A lot of our schools have book fairs. We offer no opinions on them, but pass on an interesting take on the subject, from the AASL.
Are book fairs good for your school? Are they helping your library? We are available to discuss them any time with you.
By Elizabeth Kyser
My book fair is coming in a few weeks. I may be in the minority, but
it is not my favorite week of the year. Not even close. This is not a
reflection at all on the vendor I use for the book fair nor my local
representative of that vendor. Both are wonderful and helpful.
I dislike the book fair because I dislike why I have to do it. What
other profession has to raise money for the very supplies they require?
Surgeons don’t have to raise money for scalpels. Accountants don’t have
to raise money for computer software. Yet, schools and school libraries
are forced to beg for what we need. I dislike the book fair because I
work at a high-poverty elementary school. When you work at such a
school, it can be heartbreaking to have a book fair with literally
thousands of dollars in inventory and so many kids can’t afford to buy
ANYTHING. Yes, I know we can request bargain books and I do. But the
parents have to be able to afford the bargain books and value books in
general, and often, they cannot. I dislike seeing my students cry over
books they can’t purchase–the very thing I strive to put in their hands
for free, year round.
I dislike the book fair because it is exhausting. I consider myself
to be a very hard worker and I truly love my job. I love talking about
books and getting kids excited about them. That kind of exhaustion is
okay–at least I hope I am making a difference at the end of each day.
The book fair does not make much of a difference in my kids’ lives in
the long term. It is tiring to handle the money, inventory, parental
concerns, wish lists, and so forth…and still keep my fixed schedule of
30 classes a week.
I still have two book fairs each school year. The reason is why you
all do them, too. I simply have to in order to have the quality,
library-bound books that my students need at our library. My library
budget is not the lowest in my county nor the largest. It is a decent
budget and I am grateful for it. However, the budget alone is barely
enough to keep up with lost and damaged books, let alone purchase new
and exciting titles. My students in high poverty often have chaotic
lives. Books get lost in a move or damaged frequently due to transiency.
Last year, I weeded thousands of books in my collection. Weeding has
many benefits and one of them is that it shows what your collection is
lacking. To purchase books that my collection needs requires money. So a
book fair becomes an unfortunate necessity.
Because book fairs are not going away, I have made changes that help
me keep my sanity and raise some money. I no longer have any browsing
days. I have the book fair for one week Monday through Friday. I stick
to my fixed schedule. If kids forget money on their library day, they
are always welcome to shop at any time that week with their teacher’s
permission. We have a two-hour evening family event and although I wish I
could have food trucks, a storyteller, and other fun things on that
night, it is not feasible with my school community. I keep it low key
but fun, too.
It is sometimes difficult to hear my colleagues at other schools
across the country say how much money they raise. They are very lucky,
indeed. Does my school library suffer as a result? I hope not and I try
very hard to make sure it doesn’t. As one of my favorite books says, “I
never want to look at my students and see dollar signs.” Still, more
money means author visits, new makerspace equipment, and more books, for
sure.
When I have my book fair in a few weeks, I will look forward to the
child whose face lights up when they purchase a much-wanted book or when
they can buy a pencil or a poster. Although they don’t know it, I
depend on these positive interactions to get me through the week. Every
little penny adds up and I hope to make enough to add to our
ever-growing graphic novel collection.
