The Categories of Book Hunters
We should provide access to books in our classes with the same differentiated approach that we bring to any other lesson, assessment, or activity because there are, I believe, four categories of students who pursue books.
The Book Stalker
students who will seek out the book they want, regardless of locale. They get a mere whiff of a good book in the air, and they pursue it. They understand how to choose books and seek out advice.
The Library Literate
These are students who won't or can't go to a store, but who are comfortable enough to go to the local library, perhaps seeking advice from the friendly face on the other side of the desk.
The Lunchtime Lurker
Students who may be comfortable only at the school library. This may also be the only place where they feel safe. Perhaps they escape lunchtime trauma by diving into the dark corners of the library's stacks, surrounded by countless books.
The Frightened Bibliophobe
Students who are so frightened of books, of literacy, and of choice, that they feel comfortable only in their classroom library, reaching for books they know exactly where to find and trusting you, who understands their fears and reading insecurities.