Creating a Magical Library Bus

‘Children who enjoy reading learn to think creatively, engage with ideas,

encounter new worlds.’ Booktrust

Kate Gorely was devastated when her children’s school lost its library. This is

the story about how creative thinking and a lot of hard work sorted the problem

out - and includes practical tips of how other schools can build their own magical

library bus

Rosendale Primary School in south London lost its original school library when the

school took on a bulge year and the former library space became a classroom. The

books had since been kept in cramped corridors. They were neglected and unused. As

someone who is passionate about children’s literature and a strong supporter of the

importance of school libraries, I set about researching positive library models and

visiting other school libraries to see how we could improve the space. I knew the

design would have to be cost-effective and wanted to create something that was bold,

inviting, exciting and totally child centred in its design and use.

It was clear that central to the success of a school library would be the Head Teacher.

It was when the new executive Head Teacher Dr Neil Hopkin joined the school in

2010 his first assembly saw him, to the children’s delight, perform a stage dive to

demonstrate a ‘leap of faith’. It was then I knew I had a Head that I could approach

with my vision for a library.

The main hurdle was that of space. There were no

vacant school buildings and no budget to build. The

parents and children were very protective of the

playground space and any further building that may

limit it. After some creative thought, I found our solution, a Library Double Decker

Bus. Last July, I set off with Rosendale School’s Literacy Coordinator, Flora Kisby,

with a cheque book to buy a red double decker London bus. It was the first of many

adventures to come.

The Library Bus totally caught the children’s

imagination and when they all dressed in red to

celebrate its arrival in the playground the

enthusiasm spread amongst staff, parents, carers and

grandparents alike. It was always important to the

success of the bus that it would be a school

community project to promote a sense of

achievement, ownership and value to the library and

now we had over 100 parent volunteers supporting it and offering their time and help

in creating it.

From this point I worked as Project Coordinator to create the library. The volunteers

gave details of the skills they could offer which became an invaluable pool of

knowledge and labour. I added contacts from local businesses, bus depots and

organisations. For each problem to be solved there was someone to turn to for help

and advice.

The iconic presence of the red London bus and a

documented, clear, detailed vision for the design and use of

the library really drew people in. There was an immediate

understanding of what we were aiming to achieve and it

would spark off dialogue about books, childhood memories

of libraries and an innate love of old buses. What was

overriding in working with such a broad spectrum of the community was everyone’s

enthusiasm for the project, their recognition of the value of the library and the boost it

would give to the school and the school community who

use it.

Working closely with and listening to volunteers,

allowing them to have ownership and input into the

project has really elevated what we have been able to

achieve. The bus design by volunteer architect James

Smith, with its clever use of space and the surrounding

reading garden, by parent garden designer Rachel

Bannerman are a huge success. Both James and Rachel

adapted their design in accordance to research I

conducted with the children during the design process.

When asked where they would like to read a book, no

child answered ‘sitting on a chair at a desk’ but rather ‘lying on the floor with my feet

on the sofa’ or ‘circulating the world in an

astronaut’s pocket’. We knew the design

would have to be special and imaginative; it

would also have to be flexible in terms of the

many uses of the space whilst holding a large

number of books without appearing cluttered.

The children now spend their break times

sitting on logs in the dappled shade of the trees

or lying on the grass reading playground books. Lots of children gather by the bus,

and not just confident readers. There are children there who have never shown an

interest in picking up a book before. They come for story tellers, to share a book with

friends or just a quiet moment alone.

Importantly the children’s input has not stopped with design. They created an

imaginative mural on the exterior of the bus based on their own picture book

adventures. They were also consulted via online questionnaires about what books,

publications and technology they wanted in

the library. They were able to contact me via

the library bus email allowing them to add

requests and suggestions for new books,

sometimes as part of class time projects. This

list was essential when spending the limited

budget that we had for books. There have

been very little funds available for the project

(see practical guide to making the library bus below) but by

prioritising how these funds were to be spent for the most

impact has meant we have managed to stay just under our

original budget whilst stocking an exciting selection of

books that have really grabbed the children’s attention. We

were ruthless in sorting through the existing non-fiction

stock, recycling old books and only selecting relevant and

interesting books for the library bus. The children donated

books they had recently enjoyed and we had generous

donations from publishers.

There have been some challenging moments, such as fitting the mains electrics in the

January freeze and coordinating volunteers working with donated and recycled

materials to a innovative design. It has, however, been a phenomenal experience. I

have had the pleasure of working with people with tremendous skill who have often

gone way above and beyond the call of duty. As with all successful community

projects a lot of tea has been drank and friendships made. Saying thank you has been

integral to the project.

I organised a grand opening and invited

Michael Morpurgo to come and open the library

very early on in the project. I knew he was a

great supporter of school libraries; he is also an

inspirational speaker on children’s rights and a

fantastic author enjoyed by children and adults

alike. I was hugely honoured that he agreed to

come. He had been excited and inspired by the

project and told me that the day after he

received my letter he sat down and wrote a

story about a school library created from a

double decker bus. This story is being animated

and will be shown as part of the lead up to the

London 2012 Olympics this September. This is

a wonderful launch for the Rosendale Library

Bus.

The Rosendale Library Bus has been very well

received by the School Library Association and has been short listed for the SLA

Design Awards. We are also beginning to make links with a

book bus in Zambia for shared learning.

The grand opening in July was an important and exciting

event, showing the school how much we value and care about

the new school library bus. I invited press and BBC

Newsround made a special report which you can view here:

www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/14213869. It was a time to thank people,

inspire the children and to emphasise to them that the opening

is only the beginning; the library belongs to them and holds

many possibilities for the future.

The Rosendale Library Bus is a stunning and successful new library. It has taken

creative thought, dedication, planning and the guidance of many volunteers and

businesses to make it what it is. It was born out of a passion and a belief that all

children have the right to learn, to have access to books and to experience reading for

pleasure. It is testament to what can be done with thought

and directive use of minimal funds, whilst making full

use of the recourses, skills and knowledge available to us.

Not all schools will be able to park a double decker bus

in their play ground but all schools do have the potential

to have a library that is fun, accessible and a joyful place

to be. Through careful evaluation we will begin to get an

idea of the effect this will have on every child’s future.

Contact for further information

Kate Gorely

Project and Design Coordinator

kate.gorely@googlemail.com

Practical Guide to Creating a Library Bus

Many red London buses are shipped over to America or converted for

corporate use. Our bus cost us its scrap value of £3500.

It cost us a further £1000 to have it connected to mains electricity and rewired

for lighting, plug sockets etc.

Make friends with your local bus garage. Their engineering expertise will be

invaluable and they will be able to advise on the upkeep of your bus.

Be visible and approachable in terms of recruiting volunteers.

Approach local businesses for donations of materials with a clear vision of

what you plan to achieve and how it will benefit the school. Offer publicity

within the school and make sure thanks to the businesses goes out in

newsletters etc

Once you have an available skills and materials list you can identify the areas

where your budget will be most effectively spent. We only spent a further

£600 on the interior of the bus.

It is definitely worth getting several quotes for any work done as some

companies find the prospect of work on the bus more challenging than others.

Liaise with your local council buildings department. The bus will require a

planning certificate for a small fee and a safety check on completion.

Explore corporate sponsorship, charitable trusts and links with businesses

working in the community for additional funds and labour.

A good dose of resourcefulness and lateral thinking will save you valuable

funds on your project.