Three Reasons I LOVE my new Classroom Library!

As I am getting reading to start an exciting second year of teaching, I decided it was time a for a much needed makeover for my classroom library. A year ago when I first got the keys to my classroom, this is what the room looked like...

That sad pile of books in the corner was the "library" left by the previous teacher. There were only two very small bookshelves and about 50 very old, very worn-out books. The rest of the summer I spent my time tracking down anything I could use to build my little library back up. Being a first-year teacher with so many things to buy and stock up on, I did my best to save money by finding free things or buying used. I hit up the book sale at the local library, thrifts stores, and got donations from friends and family members. I also made a request on the website Donors Choose.  I was able to find a few spare bookshelves and plastic bins that were unwanted in the school, but much to my dismay they were quite mismatched. The bookshelves were all different colors and sizes, as were the book bins. Knowing that I couldn't spend several hundred dollars to replace the books and shelves right away, I made do with what I had. This is what my library looked like through most of last year:

 Although it looked much better than when I originally moved into the classroom, I still wasn't happy with the mismatched shelves and cheap dollar store bins (which broke when they got too full). After having a full year of teaching under my belt and a little extra money to spare, I decided to invest in upgrading my library. Many of my ideas I got from my amazing coworker Caitlin (click here to visit her blog). My first investment was in shelves. I decided to purchase Kallax shelves from Ikea. These shelves were sturdy enough while still affordable (about $65 per unit). My next struggle however was in finding bins for the books. I wanted something sturdy enough that they could hold lots of books without breaking, but also not very expensive; I didn't want to end up spending more on the book bins than on the shelves themselves. After much searching I decided on Serilite's 12 qt dish pan. I loved their sturdiness and the fact that they were only $1.75 a piece (at Walmart). As an added bonus, they came in red which matched my classroom theme perfectly! After a little rearranging and some help from some friends in assembling the shelves the new library is up and (almost) running!

 Now Here are the top 3 things I love about my new library!

1. Accessibility

One of the biggest problems with my old library was that the bookshelves were quite tall, and my first-graders were quite small. Having short bookshelves that are long, rather than tall, not only allows all of the students to be able to reach all of the books, but it also spreads them out so that they are not clumped in one small space fighting to find a book.

2. Saved Space

Although my new library takes up more space length-wise, it actually ends up saving me space because it fits right under the whiteboard. I have very little free wall space in my classroom, so by moving my library to underneath the whiteboard (a space that was previously unused) I was able to free up space elsewhere in my room. In addition, the new bins can hold more books, which means there is room to expand my library as I gain more books.

3. Organization

Although my previous library was organized in the same way, having bins that are all the same color made it easier read the bin labels. Our school uses the AR (Accelerated Reader) program. This program levels the books by grade and month in school. As an example, 1.3 would mean it is at the reading level of a first grader in the third month of of the school year. Each grade level also has a corresponding color.  In order to make books easy to find, I printed the number labels on colored paper corresponding with the grade-level color.

Although it is time consuming, I print labels for each book so that it is easy to identify where they need to go. The label includes the quiz number, title, author, and book level. In addition I label the books with a colored dot that matches the level color. This makes it easy for the students to find and put away books. At the beginning of the school year I make my students practice finding and putting away books before I let them have free reign of the library.

 Although not many of my students are able to read chapter books, I like to have some available for my more advanced readers. I organize them by popular series, as well as reading level.

 A new addition to my library is a set of non-AR subject bins. (Science, Math, etc...) That way I can easily find books even if they are not AR books. One of my favorite organizational tips that can be used in any library is to have a "Book Hospital" bin. Rather than having broken books piling up around the classroom, this give the students a set place to put the books when they need to get mended, and keeps them out of your way until you have time to get to them.

Although there are still a few small things I need to touch up before the beginning of the school year, my library is much improved and well on its way! Stay tuned for a full classroom reveal later this summer!