4 Ideas for Collecting Overdue Library Books
You CAN make the overdue book return process fun! Get ready for some simple tips for collecting library books at the end of the year!
If you’re reading this, it must be that time of year again. Time to collect ALLLLLLLLLL the library books. It can be a really daunting process, but after a few years of practice, I’ve learned to love the challenge! I’m sharing my 4 best ideas to retrieve as many books as possible at the end of the year. The plan is not fool-proof, but it’s definitely helped me collect a lot of books over the years!
SET REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
First of all, let’s recognize that every school library and school district is different. In my district, teacher-librarians (in conversation with the school administrator) can decide how hard they will push to collect books from students at the end of the year.
I usually aim to have my lost books at under 80. My best year was about 30, and I’d love to beat that someday! Don’t forget that this number is relative. Base your number on your school population, as well as student sign-out habits.
CLASS CONTEST!
This is the most exciting part of the book collection for me! To start this process, I set up a chart to display in the library window.
The chart has all of the classes along the left side, and the dates along the top. Each day I update the overdue numbers for each class, and the students can track the numbers along with me. I love a bit of healthy competition, and this has worked well for us! I offer a prize to the first class in each grade division that returns all of their books.
The next year I created a similar chart by division and a book theme. I wrote each class above a book, and updated the sticky note each day to reflect their outstanding books.
In addition to the paper charts, I’ve also added the class overdue information on our library TV. It displays a slideshow with announcements and photos for students. They enjoy watching the messages, so I’m happy they see the overdue information here as well!
PERSONAL CHATS
Whenever I speak with students about overdue books, I ALWAYS start by telling them they are not in trouble. Many students get nervous as soon as they think a lecture is coming….especially if they know they have lost the book. After I reassure them that we’re just chatting, I ask them when they saw it last, and we make a plan for them to search their home and classroom.
If they insist that they returned it already, I get them to help me do a quick check in the library. I’ve found these individual chats have been really helpful not only get books returned but also to develop deeper connections with students.
HANDOUTS
As I mentioned early, let’s recognize that every school library and district are different. I am sure many of us have the ability to print out little slips with overdue book titles with student names. I like printing out slips (as opposed to the full page letters) because I hate wasting paper.
For older kids, I usually just give them the skinny printouts, but these don’t work as well for younger students. So, I created a little note template to attach to these slips that gives a bit more information to students and parents. I also use these for older students when I’m in overdue crunch time.
If you’re looking for friendly overdue messages to attach to your printouts OR to include the book name directly, check out these Overdue Library Book Notices for Google Slides. You can customize these templates to your heart’s desire!
BONUS IDEA - Make sure to show this video to your students! It will be stuck in their heads forever!
Let me know in the comments if you have any tried-and-true tips that have worked for your book collection!
Best of luck!
Jenn