How to Make the Most of Your School Library
As teachers, we all want to inspire the children in our schools to love reading. 2026 is the National Year of Reading so there is no better time to make this happen!
Schools are at the heart of bringing the campaign to life by offering children a choice of reading materials and showing that that reading connects to who they are and what they care about. School libraries have long been under-funded and many are in need of care and attention so we’ve created an easy guide to help you make the most of your school library.
Think of your library as a bookshop: it needs to look inviting, colourful and inspiring.
Carry out an Audit
Ditch ripped, tatty and damaged books.
Get rid of old books where the font is too tiny to read easily.
Think about the values you promote as a school - do your books encourage kindness and inclusivity?
Less is more. Hundreds of squeezed in books is overwhelming and difficult to navigate.
This often takes time that is in short supply. Plan a staff meeting and all pitch in or get in touch and we can carry out an audit for you.
2. Purchasing New Stock
Set you budget before you start.
Do you need direct replacements for any damaged books? Popular titles need replacing frequently.
Fiction Stock
Do you have any poetry or graphic novels?
Have you got good representation of a diverse range of characters and families?
Is there enough challenge for older and more able students and support for new free readers?
Have you got new titles in popular series?
Is there a range of high quality books (not just Diary of a Wimpy Kid!)
Whilst history books don’t need updating too often; science, computing and geography books do. Check the books you have got are correct!
Are there any areas of your curriculum that aren’t represented?
Do you have books about modern issues that interest children such as Climate Change and AI?
Head over to our library collections page for pre-made collections organised by topic and age. We also offer a bespoke library service where we will create a quote tailored specifically to your school’s requirements and budget which also includes a minimum of 20% discount.
3. Shelving Stock
The aim here is to ensure children can easily find books they are looking for and to inspire them to choose new authors.
Group popular series together on individual shelves like trees or book spinners. Place these towards the back of the library so children have to walk past everything else to get to them.
Alphabetise authors so children can quickly locate new books. If you have space, I would always recommend separating easier and harder chapter books roughly thinking about Y2, 3 and 4 together and Y5 & 6 separately.
Place some forward facing books on every shelf.
Create areas to display new stock and get monthly deliveries to create a buzz. Make the most of our Book Launch Collections with the best new books chosen for your school each month.
4. Library Maintenance
Before you open the library to everyone, show your Reading Ambassadors how the shelving is organised.
Ensure staff know where books for their classes are shelved and provide recommendations for class stories.
Use a sign in/out system to track stock.
Deliver an assembly to create excitement about the new books and to explain how to care for them.
5. Get Kids Reading
Timetable when classes or children can use the library or pop in to change books.
Involve the children in requesting and choosing new stock. Provide a request box where they can let you know that they want the next book in a series etc…
Create a recommendations/reviews display where children can recommend books to their peers.
Can you get a weekly/monthly magazine subscription to diversify what is on offer?
Recommended Reads for Year 5
Reading for pleasure is all about choice. When children are able to choose freely their reading becomes theirs. Give time for them to chat, make recommendations and not be constrained by bands. Organisation matters. We need children to be able to see what is on offer and be able to find what they love so they can be inspired. Show your library some love this year and watch your children reconnect with reading.
