If you are in a public school library, you may have already heard of Donors Choose. It can be a great way to bring materials not otherwise in the budget, or to pay for a special program or set of materials for your students!
“We were started by a history teacher. In 2000, Charles Best, a teacher at a Bronx public high school, wanted his students to read Little House on the Prairie. As he was making photocopies of the one book he could procure, Charles thought about all the money he and his colleagues were spending on books, art supplies, and other materials. And he figured there were people out there who’d want to help — if they could see where their money was going. Charles sketched out a website where teachers could post classroom project requests, and donors could choose the ones they wanted to support. His colleagues posted the first 11 requests. Then it spread. Today, we’re open to every public school in America. Continue reading Could your school library use some money? Try Donors Choose!→
Did you know 97 percent of school librarians pay for school items with their own money? On average, in the last 12 months, middle and junior high school librarians used $423 of their own funds! These numbers come from a recent School Library Journal poll of 353 respondents.
The article shares many statistics about school librarians spending their own money at school. Where does the money go? The top three categories: books, office supplies, and prizes and giveaways.
Within the article, DonorsChoose.org receives mention and how it’s becoming another venue for educators to find money for their media center. Recently, CMLE wrote about DonorsChoose.org and its impact for educators.
Do you spend your own money at your media center or library? Why or why not?
Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/o4onocb, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Chosen as one of Fast Company’s most innovative companies of 2014, Donorschoose.org is creating some buzz in the education world. Comparable to “Kickstarter,” Donorschoose.org allows teachers, media specialists, and other “front-line educators” to request funds directly from individuals.
“DonorsChoose.org enables teachers to request materials and resources for their classrooms and makes these project requests available to individual donors through its website.”
