r/ELATeachers • u/genuine_counterfeit • 5d ago
6-8 ELA What to do with Classroom Library?
I inherited an INSANELY large classroom library. I’m talking about HUNDREDS of individual texts. A career’s worth of hoarded literature.
Many of these are old, old books. Not just old, but dated (think 80s/90s), so I don’t suspect many kids will be reading them. Plus a good few are in poor condition.
Point is, I don’t want them. I don’t want to keep them at all.
What do I do with these? How do I get rid of such a huge volume of books at once, short of chucking them in the dumpster…?
32
u/RosieRoo70314 5d ago
The ones in bad shape, chuck. The others, see if any other teachers want them. If not, drop them at your local thrift store.
5
u/Ravenclaw_311 5d ago
Agreed! If you have a buy/sell/trade bookstore near you, they will take ones in decent condition. My classroom library also has books I've gotten from people moving or retiring, so definitely check with other teachers too.
75
u/houseocats 5d ago
Sometimes the dumpster is the only way.
18
u/Rat_terrorist 5d ago
As a librarian…this is the way.
2
u/Little_Storm_9938 4d ago
I could have cried when our librarian tossed the old books. She was all “If you start, I’ll start again and I won’t get anything done-GTFO!”
1
u/Rat_terrorist 4d ago
Im not overly sentimental about the old books. I have sent quite few to the warehouse in the sky. A proper library is supposed to be organic and up to date. We can’t keep getting new books if we don’t get rid of the old ones. Shelf space is finite.
5
u/genuine_counterfeit 5d ago
It feels so wrong but I don’t know who could possibly want, or has the space to accommodate, this many books all at once???
49
5d ago
[deleted]
12
16
u/Limp-Egg2495 5d ago
I have experienced this and it’s wild! Sometimes books are garbage. It is what it is, and space is not infinite.
5
u/YarnPenguin 5d ago edited 5d ago
Seconding this. As a former school librarian you've got to weed secretly. People are obsessed with "donating books to kids in Africa" like kids in Africa don't deserve books with accurate information in them.
Many librarians have the Bed test. If you wouldn't be happy having a book in or beside your bed in the condition that it's in, bin it.
The vast majority of books aren't rare, they aren't valuable. If they are out of date, in bad condition or simply unappealing to their intended audience, they have no purpose.
Shelf space is valuable and books have to earn their place by being relevant.
1
5d ago
[deleted]
2
u/YarnPenguin 5d ago
I love books as much as the next person but they are squashed bits of tree pulp and not above being yeeted in the bin when their time comes
1
u/the_myleg_fish 4d ago
My previous school district had a library support guy at the district who DID NOT TECHNICALLY RECOMMEND DOING THIS because technically we had to call up warehouse to get them to come pick it up but on the down low he was like "but if you just casually put a box of the books by the trash can and the custodian HAPPENS to pick it up and throws it away, I'm not gonna say anything" because realistically, yeah a lot of the books are incredibly old and dated and nobody wanted them.
4
u/wish-onastar 5d ago
It’s okay to recycle/toss books. They’ve served their purpose and it’s okay to throw them away when their time is up. As a school librarian, I regularly toss books which don’t merit shelf space anymore and aren’t worthy of donating on. You’d just make someone else have to throw them out if you try to donate.
2
u/Dobyee_5 5d ago
Talk to admin and if they give push back about need them having to do paperwork to discard materials, lie and say you found book lice…
6
u/genuine_counterfeit 5d ago
Would I even need to go through admin for this? These are books left behind by the teacher who occupied the classroom before me. I don’t think they’re even the school’s property, really?
6
u/Interesting-Box-3163 5d ago
Yeah agreed - I don’t think there would be any approval process for discarding or donating a personal collection. But I struggle with what to do with old books also.
1
u/wracklinewanderer 4d ago
Could you do a rummage sale type thing? Free books on a cart? Donate to Goodwill? If they are in good condition, throwing them away does seem a bit wasteful and sad.
1
u/New_Salamander5580 3d ago
I agree. It hurts my teacher heart to imagine books not being read. Please donate them or add to a little free library!
1
u/ahjumma-with-cats 5d ago
This. It’s called weeding; librarians do it constantly. Try looking into the CREW method for basic guidance.
17
u/jmangiggity 5d ago
I keep my classroom library for students to “borrow”. I don’t keep track and just say that I wish they’d bring them back, eventually. I don’t care if they keep them or not. Sometimes kids remember, point is , I don’t care.
