By Christopher Hunt and Kelly Johnson
What do we mean by summer loans from the school library?
This doesn’t mean regularly opening the facility throughout the holidays: That’s the public library’s role when schools are closed for the summer and we teacher-librarians are on vacation. Rather, we mean, signing out stacks of books to students in the last week of school so that they have books from your library collection to read over the summer; they then return those books when school resumes (in the first few days back) after the holiday is over.
Why should a school library do summer loans?
The short answer: Equity. Not all children in your school have easy access to a public library. Not all children in your school have easy access to bookstores; nor do they have extra money to buy books. Not all families have an active reading culture in the home, no matter their proximity to libraries/bookstores even if they have disposable income enough to purchase books. Summer loans from the school library allow your students to maintain literacy skills and leisure reading. Also, your library is a comfortable space for all students and your collection is well-known to them so they can easily find their favourite books on their own to make high interest/high motivation reading choices for the summer.
What do the kids say about summer loans from their school library?
In pre- and post-surveys for summer loans students offered some valuable insights on why they think school librarians should do summer loans:
“To improve kids’ vocabulary over the summer and to make them smarter for going into the next grade because kids don’t usually get books over the summer unless you own books.” (Intermediate student, Sardis Elem.)
“Because books are expensive and the [school] library has really good books.” (Int. student, Sardis Elem.)
“A good reason is that kids maybe don’t have access to books and every one LOVES books.” (Int. student, Sardis Elem.)
“Summer reading exposes you to the world and what’s around you.” (Alexsandra, Gr. 3)
“You can borrow lots of books and interesting books whatever books you want. If you like books you can read different kinds of books and it helps you know if you like different kinds of books.” (Sergei, Gr. 4)
Can we dispel the fear of book losses due to summer loans?
First of all, let’s ask what benefit is served by having all those amazing books just sitting idle and unused on the shelves for two months? Aren’t the books much better in the hands of children? Set The Books Free! They will come back. Adults have an outsized worry that students will lose the books. In surveys, even students worry that other students (but not themselves) will lose the books. However, book loss tends to be very, very small (as in, 5 out of 100s borrowed), and often there are zero losses. The books really do come back after the holidays.
Where can you get more information and evidence about summer loan success?
- Christopher Hunt (@ExLibrisMrHunt ) and Kelly Johnson (@teacherkjohnson) have shared several years of summer loan journeys on Twitter/X under the hashtags #SetTheBooksFree and #BookOut4Summer in order to spread the word.
- At the upcoming OLA Super Conference, Kelly will be submitting a paper to TMC8 highlighting summer lending as a stand for equity.
- For more inspiration see:
- Canadian research conducted by Canadian School Libraries in 2019 in partnership with author Eric Walters;
- This article, It’s Time to Set Your Books Free for the Summer (CSL Journal 6[2], 2022) putting that research into context.
Christopher Hunt is teacher-librarian at a K-5 elementary school in B.C., Canada. He can be found on social media platforms under the handle @ExLibrisMrHunt with this as his bio: Fan of hands-on integrated STEAM learning; loves graphic novels; kidlit fanboy; inclusive collection a must; he/him; community organizer on the side.
Kelly Johnson is enjoying her sixth year as teacher-librarian after 20 years in a Montessori classroom. Initially trained as an archaeologist, Kelly spent time in Tonga and Fiji on excavations before finding her way to the joys of elementary school teaching. Summers you will find her at the family oyster farm in beautiful Desolation Sound, BC. Family, gardens, dogs, baking and books keep her happy and busy. Follow along on her LLC adventures @teacherkjohnson