Building a classroom library is one of the most important things you can do as an educator. Fostering a love of reading in your students is essential to developing the literacy skills that form the building blocks of all learning.  

If you’re looking at empty shelves and wondering where to begin, or if you’re curious about ways to improve your already amazing library, we’ve got the links you need below! Scroll to find that new classroom library resource that will leave you wondering how you ever survived without it. 

1. Booksource Classroom’s LibraryLens Feature 

Booksource Classroom is a free online tool for digitally organizing your classroom library. You can import your books, allow students to check out and review titles and analyze your available title data. 

One of the favorite features of our Booksource Classroom users is LibraryLens. It automatically evaluates the books in your classroom library, identifies gaps and suggests the right titles to fill those gaps. This means you can perform a digital audit of your books, in categories like diversity, genre, year published and subject matter.  

Then, based on what is already in your library, LibraryLens will recommend new titles to enhance your classroom! Building an inclusive classroom library takes time, thought and effort. It’s important to regularly evaluate the books you offer and remove outdated titles and books that feature stereotypical representations. It’s also important to incorporate recently published titles and introduce a wider variety of experiences and perspectives whenever possible. This tool will make that process much faster. 

Read more about Booksource Classroom: 

How to Analyze Your Classroom Library for Diversity 
6 Essential Tips for Organizing Your Classroom Library 
5 Things Booksource Classroom Tells Us About Student Book Choices 
Top 5 Reasons to Create a Booksource Classroom Account 

2. Webinars 

Easily accessible and filled with great information, webinars are the perfect resource for learning best practices and seeing how your fellow educators organize and utilize their classroom libraries. Get expert tips and even title recommendations!  

To find the perfect webinar for you, do a quick online search. You should also be sure to subscribe to emails from your favorite education-based websites, publications and vendors (like Booksource), for the most up-to-date information.  

Click on a webinar title below to get started: 

Starting a Classroom Library 
Refreshing a Classroom Library 
New and Exciting Diverse Books 
What is a Diverse and Inclusive Classroom Library? 
How to Craft Your Diverse and Inclusive Classroom Library 
Using Diverse and Inclusive Texts in Your Classroom 

3. Booksource’s Literacy Account Managers 

Booksource is a leading provider of classroom libraries and educational materials for school districts and classroom teachers. We make your job easier by offering free support and personalized assistance from a dedicated Literacy Accounts Manager before, during and after purchase. Think of your Literacy Accounts Manager as your personal shopper!  

Our team has in-depth knowledge of classroom libraries and how books support classroom instruction. They can build classroom libraries and create title lists tailored to your learning objectives and student population. You can count on your Literacy Accounts Manager to listen carefully to your needs and recommend the right Booksource products and services to meet them. 

Not only are they a source of expertise, but they will make sure your classroom library books are ready to put on the shelf right out of the boxes that are mailed to you by packing and organizing how you like. If requested, we organize books in sets and put sets in bags by level, theme or teacher. We can also put books in bins or put sets in boxes by teacher. Let your Literacy Accounts Manager know what your distribution needs are when you place your order and you won’t have to waste time sorting and organizing books after they arrive. 

To get set up with your own Literacy Accounts Manager, call 800.444.0435 or email us at literacy@booksource.com!  

4. New Reads Booklists 

It’s important to keep the books in your classroom library fresh and relevant to ensure your students stay interested and feel represented. Never miss a new release when you check Booksource Banter on the 1st of every month for a new blog that lists all upcoming titles, including those new to paperback! 

Get that new book in the series your little readers can’t put down or discover new stories from your favorite authors. If you are a literacy coach looking to cover a span of grade levels in your library, consider our New Reads by Month collections, where you can buy all new titles published in each month. 

5. Budget-Friendly Best Sellers Collections 

We understand that money is often an obstacle to providing the best for your students. When you’re on a budget, you have to make the most of every dollar. Our Budget-Friendly Best Sellers collections are tailor-made for classroom teachers who need a great selection of engaging titles at a reasonable price point. Each collection costs right around $100.  

Whether you’re just beginning to grow a classroom library, or would like to update your existing library, you can shop by grade and topic, as well as specific genres and content areas. Above, On and Below Level Collections are also available if you’re looking for a good mix of leveled books. Buy one collection at a time, or mix and match your favorites for a quick and easy way to round out any classroom library. 

6. Printable Reading Level Chart 

Reading levels can serve as a helpful tool for educators. Use this Reading Level Chart to better understand how the common leveling systems correlate to one another and match students to texts that can be read with success.  

Bookmark this link in your browser to access a digital and interactive version of the chart. You can then start shopping for books by reading level by clicking on your desired Grade, Guided Reading or Lexile Level. 

Or download and print the chart to keep at your desk or wherever you will use it most! 

7. Classroom Library Continuum 

Classroom libraries are one of the best ways to provide the book choice and access students need to discover the joys of independent reading. But a classroom library is also an exceptional teaching tool that educators can draw from in many different ways: modeling fluency through read alouds, teaching strategies during reading and writing workshop, scaffolding lessons for intervention, demonstrating how to use books for research and so much more. Students can (and should) be interacting and engaging with books in your classroom library in a variety of ways throughout the school day. 

Finding more time to incorporate books and reading into an already jam-packed schedule of daily lessons can be a challenge, so we’ve developed the Classroom Library Continuum to help you visualize all your classroom library can do! 

If you are only using the books in your classroom for independent reading, click above to learn how you can use a classroom library in new and exciting ways! 

8. Checklists 

Is there anything more satisfying than checking an item off a list? Checklists are great for making sure you have all the components of a successful classroom library. 

All the free printables we’ve created over the years, including checklists for creating an inclusive classroom library, starting a classroom library and refreshing a classroom library are now available for easy download at the bottom of this page. Some of these resources can help you grow your knowledge of classroom libraries and discover new books to add, while others are designed for you to share with your students to engage them in literacy and reading! 

9. The Online Community

Often, the best classroom library tips and advice come from other educators. Connect with teachers and administrators across the country on social media and blogs. Follow your favorite education-based sites to stay up to date on resources and join conversations about trending topics. You can also find grassroots groups like Project LIT that work to empower teachers across the country. 

Click the logos above to find and follow Booksource on social media and join our community of educators who are passionate about books, reading and classroom libraries! 

What other classroom library resources do you find helpful in your day-to-day job? Share in the comments below!