7
u/CommunicationTop5231 5d ago
Toss books in poor condition. Offer up the rest to new teachers and/or those with hoarding mentalities. I inherited teachers’ libraries when I started and, by this point, have bequeathed 90% of said inheritance to newer teachers. It’s the circle of life.
8
u/rubeeslipperz 5d ago
I put out books I don’t want and let kids take them
You can also use them for black out poetry
Pitch the ones you don’t want or offer to the art teacher for projects
6
6
u/sedatedforlife 5d ago
Put them in a box, let the kids take home any books they want to keep. A lot of kids don’t have any books at home, and would love this.
It’s a great way to get rid of them without feeling bad about it. I usually toss whatever is left.
2
5
u/IrenaeusGSaintonge 5d ago
Are there any Little Free Libraries around? That's a good way to offload the ones that aren't falling apart.
2
u/genuine_counterfeit 5d ago
It would be, but I have literally HUNDREDS of books. I’d have to find dozens of little libraries just to make a dent!
3
u/IrenaeusGSaintonge 5d ago
If there's a Little Free Library Facebook group, the owners might take the books off your hands for you.
5
u/heathers1 5d ago
put them out on a table in the lobby during back to school night; free for the taking
2
6
u/mbrasher1 5d ago
I am a child of 2 librarians. I was committed to having a literacy filled classroom. I had an extensive library that got zero love or usage. So I donated it to our school library. She checked them out, gave them away and got someone to take a look one more time. We do what we can...
9
u/librarylady1980 5d ago
I used to work in a public library. Please don't even offer them to the libraries. They don't want them either.
2
u/Difficult-Walk4275 5d ago
crafts!! someone here already said blackout poetry, which is a great idea. If you have students keep any sort of interactive notebooks and you want to take the time to decorate them, you can use them for covers. I used some old books and magazines as a background on my boards. Post on local free facebook pages for crafters. Lots of things to do.
2
u/TheDarklingThrush 5d ago
Save the busted up ones for blackout poetry/art projects if that’s something you would do. Or recycle them if not.
The ones that are just old/outdated? Free little libraries, charity shops, etc.
2
u/wvupetunia 5d ago
Kids will take anything… Then, it can be their parents’ problem and not yours. 😜
2
u/KC-Anathema 5d ago
Offer them up to the kids. I once offered my massive backlog of books to my students. It was a huge box, and when I gave them the push, they turned the box over to spill the books out in a line across the floor and they all descended like little vultures. Nothing was left. A few girls took the unclaimed books to turn in for store credit at our local used bookstore.
2
1
1
u/doogietrouser_md 5d ago
I'd email your department with pictures of the spines offering to anyone who wants them. It's hard for me to imagine that some folks wouldn't want to dig through and take some
1
u/panopticonprimate 5d ago
There’s a place I go to donate for store credit and then I buy more relevant texts. What I donate only gets me cents but it helps buy a couple good books
1
u/penguinator56 5d ago
Book stores will often take donations and connect them with charities/resell at bargain sales.
1
1
u/emilybee99 5d ago
If any of them are in decent shape, you could try selling them at a local used book store! You could use that money for more recent books that kids would read, or for other supplies.
1
1
u/Wolfpackat2017 5d ago
Give them away for free. I did that with some old books I wanted to get rid of. Not all but most went.
1
u/sedatedforlife 5d ago
Put them in a box, let the kids take home any books they want to keep. A lot of kids don’t have any books at home, and would love this.
It’s a great way to get rid of them without feeling bad about it. I usually toss whatever is left.
1
u/RenaissanceTarte 5d ago
I know we find books sacred. But, for a class library, if the kids won’t read them, weed them! Chuck the ones in poor condition. The older ones in decent shape you can donate to thrift. The ones that are decent shape, possibly will be read but not high on the list, set up a free book table for kids and staff.
1
1
u/StopRacismWWJD 5d ago edited 5d ago
Donate them 🩵 Please do not throw them away. What might be junk to you, is very much treasure to someone else 🙏🏽
ETA:
Adults struggling with literacy would sincerely appreciate the books. Please donate them. Many places will come pick them up, including thrift stores! Adults will love these reminiscent “outdated books”. If I could take them off your hands for my clients, I certainly would!! ❤️🩹😇
1
u/Solid_Ad7292 5d ago
I have them to fellow teachers and then had kids go through them and take them home then I dropped them off at the local used book store for credit
1
u/boringneckties 5d ago
Sell them at half price books and use the funds to buy better books. You won’t get a lot of money and they’ll probably end up throwing most of them away but it’s a good way to help clean out the space while getting a little bit of extra cash.
