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What if the books kids checked out at the public library today ended up on their school library shelves next year?
That is the whole heart of Share the Shelf: School & Public Library Book Initiative, a project funded by a RAILS My Library Is... grant. The idea was simple: bring a curated collection of diverse, high-quality titles to La Grange Public Library, get them into kids hands, promote them at local schools, and then donate the books directly to those school libraries after a year on our shelves. One collection that serves our community twice. And next year, we are taking it a step further.
Four Libraries, One Shared Goal
Three school libraries joined us: Congress Park School, Spring Avenue Elementary, and Seventh Avenue Elementary. Their librarians, Kami Spatzek, Joanna Marek, and Bethany Walsh, were partners in every sense of the word, promoting the collection in their own buildings and helping get books in front of kids from day one.
La Grange Public Library staff selected 48 titles spanning Grades 1 through 6, using resources like School Library Journal, Diverse BookFinder, and NoveList K-8 to build a collection that genuinely reflected our community. We then shared the list with our school librarian partners for their feedback and buy-in before anything was ordered. Having their stamp of approval meant the books were embraced across all four libraries right from the start. We included graphic novels, nonfiction, early readers, chapter books, and bilingual editions because not every kid reads the same way and not every family speaks the same language at home.
What We Did and What We Learned
Before the books hit the shelves we sat down with all three school librarians to talk strategy. From there, library staff visited each school for book talks and poster drop-offs, hosted a Book Bash that drew 131 kids and teens, and held a Hot Chocolate and Book Tasting in February 2026. We also launched a Beanstack reading challenge featuring every Share the Shelf title. It is still going, and early participants have already worked their way through all 16 books. We expect that number to grow as the program builds recognition.
The circulation numbers have been genuinely exciting. The collection has generated 523 total checkouts and renewals, with 46 out of 48 titles circulating. Top titles across grade bands were Knots by Colleen Frakes, Orris and Timble: The Beginning by Kate DiCamillo, and Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell. One copy of Warrior on the Mound has been checked out or renewed 15 times on its own. That tells you everything about what happens when the right book finds the right kid.
When the year wraps up, every book gets donated to our three partner school libraries, one copy of each title per school, around 52 books total. For school libraries working with tight budgets, that is not a small thing. Every donated book goes out the door with a bookplate identifying it as part of the Share the Shelf program, so kids who discover a title at school know exactly where to find more like it.
We learned that kids get excited faster when they can find a book in more than one place. So in year two, we are placing six titles in each school library at the same time they launch on our shelves. Same bookplates, same connection back to the program, just more ways in for kids to find the collection from the very start.
Worth Trying at Your Library
Lead the title selection yourself, then bring your school partners in early for their input and approval. This process builds trust and makes the books feel like a shared investment from the beginning. Get books visible in as many places as you can, plan for processing and promotional costs in your budget, and think about how the books will carry the program's identity even after they leave your shelves. A bookplate is a small thing that goes a long way.
We are doing it again next year and we cannot wait. If you are looking for a way to stretch limited resources, deepen school partnerships, and get great books into kids hands, Share the Shelf is worth trying.
Today's blog post was written by Kim Scott (she/her), Public Services Manager at La Grange Public Library.
This project was made possible by the My Library Is... Grant.