HOW-TO: Setup a Classroom Library

This is my guide on how to setup a classroom library, but it is by no means the only way.

Fiction is all on the blue bookcase, while non-fiction is on the built-in bookcase and ledge.

Collecting Books

I was fortunate to have some books left behind by a retiring teacher, but not quite enough.  I wanted some newer titles with glossy covers to attract students' eyes.  In addition, I wanted some graphic novels to motivate some of my lower readers (though, who doesn't love a graphic novel?)

Here's where the books came from:

• Visited Value Village and the Salvation Army for some great deals on lightly used books.
• An EA (C.W.) from my previous school knew I wanted some comics and graciously donated a giant pile.
• A colleague (J.B.) lent me some great junior level books that she's not currently using.
• Included some books I had purchased for my intermediate classroom last year.

and where I will find more...

• I will be collecting magazines throughout the year to build up my collection.
• I am going to ask parents if they have any gently used books that are collecting dust.

Library Organization

There's no easy way to do this, it's going to take time and effort.  To start, I organized all my books into the following categories: (downloadable labels at end of post)

Fiction	Non-fiction
Adventure Fantasy Horror Mystery Animals Historical Fiction Classics Adventures at School Graphic Novels Canadian Authors Comics	Ancient Civilizations Sports Environment Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils Canada Medieval Science and Technology Geography Animals How-to Puzzles, Jokes, and Trivia General Interest People

In addition to these categories, I also created piles for authors and series that I had a lot of.

I did not organize my library by reading level.  Instead, I am going to teach my class how to pick an appropriate book using the five finger rule.

Next, I headed down to the local dollar store where I stocked up on plastic bins for about a $1 each.  I also picked up a package of 75 2" x 3" white labels.  I printed all the categories listed above onto the labels and stuck them onto each bin.

Final Touches

I dedicated half of my classroom library to fiction and the other half to non-fiction books.  I tried to colour code as much as possible.

I found a cut-off of carpet at a local carpet store for $25 and a free couch at my grandmother's house.

Put it all together and voila! - a classroom library and reading nook!

Next Steps

• Find some pillows to make the nook more comfortable.
• Level each book with a sticker on the inside of the cover.

Downloadable Labels You can download the labels I created in a PDF.  These can be printed onto Avery 4"x2" label sheets that have 10 labels.  Download here.