Setting up a Street Library for your School Library

 We had been bouncing around ideas for how to dispose of our weeded books for a while.

A plastic container in the corner of the school library with a sign saying "free stuff" just wasn't cutting it. Messy, disorganised and a missed opportunity to promote what we do in the school library. I had discussed a few times with maintenance the idea of re-fashioning an old bookcase like a house where we could place it in front of the Library as a point of interest. But the idea was clunky and didn't offer more than another place to dump weeded books and rubbish.

With covid-19 lockdown and cabin fever, I found myself exploring our local streets and came across a street library in one of our local parks. Excitedly we took along an old Dan Brown book and exchanged it for a more interesting book by Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go.

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We incorporated the idea of finding a local street library into our wider reading presentations and many students recognised what they were and were excited to exchange a book.

Why would you get a 'street library' for your school?

We started to investigate the possibility of getting a street library for our school:

• We can use it as a promotional tool for School Library events. For example: CBCA Book Week.
• We can move it throughout the school and have it present at events with weeded books, promotional bookmarks and postcards. For example: During orientation week for Year 7's or leading into the holidays in the staffroom. Bookmarks promote what the library is doing.
• To make books more accessible to students and staff who might not visit the school library for other than photocopying facilities. For example: In the VCE area, promoting age specific books to Year 11's and 12's.

With Covid-19 we will have hand sanitiser inside it for students who are mindful of germs.

How would you go about organising it?

You can buy the flat packs and stands from Street Library Australia, but our maintenance team welcomed a fun project and knocked up a box from marine ply. It will be mounted on a stand with lockable castors and handles to move it around the school.

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Maintenance are painting the street library in weathershield paint and we were thinking of holding a competition to see if a student/s would like to paint the street library with their bookish designs.

Students can submit their designs via an online classroom or email and there might be a book voucher involved as part of the prize pack. Maintenance are going to mix us some paint pots of weathershield of primary colours so that the students can paint their designs.

My home street library

Of course, this tale would not be complete without sharing our own 'Kammelot' Street Library, (not a spelling mistake, a play on our last names). 

During lockdown I convinced my father-in-law to make me a street library from an old bookcase and we have bought the plates and are going to register it with Street Library Australia.

As a holiday activity, my daughter painted some of her own designs on it.

We are all excited about including some weeded books from our own library in the street library and seeing how it goes!

Has your local community got their own street library?