Birthday Book Club

1. We have "a link to the information about our book club" on the school Web site. "I would say it adds about 25-30 books per year to our collection." (information, below, has been copied and pasted from the Web site)

Birthday Book Program

Celebrate your child's birthday or half-birthday by donating a new book to our Library!

HOW DOES THE PROGRAM WORK?

You will be sent a friendly reminder postcard during the month of your child's birthday, or in the case of a summer birthday, during the month of your child's half-birthday. If you choose to participate (and participation is optional), your child may donate a brand new book to our school library. A special name plate is placed inside the book and your child receives special recognition in the Wednesday Word.

HOW DO YOU CHOOSE A BOOK TO DONATE?

There are 4 different ways: The easiest way is to go to our new Amazon.com Wish List and purchase a book and have it sent directly to the Library.

Select a favorite of your own choosing from a local bookstore and bring it in to the Library. Check Amazon.com Wish List for some ideas.

You and/or your child can come to the Library at school and browse through our Birthday Book Box. We always have some new books waiting for someone to choose them! If your child chooses the book without you, the librarian will send home a note stating the title and cost of the book. This saves a trip to the bookstore for those for whom time is at a premium!

Ask the librarian for a title that the library particularly needs to augment its collection and then purchase it at a bookstore or order it online.

QUESTIONS?

Please feel free to stop by the Library, call (librarian's name, or e-mail at (email address) 2. "I ask for $10 and kids get to pick a hardcover book for their birthday. $10 doesn't cover the entire cost, of course, but it certainly helps . We have about 300 students (Title I school, lower middle class) and I get about 65-80 books per year through the birthday book club which comes out to $650-800 . It's pretty popular at our school - the kids are always asking about it and parents remind me when it's time for their child to buy their book. I have a copy of the initial letter that we send home at the beginning of the year (copied below). I also send home a reminder at the beginning of each month for kids who signed up and who have a birthday that month. That way, I only do a few each month. I have Birthday Book Club bookmarks I give them and I take their picture with their book to hang up on the bulletin board. At the end of the year, we have a "birthday party" with cake and soda to thank everyone for the books they gave us. Here is the letter I send home in August:

The (school name) library is excited to offer the Birthday Book Club program! The Birthday Book Club is a way for the library to continue to increase its collection of books while commemorating your child's birthday. The program also helps promote the lifelong love of reading.

If your child would like to donate a book to the library for his/her birthday, please fill out the lower portion of this letter and return it to school as soon as possible. For a $10 donation, your child may select a book from the Birthday Book Club titles to donate to the library. Your child's name will be placed in the book acknowledging the donation and he/she will be the first to check it out. All money received will be cycled into the Birthday Book Club to purchase more books. Children who celebrate summer birthdays may also participate. We will also celebrate in May with a birthday party for all Birthday Book Club participants. If you wish to participate, you may send your $10 donation now or, when the month of your child's birthday approaches, we will send you a note reminding you about the Birthday Book Club. Please complete and return the form below if your child would like to participate. What better gift than to help develop a child's love of reading!

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My child, ______, would like to donate a book to the (school name) library for his/her birthday. His/her birthday is on ______. _____ Our $10 donation is included with this form.

_____ Please send us a reminder.

______parent signature

3. We run a very successful birthday book program in my school. We get approximately 300 books a year through this program. The letter below is one we send out to each parent the month before the child's birthday, and it explains pretty thoroughly how the program works. The one thing I would advise is that you make very sure the children like their books, even if it means giving a book that costs more than the child actually donates. If children aren't satisfied with their books, they will not participate again a second time. I would rather a child give $5.00 towards a good book for 5 years, than purchase a $10.00 book once, and not participate again. Sometimes this means being generous, but it seems to work for us.

Dear Parent,

Your child's birthday is a special time, both at home and at school. Classmates and teachers like to share in the celebration too. The Birthday Book Program is a wonderful way to celebrate your child's birthday. By donating a book to the (school name) Library in your child's name, you will honor your child on his/her birthday, help teach the joy of giving as well as receiving, and help the Library grow as well.

Here is how your gift to the Library will be recognized:

A special bookplate in the book will cite your child's name and birthdate. The school newspaper will note your child's contribution, and your child will be the first to check out his/her gift book following a presentation in the classroom.

You have three options for selecting a book to donate to the Library:

1.) You can complete the back portion of this letter, which will direct the librarian to find a book appropriate to your child's interests and reading level. 2.) Your child can visit the Library and pick out a book from a special bookshelf, which contains books waiting to be a Birthday Book. These books have been selected by the librarian and meet the current needs of the Library.

