Now is the perfect time to give your classroom library a facelift. The books you took great care to shelve by genre or place in labeled bins in August have likely found new homes in nooks and crannies around the room or are simply MIA at this point in the school year. The meeting space rug is soiled, the book doctor basket is full, the beanbag has more duct tape than beans, and the plant that once gave the space that special touch has failed to survive the drought. Sound familiar?
No worries! Now is the time for starting fresh, tidying things up, and recharging. Sprucing up the classroom library will no doubt require you to roll up your sleeves and possibly, moan and sweat a bit, but what could be any better motivation than knowing your efforts will have a direct impact on promoting engaged, proficient, joyful readers? The research is clear....reading more is directly linked to reading (and writing) better. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!
While there is no single "best way" to set up a classroom library, there are four tips I have found helpful in setting up a classroom library that I am eager to share with you.
Tip #1: Organize for ease of retrieval and replacement
Organization is key! When you think about how to organize the plethora of
titles you have generated over the years, think about the importance of
grouping texts together that have something in common and think about labels
that let everybody know exactly what texts they should expect to find in that
section. You may prefer to sort by genre, author’s last name, topic, theme, or
any number of ways. Maybe now is the time to shake things up a bit – why not try
a new organizing scheme and get the students involved in the process? The most
important consideration is to look at the titles you have and determine what
makes sense to you and your learners. Labels are critical! Having labels on the
texts and corresponding labels on the shelves, bins, baskets, or other storage
devices enable readers to be independent in both the retrieval and replacement
process. Here is a great
website for FREE labels – print, laminate and fasten!
Tip #2: Move beyond the cozy corner
Think about the successful book stores. Books and magazines are everywhere!
For me (a self-professed bibliophile), the aesthetic allure of being able to
reach out and touch oodles of my paper friends at every turn is irresistible!
This is what we want for our readers – the inability to leave book shelves,
bins, and baskets without one or two titles in their hands. Most classrooms
boast a cozy corner, which is fantastic, but what about branching out and making
texts available all around the room? Just think about the possibilities. Could
nonfiction titles be located in one part of the room and fiction in another?
What about a special space for poetry, Big Books, multiple copies of titles for
buddy reading, magazines, newspapers, graphic novels, wordless titles, and
student created works? Get creative – look at the texts you have and the layout
of your room through new eyes!
Tip #3: Create Attractive Displays
When you walk into a public library or book store, think about which books
catch your eye. The ones on the end cap, featured on a table top, or on the
shelves with the covers facing you, right? Try mimicking that in your classroom
and watch the titles fly off your shelves!! Try a new display with books by a
featured “Author of the Month” or permit students to make recommendations to
peers and feature those in a special spot in the room. Try having a section
called “Teacher Picks” – you will not believe how desirable these books are to
your students!! Do you have a special event or fieldtrip coming up you can
frontload with independent reading material? What about supplementing required
content area reading with many and varied texts across genres and levels of
challenge? I guarantee that if you rotate titles often enough and make them
visually appealing, they will find their way into the hands of engaged, happy
readers! Don’t have enough bookshelf space? How about gutters? That’s
right…..rain gutters! The image below shows how rain gutters can make an easy
way to display books.
Tip #4: Build Your Library and Catalog your Texts
Classroom libraries are living organisms in that they continually grow and
change over time. I think two things are important to keep in mind:
- Take stock of the genres presently in your collection and see where there are holes – fill those in with new acquisitions before you add to existing genres. Teachers, me included, can be guilty of purchasing titles in genres they enjoy. If science fiction is not your cup of tea and you have no offerings for that 4th grade reader who talks nonstop about time travel and space adventures into galaxies far, far away, you could very well miss out on that one opportunity to propel him to new reading heights. It is critical we stay on top of what is “hot” and learn about new authors so that we can make appropriate recommendations to our students. There is nothing more motivating for a reader than for his teacher to say, “I was thinking about you when I read this and I bet you would really enjoy it. Have a go and then let’s talk about it together.” Wow!!
- Know what titles you own! This is one thing I wish someone had told me about sooner! In my first few years of teaching I gobbled up books as fast as I could and donned with my personalized ink stamp, I made sure to place my name on the inside cover of every one of them. The trouble was, I had no idea which books I owned, how many, or what genres – I was happy just to see my shelves, buckets, and bins expanding. Big mistake! I realized the error of my ways and rectified the situation. It was a slow process, but it was totally worth it. Whether you are just starting your teaching career or you have been teaching for decades, it is not too late. There are many ways to catalog, but I am happy to share LibraryThing, a terrific tool I really like.
