The beginning of the school year is not the only time we should be intentional with our classroom library organization. During the year, of course, we should update and refresh it to keep student interest high. But the end of the year is an ideal time to attend to it. With just a little bit of time now, you can strengthen your library, save loads of time setting it up in the fall, and better prepare it for the kids it will support next year.

Let’s get right to it!

Tips for Strengthening Aesthetics and Accessibility

1. Check the condition of your books. Do you have a pile of ripped books? How about covers that are falling off? Fix them if they can be fixed, otherwise, just trash them. We would never even pick up beat up books from Barnes and Noble because they are not attractive. The same is true for kids. 
2. At the same time, think about how many books you have. There’s no need to necessarily count them, but on average, a strong classroom library has a minimum of 500 books. Richard Allington has always said that roughly 1000 to 1500 is the goal. Less than that minimum, and kids will have a hard time finding books that will interest them.  And interest, of course, is critical.
3. Think about the condition of your library itself. Is it messy? Are kids not putting things away properly? This could be a sign that you might need a tighter system in place next year. Give that some thought over the summer, so that you can teach this as part of your procedures right away for a better start next year. 
4. Think about the times that your kids were using the library… Did they trip all over each other, was there enough room for kids? Were you able to see them all when they were in there? Do you need to move it to a different place next year? Or…do you need to split it into a couple of different sections in your room instead. 
5. Grab a sampling of maybe 10 books for a mini library audit– – what are the copyright dates? If they’re pretty old, they’re probably not attractive to kids. Does the cover look like it’s from 1987? Then no one‘s going to want to read that book. Are the pages yellowing?  Again, no one’s going to want to read that book. Blogger Savannah Campbell, in her Nerdy Book Club post, agrees! So often, we accumulate donations of books from everyone and their brother when we start out as teachers. And a lot of times, these are books that people are just really wanting to get rid of themselves. Which means quality isn’t always there.  Just because it was given to us, doesn’t mean we have to keep it. It is your classroom library… make it what you want it to be. It is OK to toss out books that nobody wants. This takes up too much valuable real estate in your classroom, and is a complete waste.  Plus…summertime is a great time for bonfires. Discards make great kindling!

Tips for Organization (what to put in it)

1. Think about leveling vs. not leveling. It’s important to understand the reasons both for and against this, and decide for yourself.  I have a whole blog post about this–I encourage you to check it out to help you come to a decision that will be most supportive of the students you’ll have in the fall.  Deciding on this now will save you a whole lot of overwhelm later–it’s all about having a plan!
2. Consider the general makeup of your students. If you’re brand new to the school, ask your principal for some insight. Think about their cultures, ethnicities, and likely topics of interest. Are there books in which they can see themselves? Are there books in which they can learn about others? If not, remember this when you pick up new books over the summer. 
3. In thinking about accessibility, be honest.  Is your classroom library set up to be aesthetically pleasing for you…or is it truly set up to draw kids in?  When books are all lined up with spines facing out, sorted alphabetically by author, it’s very difficult for students to find what might interest them.  They might look pretty with that rainbow gradient of colors on display, but think…how does this support students?  Some older kids might know the name of a favorite author or two, but this does nothing to broaden their horizons. Younger students are very unlikely to know any authors by name–and if they do, it’s going to be the author’s first name they’ll look for, not their last.   It’s also impossible to really see what’s there.  I tried this myself one year, and will never, ever do it again. Baskets or plastic shoebox-style boxes are the very best.
4. Take a look at the selections that you have. Are there some categories that are lacking? Are there some that were super popular and never had enough to go around? Some that never were touched at all? Remove them. Maybe bring them out later in the year next year, or just donate them. Sometimes, books have just run their course. 
5. Consider your social studies and science topics. Having these topics available to kids–at a range of reading levels–will help to serve as great background knowledge building texts. And remember–you can–and should–read books aloud from these selections!

