Will Work for Books

February 6, 2008 11:36 AM

High school teacher in Seattle needs novels in bulk. School doesn't have the money. Anyone know any good resources for this?

I have taken over a Language Arts (English) spot at a high school in Seattle. The students asking me if we're going to really learn anything in class. (And yes, we will, but...) The book room here is pretty thin, and there are a couple of books I'd really, really like to do with them...

...but I sure can't afford to buy them on my own. The student population is overwhelmingly slanted to free and/or reduced school lunches, so I really can't send them out to buy their own books. And things are already rolling, so I don't really have time to go through a grant application.

I imagine there are resources out there for folks in this position. Anyone have any suggestions?

In particular, I'm really hoping to do "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I'd need sixty copies to be able to give one to every student.

posted by scaryblackdeath to education (19 comments total)

Well, there's Donors Choose that's specifically for teachers, and in my state we have Crayons2Computers, which gives free stuff to teachers. You may have something similar in your state.

You might also consider going around to local bookstores and asking for help. If you agree to do a teeny bit of advertising (say, in the newsletter or maybe write an article for the local paper) they might donate the books to you.
posted by cooker girl at 11:46 AM on February 6, 2008

I noticed on Amazon that there were used copies of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest for as little as 90 cents. (Although that does add up if you need 60 copies). The Seattle Library's web site listed at least 15 copies of it as well. And maybe there is the chance that other libraries outside of Seattle has the book as well and you could do an inter-library loan. "The Things They Carried," seems to be more difficult to track down. Again, perhaps the local libraries?

If all else fails, could you get an audio recording of each book and just listen to them in class - all together? I know it's not reading, but at least it's some exposure to some great literature.

Another approach would be getting your hands on as many copies as possible (even if it's only 10 copies) and take turns reading the books (excusing a portion of the class to go to the school library and read one of the copies of the books during class time).
posted by Sassyfras at 11:49 AM on February 6, 2008

Trade off two books. For example, 30 students have one, 30 have the other. Discuss some of each and then switch. This would work better with a collection of short stories, either something compatible or purposefully contrasting. (Classics like Sherlock Holmes versus Poe) Each day dedicate to one Poe story and one Holmes story.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 11:58 AM on February 6, 2008

You could always ask Pamie for help. Really, it would be easy to start a grassroots campaign online or even on Metafilter, if you talk to the right people. I would be happy to buy a copy or two for your class if I knew where to send them.
posted by headspace at 12:04 PM on February 6, 2008

You might also look into being a charity on bookmooch. People can send you books and people can also donate points in lieu of books. Might not work so well for bulk, but could work really well if you do some sort of Reading Is Fun project.
http://www.bookmooch.com/m/charity

Bookmooch doesn't currently list any for the O'Brien title, but has close to 30 for the Kesey.
posted by 100watts at 12:05 PM on February 6, 2008

You might try contacting the publishers directly. I went to the Penguin site and they've got some programs for teachers. Some of it's lesson plans and supplemental material (guides, posters, etc) but they also mention group/bulk discounts. Don't know how much of it a discount it is, but it can't hurt to ask. Most major publishers (Harper Collins, etc) have similar programs and/or discounts. You might have even better luck with a small publisher.
posted by Atom12 at 12:13 PM on February 6, 2008

I really don't know if they do this, but maybe you could call Powell's or an equivalent bookbuyer/bookseller in your area, tell them you need those books, and see if they can buy used copies when they come in. A used paperback at Powells can cost as little as $2, but they normally would never buy that much used inventory in one title.

