Picture Books
This is, by far, my favorite section of the library! I LOVE PICTURE BOOKS! Maybe it is because they are what I teach with most, but I'd like to think it is because they are SO MUCH FUN TO READ!
The Picture Book section in my libraries were always the picture books which were level 2.0 and higher and were arranged by the author's last name (just like in a regular library). On the shelves, I would label the authors which I had the most books for, classic "famous" authors and the ones I want them to know and recognize. In one library, I had over 20 books by an author who came for an author visit, so her name was on a label. Eric Carle, Dr. Seuss, Eve Bunting, Jan Brett, and Chris Van Allsburg are just a few "classic" authors who get a label on the picture book shelves. Mo Willems, Laura Numeroff, Eric Litwin and James Dean, and Tomie de Paola are some other picture book authors you might wish to spotlight.
*This is a sample of what a picture book shelf will look like. I apologize for the blurriness.
These sections are small enough for children to manage to look through without a lot of destruction.
Remember: You want to weed out the books with "issues" and only put the books out which represent your library the best. Kids will learn to respect books faster if the books they see are all in the best condition. This means clean the books as well. (See previous posts for instructions on weeding and cleaning books.) Also, you want to keep the shelves from being overloaded. I fill 1/3 on the left and 1/3 on the right with the center left open to put an object or book there to attract attention (see picture above).
Chapter Books
This section is the section I struggle with the most. These are chapter books which have more words than pictures, more mature themes, and are written on a level 2 or higher (mostly higher). This is where most children and parents want to be, and yet, at the K-2 level (and sometimes 3-5) the kids are just NOT ready for this level of reading independently (or the subject matter).
Now, there are kids who have been read to all their lives and they have been listening to Junie B. Jones books and Harry Potter since they were 5 years old, so they are able to read these types of books on their own. I am not talking about those kids (who usually are gifted). I am talking about the kids who entered kindergarten not even knowing how to sit still and listen to a story being read to them, and in the first month of school, want to checkout Diary of a Wimpy Kid because their parents bought them the video.
*This is a sample Chapter Book Section in a K-2 library. It is only 2 bookcases.
Notice it is not "full" either. This section was in a corner of the library away from the
Series Section for the sole purpose of "out of site, out of mind".
These can also be series chapter books like Star Wars, Disney Fairy Series, American Girl, Dork Diaries, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Goosebumps. Any chapter book you think is too hard for the general population or too mature for most of the student body, you should put in this section.
Non-fiction Books
Our final section to weed and organize is the non-fiction section. I usually organized this section last because it is the largest and usually in the worst shape. Kids will have plenty to read and checkout if the other sections are completed. These are all books which are 2.0 and higher are in this section. As you weed out, be sure these are books the kids will want to checkout.
Example: I found a HUGE, 300+ pages, cook book once (even though there were kid cookbooks on the shelf), a HUGE, 200+ pages, gardening book (even though there were kid books about gardening). It didn't make sense to me a first grader would want to carry around a 200 page book! Not to mention they can't read it. I know there are pictures and a grown up could read it, but we should covet our shelf space and leave those books to the public library or home library shelves.
**Here is a non-fiction sample. You still want to leave the middle of each
shelf open to display a book, picture or object which will help children
find books easier in the non-fiction section.
Another way I help children find the books in the non-fiction is by labeling each section with a word label and a picture. Below is a link to TpT with the picture labels I used. ($1)
The use of decorations on the shelves make the non-fiction section more inviting and exciting! I would find trinkets/stuffed animals/or pictures from magazines or old books to use to decorate the shelves for the kids. So, on the shelf with shark books, I might have a stuffed or rubber shark. This also comes in handy when you need to give directions to locate a book. You can say, "See the sea shell? Go to it, the book you are looking for is below the shell, on the bottom shelf on the right."
Remember, you can open a few sections at a time and keep some closed until you can go through them. If the shelves are in order, it will be easier for you, your clerk, your teachers, and students to learn how to use the library. The goal is to have your students become lifelong readers and patrons of the library.
I hope the posts on how to organize your library have been helpful and have you on the path to a more organized year!
Coming up next: Lesson plans for the first few weeks of school! 😊
Remember, you can open a few sections at a time and keep some closed until you can go through them. If the shelves are in order, it will be easier for you, your clerk, your teachers, and students to learn how to use the library. The goal is to have your students become lifelong readers and patrons of the library.
I hope the posts on how to organize your library have been helpful and have you on the path to a more organized year!
Coming up next: Lesson plans for the first few weeks of school! 😊
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