Safely Checking Out Books in Your Classroom Library During Covid-19

As we start to look toward the start of the school year, there are many unknowns.  It’s like a whirlwind of thoughts, worries, and ideas.  I decided to take a look at some things that I can control as we move forward.  The first thing I wanted to tackle is: The Classroom Library.  I want to allow my students to read books because it is vitally important for their growth and development as students.  I had to do some research and gather some ideas as to how to exchange books and do so in a safe manner. 

Disclaimer: This article is for ideas only.  It is vitally important that you look at your own school’s guidelines and the safety guidelines of the CDC. 

As you look at your own classroom library I hope that these ideas can guide you to help you make your decisions.  It is my hope that when done safely, my students can have a steady stream of new reading materials and this will help them balance their use of technology.  It is my hope to have students return their books, to quarantine books, and then to safely start circulating them again to other students.

A Safe Checkout

In order to ensure the safety of students checking out books, I am planning on making it Teacher Check Out only.  As much as I love seeing students flipping through my different book bins (see my classroom library here), I think it is best that they don’t do that for the time being.  I plan on creating a Book Menu for my students to look through.  I am not going to list every single book we have in the classroom library (because who has time for that), but I am going to make some categories and feature some of the more popular books/series on the menu.  Kids can either access the menu on a computer and jot down their choices, or I can print and have them circle.  I might even print in color (yikes!) and stick the menus in plastic sheet protectors…kids can circle in dry erase markers and then we can reuse. If you would like to use mine, you can get it for FREE in our Free Resource Library. the printable version isn’t editable, but the digital version is (so you can adjust for the books you have).

A Check Out/Check In Schedule

Once students look over the book menu, I plan to let them choose 3 books per week to start.  Obviously if they finish their books, they can get more, but I am going to start with 3 books per person. This will ensure that if they start a book and it is not for them, they will have other options to read (without needing to check out more books).

I am creating a book check in/check out schedule.  I intend to do this on Fridays.  Students will have the ability to return books they are finished with, and they can put in their order for 3 new books.  They will receive their new books and they will be able to store their books in their desk and/or bring them home.  If a students is not finished or wants to keep any books, they will be able to do so.  I am going to put the bin out on Friday mornings and students will be able to drop the books off as they walk through the door and/or unpack in the morning. 

A Quarantine Return Bin

As students return their books, they will need to have a place to put them.  I am designating a large bin to collect any finished books.  I have created a variety of signs/labels to attach to my bin (FREE here)  This will let students know where to put their finished books and will also let them know NOT to take a book out of the bin.  This will help cut down any cross contamination.  I will leave this bin alone for 5-7 days before restocking the books to the classroom library myself.  This might be longer than the recommended 24-48 hours, but I read in the ALA that COVID-19 can live on surfaces for up to three days.  I also read that the NCPTT states the virus can live on paper for 4-5 days.

I am planning to put more books on display in my classroom as well.  I have some of those book stands that they have at the library and will have a few displays on top of my shelves etc.  This will allow kids to point or jot down the names of books they want to read.  I hope to have my students keep a list of books they want to read on the inside cover of their reading notebook.  If a book they want to read is in quarantine, they will have it listed for the next time they get to pick books.

Safety Precautions

I am going to wash my own hands with warm soapy water after handling any materials that have been in my students’ homes or handled by others.  Since we are mandated to wear masks, I will be wearing a mask as well.  I have read that some people feel more comfortable wiping down the cover and spines of books with disinfectant, but I feel like it will be best for me to wait the designated times listed above instead. 

Home Reading

I hope to send my books home with the kids like I normally do. If I quarantine the books when they return, I think that this will be possible. I require my students to do 15 minutes of nightly reading. I use these BINGO boards ever since I gave up the reading log battle. I LOVE THEM! Parents LOVE THEM! Kids LOVE THEM! I just want to make sure that kids have the chance to read read read!

So all in all, it is going to be different and weird and crazy this year.  I am hoping that decisions are made in our best interest and the best interest of children.  I want to start to think about certain little things in my classroom that will need a different procedure if we are in the classroom or if we are doing a hybrid model.  At the end of the day, kids need books…real paper books…not just a book on a screen.  This is a small step, but hopefully you were able to get some good ideas that you are able to use as well! 

Sending good vibes your way!

~Heather