Tips for Getting More Books Without Breaking the Bank

1. Summertime is garage sale season – – a great time to to pick some books up for pennies! This is a fantastic way to add more to your library.
2. If you live in a neighborhood, or know somebody that does, put a Facebook group post out there, saying that you were a teacher of ___ grade level, looking for books. People are usually extremely generous with this, and you can get a lot.  Often for free.  Check out the Nerdy Book Club blog for more ideas on how to find books for your classroom library for a bargain. 
3. Another way to accumulate books–and a great way to test them out with kids–is to simply borrow from your local library. This is often a very overlooked resource. Libraries are very current in their collection, and can interlibrary transfer books if your particular branch doesn’t have what you’re looking for. Usually, teachers can borrow 50 or more books at a time. This is an incredible way to keep your library fresh all year long, as well as test run different books  before you buy.  Just be sure to keep track of where they all are, because the late fees really do add up – – I have learned this the hard way from multiple experiences!
4. Libraries also usually have a section where they sell the books they’re discarding. Often, it’s simply because they weren’t checked out much. This can be a treasure trove of books!
5. Definitely check out used book stores. I actually find the independent ones to be cheaper and with a bigger selection, but chain stores like Half Price Books are also fantastic.

Download my free classroom library self-audit checklist!

And one more very important and very overlooked classroom library organization consideration:

Think about your kids as they come into you next year. If you’ve been teaching for a couple of years, you will know roughly what sorts of books and levels kids are reading when they come to you in the fall. If you’re a brand new teacher, think about general benchmarks. Let’s say you are a second grade teacher. This means that your incoming kids just ended first grade, and also probably won’t have read very much over the summer so they may lose some skills. They will not be exactly the same readers in the fall that they were in the spring the year prior. 

So if, on average, your second graders are pretty comfortable coming in with books like Henry and Mudge, a level J, then you would put out some of those, and quite a few that are easier than that, so that they can read independently. You certainly would have no reason to put out any Harry Potters or Magic Treehouse immediately. Those can come later on, as kids grow into that level of complexity.  This is where understanding how text levels work is very helpful.  I am NOT advising labeling your book baskets with letter levels. I’m saying keep the general ability level of your kids in mind so the selections are most supportive of your readers.

When we put out every single book that we own and don’t consider the developmental reading level of the kids you have coming in, the amount of choice that they have is far too overwhelming. And that sets them up to make inappropriate choices. But if we whittle the choices down to what we know kids will be able to handle independently, it serves as a scaffold to help them make good decisions to help ensure that their independent reading time is used most effectively. 

If kids don’t have appropriate, developmentally supportive books in their hands, they’re not getting anything out of it. This is exactly what will lead to independent reading time quickly becoming a waste of time. It is up to us to guide students toward making smart choices, and that begins with the choices that we provide in the first place.  

Again, as your kids grow over the year, you can bring out some of these new and exciting books. This will greatly increase their excitement over the books in your library, and continue to help them want to come back for more.  

So, some time spent at the end of the year weeding out, taking stock of what’s needed, and thinking about systems for students is time very well spent. 

The more we plan for optimal organization and greater accessibility now will pay off big in the fall to set up your classroom library quickly and easily. 

And…it’ll be one huge thing you don’t have to think about when you return to school!

This will greatly reduce overwhelm at the beginning of the year, when teachers already have 10 million to-do tasks on their list.

So while your neighboring teachers are still up to their ears in books to organize, you can rest assured that you’re ready for your new students!

---

Was this post helpful?  Subscribe here to be the first to see new posts that will make an impact on your teaching! 

Want some help preparing for a more streamlined, less-stress school year?  Contact me to set up a coaching call!  Or, consider  joining my private FB group! It’s a safe, supportive environment (really–no blaming or shaming allowed!)  where you can ask questions, learn ideas, and share your thoughts.

Who is Coach from the Couch??  I’m Michelle, a 25-year veteran educator, currently a K-5 literacy coach.  I continue to learn alongside teachers in classrooms each and every day, and it’s my mission to support as many teachers just like you as I can.