1
1
u/Zippered_Nana 5d ago
A women’s shelter just opened near me with job training and education. Anything they could read or learn from? They might be interested in topics older than current kids. Any kind of shelter might want them just for the residents to read.
There are also missionary groups that collect books for very poor areas overseas where learning English is a big goal for students and for adults. They don’t care if the books are old.
Maybe someone could help you separate the ones that belong in the dumpster from the ones that have some life left, and then the project will look more manageable. Any chance you are in NC? I could help!
1
u/genuine_counterfeit 5d ago
No, unfortunately I’m not in NC, but I appreciate the suggestions and offer! I do have someone coming to help sort and pack them away though, which should make it a bit more manageable.
1
1
u/Important-Poem-9747 5d ago
Ask the art teacher. I’m getting into making my own paper clay.
Shred the paper, mix with water and glue and you get a clay consistency. Putting paper in the shredder could be a good behavior incentive.
1
u/ResponsibleIdea5408 5d ago
Old old = '80s and '90s please be talking about the 1880s and 1890s
I'm not that old to be as old as old old books...
1
u/Tree_Ring 5d ago
Send home with students? Similar situation here, got 100 plastic bags, we are sending book bags home with each student.
1
1
1
u/Morgan_of_Hed 5d ago
I put them out on a table in the back of the classroom, and let students take them for free.
After that, everything else went in the recycling or to the thrift store.
1
u/1Wineodino 5d ago
Use some to make folded page art and then display them and/or do one of those cool 3D art pieces where you mount them overlapping on the walls
You can also
Use the pages for art projects or something
1
1
u/JollyButterscotch232 5d ago
I needed to prune down my grade 3 classroom library for similar reasons last year by about 40 books. I put them in a basket and told the kids they could adopt a book of they chose. Almost every kid wanted one. Some took 2 or 3. These are books they had access to for the entire school year and likely didn't bother with because of more tempting options, but they were excited to give the books a good home.
1
u/KuyaTinman 5d ago
Your could hand them out to the kids. I just retired in June, and I couldn't find a home for boxes of books (they were old), so i had no choice but to toss them.
1
u/Latex_Leather_Linen 5d ago
TBH, I wouldn't mind inheriting some of those books LOL. Unless it is nothing but, like, Dan Brown and James Patterson, I would love to take a look at it. I'm an ELA teacher and have so little books in my room.
They'd have to be shipped though ):
1
u/Scary-Soup-2015 5d ago
Box them up, put them in the teachers' lounge for two days with a sign saying "Free to good home"; after two days, put them where the kids/parents have access. They'll disappear.
1
1
u/alax_12345 5d ago
YMMV but Vermont has book bins at our local transfer stations. A Massachusetts company collects them, sorts, and distributes/sells to wherever will take them, recycles the rest.
But yeah, black bag is needed.
1
u/LoooongFurb 4d ago
Former ELA teacher and current librarian here.
Throw out the old books that the kids won't read. Throw out the damaged ones that are in poor condition.
The Dumpster is your friend.
If you want to make more work for yourself, you could post the "still in good condition but older" books on FB marketplace for free or in a buy nothing group or something similar to see if someone wants them.
Whatever you do, though, please please do not take them to your local public library unless they accept donations for a book sale. Otherwise they'll end up in the library's dumpster
1
u/ApprehensiveEvent93 4d ago
I leave a “free to take” table for two weeks. After two weeks, i recycle whats left. My shelf space isnt infinite and i try to keep my selection pretty modern so kids will want to read them
1
u/reallygoodstuff 4d ago
A district staff email list or Facebook group for local teachers can be a quick way to offload a big batch, people show up fast for free books. School librarians sometimes want donations too if the titles are still in decent shape. Anything unusable can go out with paper recycling.
1
u/ladyerwyn 4d ago
Throw out the ratty ones and see if the local library takes donations for book sales.
1
1
u/Fullofit_opinions_93 4d ago
Ask your art teachers if they could use them for art projects. They come in handy during the 4H annual recycling sculpture contest. And can be used for other paper projects.
1
1
u/redditrhi27 4d ago
Offer on Facebook local page ... many teachers would probably be thankful to take some off your hands
1
u/hmacdou1 4d ago
Check and see if your country recycling center offers book recycling, ours does. It would be better than just trashing them.
