For librarians

The library desk, without the extra work.

Students do the listing and requesting on their phones. At the desk, you scan the book when it's dropped off and again when it's picked up. That's it. Here's exactly what you'd see.

⏱ About 5 minutes a day📷 Works with your barcode scanner🔒 Only you see student names💲 Free for schools

Good morning, Ms. Lee

Tuesday · Here's what's happening at the desk today.

3Expected drop-offs

3On the hold shelf

1Hand-offs done today

1Overdue return

Hold shelf & expected drop-offs Sorted by deadline

Code	Book	For class	Status	Slot

Needs your attention

OverdueAnimal Farm (AN-6620) was due back Oct 10. The borrower has been reminded twice.
Late drop-offLord of the Flies (LF-1187) is due today. If it doesn't arrive, the request resets automatically.

Scan desk

Scan the book's barcode or type the pickup code. We figure out whether it's a drop-off, pickup or return.

Hold slot

📷

Ready to scan

Use your USB barcode scanner, or type a pickup code and press Enter.

Try it:

Today's scans

7:41Picked upThe Hobbit (HB-0952). The lender was notified.

Reading lists

Add your teachers' lists once. Students then see which assigned books classmates already own.

This term Coverage = copies students listed ÷ students who need it

Book	Class	Need	Coverage

Low coverage tells you which titles to buy, or to ask families to donate at the end of the year.

Students

Look up a pickup code to see who is involved. Students never see each other's names.

🔒Only librarians and school admins can see this page. Students see each other only as "Classmate" with a reliability score and number of shares.

Active hand-offs Names are visible to you only

Code	Lender	Borrower	Reliability
GB-4821	Jordan Taylor Grade 11	Maya Rodriguez Grade 11	100% / 98%
LF-1187	Chris Dunn Grade 9	Ava Patel Grade 9	86% / 100%
AN-6620	Sam Okafor Grade 10	Riley Brooks Grade 10	95% / 71%

Your controls

⏸ Pause a student's borrowing if they keep missing hand-offs. They can still return books.
📝 Add a private note to a hand-off, like "Book returned damaged, spoke with student."
✋ Cancel a hand-off at any time. Both students are told it was cancelled by the library.

Reports

This school year at Green Mountain High.

312Books shared

$4,680Saved by families*

186Students taking part

97%Hand-offs on time

Most-shared books

1The Great Gatsby38
2To Kill a Mockingbird31
3Of Mice and Men27
4Lord of the Flies22
5Fahrenheit 45119

Participation by grade

9Grade 941 students
10Grade 1044 students
11Grade 1158 students
12Grade 1243 students

*Estimated at $15 per book that a family didn't have to buy.

This is an interactive preview. Click around and try the scan desk. Students, codes and numbers are examples.

A typical day at the desk

Most of the work happens on students' phones. The library is simply the safe, trusted place where books change hands.

7:45 amDrop-offs arriveA student hands you a book. You scan it, the screen shows a hold slot, and you put it on the shelf.

AnytimeBorrower is notifiedThe borrower gets a message that their book is ready, with a pickup code. You don't send anything.

LunchPickupsThe borrower shows their code. You scan it, hand over the book from the slot shown, and the lender is notified.

End of termReturnsLent books come back to the desk. One scan, and the owner is told it's ready to collect.

You stay in control

Every school runs its library differently, so the settings are yours.

🕘Hand-off hoursChoose when the desk accepts drop-offs and pickups, like before school and at lunch.

🗂Hold shelf sizeSet how many slots you have. If the shelf is full, new requests wait.

⏳DeadlinesDefaults are 2 school days to drop off and 3 to pick up. Adjust them to suit your school.

🎓Which grades take partStart with one grade or one class, then expand when you're ready.

👥Extra staffAdd library aides or office staff so the desk is covered when you're out.

📅School calendarVacations and snow days pause every deadline automatically.

Librarian questions

What librarians usually ask us first.

How much time does it take?

Most of the work happens on students' phones. At the desk, each hand-off is one scan at drop-off and one at pickup, a few seconds each. Most schools spend about 5 minutes a day.

Do I need special equipment?

No. The library desk runs in any web browser. If you already have a USB barcode scanner for your catalog, it works with School Book Share too. You can also type the pickup code.

Does it connect to our library catalog?

It doesn't need to. School Book Share tracks students' own books, not library-owned books, so it runs alongside your catalog without changing it.

What about student privacy?

Students never see each other's names, photos or contact details, and there's no messaging between students. Only librarians and school administrators can see who is involved in a hand-off.

What if a book is lost or damaged?

You can add a private note to the hand-off and pause a student's borrowing. It also affects their reliability score, so other students can see their track record without seeing their name.

What does it cost?

Nothing. School Book Share is free for schools and free for students.

Want to try it at your school?

We're looking for a few founding schools to help shape the library desk.

Become a founding school See the student side