This document provides guidelines for setting up a school library or reading corner, including recommendations for location, shelving, furniture, equipment, signage, managing the library collection, and cataloguing systems. The ideal location is at the heart of the school, is highly visible and accessible, and is well-lit with power and internet. Shelving options include wall-mounted and freestanding units of various types. Furniture should be durable and allow for both formal and informal seating. Collections should be tailored to student interests and abilities. Small libraries can use simple tracking systems while larger ones may implement software-based cataloguing of fiction and non-fiction sections.

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Setting Up a School Library/Reading
Corner
GUIDELINES

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LIBRARY DESIGN
1. LOCATION
In an ideal world your reading corner should be:
• located at the heart of the school
• highly visible and accessible to all staff and students
• well lit with plenty of natural light
• equipped with power points and internet connectivity
2. SHELVING
• When planning your reading corner it is important to consider the dimensions of your
space carefully. To achieve accessibility for all students, shelves should not be too high
and there should be ample room around units.
• There are two main kinds of shelving options wall mounted and freestanding. Using a
mixture of both allows the creation of a dynamic space that will accommodate your
collection as it changes and grows.
Wall Mounted Shelving
This type of shelving provides safe and practical storage. Ideally, you should have at least one angled
shelf to allow books to be displayed face out. This is really important as it allows students to browse
titles and is much more attractive to reluctant readers.
Freestanding Shelving
Freestanding furniture such as mobile units, book carousels, magazine racks and book boxes provide
flexibility in a limited space. They are ideal for separating different types of reading materials. They
also promote browsing and create a more relaxed atmosphere. For safety purposes, all mobile
shelving should have lockable castors.
3. FURNITURE
When selecting furniture for your reading corner consider the following:
• Durability is vital. Pick hardwearing surfaces, which can be easily wiped clean. For soft
furnishings chose items with washable slipcovers.
• Try to create formal and informal seating areas, for individuals and groups. Remember, it
is important to provide comfortable seating areas to promote leisure reading, try using
cushions and cozy sofas.

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4. EQUIPMENT
The following materials and equipment may help you to run a successful reading corner:
• Book ends
• Display stands
• A computer for operating the library catalogue
• Colourful posters that encourage reading
• A notice board for displaying student work
• Bookmarks
5. SIGNAGE
It is important to have clear signage in a legible font so students are able to find information
efficiently, to achieve this:
• Label general areas of the collection: fiction, non-fiction, reference, books to browse,
etc.
LIBRARY STOCK
The collection of books, magazines and resources is the most crucial aspect of any reading corner: if
your stock is tatty and irrelevant it will be very difficult to succeed in getting books into student’s hands.
As such, it is worth investing time as well as money into formulating a library collection.
1. Consider your budget.
2. Survey needs of target users. One of the key factors to consider is the profile of the users you
are looking to serve. Do you have students with literacy difficulties, and if so what will you do
for them? A number of publishers produce books aimed at teenagers with low reading ages and
it may be worth investing heavily in these.
Also consider a survey of your students’ interests. Asking a student what types of books they
like may result in a blank look, but asking about their interests may produce a list of subjects to
buy books about: a simple thing like providing books on football for boys can prove to be a
winning strategy.
While you may wish to focus on fiction and the joy of narrative, be aware that many students,
especially boys, will have a strong preference for non-fiction and fact. In every JCSP Library
across the land the first book the boys go for is the Guinness Book of Records.

