We are a K-8 school and this year we officially transitioned our 6th-8th grades to a middle school. We wanted to make a separate space for the middle schoolers with books on their level. I started by doing a huge weeding process. We had books in there that hadn’t been touched for at least 15 years. Every book was taken off the shelf so we could rearrange the shelving. It was a huge undertaking but well worth it. I split the library down the middle and made a section for the elementary which includes all our picture books and easy readers which are labeled with Easy Reader stickers. I made another area for our early chapter books, which I labeled with pink stickers. Another section is for fiction books.
The other side of our library is for the middle schoolers. I labeled every book in their section with Young Adult stickers. I have a different section in our library for all of our non-fiction books which are cataloged and shelved using the dewey decimal system. The non-fiction books are available to all the students. Our younger grades love the animal books. I purchased some fun seating for the middle grade students to come in and get caught up on homework or just hang out and read.
I am starting some simple makerspaces this year that I am excited about. I bought two rolling carts, one for each side of the library, which will hold all of the makerspace supplies. I plan to have a puzzle table set out at all times. I will rotate different games and Stem Kits throughout the year and set out different challenges for the students along with some crafts. I am loving our new library space and hope to improve on the makerspaces over time.
Jenny Puffer
Minersville Elementary Librarian
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