Back to School Essentials for Teacher-Librarians
The beginning of the school year is one of the most stressful and hectic times for teacher-librarians! Save yourself time, energy, and money with this collection of articles, freebies, and products.
Use the buttons to jump to the section you want help with, or keep scrolling.
Set up Your Library Space
It’s your first day in the library, and there’s SO much to do, right?
Don’t worry because these blog posts give a walkthrough of how to set-up your library tables or classroom area, as well as a “story corner” or read-aloud area.
Day 1 – Tables, Story Area, and Technology
Day 2 of Library Set-up in 5 Days
Wall Decorations and Shelves
Cheap and Easy Library Decorations
When you need something simple that looks great and won’t cost a fortune, these library and wall decorations will do the trick.
Teaching Library Classes from a Cart
If you don’t have a dedicated library space that students visit, these organization tips will help you teach classes and provide book access on a mobile cart… temporarily, or for a whole school year.
FREE Dewey 100’s Signs for Your Nonfiction Shelves
These 4″ wide signs are an easy way to help your students find nonfiction books faster (even if they don’t know the Dewey Decimal System yet).
School Library Signs, Posters, and Word Walls
Plan your Library Orientation Lessons
The first few weeks of school are when you establish the library routines during class, teach or review books care, and remind students where to find everything in the library’s space.
Instead of spending hours creating orientation lessons, you can use the materials I’ve developed and refined over the past 15 years of teaching elementary library classes.
Days 3, 4, and 5 of Library Set-up in 5 Days – Lessons
Follow along as I prep my elementary library orientation lessons for kindergarten through 5th grade during the first weeks of the school year.
Get Moving and Have Fun with Orientation Games
Make a life-sized board game, or a scavenger hunt, in your library for students in 3rd grade and above to review the library expectations and procedures.
Setting up Google Classrooms for Elementary Library Classes
Even if you teach in-person, having a dedicated Google Classroom for each grade level or library class is helpful for parent communication and sharing links easily with students.
Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd Grade Library Lessons
These are the same lessons and curriculum I use to teach in my own elementary school, so you know they are librarian-tested to be engaging and effective.
Every lesson, read-aloud unit, library center, and activity listed here is editable, and includes a comprehensive lesson plan with AASL National School Library Standards for Learners and National Common Core Standards.
Printable Versions – These read-aloud lessons and activities are designed for students to complete on paper. The Read-aloud Units contain 4-5 weeks of activities to go along with reading aloud 1 book per week.
Digital Versions for Google Classroom or Google Slides – Unlike the printable booklets, these digital activities can be purchased individually or as a bundle. Students will complete the activity in Google Slides, and they are easily shared through Google Classroom, SeeSaw, or other learning platforms.
3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Library Lessons
Get students moving and active on their first day of library while taking a tour of the library and reviewing library procedures & rules. Plus, you may want review how to use your library’s online catalog to find materials too.
Communicate with Parents & Your Community
Making an amazing first impression goes a long way for parents and community members.
While sending home a library newsletter or setting up your library website may not be the first thing on your lengthy To-Do List, don’t put it off too long!
Try to send home some communication to parents by the 1st week of the school year, at the latest, and get your library website up and running by the end of the 1st month.
Days 3, 4, and 5 of Library Set-up in 5 Days
Follow along as I prep and send out parent newsletters that explain our library’s procedures, checkout limits, and how to access our online resources.
Don’t miss the FREE editable Library Use Agreement in this article to encourage student responsibility in taking care of library books.
6 Things Your School Library Website Must Have
Don’t overlook this in the back-to-school chaos!
You can make a library website from scratch, or revamp one that’s already made. These 6 “must-haves” are essential to help your students access the library’s resources, and advocate for your library program too!
FREE Library Website Checklist & Template for Library Database Passwords
Get the full checklist of 6 Library Website Essentials + a Google Docs template for you to share out your school’s library database login information.
Parent Newsletter Template & Done-For-You Library Websites
Purchase orders are accepted for library website designs & services.
Mentoring and Extra Support
Whether it’s your first year or your 20th, the back to school season can be overwhelming, not to mention physically and mentally exhausting. If you don’t want to go it alone, check out my school librarian mentoring and coaching. We can make a personalized plan for you to grow professionally and develop your library program this year!
Purchase orders are accepted (and encouraged) for mentoring and coaching.
Ask your administrator or school district to work 1-on-1 with a certified elementary teacher-librarian with 15+ years of teaching experience (that’s me, Collette). I know I can help you stay out of overwhelm and make your library program shine!