When you have plentiful offerings across all genres, topics, and degrees of
challenge (and a way to see at a glance the current text inventory), you can be
certain there is something irresistible for every reader on your shelves! Do
you have a checkout system and if so, is it for classroom purposes only or do
you permit students to take books home to read? Whether or not you incorporate a
check out system, I would encourage you to have a formalized “shopping day”
system in place. This will ensure that all readers have a time every week or two
to browse and choose titles that are “just right” for them to read
independently.
Benefits of a Classroom Library Makeover
Revitalize, refresh, and rejuvenate your classroom library with two
purposes in mind:
- To optimally support your instruction
- To grow proficient, engaged, and lifelong readers
I hope you decide to make 2014 the year to overhaul your classroom library.
One thing I know for sure, it will be time and energy well spent. The payoff is
enormous – a classroom full of students with large reading appetites, engrossed
in texts they simply cannot put down….it does not get any better than that!
Dr. Debbie
Linville is the Department Chair of the Elementary & Middle Grades Education
at High Point University. She has been involved with NCAEE since 2005 and is
currently the Director of Region 5 and Chair of the NCAEE Regional Advisory
Councils. Dr. Linville has been teaching for over 30 years and her passion is
enabling educators to promote the proficient, joyful reading and writing lives
of children.
– Roald Dahl / Nothing can beat this book’s entertainment value when read aloud. Fabulous story with great moral lessons, and what kid doesn’t like hearing about fantastical candy??
– Roald Dahl
– C.S. Lewis / Some of my most treasured childhood memories are of my Mom reading this series aloud to us. Engaging and beautiful.
– E.B. White
– E.B. White
– Astrid Lindgren / I loved Pippi Longstocking as a kid!
– Roald Dahl
– Beverly Cleary / These were some of the first books that I read by myself, but I also remember my Mom reading them aloud. They are great bridge books for both reading aloud and reading alone.
– Judy Blume / I loved these books as a kid! Great sibling interactions, and lots to discuss as well.
– Richard Atwater
– E.L. Konigsburg / This was one of the most magical, original stories that I read as a young child. I can’t wait to read it again!
– Madeleine L’Engle / I fell in love with Madeleine L’Engle’s writing from this book, and proceeded to read nearly everything she wrote. Not all of her books, however, are appropriate for children. 
– Barbara Robinson / Fabulous story to read around the holidays – cute and heartwarming.
– Arnold Ytreeide / An Advent Adventure Book my Mom recommended
– Arnold Ytreeide / An Advent Adventure Book my Mom recommended33-40. 
– L.M. Montgomery / These are probably too old for Ali right now, but would be great family read-aloud books when she is slightly older. Or, if Ali beats me to it, she can read them herself in a few years.
– Mary Pope Osborne
– Jeff Kinney / I read a couple of these aloud to Ali over a year ago (with occasional language changes), and she loved them! The pictures are engaging, and the stories are short enough to keep the attention of young children, even if they don’t understand everything. The movie, however, is painful to watch – I hate train-wrecks.
– Chris Van Allsburg
– Frances Hodgson Burnett
– Christopher Paul Curtis / I found this book while researching for this list. I’ve not yet read it, but I am eager to read it myself first and see if it is a good book to introduce the subject of Civil Rights and the sadder parts of the history of our city.
– Rodman Philbrick
– Cressida Cowell
– Frances Hodgson Burnett / This book always made me want to live in a giant manor in England with a large, mysterious garden.
– Louise Fitzhugh
– Beverly Cleary
– Donald J. Sobol / I ADORED these as a kid. I never could figure out the mysteries, though. I was always so disappointed in myself!
– Beverly Cleary
– George Selden
– Eleanor Estes
– Sheila Burnford
– Barbara Park
– Laura Ingalls Wilder / I have to admit that I mentally relate these as being boring. But I know they weren’t! I remember enjoying them – they just seem boring.
– Patricia St John
– Carol Ryrie Brink
– A.A. Milne / Winnie-The-Pooh stories always surprise me at how creative and refreshing their storylines are. So much better than I expect – every time!
– Robert Louis Stevenson
– Jean Craighead George
– Roald Dahl
– Roald Dahl
– Roald Dahl
– Roald Dahl
– James Herriot / My Dad used to read these Veterinarian stories to us. They were simply amazing!86*. 
– Brian Selznick
– Ruth Stiles Gannett
– Claire Huchet Bishop
– Robert McCloskey / This is a rare book to find, but I LOVED it as a kid! Homer had some really fantastic adventures.
– Doris Burn
– Wendy Mass
– E.B. White
– Betty McDonald
– Robert O’Brien
– William Goldman / This book was written for adults, and if you haven’t read the book and are a Princess Bride fan like myself, then you’re missing out. With some skipping here and there, it’d make a great children’s read-aloud book as well. I wish they would come out with a children’s version…because, as always, the book is even better than the movie.
