Issue 130

Books-to-Go Orders ready for delivery and collection

How do you get boys reading in the holidays for fun? Sometimes, you have to take an old classic, and serve it up as something new.

Books-to-Go was inspired by initiatives playing on the theme of food delivery services, blended with the idea of a ‘Blind date with a book’. Students place their ‘order’ for either a specific request or mystery bag that contains books and holiday activities. These orders are then either hand-delivered to the student or collected from the library in a brown paper bag (receipt and all). It’s just like a restaurant – but food for the mind.

Hungry for inspiration

Working in an all-boys school of just over 1,400 students, I am forever trying to find new and exciting ways to get students reading for leisure. Books-to-Go sounds like a fun challenge, but in truth the idea was born from doomscrolling.

It was while on my phone scrolling through social media platforms (like Facebook and Viva Engage), I found posts mentioning terms such as ‘Uber Reads’ and ‘DeliverReads’ alongside logo-adorned brown paper bags. The concept looked new, popular and, more importantly, exciting to run, with one teacher librarian (Elisabeth Porreca-Dubois) running an Uber Reads initiative at their school – and it looked to be a success.

I thought: ‘Why not give it a try? What’s the worst that could happen?’

There’s a lot of work that goes into developing an initiative from scratch. Even with visual concepts and mock-ups, you still need the two things all librarians want more of: time and time.

Prepping the orders

Since this was my first year as the teacher librarian, my mantra was ‘Go big or go home’. Like a chef in a well-stocked kitchen, I needed to sharpen my tools and get cracking.

A lot of work goes into developing an initiative from scratch. Even with visual concepts and mock-ups, you still need the two things all librarians want more of: time and time. In theory, I knew how to make it work, but time is always the killer in our practice.

It took months of planning and preparation just to get the designs the way I wanted – and that was even before promoting the initiative, making the bags, and gaining final approval.

It took months of planning and preparation just to get the designs the way I wanted – and that was even before promoting the initiative, making the bags, and gaining final approval. To keep my sanity and help plan, I divided the components of the plan into three categories:

1. Books-to-Go bag: This included the bag, front label and order receipt, plus any holiday activities that I wanted to include. 
2. Order forms: This would give students autonomy about their preference for either a mystery bag (for example, ‘Blind date with a book’) or for a specific order, and would use both digital and physical forms.
3. Advertising and promotion: This included the creation of both physical and digital posters for the library, which I posted on walls around the school, the school servers as well as digital noticeboards. I also spoke at multiple assemblies. It sounds daunting, but I did have the help of my assistant.

It sounds daunting, but I did have the help of my assistant. If not for her, I would definitely be overcooked! We spent many afternoons and free moments planning and creating materials. We learned weirdly satisfying facts and skills. Did you know Microsoft Word has a barcode font option? We made fancy designer labels in Canva. We typed and stapled individualised order receipts for each bag. There were Google Forms, which synched to digital displays, and that was just the tech set up! We still needed to spread the word further.

Donning a delivery bag on my back (a giant boardgame bag), my laptop in one hand and scanner in the other, I spoke at assemblies and walked down the hallways into English classrooms to ask: ‘Have you placed an order yet?’

Serving success

Calling the initiative a success would be an understatement. I would say it was more than just an appetiser – it was a full multi-course triumph!

It was definitely a huge success to physically leave the library and approach students in their classrooms and beyond. As a result, they were rushing to the library to fill out their orders, or quickly logging onto their computers to submit their requests. We even had parents place orders for their children, in advance, during parent–teacher interviews after they saw the bags.

One of our student reviews

We were so busy on the last day of school – orders were literally flying out the door. Teachers spoke to us about how satisfying it was seeing students carrying their Books-to-Go bags outside at bus stops and train stations. It felt good.

For each order, students could write a short review of their selection. Reviews were then placed in a lucky dip with winners drawn at assembly where students could win canteen vouchers and book prizes. Student reviews were also posted on school noticeboards and put on the library shelves for others to read. Students felt like they were being heard and rewarded (both true, of course!) and staff were so happy seeing their students this excited.

Digesting the data

The first time I ran this initiative it was more aimed as a ‘blind date’. The second time, I wanted to have both physical and digital order forms to expand accessibility for both students and staff and keep a running tally on orders. By doing this, we were able to identify consistent and interesting trends.

• We lent more than 300 books (110 Books-to-Go orders placed).
• The two most enthusiastic year groups to place orders were Years 7 and 8, followed by Year 10.
• Fantasy was the most popular genre, followed by Mystery and Manga.
• Junior students ordered books en masse, with up to six books per order, mainly from series.
• Senior students were more likely to borrow books based on leadership skills (3), self-help/mental health (2), Indigenous Australian perspectives (8) and LGBTQIA+ (2).

The data seemed to suggest that because books came in a discreet brown bag, students felt comfortable enough to order books that might ordinarily carry a stigma among their peers. Running this initiative indirectly supported those who may feel judged or uncomfortable publicly asking for help. It seemed to emphasise the need to not only have these materials in our school library, but also continue to run Books-to-Go to support all students.

Leaving a tip or two

• Save where you can. For those on a tight budget, trying to cut corners where you can helps. I used old school paper bags for the initiative to cut down on buying bags in bulk. Using stores such as Officeworks or online stores can cut down costs if you choose to trial the initiative.
• Give students a voice. Students are our primary audience, so their word counts. Taking the time to read student reviews makes a huge difference. One student even told us of books that were damaged or needing an update. Taking that little extra time shows we care.
• Get help. Running this initiative solo can be daunting (trust me!). If you have a fellow teacher librarian or assistant, get them to help make up the orders. If you have library leaders/ monitors or Duke of Edinburgh volunteers, have them lead the way for advertising or delivering the orders. Teamwork makes the dream work.

The one thing I love about our profession is our passion for knowledge, and our desire to share it. I am more than happy to share all my resources with you, give advice, or just talk through things. There’s even a ‘how-to’ guide out there that will walk you through it.

The only question left is, are you ready to place your order?