Keeping classroom library books organized can be a really big challenge. Most systems that organize books (and KEEP them organized) take some effort up front. There are many ways to organize your books (author, reading level), but one of the easiest ways to organize your books is by topic. Choose colors (or color combinations) to represent each topic. Choose easy topics such as animals, feelings, fairy tales, holidays, etc. If you have lots of books about the same character (e.g. Clifford the Big Red Dog, etc.) then give those books their own color. Using colored dot stickers and clear tape to reinforce the stickers, take some time before the start of the school year to knock out labeling your books. I know this will take time, but this way, your students will be able to easily organize your library if it gets messy.

This system may not work for every teacher. For example, some schools use a reading points system (e.g. Accelerated Reader where kids take tests on books they’ve read to earn a certain number of AR points). This kind of system often requires a different kind of organization- maybe one where books are organized by point value. Other schools require students to read only at their reading level. If you teach at one of these schools, you can still use the same idea of colored dots to organize your books (each color represents a reading level range).

Whatever you do, make it effective and clear so your students can help you keep your library organized! For ideas about book check-out, click here.