DOCUMENT RESUME ED 351 664 CS 011 084 AUTUR Braught, Loran, Comp. TITLE Students' Own Bookshop: A Program To Enhance Middle Grades Reading and Leadership through Student Managed Paperback Bookshop Operation. Manual of Ideas and Procedures. INSTITUTION Indiana State Univ., Terre Haute. Student Bcokshop Network. PUB DATE [92] NOTE 140p. PUB TYPE Reports Descriptive (141) Guides Non-Classroom Use (055) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC06 Pius Postage. DESCRIPTORS Entrepreneurship; Junior High Schools; Middle Scnools; Program Descriptions; Program Implementation; Reading Materials; *Reading Programs; *Recreational Reading; Student Leadership; *Student Participation IDENTIFIERS *Bookstores; Reading Motivation; Trade Books ABSTRACT This manual was developed as one outcome of a 2-year experimental project conducted ir. 53 school districts in Indiana (1990-92). The manual was designed to be a resource to schools interested in operating a successful "Students' Own Bookshop" program to encourage development of literacy and leadership among the students of their school. The overview section of the manual presents background information and rationales for the program. Designed for Bookshop students and advisors, the management section provides a quick resource to tested ideas for conducting specific elements of the program, such as budget and finance, inventory, personnel and facilities, marketing, znd publicity. The appendix section includes a short article on computers and a sample initial inventory. The Network News section includes a brief guideline for reports to the "Network News" newsletter, which shares new ideas, questions, and resources that extend information started in themanual. (RS) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** MANUAL OF IDEAS AND PROCEDURES FOR MIDDLE GRADE STUDENT PAPERBACK BOOKSHOP PROGRAM PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS U S ()APARTMENT OF EDUCATION MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Office or Educavonal Research and Inv.:wen len! EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER ERIC) r.VINts document has been reproduced as received rrorn tne person or organrtatron ompnatmg .1 tr" ,Merpnroordcuhco been made le .m prove TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES Points of view or otmons stated ,n1h.sdOCu INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC1" men! do not neCessarOy represent ott,-ral OE RI posttron or pohcv COORDINATED BY INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION STUDENT BOOKSHOP NETWORK BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 STUDENTS' OWN BOOKSHOP A PROGRAM TO ENHANCE MIDDLE GRADES READING AND LEADERSHIP THROUGH STUDENT MANAGED PAPERBACK BOOKSHOP OPERATION I.S.U. STUDENT BOOKSHOP NETWORK Compiled by Dr. Loran Braught, Director SE710 Indiana State University ci Terre Haute, IN 47809 .C) (812) 237-2836 FAX (812) 237-4348 (ISU School of Education) FAX (812) 535-3630 (Bookshop Network) TABLE OF CONTENTS Overview Section 1 Organization of this Manual. What is a Students' Own Bookshop? History of the Student Bookshop Concept 6 Bookshop Goals and Outcomes 8 Education's Highest Aims 9 ISU Bookshop Network 10 Application Video 11 THE READING TEACHER, February 1992 13 Why Set Up a School Bookshop? 17 Funding a New Bookshop Time-line Management Section Three Key Positions 16 Advisor 36 Principal 38 Student Leaders 18 Student Board of Directors 40 Budget and Finance Committee 43 Inventory Committee 47 Personnel and Facilities Committee 53 Marketing Committee 58 Publicity Committee 71 Appendix Section Acknowledgements Computers III Bookshelves XVII Sample Initial Inventory VII Clip Art Network News Section Network News Reports A OVERVIEW ORGANIZATION OF THIS MANUAL This manual was designed to be a resource to schools interested in operating a successful Students' Own Bookshop program to encourage development of literacy and leadership among the students of their school. Overview Section. To quickly understand the background and rationales of the program it will be helpful to read the Overview section. To initiate a new Students' Own Bookshop it will be helpful for planners to read the entire manual early in their planning. This section contains a reprint of an article on the Bookshop project appearing in February 1992 issue of THE READING TEACHER; a journal of the International Reading Association. Information regarding the ISU Bookshop Network is also in the Overview Section. Management Section. The Manual provides a quick resource to tested ideas for conducting specific elements of the Bookshop, so it may be helpful to encourage Bookshop leaders to repeatedly refer to those sections which are particularly relevant to their primary assignments. The Management section is