Tips for Building Your Classroom/Office Library

For many new teachers, the list of things needed is long and the resources to get these things are limited. This is especially true when it comes to the classroom/office library. Having books in a classroom or office for students to read and use is very important. Besides serving as a resource for students, books also give a space a more welcoming feel and provide a tangible (and practical) link to the subject area. However, books are expensive, and given that teachers often spend their own money on such necessities as pens and paper for their students, a classroom library might seem like a chimera. However, there are resources where teachers can find cheap or free books to help them create a classroom library of their own. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Library book sales can be a treasure trove for teachers who need inexpensive books and magazines, and they come with the bonus that the money made from the sales benefit the library. Many libraries hold sales once every few months and/or have an area in the library dedicated to books that are on sale. These books are usually very cheap ($1.00 or $2.00 for paperbacks, $2.00 or $3.00 for hardcovers), with a few books priced a little higher depending on condition, quality, or scarcity. Check out the website of your local library to see if/when they hold their book sales or ask one of the librarians the next time you visit.
• LibraryThing, my preferred book cataloging site, has an Early Reviewers program where members can request to receive books in an exchange for an honest review of at least 25 words. Available books are posted on a monthly basis, and members are notified if they are selected to receive a book. Although the books are often advance copies (rather than the final product), this usually doesn't present many problems. Additionally, the books are often ones that haven't been published yet, giving you the chance to be ahead of the curve. LibraryThing also has an unrelated Member Giveaway section where members (often authors) give copies of books in exchange for a review.  
• Check out the remainder tables and bargain tables at your local bookstore (or at a big retailer like Barnes and Noble or Books-A-Million). Remainders are unsold copies of books that stores want to get rid of, and they are usually priced at a fraction of the original retail price. There is often a nice variety of books in different genres and for different levels on the remainder tables. Barnes and Noble usually has a lot of bargain/clearance books, but my absolute favorite place for remainders was (and still is) Brookline Booksmith.  
• While we are on the topic of bookstores, finding a good used bookstore or used book warehouse can be very helpful. Used bookstores not only provide hours of great browsing, they also are often staffed by people who know and love books. Used book warehouses are not nearly as cozy or intimate, but they usually hold untold (and inexpensive) treasures. Two of my favorites are the Better World Books Outlet Store (in Indiana) and McKay Used Books (in Tennessee). Both places have an enormous inventory, and both offer a trade-in program. If you aren't near either store, check your local listings to see what your area holds in terms of a used bookstore. Half-price and used bookstores are always worth visiting!
• Visit the exhibit halls at education conferences. Oftentimes, publishers will have conference sales or will be giving away free advanced reader's copies to teachers. This is a fantastic way to get new books. However, and I cannot say this more emphatically, you need to remember that cheap/free books does not mean that you can act like a bargain-crazed shopper at a day-after-Thanksgiving-sale. Remember what you learned in kindergarten: be polite and kind, and only take your share. Don't blindly grab at any book that you see piled on a table, ask if you have any doubt whether a book is free or not (sometimes it isn't clear), and do not, under any circumstances, be the person running around the exhibit hall with a cart or a rolling suitcase. Not only is this not allowed at some conferences, but it is just rude. Finally, take the time to talk to the people in the booths about their products. They want to talk to you about what they have to offer, and they are sometimes ignored or are on the receiving end of some very bad behavior because of the craziness that sometimes accompanies free books. (I realize this sounds like an exaggeration, but after attending many NCTE conferences and browsing the exhibit halls, I can assure you that it is not).
• Depending on your attitude towards swapping (and your stockpile of unwanted books), sites like Bookmooch or PaperBack Swap can be a good resource. The concept for these sites is simple: after you create an account, you list books that you want to get rid of and other users can request the books from you. Listing books and sending books to other people gets you points/credits you can use to request books of your own. The caveat to this system is that you have to have books to list and you have to be willing/able to ship out books to people who request them (Bookmooch does allow people to set up charity accounts for schools and classrooms, but I'm not certain what the application process is for this). I used to use Bookmooch a great deal, and overall, I had very good experiences with it. Not only was I able to get rid of books I didn't want or need any longer, but I received a bunch of great books to use in my office library, including books on writing and young adult literature.

This listing doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of possibilities when it comes to getting cheap/free books (for instance, I didn't include options like Adopt-a-Classroom). What are your tried and true resources for getting books for your classroom library?