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3. Visit your local public library and speak to the librarian, he/she can give good advice re suppliers,
publishers, what’s popular, etc. Also enquire about teacher’s resources and whether or not the
library has any special collections, which may be borrowed. In some cases, public librarians may
be able to provide you with deleted stock or old magazines that have been lightly used.
4. Review existing stock, if you have any. Unfortunately, people do judge books by their covers. If
your existing stock is looking very old and tired then consider moving it on.
5. Check the Internet for suppliers and request catalogues/visit from company representatives. A
list of recommended suppliers and publishers can be found below. Get onto their mailing lists
to keep up to date with special offers, bestsellers; it will help you to keep your stock current
and relevant. Ensure that your supplier offers a discount of at least 10%. Many suppliers will
also offer to ‘service’ your books, and having them laminate the covers to ensure durability is a
worthwhile investment.
6. Visit bookshops to get an idea of what’s current.
7. Magazines/newspapers are also very handy for a reading corner. Again, bear in mind the
interests of your students. Popular titles include:
Match/Kick-Off Mizz 2000AD Simpsons Magazine Soap Magazines
Visit your local newsagent/supermarket to look at current titles. Most shops stock a wide range
of magazines covering a diverse range of interests. Flick through the magazines to ensure
they’re suitable for your target group.
8. You may also benefit from holding a book fair in your school. Some suppliers will provide a
number of free books, if you manage to sell enough titles.
9. Encourage students and teachers to donate good quality titles to your reading corner.
10. Finally, have you ever considered organising a book swop with other local schools? This may be
a great way to share resources in your community and updating your reading material without
any cost.
LIBRARY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
The library management system will depend greatly on the size of the reading corner collection
and your budget, so choose one that meets your needs. It’s important to be consistent with the
management system chosen.

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Book ID Title Author Borrower Date Borrowed Returned
1 Boxing Stories Paul Stauddohar Mary 23/03/2011 
2 Bright Young Things Anna Godbersen Barry 24/03/2011 
3 Megan Mary Hooper Sean 25/03/2011
4 Tackling Life Charlie Oatway Michael 26/03/2011
5 Refugee Boy Benjamin Zephaniah Rachel 26/03/2011
SMALL COLLECTION
If the collection is small, e.g. a trolley of books:
1. Keep a list of all books on an Excel sheet.
2. This Excel sheet can be used as a template and updated as necessary.
3. Use this Excel sheet to update book lending*.
*Decide on arrangements for lending, to include rules regarding duration of lending term
and number of books per person – make sure students are familiar with these lending rules.
Example:
LARGE COLLECTION
1. Software
2. Cataloguing
3. Fiction Books
4. Non-Fiction Books
Software
There are some very basic systems available e.g. Prima Soft PC Software’s Small Library Organizer
Pro, v2.7. and Book Librarian Plus.
Choose one that will satisfy your needs in line with your budget.
Cataloguing
A catalogue is a record of your stock. Each book should have a record, listing at a minimum its
title and author.
Fiction Books
Organise fiction books by authors’ surnames. It can be useful to label the spine of book with the
first letter of the author’s surname. Arrange books on shelves alphabetically.
Non-Fiction Books
You can use the Dewey Decimal system or pick simple subject headings: geography, history,
music etc. Colour coding books by subject heading could assist with shelving.

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USEFUL INFORMATION
Literature
• Primary School Guidelines
CILIP 2002 (ISBN 0954379209)
www.cilip.org.uk
Insert ‘primary school guidelines’ in search field. ‘Creating the environment’ pages 3-4
• Dubber, G. & Lemaire, K.
Visionary Spaces: Designing and Planning a Secondary School Library
SLA 2007 (ISBN 9781903446386)
• Designed for Learning: School Libraries
http://www.cilip.org.uk/sitecollectiondocuments/PDFs/policyadvocacy/Findoutmore.pdf
Web Resources
• Designing Libraries
http://www.designinglibraries.org.uk/
JCSP Library Resources
• Furniture Suppliers
http://www.jcspliteracy.ie/files/schoollibrary/6820_Suppliers_-_Library_Furniture.pdf
• Ancillary Service Providers
http://www.jcspliteracy.ie/files/schoollibrary/8538_Suppliers_-_Library_Ancillary_Services.pdf
• Book Suppliers
http://www.jcspliteracy.ie/files/schoollibrary/8312_Suppliers_-_Library_Stock_Suppliers.pdf