What is a #TrueBookFAIR?
#TrueBookFAIRs are a foundational practice of our Mount Vernon Library. Each semester, every student comes to the library to choose at least two NEW, high-interest titles to keep and no money is allowed in the door. Ever. I do not believe in the traditional school book fair model. It is inequitable, it sorts students based on family finances, and no school library should be turned into a for-profit satellite shop for publishers. Libraries are for everyone, all the time. I do understand, however, that book fairs can increase the amount of books in the home and generate reading excitement in a school. So, I developed a #TrueBookFAIR where students select new books to keep from a bespoke fair collection of all new books that I have intentionally and lovingly curated to reflect our students and their interests. There is no cost for students. Self-selection + ownership + reflective, inclusive, diverse books = literacy magic. MONEY SHOULD HAVE NO PART IN THIS EQUATION FOR OUR STUDENTS. #OwnVoices literature (where the author and main character share a marginalized identity) is foregrounded. It is NEVER framed in charity. It is simply, how we do things in the Mount Vernon Library. During our winter Fair, I also curate a collection for younger family members for students to select books to wrap, gift and read to siblings/cousins. (Also, of course, at no cost.) Our Spring Fair also includes a family event where EVERY family member chooses a new book to keep. How do we fund this fair? I start with Mount Vernon Budget Funds (thank you, administration!) and I supplement with additional books from authors, advance review copies from publishers, donations of new books, and conferences. It is a year long hustle! ❤️
THREE COMMON QUESTIONS/COMMENTS. 1. Where do you get the books? It is a LOT OF WORK to build a fair as economically as I do, but it is possible. I purchase books from First Book, the Scholastic Warehouse sales, and am always on the look out for ARCs, publisher give-aways, and donations. During remote learning, Donor's Choose supported a remote fair. 2. Come on, Stivers, this only works because you're at a small school. Here's the thing-most #TrueBookFAIRs I have over 900 books, so if I was at a large school, I would start with one grade (the same grade each year to reach different students). If I was at a larger school, I would have more storage room and would work to slowly build my ongoing fair collection so that I could have even more titles. I am in a tiny library in terms of space and I make it work. It's possible! 3. Our PTA, parents, community, etc. WANT to buy books and support the library. Great! Here is what I would do then. I would build a literacy event and support a local BIPOC author to celebrate their works with an in-person visit and build a fair collection (with books from local book stores and/or BIPOC-owned book stores) that centers authors from marginalized communities (including all of the local author's works). If you're interested in learning more, I wrote an entire chapter on #TrueBookFAIRs, funding, and the 'administration asks' in INCLUDE (ALA, 2021). |