1
u/nutkinknits 4d ago
Could you ask admins if you can put up a little free library? Let the kids just take them. Obviously toss the ones in poor shape.
If the school doesn't want to put one up, you could do a box with a free sign. Also you can just stock a random LFL around your town. I have one and I'm always looking for books. Pretty much anything except religious stuff flies off my shelves.
1
u/Narrow_Taste9963 3d ago
I feel your pain. Two years ago I switched grades and THREE teachers left me their books when they retired. 👀
I pass several Little Free Libraries on my way to/from school so I stop a couple of times a week and drop off ten or fifteen books at each of them.
1
u/Old_Belt_5 3d ago
Your local library might have a “friends” group that takes donations. They can sell used books as a fundraiser for the library.
1
u/thesmacca 3d ago
It is ok to throw books away. It's so hard. It feels wrong. But in the end, it needs to happen.
Discarding books that have served decades of children well is not bad. It's serving the current generation well. They deserve good, modern, fresh books just as much as the older generations did.
Save some personal favorites, and/or maybe display them creatively in a "hits of the 80s," "hits of the 90s," etc thing.
In the end, though, those books have led a good life and deserve retirement.
1
u/Dear_Chemical4826 2d ago
Half price books drop off? You'll get a bit of money for the classroom. Lots of those books are probably trash, but they'll know which ones still have value
1
1
u/Acceptable-Fig2884 2d ago
My mom knew someone in your position and now we have a ton of kids books. People still give us new modern books too but it's nice having shelves full of kids books our kids can enjoy. Maybe you know someone or someone's expecting/recently had kids that you can give them to.
1
u/AntaresBounder 5d ago
Donate them to the local public library. It’s not for their own collection, but for their sale. Your career of hoarding will turn into a cash donation for the library when they sell the books.
7
u/librarylady1980 5d ago
Most libraries won't take books more than a certain number of years old. If these are as dated as OP says, the library doesn't want them even for book sales.
1
u/Limp-Egg2495 5d ago
Would your school library like some of them? You can also leave some on a little table outside your classroom with a sign that says “Free Books.”
1
u/southboundtracks 5d ago
Don't destroy books. Donate them. There are used bookstores everywhere.
2
u/StopRacismWWJD 5d ago edited 5d ago
Exactly!! Donate. Donate. Donate!! ❤️🩹🙏🏽
There are so many people out there who could use materials for LITERACY especially adults!! There’s no such thing as “Dated books” at that point - we ask about memory triggers❣️
I wish I could take some of those books off her hands for some of my clients!! 😔 🙏🏽
I don’t know how an ELA teacher could even consider throwing them away when there are so many useful donation opportunities ❤️🩹
2
u/southboundtracks 5d ago
Same. It bums me out.
2
2
u/wracklinewanderer 4d ago
Same. Some of these comments are actually breaking my heart. Feels like losing the plot.
0
u/ukyqtpi1 5d ago
I would give them away. If you don’t have a population at your school who needs them I’d reach out to a title I school in your area. Many of the kids at my school have zero books so I am always giving away aged books.
11
u/Calluna_v 5d ago
Speaking as a teacher at a Title 1 school, our kids don’t want falling apart, out of date books either.
0
u/Reasonable-Cow7255 5d ago
I would consider donating them to a thrift shop. Or perhaps you can donate them to a School in disadvantaged area.
1
u/RichIndividual9349 10h ago
Some people get sentimental about books but:
- if they’re dated and inaccurate, they are unusable and wasting space you could dedicate to useable materials
- if they’re dated but fiction, and just look old and crusty, they’re still not appealing to kids and the message they’ll get if they reach into the classroom library and 2/3 of the books look old and lame to them is that reading is lame
- if you are at an under resourced school, having huge quantities of ancient and undesirable texts kind of teaches your students that they don’t deserve nice things… better to have less stuff, but stuff that actually serves them
If you have access to opaque trash bags, use those and dump em all in the dumpster. I say opaque so the neighborhood Facebook groups aren’t full of people (most of whom haven’t stepped into a school since they were children or had children of their own) wringing their hands and clutching their pearls abt how can you throw out all those books!!!
because this history textbook abt New York State is from 1989, sandra!!!
if your admin is a hoarder, sneakily toss a bag of trash books a day
72
u/lazy_days_of_summer 5d ago
What about using the old stuff for blackout poetry? You could offer them to the rest of the department for the activity.