Book Fair Week

1.  What can be done differently to make the Book Fair run more smoothly?
     *  Overall, I feel like the Book Fair was a success.  However, I do feel like there could be some              changes made in order for it to run more smoothly.  I researched to find some ideas that other              librarians used, and this is what I found:
         1.  Include parent volunteers.
         2.  Shorten shopping time to cut back on playing.
         3.  Brief the students before they are allowed to shop on your expectations.
         4.  Small groups are allowed to shop at a time.
         5.  Have a smooth checkout routine and stamp and bag items purchased as they are checked out.
         6.  Make it a fun environment.

 Source: https://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/61-book-fairs-tips-for-success


2.  Would it be beneficial to have more than one Book Fair?
     *  I have made a ton of money this week for the library which means lots of new books for my                students.  So, I can absolutely see where it would be beneficial to have more than one Book                Fair.  The only problem with that is finding the time in between testing schedules during the                spring.  If I could find a time, then I definitely would have a second fair so that I can buy more            new books for my students.


3.  Should the librarian be solely responsible for organizing and running Book Fair?
     * Since I am the librarian, I have mixed feelings about this.  I feel like parents and the PTO should         be involved.  I did not get much teaching done this week since I was solely the one responsible           for running the book fair.

This has probably been the busiest week of my life as a teacher!  Not only have I been running the Book Fair single-handedly, but I have also been in charge of sending out business yearbook ads, collecting yearbook money, preparing for fall festival, collaborating with teachers, and working on the school improvement plan.  Whew! The biggest positive from the day is that I sold more than $1700 during the Book Fair, so that means lots of new books for my students.  The negatives from the day were that some classes could not handle the change in structure in the library.  So, I had to deal with some behavior issues.  Overall, I am very happy with how the day went, and I am very excited about how well my first Book Fair went.  Could I make changes?  Most definitely! However, I survived the first one, and next years will be even better!