A shelf label kit for classrooms and libraries

The age strips are one for each of the 3 age groups on the hub: for ages 7 and under (22 series), for ages 8 and 9 (24 series) and for ages 10 and up (2 series). Each names the series in its group, so a child can see at a glance where to look. The in-order strips are one per series: its name and its books by number and title, with any book that isn't out yet marked with its day.

Everything prints black on white, so it copies cleanly, and it fits on Letter or A4.

Tape an age strip to the shelf edge above each group of books, or to the front of a bin. Tape an in-order strip to the shelf beside its series, or slide it inside the cover of book 1. Children who know where book 1 is and what comes after it don't need to ask, and the books come back to the right place more often.

In a classroom library with bins, one bin per series with its strip on the front works well for the long series. Short ones can share a bin.

Series grow. When a new book comes out, its series page and the hub update by themselves, and the strips on this page do too. Print a fresh strip for that series and tape it over the old one. The coming-out calendar shows which series have a new book due, so you can plan a reprint.

The age groups go by the youngest age each series starts at, the same grouping the hub uses. They are a starting point, not a rule. Many children read across groups, and the labels say ages, not grades or reading levels, so nobody is told they are on the wrong shelf. Each series page says whose age it is: the publisher's, or Peabody's own estimate.

• Print one copy, check it, then copy the pages you need on card if you have it.
• Cut along the lines with a paper trimmer if there is one; the strips are the width of the page.
• Cover the strips with clear tape so they last a school year.
• Let a class helper put them up. Children who label a shelf tend to keep it tidy.

Pair the strips with a reading log. Every series page prints one, and My shelf prints a single log for every series a child has started on that device. In a class, a log tucked inside book 1 lets each reader add their name when they finish the series.