PTA Committee: Book Fair

The Book Fair is an annual event that serves two purposes: get books in the hands of the students and earn credits toward books for the library.

Duties: Schedule the Book Fair with Natalie Blasingame, Kay Land (the librarian) and the company that will be providing the books. Gather reading lists from the Language Arts department to help place the order. Promote the book fair. Coordinate the shipment and set up of the books. Staff the book fair. Close down the book fair and submit receipts.

Notes: We usually hold the book fair in the late spring in preparation for summer reading. There has been talk of holding two book fairs -- one in the fall as well to address the school reading lists. In previous years, we used Southwest Book Company with great success. For an extra 5%, they staffed and ran the cash register for the entire event, handled all of the financial transactions and helped with setup and breakdown.

Southwest Book Company
281.498.2603
Ask for Pete or Claudia

The book fair is typically held on one half of the library and usually runs 3-4 days. It is beneficial if you can have it open for a half hour before and after school, and even better if you can open one evening to allow working parents to attend. It is also helpful if we can tie in the evening to another event such as a parent education session.

Promote the book fair on the web site, in the newsletter, on the marquee, in a flyer and schedule a phone call from the school.

Watch for shoplifters. This year we are not putting out any "stuff" -- erasers, pencils, bookmarks, etc. Even though the profit margin is high, these walk away and take the focus away from the actual books. When you order, be sure to tell them you want very few children's books, mainly middle-school and high-school, and adult books -- for the teachers and parents. A bad selection can ruin a book fair.

 

2008-2009 Chair: Marialice Lindig