November 23rd, 2020
When students aren't allowed in the library, how can you help them—especially younger kids—pick out items they want? We are proud of the creative solutions librarians continue to develop, including this cool idea from a fellow Alexandria user, Deanna Contrino! Since her students aren't allowed in the library, she created reusable library cards with "book menus."
Here are some photos of an example card from Deanna.
On Deanna's cards, one side has a "book menu" and the other side has the student's name and barcode. The book menu lists different categories of books that students can choose from. For younger kids, there are also options for information vs. fiction and read alone vs. picture books. When Deanna visits classrooms and passes out the cards, students circle the type of book they'd like with a dry-erase marker. She can then pick out an appropriate book for each student, check it out to them with the card, and then drop off the books in the classroom.
How can you use these in your own library? Follow the steps below!
Materials: postcard paper (or other sturdy paper), printer, Alexandria labels, laminator or page protectors, scissors
Print one book menu onto each postcard.
Remember to print the book menus at the right size! |
And there you have it! Feel free to adapt this idea to what would work best for your library. If you give it a try, let us know how it's going in the comments below. And thank you to Deanna Contrino for sharing this awesome idea!
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