School Library Ideas

Guest Author - Paula Laurita

Check out these great ideas for your library media center.

Personalized Library Passes
Have students create personal library passes that double as shelf markers. Gather together,

• permanent markers in various colors
• paint sticks, donated from the local hardware or paint store

Have each student personalize and decorate a paint stick. Then gather the completed passes and give them to the appropriate classroom teachers. Explain that the personalized sticks are to be used as library passes. In addition when the students are in the library, the sticks can be used as shelf markers.

Bookworm Bulletin Board
Use this eye-catching display to inform students and teachers about the arrival of new library books. Entitle a bulletin board See What's New In The Library! Attach a bookworm head cutout to the display. Keep a supply of colorful construction-paper circles handy. Each time a new book arrives, add a circle cutout with the book's title and call number. A quick glance at the display reveals the newest library additions.

Getting Ready For Fall
Have a supply of student-made library decorations ready for fall. This is handy if you start school in August, or can be done at the end of the school year. Choose a fall library theme. Gather the supplies needed to create an assortment of corresponding decorations. Feature a different project at a free-time center in the library. Carefully store the completed projects until you are ready to decorate the library in the fall. Students will look forward to seeing their artistic endeavors on display. This can be done with each seasons by having the supplies ready the month before.