Creating a Magical Library Bus
‘Children who enjoy reading learn to think creatively, engage with ideas,
encounter new worlds.’
Booktrust
Kate Gorely was devastated when her children’s school lost its library. This is
the story about how creative thinking and a lot of hard work sorted the problem
out - and includes practical tips of how other schools can build their own magical
library bus
Rosendale Primary School in south London lost its original school library when the
school took on a bulge year and the former library space became a classroom. The
books had since been kept in cramped corridors. They were neglected and unused. As
someone who is passionate about children’s literature and a strong supporter of the
importance of school libraries, I set about researching positive library models and
visiting other school libraries to see how we could improve the space. I knew the
design would have to be cost-effective and wanted to create something that was bold,
inviting, exciting and totally child centred in its design and use.
It was clear that central to the success of a school library would be the Head Teacher.
It was when the new executive Head Teacher Dr Neil Hopkin joined the school in
2010 his first assembly saw him, to the children’s delight, perform a stage dive to
demonstrate a ‘leap of faith’. It was then I knew I had a Head that I could approach
with my vision for a library.
The main hurdle was that of space. There were no
vacant school buildings and no budget to build. The
parents and children were very protective of the
playground space and any further building that may limit it. After some creative
thought, I found our solution, a Library Double Decker Bus. Last July, I set off with
Rosendale School’s Literacy Coordinator, Flora Kisby, with a cheque book to buy a
red double decker London bus. It was the first of many adventures to come.
The Library Bus totally caught the children’s
imagination and when they all dressed in red to
celebrate its arrival in the playground the
enthusiasm spread amongst staff, parents, carers and
grandparents alike. It was always important to the
success of the bus that it would be a school
community project to promote a sense of
achievement, ownership and value to the library and
now we had over 100 parent volunteers supporting it and offering their time and help
in creating it.
From this point I worked as Project Coordinator to create the library. The volunteers
gave details of the skills they could offer which became an invaluable pool of
knowledge and labour. I added contacts from local businesses, bus depots and
organisations. For each problem to be solved there was someone to turn to for help
and advice.
The iconic presence of the red London bus and a
documented, clear, detailed vision for the design and use of
the library really drew people in. There was an immediate
understanding of what we were aiming to achieve and it
would spark off dialogue about books, childhood memories
of libraries and an innate love of old buses. What was
overriding in working with such a broad spectrum of the community was everyone’s
enthusiasm for the project, their recognition of the value of the library and the boost it
would give to the school and the school community who
use it.
Working closely with and listening to volunteers,
allowing them to have ownership and input into the
project has really elevated what we have been able to
achieve. The bus design by volunteer architect James
Smith, with its clever use of space and the surrounding
reading garden, by parent garden designer Rachel
Bannerman are a huge success. Both James and Rachel
adapted their design in accordance to research I
conducted with the children during the design process.
When asked where they would like to read a book, no
child answered ‘sitting on a chair at a desk’ but rather ‘lying on the floor with my feet
on the sofa’ or ‘circulating the world in an
astronaut’s pocket’. We knew the design
would have to be special and imaginative; it
would also have to be flexible in terms of the
many uses of the space whilst holding a large
number of books without appearing cluttered.
The children now spend their break times sitting on logs in the dappled shade of the
trees or lying on the grass reading playground books. Lots of children gather by the
bus, and not just confident readers. There are children there who have never shown an
interest in picking up a book before. They come for story tellers, to share a book with
friends or just a quiet moment alone.
Importantly the children’s input has not stopped with design. They created an
imaginative mural on the exterior of the bus based on their own picture book
adventures. They were also consulted via online questionnaires about what books,
publications and technology they wanted in
the library. They were able to contact me via
the library bus email allowing them to add
requests and suggestions for new books,
sometimes as part of class time projects. This
list was essential when spending the limited
budget that we had for books. There have
been very little funds available for the project
(see practical guide to making the library bus below) but by
prioritising how these funds were to be spent for the most
impact has meant we have managed to stay just under our
original budget whilst stocking an exciting selection of
books that have really grabbed the children’s attention. We
were ruthless in sorting through the existing non-fiction
stock, recycling old books and only selecting relevant and
interesting books for the library bus. The children donated
books they had recently enjoyed and we had generous
donations from publishers.
There have been some challenging moments, such as fitting the mains electrics in the
January freeze and coordinating volunteers working with donated and recycled
materials to a innovative design. It has, however, been a phenomenal experience. I
have had the pleasure of working with people with tremendous skill who have often
gone way above and beyond the call of duty. As with all successful community
projects a lot of tea has been drank and friendships made. Saying thank you has been
integral to the project.
I organised a grand opening and invited
Michael Morpurgo to come and open the library
very early on in the project. I knew he was a
great supporter of school libraries; he is also an
inspirational speaker on children’s rights and a
fantastic author enjoyed by children and adults
alike. I was hugely honoured that he agreed to
come. He had been excited and inspired by the
project and told me that the day after he
received my letter he sat down and wrote a
story about a school library created from a
double decker bus. This story is being animated
and will be shown as part of the lead up to the
London 2012 Olympics this September. This is
a wonderful launch for the Rosendale Library
Bus.
The Rosendale Library Bus has been very well
received by the School Library Association and has been short listed for the SLA
Design Awards. We are also beginning to make links with a
book bus in Zambia for shared learning.
The grand opening in July was an important and exciting
event, showing the school how much we value and care about
the new school library bus. I invited press and BBC
Newsround made a special report which you can view here:
www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/14213869. It was a time to thank people,
inspire the children and to emphasise to them that the opening
is only the beginning; the library belongs to them and holds
many possibilities for the future.
The Rosendale Library Bus is a stunning and successful new library. It has taken
creative thought, dedication, planning and the guidance of many volunteers and
businesses to make it what it is. It was born out of a passion and a belief that all
children have the right to learn, to have access to books and to experience reading for
pleasure. It is testament to what can be done with thought
and directive use of minimal funds, whilst making full
use of the recourses, skills and knowledge available to us.
Not all schools will be able to park a double decker bus
in their play ground but all schools do have the potential
to have a library that is fun, accessible and a joyful place
to be. Through careful evaluation we will begin to get an
idea of the effect this will have on every child’s future.
Contact for further information
Kate Gorely
Project and Design Coordinator
kate.gorely@googlemail.com
Practical Guide to Creating a Library Bus
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Many red London buses are shipped over to America or converted for
corporate use. Our bus cost us its scrap value of £3500.
It cost us a further £1000 to have it connected to mains electricity and rewired
for lighting, plug sockets etc.
Make friends with your local bus garage. Their engineering expertise will be
invaluable and they will be able to advise on the upkeep of your bus.
Be visible and approachable in terms of recruiting volunteers.
Approach local businesses for donations of materials with a clear vision of
what you plan to achieve and how it will benefit the school. Offer publicity
within the school and make sure thanks to the businesses goes out in
newsletters etc
Once you have an available skills and materials list you can identify the areas
where your budget will be most effectively spent. We only spent a further
£600 on the interior of the bus.
It is definitely worth getting several quotes for any work done as some
companies find the prospect of work on the bus more challenging than others.
Liaise with your local council buildings department. The bus will require a
planning certificate for a small fee and a safety check on completion.
Explore corporate sponsorship, charitable trusts and links with businesses
working in the community for additional funds and labour.
A good dose of resourcefulness and lateral thinking will save you valuable
funds on your project.