Classroom Libraries
Supporting Teachers with an Abundance of Books for the Classroom
Books Harvest's Classroom Libraries program is a partnership with kindergarten through fifth grade teachers in participating public schools designed to provide 100+ brand new books for their classrooms.
What are Classroom Libraries?
Book Harvest's Classroom Libraries program is a partnership with kindergarten through fifth grade teachers in participating public schools designed to provide 100+ brand new books for their classrooms.
The program supports teachers, who would otherwise have to purchase books out-of-pocket, in creating and nurturing a culture of reading excitement and engagement with books that are high-interest, inclusive, and culturally relevant.
As of October 2022, Book Harvest equipped 263 K-5 Durham Public Schools classroom libraries in 11 elementary schools with over 23,000 culturally inclusive children’s books!
![Girl Reading](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b9ef69_8f178de7aaf942b3aa1f10ff6c9bb534~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_0,y_82,w_3744,h_3580/fill/w_433,h_414,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Girl%20Reading.png)
![Kids with books](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b9ef69_84c36f925ae14585993f1aece122958b~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_936,y_0,w_3744,h_3744/fill/w_434,h_434,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/IMG_0897.jpg)
Why Classroom Libraries Matter
• The classroom library plays a key role in nurturing students' love of reading, building content knowledge, and developing classroom community through books. [1]
• Choice and high-interest texts—variables linked to excellent classroom libraries—have extraordinarily powerful effects on reading motivation and comprehension. [2]
• When children have access to books that are "mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors" representing all children, they develop compassion, understanding, and empathy for themselves and others. [3]
How Classroom Libraries Work
Book Harvest partners with public schools and districts to select, purchase, and deliver 100+ books to replenish classroom collections of books that students can access throughout the school year.
The titles are carefully selected by the Book Harvest team to ensure that they are high quality, age- and developmentally appropriate, and culturally inclusive to ignite the imaginations and empathy of young readers.
The Classroom Libraries are replenished by Book Harvest when possible.
![boys looking at book](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b9ef69_1726e6d4f0dc415a83977b9a854f681c~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_504,y_0,w_3024,h_3024/fill/w_434,h_434,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/IMG_0480_JPG.jpg)
Classroom Library Schools
Durham Public Schools, Durham County, NC
Thank you to our Classroom Library funder: ELISS Books