5 Cheap Ways To Stock Up Your Classroom Library

I  don't know about you, but my favourite part of my classroom is my library.  I love books and I pride myself in giving my students the time to read for pleasure on a daily basis.  However, stocking that library can become expensive, especially if you give away some of the books to students who love them as much as you do (more on that in a later post).

Here are 5 ways that I found that help me stock up my classroom library without breaking my budget.

1.  Yard Sales and Online Buy-Sell-Trade Groups

Yard sales are a great place to browse for books!  The fun part is that you can usually get them at a very decent price, or negotiate the price.  I've bought most of my own kids' books at yard sales.  However, living where I do, yard sales are usually a summer activity only.  I love Online Buy-Sell-Trade groups like Kijiji.  There are also several groups on Facebook that you can join for your own area.  I've bought the entire series of 13 books for A Series of Unfortunate Events for $30 through one of these groups.  It was in amazing condition, and HARDCOVER!

2.  Your Public Library or School Library

 Public libraries usually have regular sales as their stock keeps growing.  I have found books at only $1 each.  You own school library is also a great place to look.  Our librarian usually sets up books that she's ready to get rid of on a special cart and we can take what we'd like before she donates them to the community.

3.  Thrift Stores

I'm not sure why I never though of this one until last week.  I walked out of the store with well over 40 novels for just 50$.  All of them were in excellent condition and I was able to get about 20 books from the Magic Tree House series, which my students love.  Thrift stores are also a great place to find board games for your class!

My haul from the thrift store a few weeks ago.

4.  Retired Teachers

A lot of retired teachers are very generous when it comes time to clean up their classrooms.  I inherited boxes and boxes of novels and story books from a few retired teachers, in exchange for some help clearing out their classes.  Some retired teachers choose to sell their books, but they are always a great deal.

5. Students

Finally, your students or past students are also a great source for books.  On Meet the Teacher Night, I always ask parents for donations of books that their kids are no longer reading.  If the books don't match my grade level, I donate them to other classroom.  I've also traded with other teachers.  Kids feel good when they can contribute to the classroom library. 

Le coin de Manda (Manda's Corner), my classroom library.

I prefer to get used books for my classroom library.  That way, if students lose them or beg to keep a book that they can't get enough of, it's easier to part with them.  Do you have any go-to places that you use to get great deals on books?