School Library Cards on the Cheap!

Making and managing over 600 patron cards for our school library can be a challenge! Several years ago, I came up with a cheap and durable library card solution - countertop sample chips!

Here are some pictures of our library cards:

I called around to local laminate countertop distributors and got some great donations of leftover samples. Wilsonart and Nevamar are good places to start.

The first year I used these cards, I got a large number in the wood grain pattern (right side of picture). That year, I had students cut out magazine/newspaper letters to make their name. Then we put their barcode (printed from Destiny) on the bottom of the card and sealed it with a piece of clear tape. These turned out super cool, even though the whole letter-cutting day was a complete mess! 

Since then, I have used been using multicolor samples for the library cards. As you can see in the picture, I print out a small label with each student's name (return address size works well) and then stick it on the sample above their barcode. Lately I have been sealing the card with my spine label protectors - it's so easy to peel one off and stick it on top of the labels! I do like using the colored samples for primary grades. Some of our kinders can't yet recognize their name, but they are still able to remember their card's color or pattern. 

We keep our cards in the library in this nifty small parts organizer I bought from Home Depot:

The rows are organized by grade level, and there are labels on each drawer to indicate the teacher name. Students have no trouble pulling out their class drawer and finding their card inside. 

These cards are amazingly durable and stand up to all kinds of student abuse! I have students keep their cards from one year to the next, so the only new cards I make each year are for new students and kindergarteners.I don't even have to rearrange the cards into new classes each year - I have students find their old card and then transfer it to their new class's drawer.

This system is a big success in our library - organized, long-lasting, and easy for kids to use!

What do you use for library cards in your building?

Book Care Lesson Ideas

I love August in our school library! When students come back from summer break, they are all THRILLED to begin checking out books again.

Before our K-1 students check out for the first time, I often do a quick lesson on how to take care of a book. I like to keep these lessons fun and engaging so that students aren't afraid to take books home to enjoy!

Here are some of my favorite books for teaching book care in the primary grades:

A Perfectly Messed Up Story - I used this book for the first time this year, and all of our K-2 classes loved it. It's a simple story with a main message about embracing life's setbacks and messes...but I think it can also tie in nicely with a lesson about taking care of books. Throughout the story I asked, "Now how would THAT end up in a library book? What would you do if you found ____ in a library book?"

Watch Your Paws, Chester - Great, simple story about taking care of books. Just the right length for a group of wiggly primary students! Sometimes I also pair this with an object lesson where I stash a bunch of old, damaged library books in a bag. I pull them out one by one and see if students can guess what happened to the library book. They are always especially wowed by our book with teeth marks (pet and human!). (NOTE: It doesn't look like this book is available through Amazon or any other major retailers. I found it in our Scholastic Resource Catalog and bought it with some of our book fair money a few years ago.)

Read It, Don't Eat It - This is a very quick read with only a few words on a page. I imagine it would also work well for preschool classes.

Forest Friends Go To School - What a great free download from the Kindergarten Kindergarten blog! I used this for the last several years in K-1 and it was very effective. We also made a T-chart after reading, just like Kathryn demonstrates on her blog page.

If you are teaching a book care lesson, you will also definitely want to show this video: How To Take Care of Library Books. It may be a bit corny, but my students love it! You should hear their gasps when they see the poor Clifford book being cut with a pair of scissors...so dramatic!

I'm always on the lookout for more great books about book care - what are your favorites?