Yay! You’re hired. Now what? Don’t worry, I’m back again and this time I’m sharing how to build your classroom library in the most affordable ways. Let’s be honest, teachers rarely are lucky enough to have independent reading books provided by their school, and if they do, it’s usually not as bountiful as a new teacher would wish.
1. Get an inventory of what you have in Your classroom Library.
Are you inheriting books from a previous teacher? If so, go through it and take inventory. If you’re type A, do an inventory to keep track of series and genres you have. This will help you build a very balanced classroom library. If you’re type B or short on time, take out your phone and snap photos of the books you are inheriting. If you have time quickly go through each one and make a toss and keep pile. Toss very old or torn up books. If you don’t have a lot to start with, keep your toss pile to a minimum until you can afford to be a little pickier once your collection has grown.
2. Start your search! Free is key.
One of the first things you can do is post on Facebook and Instagram to your friends and family. Write that you just got hired to teach X grade and you are in search of free books for your students to read. I did this and had a neighbor from 20 years ago reach out and offer a bin of books that her son no longer needed. The key is to put the word out.
3. Check Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist
The best time to check is in May-June when teachers are retiring or leaving the classroom and are giving away books for free or for a steeeeep discount. Just a quick search and I was able to find whole class sets of chapter books for $1/book! Just be careful for sketchy people.
4. Library sales
Visit Booksalefinder.com or search library sales in your state/city/county. This site will give you a list of upcoming sales at local libraries. You can let them know you are an educator and they may let you fill up bags full of books for just $5 or something verrrry reasonable. This is the main way I was able to build my classroom library.
Here is a screenshot of the website.
5. Use Ebay to find books for your classroom library
Depending on what grade level you teach there will be popular books and chapter book series for that age group. Ebay is another great place to find major deals from teachers who are looking to get rid of whole series of books. For example, go to Ebay and search for a “lot” of whatever series or author you desire such as “Magic Tree House Lot.” When I just did that I found a lot of 11 Magic Tree House books for $13.99. That’s about 1.25 per book. A-Ma-Zing. It’s okay if your books are preowned, your students will still love them!
6. Teacher’s Lounge
If you are new, typically teachers will be more than gracious at giving you things they no longer want. At many of the schools I have been at, there is a designated area that teachers can put items from their class that they no longer want and others are free to take. As you meet other teachers, let them know you’re on the hunt for more books for your classroom library.
7. the Public Library
Libraries allow teachers to check books out for much longer than the average library goer. Take advantage of this, especially if you have one of these:
8. Scholastic Book Clubs
You will also want to sign up to get free books on Scholastic by being a part of their book club. Each month you will receive a catalog for each of your students. Every time a parent places an order using your class code, you get points for free books. You can really use this to your advantage. Each month they have a dollar deal. If you are trying to build up your guided reading collection, buy 6 copies of the same dollar deal book (if it is appropriate and relevant to your students). Do this each month for a year and you will have a great collection in no time!
9. Your last resort
Checking Amazon and bookstores for brand new books, however, there is nothing more thrilling than picking out a brand new book that you know will be perfect for your students. I do this a lot for my first weeks of school. Some of my favorite books that I have purchased brand new were:
*Note, the pictures of the books are affiliate links that will take you to Amazon when you click the covers.
I purchased them brand new because I read them in the bookstore and fell in love with the humor and my brain exploded with lesson ideas based on the themes of the book. I like to keep highly entertaining books on hand during the first week of school because it is such a mad rush of activities and schedule changes that sometimes you will need to say, “Okay everyone, join me at the carpet to read this book!” Reading aloud just for pure entertainment is one of the best ways to connect and bond with your class. You really learn a lot about your class and individual students as you parade through the pages with them. If I was smarter, I would’ve fallen in love with the book in the store, then whipped out my phone to check to see if the book was on eBay for cheaper. It sounds so petty, but when you are a first-year teacher, things add up real quick.
Shopping Tips
Keep a running list of what books you want for your classroom. I have done this by adding them to my Amazon cart and as I find them at library sales, Craigslist, FB Marketplace, etc, I remove them from my cart. Whatever is left over I buy or save for later. Also remember, you don’t have to start off with a full library. You might spend one summer collecting chapter books. The next summer you might focus on nonfiction. Remember, you’ll be teaching for a long time. Everything does not have to be perfect on the first day of school. Get enough to at least last you the first month of school and then take it from there once you know what your students’ reading levels are. The first few years of teaching you can base your shopping around the needs of your class, eventually, you’ll have a really nice range. Baby steps!