3.) You may choose to purchase a hard cover book that interests your child and send it to the Library with this form. If you decide to send a book, it will need to be approved by the Library staff to insure it is appropriate as far as reading level and content.

We hope one of these offerings will meet the needs and desires of your family. If you are interested in supporting the Birthday Book Program, please complete the form on the reverse side and return it to school.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

4. After several years of tweaking the Birthday Book Club to see what best fit our school, this is what has ended up working best:

First off, a letter and book club form are sent home in the 'Back to School' packs.

We charge a flat $10. For seed money, I took book profit from Scholastic Book Fair and used those books as their choice. I have a several shelves of books for the children to select from. When the money came in I bought books from other vendors and anytime the PTA gives me money for books I use those as choices. Last year we brought in about $1800 and this year $1600. We are a school of just over 300 students and a complete spectrum of incomes. We also have a dedication bookplate, so the students can purchase a book in honor of a family member or staff member.

5. I built on this idea after hearing about it from another librarian in my district. My birthday book club has been PHENOMENALLY successful this year; I started it mid-year last year and did OK, but so far this year have already earned over $850. The funds go into the school's general fund but the AA and I both keep track of my balance and I'm able to use the money for blanket purchase orders at the local bookstores or however I like. I think I'm going to use part of this year's fundraising to start building our Playaways collection (we currently only have four titles). I charge $10 per child (but sometimes parents include more money) (I've had a couple highlight the part of the letter where I talk about the cost of a new book), then during the week of his/her birthday, I send a special pass to their teacher to see me during open library and when the child comes they get to choose a book from my "new" cart (unprocessed materials) as their birthday book. Then we fill out a special book plate and put it inside the book. Later in the date I finish processing it and then deliver it to the student and he/she gets to be first to check out the new item. They also have the option of choosing any book in the library that is their favorite even if it's not brand new.

6. I used to do a Birthday Book Club, and now just do a LIBRARY BOOK DONATION ($25.00). I offer it at the beginning of the year and raised ~$1200.00 this year. We have ~400 in my K-3 school and ~300 in my 4-6th school. I receive more donations from the younger students who LOVE to see their name in the book. I use Avery labels from the WORD template and peel and stick.

7. I started a birthday book club a few years ago and it continues to grow every year. The first year, about 50 kids joined and over the past 3-4 years it has gained popularity and last year about 150 kids took part. I do mine all at one time of the year. I didn't want to have to constantly be making bookplates throughout the year. We do it in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday so my letter goes home in the beginning of February. The books are "celebrated" during Read Across America Week and are first checked out by the birthday child with a thank you birthday card. Then they are available for anyone to borrow. I use a birthday sticker on the spine and a bookplate inside. Last year I started putting a line in the marc record that it was donated by ______. Now kids can do an OPAC keyword search with their name and their birthday book comes up. This helps when kids as for their birthday book and I certainly don't remember who donated what book!

I charge $10 for the kids to pick a book from my stash of books always waited to be processed. A lot of them come from Junior Library Guild's $5 and $8 sale. Students may also go out and buy their own hard cover book.

PS. I also encourage the teachers to join. The kids love that!

8. I just began this program this year (I am a first year media specialist). We ask for a $10.00 donation. Their picture is taken and displayed on our Birthday Club bulletin board. They choose from a selection of new books, then we place the bookplate inside the cover of the book and allow them to be the first to check the book out. The students seem to get a kick out of this process, it's easy to manage, and we earn new books for the library.

9. Hey! I just started a birthday book club at my library (elem. PreK-5) this year. I live in a low socio-economic area, so you could adjust your prices upward if you live in a more affluent area. Anyhow, I have two options for students. They can donate $5 to the library and a paperback book that they choose from a group that I have pre-selected is donated to the library in their name. I put a book plate in the front of the book with their full name and the school year. They get a small gift (a book mark, pencil, and piece of candy). I put their name on our big birthday book club poster cake that I have hanging in our library. They also get an announcement on the day of their birthday saying that they have now joined the birthday book club. If students donate $10 they can donate a hard back book. I think I'm going to adjust it next year though, and just charge a flat $8 for hard back books. I realized that I don't really want that many paper back books in my collection as they just don't last that long. :) This is my first year doing this and so far I've had about 30 books donated to the library. Oh, I forgot to mention, they also get to be the first one to check out their new book.

