+44 (0) 1273 386849End of Year School Library Health Check: 10 Things Future You Will Thank You For
Finish the school year with confidence and make September just a little bit easier with an end of year school library health check.
The final weeks of the school year always seem to disappear in a blur. Books are still coming back, displays are beginning to look tired, reports need finishing, and everyone is counting down to the holidays. It’s tempting to lock the library door on the last day, promise yourself you’ll deal with everything in September and head off for a well-earned break.
The trouble is, September has a habit of arriving faster than expected.
Every school librarian knows the feeling of opening the library after the holidays and wondering where to start. Occasionally, though, your past self leaves you a small gift: a neatly labelled box of new books, a note reminding you to order a popular series, or a display idea ready to go. A little time preparing before the holidays can make those first few days back feel much calmer.
Think of this article as an end-of-year library health check. Not another checklist, but ten small things that July You can do to make life easier for September You.
1. Get the Important Books Home
Not every overdue book will find its way back before the summer, and that’s perfectly realistic. Rather than chasing every missing title, focus on the books that genuinely matter: expensive non-fiction, class sets, popular series and anything that’s difficult to replace.
2. Empty Your Head Before You Empty Your Desk
Throughout the year you’ve collected hundreds of little observations that rarely make it into a handbook: the display that doubled borrowing; the conference paper you wanted to write; the brilliant idea you had halfway through Book Week.
Write them down before you leave.
It doesn’t need to be organised or beautifully presented. A notebook, an end of year school l ibrary checklist, a document or a page in your planning diary is enough. Six weeks is more than enough time to forget the details that seem unforgettable today.
3. Save Your Digital Toolkit
School libraries are as digital as they are physical, yet it’s often the digital resources that become scattered over the course of a busy year.
Before you switch off for the summer, gather together the things you’ve created and know you’ll want again. AI prompts that produced an excellent lesson, Canva templates for newsletters and displays, reading challenge certificates, photographs, favourite websites, lesson plans and email templates all represent hours of work.
These are now part of your professional toolkit rather than a collection of random files. Make them discoverable for September you!
4. Take One Slow Walk Around the Library
This isn’t the moment for a full stocktake. Instead, walk slowly around your library with fresh eyes. Ok, I appreciate this is a tough ask when you are tired.
Which shelves always seem untidy or well-loved? Where are the obvious gaps in the collection? Which displays encouraged borrowing, and which were invisible. Are there books beyond repair, or labels that desperately need replacing?
If something catches your attention, make a note or take a photograph. September is much easier when you don’t have to rely on memory.
5. Fix One Thing That Has Been Irritating You
Every library space has one small annoyance that never quite reaches the top of the to-do list. A drawer that sticks, tangled charging cables, peeling shelf labels, a returns trolley that never behaves properly, or inevitably, an unpredictable printer.
Don’t try to fix everything. Just fix one thing.
Small frustrations have a habit of becoming big distractions during a busy term, and future you will notice the difference every single day, and thank you for it.
6. Celebrate What Went Well
School librarians are often experts at noticing what still needs doing, but much less likely to pause and recognise what they’ve already achieved.
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An end of year school library allows you to record your successes. Perhaps borrowing increased, a new lunchtime club flourished, a reluctant reader discovered a favourite author, or a teacher found exactly the resource they needed.
Those moments matter. They’re worth remembering, not just for performance reviews or annual reports, but because they’re the reason you enjoy your work.
7. Ask Your Readers One Last Question
Before the last bell rings, ask pupils one simple question:
“If you were the librarian next year, what’s one thing you’d change?”
Some answers will make you laugh. Others may surprise you. A few could become your best ideas for next year.
The people who use your library every day are often the best people to help shape its future.
8. Leave September's First Hour Planned
I am not asking you to sketch out the entire term because that is unrealistic. Instead, consider your first hour back.
What absolutely needs doing first? What can wait? Which jobs will help the library feel ready before the inevitable interruptions begin? Removing those first few decisions makes returning after a long break much less overwhelming.
9. Leave Yourself Something to Look Forward To
Related to number 8, September doesn’t have to begin with an endless list of jobs.
Plan to leave yourself something enjoyable – what do you love doing when you feel overwhelmed?
Perhaps it’s a box of new books (mmmm new book smell) waiting to be unpacked, an exciting display you’ve been looking forward to creating, or a new idea you’ve deliberately saved for the autumn term. Starting the year with something positive helps set the tone for the weeks ahead.
10. Leave Knowing You've Done Enough
Libraries are never truly finished. There will always be another display to create, another book to catalogue or another project you’d like to start.
Before you lock the door for the summer, resist the temptation to focus on the jobs that remain undone. Instead, take a moment to reflect on everything your library has made possible this year: every child who found a new favourite book, every class that discovered the information they needed, every lunchtime spent reading, creating or simply enjoying a welcoming space.
That’s the real measure of a successful library.
School libraries spend the entire year helping children prepare for the future. This end of year school l ibrary checklist ensures you have prepared something for yourself.
When September arrives, you may not remember every display you created or every overdue book you chased. But you’ll appreciate the note you left yourself, the files you organised and the small jobs you forgot that you completed before the holidays.
Sometimes the best colleague you’ll ever have is the person you were six weeks ago.
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