How to Get Books for a Small School Library

Member

By Joan Collins
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating: (2 Ratings)

Small School Library?

Every school should have a library, even if it is in each individual classroom. But what if your school doesn't have the money or books to build a library? Here are a few ideas to help you build a small school library.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Incentive

Step 1

Unused books for your school

Be vocal. Let you school community members know of the need. Families in the school may have books their children have "outgrown" that they would be willing to donate. They may be willing to buy new books to donate to the new library.
Step 2

Community member will donate books

Be louder still. Talk to the local community. Put ads on craigslist and freecycle and ask community members to donate books they have and no longer need. Write an article about your efforts to start the library for your local newspaper. If they will not publish your article, put an ad in the paper.
Step 3

Call. Ask.

Ask. Ask individuals to adopt a magazine subscription. They would pay for a year's subscription for a child's magazine. You can also ask individuals to sponsor individual books or book sets.
Step 4

Thrift shops are inexpensive

Buy them used. Go to the local thrift shops and garage sales. You can find a myriad of books there. Check local used books stores too. Some of them will even give you a discount because it is for a school.
Step 5

Have a book sale

Get organized. If you have a Barnes and Noble in your area, organize a local book sale. Get your profits in books. Another option is the Scholastic Book Company. They, too, send books for your students to buy. Teachers are given cards to fill out stating books they would like donated to their classrooms and parents often do. When the sale is over, they pay you in books. They are very liberal with their pay.
Step 6

Online books sales for your library

Sponsor an online book sale-an e-fair. This is especially aimed at Christian schools, but some of the materials can cross over. The best thing about this one is that there are no minimum sales and you can earn either 20% of the sales in cash or 40% of your sales in books. Go to www.booksforfunds.com. You can also call 1-888-539-9464.
Step 7

Organized fun

Be more organized. Have a Books, Brownies and Buddies day. Have adult participants bring a book for admission. (See resources below) Have a book bee. (See resources below) Again, have admission be a book or money to be used book purchases.
Step 8

Give to create a library

Be giving. Do the listed above too! Check for books you don't need. Ask friends and family members to do the same. Buy a few books for the library. Support the book sale.
Step 9

Grow a library

Have a fund-raiser to raise funds for books and bookcases. Have volunteers list the books so you have a master list. At the end of your efforts, remember to have a "support your library" week each year to help the library grow!

Comments

jull14 said

Flag This Comment

on 7/12/2009 Excellent article and very helpful for many here at ehow. Thanks for sharing with us, keep up the good work. I really love your articles, they are very helpful and provide easy steps to follow.