HIT:Book Swap 6

[kahoover <kahoover@FTC-I.NET>]

I have done book swaps in elementary media centers.  Here's how ours
worked--

*Collecting books*
First of all, I seeded the initial collection by donating paperbacks
weeded from our
        collection and/or those bought at yard sales or the public
library sales.
Students bring in up to 5 *paperback* (no hardback) books.
I give them one carnival-type ticket that I have stamped with my unique
stamp on the
        back (or you could easily make tickets & Xerox).
Have students write their name on the tickets to discourage other
students from
        swiping them.
Collect all books during a couple of days during the parts of the day
that are
        convenient for you and for the teachers.

*Distributing books*
I placed a portion (1/3?) of the books collected on a couple of library
tables before
        school, during lunch, and after school (again, whenever
convenient for students
        involved to get to you)
Students w/tickets came in and selected the books they wanted; paid with
their tickets.
I did this on several days (and put out a new 1/3 of the collected books
+leftovers from
        day before so that those scheduled on the last day wouldn't have
just the
        rejects)

It all worked OK  but....
1)It later came up in our county media specialists meeting that there
might be a
        "selection" conflict here.  Students and parents MUST be aware
that we have no
        way of knowing the content of every book and though we'll try,
we cannot be
        responsible for content.
2)I did get some old, very old, college texts, some "adult" fiction,
some "baby"
        fiction.  I just put those aside (and wondered why people cannot
follow
        directions) and it worked out OK because of the books I
"planted" in the
        beginning.
3)One student took a paperback from the classroom library, ripped out
the identifying
        marks and used that to get his ticket! :(

What I'd rather do...
I'd like to ask students to donate their already-read paperbacks and
sell them for $.25
each.  They'd still get new books to read; I'd make a little $$ for the
library; and
most of all, probably every student would be able to purchase one.
We're in a city
school and I'd bet that some students do not have a paperback at home to
donate but
could probably come up with 25 cents.  Our students also earn "Cadet
Coupons" for
behavior and maybe they could use those to purchase the books w/without
reimbursement to
me from the office.  (The principal and I worked out a deal for the book
fair and using
those coupons were VERY popular!)

The book swap is really pretty easy to do, though, if that's what you
decide.  (In one
elementary school, the Girl Scouts collected already-read books,
including, picture
books, and donated them to a shelter.  That was also very popular!)




I've done a book swap at my K-6 school the past 3 years as part of our
School Library Media month celebration in April. I allow only books in
decent condition - they can't be ripped or written in, but they don't
have to look new. I buy a roll of tickets at a party supply store. When
students bring in books, we write their name on a list and how many
books they brought in. They get a ticket for each book they bring in and
they use the tickets to get new books. I have large paper boxes labeled
for each grade. Students may choose books from their grade level box and
the grade level above and below theirs. I usually supplement what's in
the boxes with spare paperbacks that I have. I started with 3 books
maximum per student and now allow them to bring in 5 maximum. I wouldn't
allow a large number of books unless you have a lot of help for record
keeping and assistance when they choose their new books. Hope this
helps.



I would be interested in a "hit" on this.  I would think about having
"coupons" based on the books brought in.  This would take some time on
your
part, as more up-to-date PB in good condition should be worth more than
older less interesting titles.  Maybe 3 or 4 levels of "coupons".
Depending on how many are participating, I would set the books out like
a
"book fair" and students with coupons could come in at a prescribed
buying
time or times, after all books to be swapped have been collected.
Students
need to realize, though, that they may end up with coupons and nothing
available that they want--but that is probably just the risk they take
in
participating.  Maybe those who brought in enough books to earn a
certain
level of coupon points could be first to choose from the book swap.



I have done this several times through the years, and the kids really
enjoy
it.  As a matter of fact, I'm doing it again this spring because they
begged
me!  We call ours a "Brown Bag Book Exchange".  Each child who wants to
participate brings his/her books to school in a brown grocery bag
labeled
with name, grade/teacher, and number of books to be exchanged.  We have
a
large box for each grade participating, and we sort the books the those
boxes.
Yes, a paperback is equal to a hardback, and yes, you can refuse
anything
that's inappropriate or not in good shape.  A couple of other things to
consider:  try to have some spare books on hand (either bring some from
home,
ask teachers to contribute, or whatever) because no matter what you do,
some
books are just not attractive to the kids and send home a letter
explaining
the process to the parents.  On the day of the exchange the kids bring
their
empty brown bags and choose the same number of books that they brought.
I
know this is kind of complicated - please let me know if you have any
questions or if you have any great suggestions for other people.



I used to do book swaps and they were very successful.  They are a lot
of work.  Here are some suggestions to make it go more smoothly.

-Give each child a coupon for each book they bring in to exchange for
another book.
-Have a day or two set aside for students to bring in books and a day or
days to select books.
-Have a understanding that they will not always find the book they want
and they can give away their coupons if they want.
-It is most difficult to get books for older students as they usually
bring in books that they have outgrown.
-Have someone help you group books by interest and reading level.
-Let the oldest students choose first as they will have fewer to choose
from.
If you have some paperbacks that you are discarding that would appeal to
the older students, put them out.
-Have some rules set up for what you will accept and will not accept.
For instance,  board books would probably not appeal to kindergarten
students even.
-We found that just before summer break was a good time as students need
summer reading materials.

I hope these suggestions help.  Just writing them down might inspire me
to try again.




We have a book exchange every year at Children's Book Week.  We
make up some slips of paper called "Book Bucks".  We send a letter home
about a week before explaining the rules -- no torn up books, no adult
books, no McDonald's freebie books-- must be in good condition and age
appropriate.  Then on given dates, students bring in their books.  We
limit them to 3 books.  We examine every book and if it meets specs, we
give them a book buck (which they write their names on right then)  and
we
write their name and teacher's name and the #
of books they brought in a notebook.  (We do this the week before CBW.)
We sort and box the books according to grade level although we try to
have a good mix for those who might read below or above grade level.
On the set day during CBW, we spread out all the books for a particular
grade, and that group comes and brings their book bucks and they "buy" a
new book.  If they forget their book buck, we have written down how many
books they get.  We always add about 50 new books (from Book Fairs) so
that there will be plenty of books to choose from.
        This description may be a little disorganized, but as I thought
of
something we did, I tried to add it in.  We have done this for several
years, and it has worked pretty well.



Karen Hoover, Library/Media Specialist
Cherryvale Elementary School
Sumter, SC
kahoover@FTC-I.NET

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