designed for Bookshop students and advisors. As a Bookshop gains experience it may want to modify parts of this section to suit their own procedures and materials. Appendix Section. The Students' Own Bookshop program is a dynamic, continually changing activity. This section has some samples, clip art, and a brief article on computers. It also has the acknowledgement notes of appreciation. Active Bookshops may want to add to this section with samples of their personalized forms, clip art for the Publicity Committee, etc. Network News Section. This section has a brief guideline for reports to the Network News Newsletter. The remaining space is for adding copies of the Network News as members receive them. Eachh; Je of Network News shares new ideas, questions, and resources that extend information started in the manual. Sharing depends heavily upon members submitting regular reports of their experiences and every member Bookshop is urged to appoint Network News reporters. There will seldom be extra copies of Network News, so keeping copies here is suggested. WHAT IS A STUDENTS' OWN BOOKSHOP? If you combine the best ideas of a school book fair,a Junior Achievement club, and a Boy Scout troop, you would approach theconcept of the Students' Own Bookshop. Student volunteers provide the activities andresources for popular, convenient, and affordable book sales. Adult volunteers guide studentsto awareness and wise use of available resources, but students actuallymanage a paperback book mini-business at school with the clear goal of increasing personalreading among their peers. Because each Bookshop is unique to its own setting and personnel, each Bookshop will select a specific characteristicappearance of its own. This Manual and the available Network membership is designed to help provide effectiveoptions from which to select. The common goal ofevery Students' Own Bookshop is to encourage more personal reading among middle grade students. National research confirms the importance of that goal, and a two year experimentalgrant project demonstrated that the Bookshop plan has great potential in accomplishing that goal. Seemore details on this experiment elsewhere in this Manual. MIDDLE GRADES SEEM BEST SUITED FOR STUDENT BOOKSHOPS Our experience confirms that most students of grade fiveto nine usually have the ability and may have the desire to manage theirown Bookshops. Without much proof, we suspect that the student managed Bookshop planmay not be as effective for younger nor older students. When we tried it with high school students, it was not encouraging. We did not test a primary age group. Grades 5 through 9were most successful, and that was our target group of priority need (basedupon national research) STUDENT LEADERSHIP IS VITAL TO MEANINGFUL RESULTS The major reason to insist upon young adolescent student leadership of the Bookshop is the established power of their peer influence and insight. For example, when we compared book orders of students with those of adults therewas as much as 80% difference in what was ordered by the Bookshops, andeven more difference in what was selected by the student customers. Knowingmore is not always knowing best when guiding young teens. FUNDING IS NOT A MAJOR HURDLE We found that it is not a serious challenge to obtain needed fundingto begin a Bookshop. We were fortunate to obtain handsome funding froma Lilly Endowment grant, but we also guided several non-profit sites to success with far less funding. For example, with less than $1,000 that was easily solicited from local donations,we saw sixth graders lead their Bookshop to nearly 300 salesper month. 6 2 QUALITY DISTRIBUTORS ARE IMPORTANT Because we found good distributors who offer over 40% discounts, we know that any Bookshop can offer 30% customer discounts and operate indefinitely. An obvious advantage of the Bookshop is the fact that there are virtually no overhead expenses. QUALITY ADULT ADVISORS ARE A VITAL KEY If there is one vital key in the success of the students' own Bookshop operation, it is surely the skill and enthusiasm of the adult volunteer advisors. In most successful activities with young adolescents, the adult role is not always the sole reason, but can easily be the major reason that the students grow successfully. Being a good "guide on the side" is no simple task. The successful Bookshop advisor usually requires the assistance of at least one adult co-worker. It should go without saying thac the support of school administration, particularly the school principal, is crucial to any school program success. VIRTUALLY EVERY PROBLEM HAS A RESOLUTION Because the Bookshop can operate with either portable or permanent shelving, school space is not a major hurdle. Because each Bookshop sets its own pace, scheduling is what each