Library books from closed elementary schools on to their next chapter

SALT LAKE CITY — Hundreds of library books from four now-closed Salt Lake City elementary schools are getting a second chance at life — in the homes of students who need them.

The Salt Lake City School District worked with volunteers Thursday to sort through books left behind when the schools shut down. While some books were sent to other school libraries within the district, the rest were packaged into summer reading bags for students to take home.

“We still ended up with books that we can’t quite find a home for,” said Dr. Tiffany Hall, the district’s executive director of teaching and learning. “What we want to do with those books is get them into the hands of our students who may not have as many books in their own personal libraries.”

She said sending books home over the summer will help students retain their literacy skills during summer break and get parents more involved in their children’s education.

“We want to see parents and families reading together because that practice is one of the things that’s going to help our readers become more fluent and more proficient, especially over that long summer break,” Hall said.

Hall said the project will also help with the state’s literacy goals of getting more children reading at grade level by third grade.

“We know that kids need to practice reading to be good readers,” Hall said. “So having more books in their house and having access to more print is what will help them.”

The bags, which each have three or four books that match the student’s grade level, will be handed out at schools within the district during the last week of school.

The books come from the libraries of Riley, Bennion, Hawthorne and Mary W. Jackson elementary schools, which were shut down in 2024.

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