Adopt-A-Shelf
Your Elementary Library
What is Adopt-A-Shelf?
• A way for you to take responsibility in your school
library
• A way for you to earn credit to shop at the book fair
• A way for you to discover and share books you might
have never noticed before
Who can participate?
• 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students
•You are not required to participate, but it is strongly
encouraged
How Adopt-A-Shelf Works
• You will choose a shelf to adopt in the section
assigned by Mrs. Sams
• The shelf will be labeled with your name
• You will maintain that shelf on checkout days, or
at other times when you have permission
How do I maintain my shelf?
• Make sure all books are pulled to the front evenly,
all spines are facing out, and all call numbers are
at the bottom
• Check the reshelving carts for books that belong
on your shelf and properly shelve them
• Neatly display recommended books on your shelf
for other students in the school
When can I maintain my shelf?
• Before school starts with a library pass
• On checkout days
• On class days, if time allows
Shelf of the Week Award
• Each week, Mrs. Sams
will choose one shelf
from each section to be
Shelf of the Week
• Those shelf adopters
will receive a Book Fair
Buck!
How can I win?
• Keep your shelf neat
• Make sure all books on your shelf belong there
• If not, return them to the proper shelf or place
them in the book drop
• Regularly check the reshelving carts for books
that live on your shelf and put them away neatly
Adopt-A-Shelf Rules
1. Shelves may only be maintained at appropriate times.
•
•
•
Before school with a pass
During checkout
During library class with permission
2. Maintain your shelf and your shelf only.
3. Do not purposely make a mess on someone else’s shelf.
•
If you are caught doing this, your shelf will automatically be
disqualified that week and you will lose any Book Fair Bucks
previously earned.
Adopt-A-Shelf Rules
4. Make sure all books are standing up tall (unless they will not
fit on the shelf – then put them spine up, call number out).
5. Make sure all call number stickers are at the bottom.
6. Make sure all books are pulled to the front evenly.
7. Check each book to make sure it belongs on your shelf. If not,
put it where it belongs or place it in the book drop if you’re
not sure.
Easy Shelves – 3rd Grade
•Books are shelved according
to the first letter of the
author’s last name
The E stands for
Easy. This tells me
the book belongs in
the Easy section.
•Most shelves only have one
letter
The W is the first
letter of the author’s
last name. This tells
me the book belongs
on the W shelf.
Easy Shelf Quiz
Which shelf would win Shelf of the Week?
Neat shelf! All books pulled to front, all on the
correct shelf!
Messy shelf! Books upside down and thrown on
top of the other books.
Chapter Book Shelves – 4th Grade
•Books are shelved according to
the first letter of the author’s
last name (except some series)
The letters FIC tell us these are chapter books.
•Some stickers have the first 3
letters of the author’s last name,
but we shelve only according to
the first letter at this time
•Book series have a pink dot and
are shelved separately
Even though these might seem different, they
can be shelved side by side in this library.
Ignore all letters except for the first one.
Chapter Book Shelf Quiz
What’s wrong with this shelf?
Books leaning over
Books past bookend
Book needs repair
Spine facing in
Spine facing in
Book thrown on shelf
Pink dots belong
with series books
Book lying down
Nonfiction Shelves – 5th Grade
•The hardest job – but you can
do it!
The book’s Dewey
Decimal number. This
tells us which shelf it
belongs on.
•Books are shelved according to
the call number, in number
order.
•Stickers will also have the first
3 letters of the author’s last
name, but we shelve only
according to the number
The last 3 letters of the
author’s last name. We
ignore these when
shelving in our library.
Nonfiction Shelf Quiz
What’s wrong with this shelf?
Trick question! There’s nothing wrong with this shelf!
What else do I need to know?
• Mrs. Sams will keep a record of the best shelves each week.
• The 3 people with the most weekly shelf awards will receive 10
extra Book Fair Bucks!
• You can spend your Book Fair Bucks on any book fair item! If you
have 3 Book Fair Bucks, you would get $3 off your total.
Questions?