Optimum Organization: Classroom Library

Organization is one of the keys to my happiness!  I cannot function without a system for EVERYTHING!  I am one of THOSE people where everything has a place and must return to that place when no longer in use.  I don’t do well with clutter and my students soon find that they are responsible for taking care of “our classroom”. 

Today I am linking up with Elizabeth at Fun in Room 4B and Kristen at Ladybug’s Teachers File for their new linky party… Optimum Organization.  I will be watching this linky very carefully.  I love new ideas on better ways to organize my room.

I am going to share how my classroom library is organized.  I have over 3,000 books in my classroom library and almost 300 books that we use for literature circles.  I have tried many different ways to get things organized, but this has been my favorite.  They have been organized this way for 4 years.

The library is located in three different areas of my room.  One section contains fiction books, one section contains nonfiction books with the exception of fairytales, fables, folktales and legends and the last section contains books that focus on math and they are kept in the math area of my classroom.

All of the books are kept in baskets. Baskets do require more shelf space, but for me this is the best option.  The baskets truly help the students keep the books organized. 

·      Picture books are organized by alphabetical order by book title.

·      Chapter books are organized by favorite authors, genres, and series.

·      Informational books are organized by subject: science, biographies, places, United States, reference, animals, marine life, reptiles, insects, plants, weather, solar system, history, careers, reference, facts, and grammar.

·      I also have baskets of short stories, poetry, folktales, fairytales, fables, and legends.

Here are several pictures of my classroom library. 

Literature circle book sets are hidden behind the curtains.

 

 

 

Students are responsible for replacing their books in the correct basket.  In the inside back cover of each chapter book, I place stickers listing the genre, basket number, whether it is part of a series, or a favorite author.  For informational books, the sticker will show the subject.  This has been a TREMENDOUS help to me and my students.  After much modeling at the beginning of the year, most books are returned to their correct basket.   I do have a “librarian” that checks a few baskets at the end of the day to make sure that books are in the correct place.

 

How do you organize your library? 

I hope you will stop by Fun in Room 4B and Ladybug’s TeachersFile to learn of other great ways to organize your room. 

I look forward to responding to any comments, suggestions, or questions you may have about my classroom library.