t want to take their classroom library with them. Sometimes they want to sell it, but more than likely they just want it to go to a good home. Don’t hesitate to approach a teacher who is retiring, leaving education, or moving grades and make an offer.

7. Maintain What You Have

• Repair broken books by teaching students to use a “book hospital”. Have students place their books in the book hospital to be repaired.
• Have classroom librarians that can help keep your library organized
• Organize your library to help students keep books from being damaged
• Use a check out system to help keep track of books students borrow
• Splurge on a stamp with your name to mark each book quickly

8. Used Book Stores… A SUPER TRICK!

This is the true key to my success as a classroom library builder (I feel like there should be a drum roll here). NEVER throw a book out because it is not age-appropriate or because it doesn’t fit your needs. Hoard it in a box. Did Aunt Betty give you a box of Nancy Drews from the 70s for your Kindergarten class? No problem! Write Aunt Betty a thank you card and take that box to a used bookstore. Trade them for in-store credit to buy books that your students DO need. You may leave with only 5 books. But they were FREE and you can often get those sacred read alouds or the new popular text all your students are talking about.

 

9. Hoard the Good Ones

That perfect text for teaching problem and solution relationships. The book that serves as a tried and true entry event for your gardening PBL unit. Those books that you are willing to pay more for because they make your job easier or are irreplaceable to the learning needs of your students.  Hoard them away in a cabinet away from regular use. This way you are preserving the text and avoiding having to spend money to replace it. Simply, pull it out for your lesson and then put it right back in the cabinet when you see fit (even if that is a couple of days after teaching so your students can enjoy it through re-reading). Just by keeping it out of general circulation, you are avoiding a lot of “love”.  BUT, I always keep a lookout for an extra copy to place in circulation for my students.

 

Are you a classroom library lover? Share your favorite library tip in the comments below.

 

 

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