This is such a cool idea! For everyone who weeds books, but feels kind of guilty about it. For everyone who has books that aren’t quite nice enough to be on the shelves, but not so raggedy they need to be thrown away. For everyone who wants to promote new strategies for communication across all kinds of formats for their patrons.

This! This is a very fun, interesting, and entirely workable plan for any library, school or otherwise, to try!

Check out this article excerpt, and read the whole thing, from School Library Journal, here.

“Graffiti books invite students to write (yes, write!) all over the book while reading. We encourage readers to share their views, likes, dislikes, questions, and doodles as a way to create a discussion with past and future readers. They each annotate in a different color so that the next student knows who “said” what. This continuing process, as more and more people add their own graffiti to the book, creates a visual history of readers.

When we started this project, we used books purchased through a grant. But as the popularity grew, it was soon obvious we needed more books. Budgets are tight, and administrators are skeptical of writing in books. So instead of seeking new books, we looked to what we already had—the weeded titles that we couldn’t quite part with. Suddenly, we had new material for the students’ notes and gave new life to those books once destined to leave the library. And it was free! 

So how can you create your own library of graffiti books on a budget? 

Do your regular weeding, but before deleting, select titles in good condition that you think deserve another opportunity to be read. 

We mark the spines of all our graffiti books with colored or patterned tape without covering the call numbers.

In the Marc records you can indicate it as a graffiti book under special notes if you choose. Our collection has a designated shelf in each genre for the graffiti books. We also have a cart labeled “graffiti books” for new books and those recently revived as graffiti books. 

When students check out a graffiti book, they receive a bookmark with suggestions for how to comment and a colored pen to identify their voice among the others who write in the book.
During our orientation with classrooms each semester, we talk about the project. We also presented the books to the teachers in our district during staff meetings and invited them to participate. Many did, which helped to promote, model, and gain even more interest. We found that our students wanted to read what their teachers were writing in the margins and were excited to see how others would respond to their comments. 

Academically, students are building important skills in a fun way. Graffiti books ask students to be active learners through annotation. They encourage independent reading and foster self-directed learning as they select books and create conversations on the pages. Each comment contributes to the ongoing dialogue that helps readers gain new insights.”

This sounds so interesting! Give it a try, and we would love to hear from you! You can read the whole article from School Library Journal right here.