10. I started one about five years ago after looking at hundreds of school web sites and visiting the library media center sites to gather information. I run mine this way: I created a flyer with the purpose, procedures, and form to be completed and returned. This is sent home with all students within the first week of school and I keep a pile of extras in the library and even put a bunch where parents sign in during the day. Parents complete a form which includes all the necessary information and sounds/looks like it will appear on the bookplate that will be added to the inside cover of the book. (I made my own using Microsoft Word) For example: "This book was donated by_____ in honor of ______'s _____th birthday. October 13, 2008 Child's birthday). I included a clip art image of a steamship, which goes along with our school name. The form is returned, along with $15 (average cost of a book-when I started!). The students then comes down to the library where I have pulled aside about 25-30 brand new books including fiction, NF, picture books, and chooses one. I then make the book plate, take the student's picture with the book, hang the photo in the library, and they are the first one to check out that brand new book. Students may join the club at any time during the school year up to the second week of May. I give plenty of notice for the cutoff date. Then, I have all the members down to the library for a Thank You Birthday party-cupcakes, juice, some type of scavenger hunt which has older students working with younger students, a story and birthday jokes/riddles and anything else I think of! Each of the students takes home their picture, and a free paperback book of their choice (I use book fair vouchers to purchase packs of books, which I use for prizes and rewards throughout the year and for this party). It's always fun and lasts about 30 minutes. The kids love to "get out of class" and it is great PR for parents. Throughout the year I update who is in the club in my monthly parent newsletter with a "Welcome New Birthday Book Club Members" section and I list the students' names. Each year, out of a school of approximately 550 K-5 students I have about 25-30 members. I would love to have more, but I am in area of many low-income students and am grateful for the parents who choose to support the library in this way. I also become a member each year-I usually try to donate a title related to the library or something related to me. I have my picture taken too. I think it is important to set the example. You will want to set up a separate account through your district, keep a receipt book that allows you send the parent a copy of their payment and you have a copy. Each year I am able to purchase an additional $300-$400 in books-big help!

11. Our K-5 elementary school does a birthday books program. It is run by our PTO. I give the member in charge a list of books I would like to add to our collection (keeping in mind what I think parents would like to buy for their children). The list gets sent home and 2 or 3 times a year we recieve an order. We have 800 students, and get about 30 books an order. When they come in we take pictures of the students with their books, and they become the first ones to check out their birthday book. We also have Birthday Books labels that go on the books, as well as book plates. Good Luck! I wouldn't be able to do it w/out our wonderful PTO.

12. We are a 3-5 school...with 498 enrollment. Have been doing a b-day club for a few years. It is most popular with the 3rd graders (although the some of the other grades participate.) So far this year we have had 81 participants. Each child donates $10 and picks a book we have purchased and have in a special office area. We were given seed money to begin from the PTA.

13. I have a birthday book club at my K-5 school, and it works wonderfully! My PTO allows me to purchase about $500 worth of books at a time for the Birthday Book Cart. I try to choose books I can price at $10, although I do have some $15 and $20 ones. I buy from Follett, and only buy library bindings so the books will last at least as long as the student is at our school:) My PTO does absorb some expense, as even a $9.36 book from Follett costs us a bit more than $10 with tax and processing. I do have students that bring in tattered paperbacks to donate as their birthday books, and I accept them as well, but I encourage buying from the book cart so the books will last. But I would never turn down a child's donation. Anyone who donates is recognized at our Friday flag salute, and each book has a book plate. I also add the students' names to the MARC record, so they can look up their donations.

So far this school year, I've received 63 birthday books purchased from my cart. I probably received another 15-20 hardcovers purchased at bookstores, and maybe 5-10 paperbacks.

14. I ask for a donation of $25. This covers the book, processing, and the AR test. I am in a secondary library (7th - 12th grade) and I bring in about $1000 a year. The elementary librarian brings in about $3000 a year. One thing that greatly increased my program was having the birthday book form included on-line with the registration papers in the fall. I think many parents fill it out and turn it in with all their papers without even paying attention! We bill the $25 to their account. Prior to that, I would mail the forms home to all students with upcoming birthdays. I only made about $300 that way.

15. We have had birthday books since before I came to the district 17 years ago. I purchase books from an activity account from my usual sources in advance. The students pay the actual cost of the book which usually at present I keep between $9 to $14. Last year our participation zoomed when I sent out information with an "intent form" at the start of the school year. This way I have a clue as to the numbers and ages of the students.

When their birthday approaches we remind them and they come and choose a book. They take a note home with the price. I have 3 elem. buildings that we do this at and being in a relatively affluent area we receive 60 to 150 books per year lately!! At 2 of the buildings we put a sticker on the child's checkout card which for some reason seems to be a real treat. At the other building we take their picture with the book and add it to a poster outside the library door. We also put a little birthday cake label on the spine of the book as well as a bookplate. I am attaching the flyer that goes home and the spine label. I cannot access the bookplate from home. We make a similar label to the spine label that we change each year.

This year's has a present pictured on it with the 08-09 school year that we place on the students checkout card. They can get one for each year.