Packing Your Library

Hi, friends! Have you ever had the opportunity to box up every book in your school library? I did a few years ago, and I was recently asked about this process of packing your library.

packed boxes in library

I was lucky enough to get new carpet in our library, but every book shelf had to be moved out of the room so that the carpet installation was possible. I removed the books from the shelves and boxed them up so that they could be stored for the summer, then placed back on the shelves before school started.

Label Your Library Shelves

Of course, the key is having a system. First, I labeled every single shelf in the library. In the Everybody (picture book section), I started with E1, E2, E3 and so on. I used F1, F2, F3 and so on in the fiction section, and N1, N2,N3 and so on in the Non-Fiction section. I used my label maker, but masking tape and a permanent marker would work, too.

Box Packing Labels

As I packed, two  documents kept this project organized: box labels and a packing list. Box labels can be printed on different colored paper for each section of your library, so that all of the Fiction books have a yellow label (for example), and those boxes can quickly be placed in the correct section by any helpers you have (who may or may not understand the Dewey Decimal system).

library box packing labels

You can download and save your own copy of this Google document and edit it to include your school name.

Library Box Packing List

I kept a list of how many boxes I’d packed and what was in each box. This would have allowed me to make an accurate claim if any of the boxes had been lost. I kept this list on a clipboard and completed it by hand as I packed boxes.

library box packing list

Library Packing Materials

You want to have plenty of strong book boxes (all the same size), a packing tape gun, and packing paper available before you begin this project. This will help you to have neat stacks of book boxes, with every box filled with books and paper so that it can’t be crushed.

You can recycle the boxes and paper after you unpack.

unpacked library boxes

WEED FIRST!!

Packing up your whole library takes a lot of time. I think that goes without saying. As you are spending long hours filling up those boxes, you’ll get discouraged if you have to spend time packing up books that are damaged, outdated, and too worn out to read. Start your weeding process months before you have to start packing, and you’ll be doing yourself a BIG favor!

Have you moved a library before? Please add your moving pointers in a comment!

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    21 Comments

    1. Ditto to the weeding and the labels/list making! We weeded over 100 boxes the spring of 2013 … and I still find contenders to this day. As our esteemed director says “Less is more.” Also have lots of ibuprofen handy cause you will be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE. Maybe some chocolate? And some wipes as while weeding your hands are likely to get filthy and if you have to run to a sink every 10 minutes it will take a long time to finish. Some tunes as that helps the task go faster. And something to make cutting the tape easy when unpacking (scissors get the job done but a box cutter or pocket knife work better … just have to keep them far far away from any small hands!)

    2. Ditto the labeling and accurate packing lists. I moved from one library to a new one and it went much smoother for me than one of my colleagues because I took the time to LABEL everything. She was frustrated at having to pack and did not label so putting things up in her new library was a disaster for her.

    3. Yes to the labels, lists, and weeding! One other thing: I knew where my boxes would go in my new media center. I tried to tell the movers where to put the boxes (ex. all the boxes with pink papers go here), but I was not allowed in. They were unloading a dozen rooms and we were less than a week away from the first day of school. Instead all 400 boxes were placed at one end of the library and were all mixed up. I should have put forth more effort getting in and having them placed in the right spots. Even a map could have helped with this.

    4. I am starting a new job in a library that has never been weeded. I actually found a book with the copyright date of 1912. I have actually found way too many books from the 20’s !! What is your weeding process as far as copyright goes?
      Thanks,
      Kristin
      [email protected]

    5. Get boxes that you can put the books into with the spines facing up while in a row just like on the shelf. It made it a lot quicker to unpack and reshve them!

    6. Thank you so much for the packing list and labels! I have to pack up our library by June 3rd to make way for construction. This will make reshelving so much easier!

    7. Awesome!
      I will be doing this soon, but not so much packing, as the bookshelves are on wheels and can be moved the 100 feet out of the way. I love the organization though.

      1. Thanks for your comment, Colleen! You’re lucky to have bookshelves on wheels to reduce the packing!
        Cari

    8. I am very nervous but excited to be moving to a new building. I was just hired as the librarian of my school and do not have an assistant. Our collection contains over 17,000 copies and I will be packing at Christmas break to move!! I appreciate any tips and advice since I am new to the job too!!!
      Thanks!!

      1. Bless you! I suggest you get as much help as possible. But most importantly of all, figure out a way that you can just tell them what you need and when you unpack it will go back the way it should.

    9. I have packed three times and not gone any where yet! Lol. I measured my shelves and went to my local grocery store and asked for boxes that were close to the same size. Turns out egg boxes were perfect. So I put my shelf information on the egg drawing on the side of each box, numbered my shelves and put each box on a pallet. Since the store was run by my husband getting the boxes was easy. I agreed to return the empty bottles des so they could recycle them for cash.

    10. Could you tell me about how many boxes you used? I’ve been told to order boxes, for our move and I’m worried about how many I should have on hand.

    11. Thank you Cari for the post on packing up your library. I, like Julia mentioned, need to be out by June 3rd. Our school district had us go between two libraries since librarians are not being replaced when they retire. Sooo….having two schools can be a challenge at times. Only one of my libraries is getting new carpet and I will be packing up soon. Thank you to all those who offered suggestions. I am actually having our local high school kids who need service hours for National Honor Society, come and help one afternoon after school. Hope all goes well! Thanks again,
      Jeanne

      1. That’s a great idea to have high school helpers earning service hours! Thanks for your comment, Jeanne!
        Cari

    12. I, like Julia mentioned, need to be out by June 3rd. Our school district had us go between two libraries since librarians are not being replaced when they retire. Sooo….having two schools can be a challenge at times. Only one of my libraries is getting new carpet and I will be packing up soon. Thank you to all those who offered suggestions. I am actually having our local high school kids who need service hours for National Honor Society, come and help one afternoon after school. Hope all goes well! Thanks again,
      Jeanne

    13. Anyone ever had to pack up in the middle of the school year and relocate to another room until construction was complete? If you did, what did you keep out and what did you pack to make a temporary library until construction was over?

      1. I’m in that situation now! Any tips would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks for the list and labels!

    14. Hello
      I am interested in your Packing lists and labels. The links are saying I don’t have access. I will be packing my library for new carpet in a couple of weeks. Where can I get copies of those documents.

      Thanks

    15. Hello
      I am interested in your Packing lists and labels. The links are saying I don’t have access. I will be packing my library for new carpet in a couple of weeks. Where can I get copies of those documents.

      Thanks

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