I know that there are countless school libraries around the country suffering similar circumstances.
In an effort to get newer titles in the hands of kids I've been donating finished copies of books sent to me for review and books that I win from contests. It's not a lot, in fact it barely seems to scratch the surface. But it feels like I'm making a small difference.
So here's my question-Does anyone else donate to their local school libraries or public libraries? What do you do with the books you review? Do you keep them or pass them on?
That is so sad!! Don't they know how important it is for kids to read? As a teacher I think it even helps them do better on tests when they are good readers. I usually take any books that I don't want to keep myself and either put them in my classroom for my students to read, or maybe do giveaways on my blog. But I think that is a great idea to pass them on to needy local libraries.
ReplyDeleteI have an okay budget, which, thankfully, has not been trimmed. I could easily spend twice as much on books we really need. I got a real appreciation for my budget when I learned about how little schools in my state allocate to their libraries. STill, I usually end up donating between 1 & 2,000 dollars worth of books each year to my school library. I also review for several places and I donate my review copies as well.
ReplyDeletebrenda
Lisa-Your students are very lucky that you put those books in your classroom. When i worked as a para in the elementary I was shocked at how much teachers spend out of their own pockets for supplies-especially toward the end of the year when money runs out.
ReplyDeleteBrenda- Thanks for commenting. Good for you and your kids for the generous donations. I love the smile it puts on the librarian's face when I walk in with a new book to add to her shelves. Do you put your ARCs in your library?
ReplyDeleteI live in a relatively well off area where my high school library constantly has new books and graphic novels and spanish books etc... It's very sad to hear of other libraries, especially middle school ones, that can't afford books. I know many of my teachers in middle school would spend their own money to get stuff for classes (rewards, supplies etc...) and I really hate how underfunded and mistreated teachers are in America!
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I rarely ever buy books. Maybe one or two a year? I mostly get mine from libraries, and lately I haven't been asking or receiving ARCs/Finished books. But I am cleaning out books from my shelf to give to my local library. They rarely have new books as well, and they're always happy to receive anything.
You are totally making a difference, keep up the awesomeness! You're such a cool teacher!
-Kirthi