How to Set Up & Run a School Library
A well-stocked school library provides a valuable resource for children just beginning their love affairs with books. If your school is lacking one of these havens of literacy, establishing one is likely a good idea. While many shy away from this undertaking because of the seemingly complex nature of the task, creating a school library does not have to be intimidating. If you break down the process, and move through it gradually, you can successfully provide the students in your school with the literary resources that could lead them to greater academic success.
Instructions
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Select and furnish a space for your library. Pick a lockable space to ensure that you can secure your books when the library is not being manned. Select bookshelves that your students will be able to reach as well as seating to ensure that library users have a place to enjoy their books.
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Acquire books to fill your library. Seek books for the age levels of students that populate your building as well as some slightly above and below these age levels to ensure that low and high readers also have challenging texts from which to select.
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Label your books for cataloging. Follow the Dewey decimal system for easy categorization or, if you want something simpler, organize the books by author's last name and title when you have more than one book by the same author.
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Select a check-out system. If just starting your library, a card check-out system should be sufficient. To organize a check-out system of this type, attach a card to the inside of each book and take out the card when a student checks the book out. As your library grows, you may want to upgrade to a computerized library catalog system for ease of use.
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Establish a fining system. Decide upon late fees, damaged book fees and lost book fines. Plan a system for enforcing the payment of these fines. In many schools, the most successful method proves to be holding report cards or other student documents until fines are paid.
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Assign school staff to work in the library. Divide library duties between a number of staff members, or select a staff member with a light schedule to oversee the library any time it is open. If you split library duties between several staff members, you may need to assign each specific tasks to ensure that everyone knows what they are expected to do each day.
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References
- Photo Credit books image by charles taylor from Fotolia.com
