The Book Bus

Statistics state that about 60% of the students at my school are English Language Learners. I would argue that 100% of students in primary grades are English Language Learners; they are all building vocabulary and learning grammar. And what better way to learn than by being read to?

To ensure our students are being exposed to as much literature as possible, I talked to my EL 3-4-5 teachers about bringing the library to their students on a daily basis. Surprisingly, I got a lot of pushback.

"We want the parents to bring their children up to the library." (Me, too! But not many do.)

"We can't spare any more time in the week." (I'm not asking for more time.)

"We want them to learn to use the library." (Me, too.  This is in addition to library visit, not instead of.)

My original idea was to bring a cart of books down either first thing in the morning or at morning recess so students could exchange their books. It has morphed into something different and perhaps even more beneficial.

Meet our Book Bus:

When I purchased this shiny red cart equipped with bins, I never dreamt my librarian partner would convert it to a double-decker bus. She even lined two of the upper bins with shiny gold paper to distinguish them as the "return" bins, and she designed coordinating London-Tube-style bus stop signs that hang in the primary hallway, indicating where students can trade in their library books. It even has headlights and a bell! We often hear excited calls of "Here comes the bookbus!" as we approach the Early Learning hallway.

Students each receive a book bag on which we write their name and patron number. (They can decorate the other side if they wish.) When students want new books, they simply hang their bag outside the classroom on a hook by their Bus Stop sign. Once a day a library staff member drives the Book Bus along its route. If students are not busy with direct instruction, they are excused from class (2 or 3 at a time) to change their books. They LOVE it. If they are busy, they receive what we call "Librarian Surprise" and the staff member selects the books. Using our ipads with the DestinyQuest app, we check out books right there in the hallway. (To expedite the process, we bring most returns back to the desktop computer in the library.)

It has proven to be a fun way to give students access to more books and a wider variety of genres. We have a number of preschool and kindergarten boys who regularly limit their selections to sharks, dinosaurs, Star Wars, and Superman.  When they are in the library, they are allowed to choose what they want - even if it is the same thing every week. But those books rarely make it on board the book bus.  In the hallway, those same students choose from Caldecott medal books, books that support classroom curriculum, and books from a wide variety of Dewey sections.  There was some whining in the first weeks until they realized that they can still come to the library and choose their favorites. Parents have thanked us for providing variety in their reading diets.

There have been other benefits as well. We run reports that tell us which books have had 0 circs; those books are put on board the bus and are taken for a spin. Our quick and dirty solution for drowning in books to re-shelve is to place a number of those books on the Book Bus. And, finally, circulation statistics jumped an additional average of 12 books per student per year. (Not as high as I'd like to see it but trending favorably.)

Most importantly, perhaps, students in the early grades are learning that if you don't have to wait a whole week for new books.... because Every Day is Library Day!

Holiday Gift & Collaboration Idea

One of our middle school English teachers uses a teacher-designed reading program that encourages recreational reading in a variety of genres throughout the year.  Reporting is minimal and requirements are flexible to give students as much ownership as possible.  This teacher is new here this year, and although he has inherited the program from the existing teachers, he is taking it in exciting new directions that incorporate more library collaboration.

Once a month he brings his students to the library for book selection and silent reading time.  These visits have included library orientation and book talks, while future plans include book trailers. Students typically spend more than half of their time draped over the library furniture reading quietly.... just what we love to see!

For the reporting assignment in October, the teacher worked with me to ensure all students had and knew how to access their Destiny Quest accounts.  He then had them write online reviews, which I printed out in report form for his assessment purposes.

For the December library visit, he is collaborating with me to make it a holiday party.  He wanted to distribute awards and asked for my input, as he was looking for award ideas beyond just the "top" readers.  I suggested we tie them into the IB Learner Profile to reward a broader range of attitudes and attributes, an idea he embraced heartily and shared with his department.  

Snacks (normally taboo) are going to be allowed at this meeting in the Media Centre to add to the festive feel.  But what I am most excited about is the "gift exchange" he organized.  This English class will be giving "Secret Santa" gifts, but no purchasing is required.  As a parent I am thrilled I will not need to make a last minute run for some random item, nor will I be disposing of a useless trinket in a couple of weeks.  Instead of favorite foods, colors, and music, the Secret Santa slips this class filled out were about authors, titles, and genres.  Slips were exchanged and now students must SELECT A LIBRARY BOOK for their Secret Santa!

While collaborating, one of his concerns (and mine) was to whom should the book be checked out???  We could check it out to the giver... but what if the recipient loses it?  And if we check it out to the recipient, what happens if the giver forgets to bring it?  My contribution was to provide a gift wrap station in the library.  Once a book is selected, the giver may wrap and tag it, then leave it in the library until the party.  If the recipient decides to read it, they may check it out before they leave the library.

There are so many win-win's with this event.  In addition to all those mentioned above, I am having more one-on-one conversations with students, some of them are with those who may go all year without talking directly to library staff.  While they are confident and independent in their own reading selections, they are seeking advice for their gifts. Asking for help in a library sometimes takes practice!

I am eagerly awaiting next Friday.... feeling much like I did as a small child waiting for Santa!

eBooks... My 2¢

Last year I took the plunge, buying a sampling of eBooks to see what worked in my library. I tried a little bit of everything. Scroll over the image below to see the pros and cons I found of circulating each device in my library.

In my personal life, I love the portability and access of eBooks. I have always traveled with a lot of books, starting as an elementary student when I would check out one book for each day of a road trip. Disneyland in 5th grade was a 6-book trip! Owning a Kindle was something I resisted, but when I received one as a Christmas gift, I fell in love immediately. Then when I graduated to my iPad with Kindle AND nook apps, PLUS the ability to navigate a road trip, book online hotel reservations, and blog about it before I even got home, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

But as a librarian, I have a whole other opinion about eReaders. Let me say right here, I know ebooks are the future, and I do like them for personal use, but I am finding them a pain in my present library setting. In a nutshell, a library for 1,400 students run by one assistant with additional non-library tasks does not have time to teach, catalog, update, and solicit title requests for eReaders... nor does a traveling librarian. These devices really do require additional time and adequate staffing.

Electronic resources are handy. But they do not promote themselves. What are your thoughts on the matter?

Read More:

Should Libraries Get Out of the eBook Business?

EBook Talks: The Details

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Ebooks for school Libraries

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