Process

1. Contacting students

I had to know who was actually interested and this meant contacting students. I began with contacting students from 6-12 grade in The Creative Writing club by email with a form that asked if they were interested and other questions about what books they liked, what suggestions they had, and more.

2. Creating a plan and considering suggestions 

I wanted this to be a system that had lots of student interaction with monthly forms, donations, and feedback. I planned the timeline of this project and began getting books from Mr. Crabtree and some friends to get me started.

3. Establishing a location

I had many problems with establishing a location that was supervised and open and after talking to the librarian, art teacher, and English teachers I finally settled on the breezeway where students would pass it every morning and where it would be most visible. 

4. Getting permission

Besides arranging a spot, I faced issues with this too. Due to the risk of students taking books without signing them out, I needed a way to protect the bookshelf. I settled on using a zippered tarp with a lock, ensuring books stayed visible, safe, and easy to uncover during breaks. This got me permission from the administration to continue this project.

5. Setting up and getting books

I arranged the bookshelf with features like Top Picks, and a Book Log for student interaction, as well as adding decorations. From what I've seen, frequent visitors tend not to hold onto their books, while others simply want to contribute books they no longer read which made it easy for me to add books to the shelf. I've reached out to parents, people in my area, group chats, and others who have wanted to donate also.