Discover the three most effective school library lending systems and determine which one best suits your primary school's needs.
Who is this for?
If you're a primary school educator looking for the best lending system to manage your school's library efficiently, this guide is for you.
- Without an effective lending system, keeping your school library organized and accessible becomes a challenging task.
- You want to get a sense of which novels the pupils actually read. Are there some books that demand more attention and which can be remediated?
- Because you want to keep note of the novels pupils enjoy so that you may better assist them in selecting an appropriate book.
Three school library and lending systems
Here’s a breakdown of the top three school library lending solutions available today. Our comprehensive comparison outlines the key features, benefits, and drawbacks associated with each school library system.
- A card-based system: A card system is a straightforward system in which each book receives a card.
- A library management system: A conventional library management and lending system is comparable to that of a public library.
- The School Library App: A user-friendly app specially developed for primary and secondary schools, with a focus on reading promotion.
Key factors to consider when choosing a library system:
- User-friendliness: Is it simple for everyone to use? Or does the responsibility lie on one specific person?
- Flexibility and Accessibility: Can it be used in a number of ways, and how can we ensure that the books are accessible to pupils?
- Reading promotion: Is it possible to help pupils choose right books?
#1: Traditional Card-Based System: Pros and Cons
A card system is a simple system in which every book is assigned a card.
When a pupil requests to borrow a book, the library manager pulls the card from the book and writes the pupil's name and group on it. When the pupil returns the book, the manager places the card back inside.
The card-based system stands out for its flexibility, making it suitable for both whole-school use and individual classrooms, and practically anyone can lend a book to another pupil.
This method falls short in promoting reading because it offers limited insights into student reading habits and engagement. As a result, pupils read books that they enjoy less frequently.
To actively promote reading in the school library, keep track of which book choices were effective and which were not. Teachers can assist pupils in selecting a good book based on their reading history.
2: Digital Library Management System: Is It Right for Your School
The conventional library management system is comparable to the public library system. It is only appropriate for big central collections and is swiftly rejected in primary schools, since books are frequently distributed throughout the building.
With this technique, each book is assigned a unique barcode that allows the computer to recognise it. Sticking on the barcodes takes a long time, and barcode scanners must be acquired.
Unlike the card system, this digital alternative allows you to borrow and return books faster. This is especially beneficial when you have a large group of pupils in front of you, all of whom want to borrow and return a book.
The challenge with traditional library management systems is their complexity, which often limits their use to a small, tech-savvy group within the school. As a result, we frequently notice that such a school library is often too limited in access, which has a negative impact on pupils' reading enjoyment at school.
Consider whether it is worthwhile to build up a complex system that includes computers, barcode printers, and scanners. Is this tight approach appropriate for our primary school?
Adding the books into the system often takes a lot of time and you really have to dive into it understand how the it works. A instructor once told me. I generally try to figure things out myself, but this system is not very inventable.
Some systems are better suited to reading promotion than others. Pupils can search for books by theme, and a few library supervisors can view each pupil's reading history.
#3: The School Library App: Revolutionizing Reading in Primary (and secondary) Schools
The School Library App is a user-friendly solution designed specifically for primary schools, with a strong emphasis on promoting reading. Monitoring reading behaviour motivates the team to improve the collection, assist pupils in selecting a book, and maintain pupil engagement.
There is no need to stick barcodes because it leverages existing barcodes on the book. This means that you can inventory the school library in a single day. Educators report that setting up a traditional library management system can sometimes take months, delaying its benefits.
The 3 School Library Lending Systems in One Overview
*The computer terminal set-up consists of a computer with screen (or laptop), label printer and barcode scanner.
The versatile School Library App works on phones, tablets, and desktops, making it simple for anybody to borrow a book. The options are infinite:
- Librarians who use an iPad to lend books at the central school library.
- Pupils who borrow books independently using a Chromebook.
- Teachers who lend books to pupils in class using their phones.
There are no right or wrong answers here, just advantages and disadvantages. The choice is yours. The Ultimate School Library Guide has more information on how to personalise your school library process.
We assist kids find a fun and appropriate book by monitoring their reading behaviour and providing personal book recommendations. In this approach, we prevent pupils from inadvertently selecting books that are not appropriate for them, and we maximise the usage of underutilised volumes in the school library.
Pupils who are constantly bored or disappointed by a poor book selection drop out quickly, and it takes a lot of effort to get them interested in reading again at school. With the School Library App, teachers and library assistants have tremendous tools to address this in the school library.
What else could a primary school expect from a school library software?
Also read: Library Management Software: An alternative for Primary and Secondary Schools