One of my biggest challenges is running a book fair. I resisted for over a year after my assistant’s position was eliminated, but my principal really wanted us to have one. At the middle school level there isn’t much parent participation. Running the cash register is complicated, so I really need to train people who can come in for extended periods of time. I’ve asked our teachers to volunteer during their planning times, but the response for that has been limited. The only reason I was able to stay open at all last spring was the willingness of my husband to work a full-time week at the book fair. (I know!!) He worked almost as much this year, but I was able to get a few more people to sign up.

This time, the Library Guild helped some. I sent an email to the parents inviting them to come in with their child, as a team, to volunteer for our family event. Two families responded, and another family just showed up to help. The parents liked working with their children, and the kids liked feeling useful.

Of course, the real snafu was Superstorm Sandy–we were closed for 3 out of the 6 book fair days. Still, we made more than half as much money as we made last time. The real downfall was that half of the students didn’t get to come to the book fair at all, which I felt badly about. I packed up the fair on Wednesday then left for the Virginia Association of School Librarians’ conference (VaASL)–what a week!