– Jeanne Birdsall
– John Bunyan (Adapted for little readers)
– Scott O’Dell
– Lesley M. M. Blume
– Lynne Reid Banks
– Judy Blume
– Lois Lenski / Suggested by 
– Kate DiCamillo / Suggested by Jennifer Wendorf, Roxaline, and 
– Kate Dicamillo / Suggested by Jennifer Wendorf and 
– Louis Sachar / Suggested by Sam
– Jerry Spinelli / Suggested by Sam
– Patricia McLachlan / Suggested by Roxaline
– Various Authors / Suggested by Roxaline and 
– Alice Dalgleish / Suggested by Roxaline
– Natalie Bobbit / Suggested by
– Pam Munoz Ryan / Suggested by 
– Suzanne Collins / Suggested by Cara
– Marguerite Henry / Suggested by Kristi
– Roald Dahl / Suggested by 
– J.M. Barrie / Suggested by 
– L. Frank Baum / Suggested by 
– Mary Norton / Suggested by 
– Farley Mowat / Suggested by 
– Phyllis Reynolds Naylor / Suggested by 
– John Peterson / Suggested by Heidi
– Judy Blume / Suggested by Heidi
– Wilson Rawls / Suggested by Robin
– Wilson Rawls / Suggested by Robin and JC and Rachel
– Katherine Paterson / Suggested by 
– Gail Carson Levine / Suggested by 
– Edwin Abbott / Suggested by JC
– Margaret Sidney / Suggested by 
– Louisa May Alcott / Suggested by 
– Louisa May Alcott / Suggested by 
– Catherine Marshall / Suggested by Leanna and 
– Carol Hughes / Suggested by 
– Ralph Moody / Suggested by 
– Frank B. Gilbreth Jr / Suggested by 
– Kathleen Karr / Suggested by 
– Lila Hopkins / Suggested by Laura
– Gene Stratton-Porter / Suggested by 
– Enid Blyton / Suggested by 
– Enid Blyton / Suggested by 
– Julie Andrews Edwards / Suggested by 
– Bryan Collier / Suggested by Cindy McGurl
– Patricia Polacco / Suggested by Cindy McGurl
– Eve Bunting / Suggested by Cindy McGurl
– Lois Lowry / Suggested by Pam Dennison
– J.R.R. Tolkien / Suggested by Hannah
– J.R.R. Tolkien / Suggested by Hannah
– Robert Siegal / Suggested by Hannah
– Robert Siegal / Suggested by Hannah
– George MacDonald / Suggested by Hannah
– George MacDonald / Suggested by Hannah
– Avi / Suggested by Carissa
– Beverly Cleary / Suggested by Carissa
– John White / Suggested by Carissa
– Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson / Suggested by Carissa and 
– Louis Sachar / Suggested by 
– Robert Kimmel Smith / Suggested by Lisa
– Sharon M. Draper / Suggested by Claire
– Elizabeth Winthrop / Suggested by Debbie and Lisa
– Christopher Paul Curtis / Suggested by 
– Elizabeth George Speare / Suggested by 
– Ellen Raskin / Suggested by Krista Howland
– Edith Nesbit / Suggested by Anita Wright
– Anna Sewell / Suggested by Anita Wright
– Susan Coolidge / Suggested by Anita Wright
– Lewis Carroll / Suggested by Anita Wright and 
– T.S. Eliot / Suggested by Anita Wright
– J.K. Rowling / Suggested by Meg
– Gary Paulson / Suggested by Lisa
– Robert Kraus / Suggested by Amber Thomas
– Crockett Johnson / Suggested by Amber Thomas
– Eugene Field / Suggested by Amber Thomas
– Brandon Mull / Suggested by Suzanne Brazzell
– Patricia Polacco / Suggested by Cynthia
– Kate DiCamillo / Suggested by Nicole
– Linda Sue Park / Suggested by Renee
– Richard Peck / Suggested by Renee
– Richard Peck / Suggested by Renee
– Shannon Hale / Suggested by Renee
– Cynthia Kadohata / Suggested by Renee
– Leslie Connor / Suggested by 
– Patricia MacLachlan / Suggested by 
– Elise Broach / Suggested by 
– Lynne Jonell / Suggested by 
– Lois Lowry / Suggested by Kayla Essary
– Lois Lowry / Suggested by Kayla Essary
– Pam Munoz Ryan
– Lois Lowry / Suggested by Kristy Howells
– Shannon Hale / Suggested by Eryn
– Grace Lin / Suggested by Amber
– Louis Sachar / Suggested by Amber
– Pseudonymous Bosch / Suggested by Amber
– Robb White / Suggested by 
– Jim Kjelgaard / Suggested by Rachel
