Katherine Edwards is glad she has plenty of space in her Morgan County Elementary School library, since she has to store more than books. “I have these big containers full of preserved worms in a closet in the back of my library,” she says. The library was the only place with enough space to let students do a worm dissection project, Edwards says, and since the science company sending them to the school sent “way too many,” she’s stuck with them until next year’s repeat project.
“The fifth graders loved it, and they did really well,” she says, adding that the elementary kids are obsessed with all things science.
Edwards, now heading into her seventh year as a media specialist librarian for the school in Madison, Georgia, which has about 850 students and is growing every year, says the experience helped her realize that her popular book fairs could give a boost to other academic events. While she knew science night was always a hit, she wasn’t so sure the same would go for math night – until she paired the event with a shopping evening at her book fair. Math night was a hit too, and now teachers are coordinating with Edwards to keep the same schedule each year for both events.
“They’re shopping, they’re using money, and that’s math,” Edwards says, adding that it’s a great way to reinforce the existence of sales tax, which a lot of kids haven’t learned to take into account when planning for their purchases.
Edwards runs two fairs a year and prepares for each with just her and her assistant, but she says that ever since switching to Literati fairs, the process is a breeze. “After lunch we’ll take some time and we’ll move our tables, open all the carts. There are very few boxes to unpack. It’s all done for you, and setup only takes a couple of hours.”
Edwards likes to set up all the materials at the front of her library for curious students passing by. “You hear ‘Ahh, it’s here!’” she says. “It’s so exciting for them.”
Once the fair is set up, the school rotates classes in to preview the selections. “They get to make a little wish list and write down what they want,” Edwards says.
“It’s so fun to hear what they’re excited about seeing.”
Edwards, who just completed her 13th book fair of her career, says she used to use another company, but switched permanently to Literati after seeing the quality of the books and expansive collection. “Whatever magic Literati has, they know what to pick for the kids,” she says.
She says the bonus is not having to deal with “the junk” (think plushie toys and smelly erasers) that another fair company shipped with the books. “The books Literati supplies don’t come with the trinkets and stuff, but do come accompanied with useful school supplies that are very popular.”
Edwards, who also is in charge of the school’s social media, said she creates special graphics and catchy phrases to promote the fairs and posts regularly in the run-up to launch. “You don’t have to do a lot,” she says. “I set up what they’ve given me, and the fair sells itself.”
Edwards says the Literati sales system is easy to use and includes a Wi-Fi hotspot for her library since the school’s internet is problematic. Best, she says, is the ability for parents to go online and purchase a printable gift card. “Even if a student loses their printout between home and book fair, I can look them up on my computer. It’s a foolproof system.”
All the money raised from the fairs goes toward purchasing books for the library – something Edwards says she feels grateful for since she doesn’t have to worry as much about district and school budgets.
Edwards sees herself as the “library lady” not just for her school, but the Madison community at large since she volunteers so much at the public library. “I’m seen as the go-to person if one of my coworkers or a family has a question not only about what’s going on at our school library, but at the public library too. They feel like they can reach out to me and talk to me about those initiatives. And I embrace that, and I love it.”
Edwards said she hopes her students will take memories of the book fair with them in life to embrace books and support their public libraries. “The core purpose of the book fair is to provide a positive experience with reading,” she says. “Our generation has such fond memories of getting to shop at school book fairs and the excitement that that generated. Hopefully we’re building some of those same core memories for these kids today too.”
“Positive reading experiences are so important in building their identity as a reader,” Edwards says. “And I like to make the book fair one of those positive experiences that helps them enjoy reading.”
Having a book that students can call their own – rather than having to return it to her library – also is important. “The books at the Literati fairs are so affordable that our students can leave with a book that is theirs,” she says.
