Beyond the Book Fair: Strategies to Stretch Your Library Budget

In this episode, host Carrie Bresnehen, district library specialist with Austin ISD, is joined by Katie Adams, Heather Stephens, and Sarah Ruttan for a conversation inspired by their TLA session, “Beyond the Book Fair: Strategies to Stretch Your Library Budget.” Together, they share creative and practical approaches for making limited library funds go further across a variety of campus settings. The discussion explores fundraising ideas tied to campus culture, including T-shirts, coffee sales, and social media campaigns to encourage donations, as well as partnership opportunities like sister library collaborations and local bookstore fairs. The guests also highlight ways to expand programming with little to no cost by repurposing existing materials, securing donated furniture through organizations like Green Standards, and taking advantage of free TEKS-aligned educational resources from the Texas Wildlife Association. Throughout the episode, they emphasize collaboration, creativity, and community support as key tools for sustaining vibrant school library programs.