Helping Students Navigate the Library Independently: My Non-Fiction Footprint Pathway

This spring brought some big changes to my school district. Due to significant budget deficits, all elementary library assistants were cut. I’m thrilled that my incredible assistant was able to transition into another position at our school! However, that leaves me solo in the library—with no help—and rotating through six classes a day as part of the Special’s team. To top it off, we’re starting the year with over 900 students!

Needless to say, I’ve been brainstorming ways to streamline library routines and empower students to become more independent in using the library space—especially in the areas that typically require more guidance.

My amazing librarian friend, Stephanie Beasley, was telling me about an idea she started in her library after reading about it from the amazing Book Wrangler.  Over the summer, I used this idea to organize, reorganize, move, and adjust the books in my Non-Fiction section all with the mindset to help create more independent library users—and I wanted to share it with you!  

So it’s fairly easy to teach students how to locate books in our Everybody and Fiction (chapter book) sections. With a little direction and some strong signage, students can generally navigate these shelves on their own. If you’re looking for signage ideas, I’ve added some to my TpT store here! 

But the Non-Fiction section? That’s a whole different challenge.

Think: “Where are the dinosaur books?”

“Where are the sport books?”

“Where are the (insert any number of topics you hear a million times a day!)? 

Sound familiar?

The Footprint Pathway Plan:

To make the Non-Fiction section more user-friendly, I purchased colored Velcro tape and matching colored footprint decals. My goal was to create color-coded pathways on each side of my Non-Fiction shelves to visually guide students toward the books they’re looking for.

Each pathway will:

• *Use one color per shelf side (e.g., blue footprints for 600s, purple for 700s, etc.)
• *Begin and end with matching footprints to help students orient themselves
• *Direct students toward subject areas without needing constant verbal instructions

This system not only helps students visually organize where to go, but also encourages them to explore independently—and frees me up a bit during our very busy days!

I’m excited to implement this idea at the start of the school year, and I’ll be sure to share how it goes.  Stay tuned for Part 2…my updated Non-Fiction section pictures that I’ll be putting on each shelf to help the kiddos know what books can be found there. 🙂

If you’re a librarian navigating a similar situation, I’d love to hear what solutions you’re exploring!

Hope this helps!