Organizing a classroom library is a daunting task, especially when you are a new teacher trying to figure out how you want it, or an experienced teacher wanting to redo your library or just put books back in their right places. There are so many ways to organize classroom libraries… by topic, by series, by level, etc. Then once it’s organized, there’s the question “Do the kids put their own books back into the library or do I make it a job and have them put their books in a bin?” Also, you need a book hospital for those ripped books, and what about those books you made as a class, and the books you use for lessons???? Finally, you also need to label your books, and there are tons of ways to do that too.  It’s kind of overwhelming, so I thought I’d share what my classroom looks like for those new teachers or teachers looking to organize their libraries in a different way. Once you read how I organize mine, visit https://www.ideasforlearners.com/blog/classroom-library-organization-someday-it-will-all-be-beautiful for more classroom library ideas!

My library is organized by topic and series. The kids have to use the five finger rule and rules for finding just right books, instead of books having levels on them. Libraries don’t always have books that say what level they are on them, and when you’re an adult, they definitely don’t level them at a bookstore, so I wanted my library to be realistic, so they get the practice they need for when they need to pick books out outside of the classroom.

 

I ordered my little bins from Dollar Tree.  My large bins are also from there. Teacher hint: ALWAYS USE THE DOLLAR STORE. I also get my turn-in bins there. I was worried about how Dollar Tree bins would hold up, but they’re going on year 2 for a dollar, and still good! I keep my glue in these bins and here are my table bins. It’s like the Target Dollar Spot, and I always go there too!

 

Lastly, I got my labels from Jo’Ann Fabrics. They are on clearance right now, so I think they may be getting rid of them. They have a ton of choices to choose from in terms of labels that aren’t going away. The labels I use for my books are just return address labels.  Target also sells a little bigger return address labels for symbols, but I fit mine on plain ones. Either would work!  Each label on the bins and the books has a matching picture. My books also say Ms. Marshall on the label and the matching bin word. For instance, all animal books have a picture of a frog and have Ms. Marshall and Animals typed on them.  The typed part also matches the color of the bin circle. For example, Ms. Marshall and Biographies is written in orange on the book labels.

Finally, I keep the books I use for lessons and the books in my library for kids separate. Last year, I did not do this. I kept them all together, and it worked out that way too. This year, I decided to keep the books I need behind my desk, just because I don’t have to search for them the day before, and I let kids take books home from my library this year; they just need to ask me. I almost always have doubles anyways of the books we use for lessons and books they can read.

Comment below with how you organize your library!