Also, post an "I need this book for free" ad on Craigslist?
posted by peep at 12:21 PM on February 6, 2008

If your school allows you to print a large number of pages and has a binding machine you might want to change your books to some classics from Project Gutenburg
posted by jrishel at 12:35 PM on February 6, 2008

I too was about to suggest Project Gutenburg. If the kids have on-line access, maybe they can read the books without you having to print them out. It is always worth find out if if some have net access.
posted by onhazier at 12:46 PM on February 6, 2008

Try to get one of the columnists at the Seattle Times or the PI to write about your situation.
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:55 PM on February 6, 2008

Some public libraries have "book club sets". Usually 20 or so copies of recent popular titles (Oprah!). You can ILLO (interlibrary loan, usually free) them from several different libraries to make up a set of 60. The catch is you would have to give your students the responsibility of going down to the library, getting a library card, signing out the book and then returning it on time (which is a good thing to teach secondary school students of course). Actually, if your school allows it you could have a free pre-booked field trip to the library where the students pick up their library cards and books and get a tour of the library as well as a demonstration of how to find and use secondary resources like CLC (contemporary literay criticism) and the library's on-line databases as well as recomended internet sites. The librarians would also get a chance to show other resources your students will need in the real world (used car guides, employment databases etc) that are free. Okay, this is part of my real-life job, but it is really fun to help teachers get good books into the hands of students that have only read crappy assigned books before and do not know how much free stuff the library is dying to give away to them. Give your public librarian youth librarian a call/email and see if she/he can set it up for you.

Are you sure you want to do something as old as the two you choose? Depending on your class they may respond better to more contemporary novels (The Road comes to mind, a popular book club title) or urban fiction. And I can't help but notice both books are very male-focused. It always bugged me in secondary school that most books excluded my gender and I could not relate to their world-view. Something like "A handmaids tale" by Atwood is great for fostering class discussion about the role gender, religion and history play out in America.
posted by saucysault at 12:59 PM on February 6, 2008

If you were willing to change books and going to go the craigslist/used bookstore route you might consider one of the past Seattle Reads books that many people probably have on their shelves at home. Persopolis and the Sweet Hereafter would be my personal picks. Persopolis especially because it is a quick read about a country very much in the news and there is a movie is well (as is there one for the Sweet Hereafter).
posted by saucysault at 1:17 PM on February 6, 2008

If there was, say, a Metafilter Project that involved raising money to be spent this way I know I would happily paypal over $20. Hint.
posted by phearlez at 1:19 PM on February 6, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

If time isn't of the essence, it would definitely be worth your while to discuss the situation with a few local used book buyers. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest is the type of book where it's pretty easy to find used, but would take you a bit of time to build up a collection of them. They're so common though, that used buyers don't get many/don't charge much for them if they do have it/and might even throw copies away normally.
posted by drezdn at 1:39 PM on February 6, 2008

yeah, I'm totally willing to kick in a bit for this one. Somebody tell me how and where.
posted by mccxxiii at 1:56 PM on February 6, 2008

Will you work for books? That's what I did last Friday for my school library.

Scholastic has warehouse sales located in Washington state. First off, the Warehouse sales are a great place to get books for $1-2 a piece (without the shipping and they will have LOTS of one title).

Second, if you sign up to volunteer you will earn $10 an hour via voucher to buy books at the warehouse. For example, last Friday I worked 6.5 hours and got a $65 voucher. I came home with 40 books.

Link

Looks like the closest sale right now is in Kennewick, Washington on Feb 14th through 16th. The volunteer sign up is inside the regular link. They should send you an email about it
in a couple days otherwise feel free to call and ask them about it.
posted by aetg at 3:26 PM on February 6, 2008

I have a copy of O'Brien that you can have. Just tell me where to send it. MeMail me. And, I would also donate money.

If there are college bookstores near you that can be pilfered, Used Saves, and all that. I would also call used bookstores in your area and see if you can scare up a cheap and or donated number from those places.
posted by Medieval Maven at 6:23 PM on February 6, 2008

Contact Scholastic; they've got regional warehouses and occasionally have monster price blowout sales. We're talking like a buck a book.
posted by John of Michigan at 7:00 PM on February 6, 2008

Is there some sort of district English Teacher's Committee? Ask other teachers in your department about it. Veteran teachers are always getting rid of stuff--a teacher in an affluent school might have some beat-up class sets that you can take or borrow.

YMMV, but that's how I got all of my supplies (I teach elementary science). Fellow teachers are your best resource.
posted by lisaici at 10:07 PM on February 6, 2008