8 Ways to Use Google Forms in the School Library

Why use Google Forms?

If you haven’t started using Google Forms in your library yet then you need to do so immediately! Google Forms can be used in many different ways and can provide you with valuable information that you can use to improve your library instruction, programming and collection. You can also use forms as a communication and as a scheduling tool. Read below to learn just some of the ways that I use forms in my library.

#1: Reading Interest Surveys

Finding ways to encourage and motivate our students to read can be difficult. By handing out a reading inventory or interest survey you can find out how your students feel about reading and what types of books they are interested in.

I wish I had a penny for every time I have been asked where the “good” books are. What is “good” for one student may be “awful” to another. By asking students what their interests are you can begin to learn more about them and also see trends in these interests. And since librarians usually see all the students in the school, it can be difficult to collect and keep track of this information. By using a form you can look at an overview of the responses with just the click of a button.

#2: Feedback Request Surveys

At the beginning of the year I like to ask teachers for feedback about how they feel about the library and to identify any needs that the library can help them address. Things like how often they use the library, what types of materials do they use and what materials would they like to see added to the collection. Along the same lines is a collaboration form. I use this form when a teacher is interested in working together on a unit or activity. It asks some basic questions and helps to aid in the planning process.

#3: Material Request Forms

No explanation is really needed for this one.

#4: Parent Contact Log

Usually when I talk to a parent it is about a lost library book or an unpaid fine, things that I don’t really need to keep a record of. But there are times when I will talk to a parent about more important issues. I have found it difficult to keep a log of these conversations and usually just rely on my memory. This does not work for obvious reasons. The easiest way I have found to do this is to use a Google Form. I create a simple form that includes all the relevant information like parent name, student name, reason for the conversation etc. I will bookmark the form so I can easily pull it up when I need to fill it out. When the conversation is over I submit the form and the details go right into a spreadsheet so I can go back and refer to the responses whenever I need to.

#5: Behavior Log

Very similar to a parent contact log, you can track student behavior the same way. This would be useful if you are tracking behavior for a specific class or just want to keep track of the types of behavior issues you are seeing in the library.

#6: Assessments

Quickly create quizzes and tests to check for student understanding before and after teaching a lesson. Forms work well for exit tickets as well. Even though many librarians do not assign grades, you can make the form self-grading so the student can see instant feedback. You can also share that information with parents, teachers or administrators.

#7: Sign-in and Sign-out

Have students sign-in and out of the library with a simple form. After you create the form you can select to export the information to a spreadsheet. You can also share the sheet with teachers so they can look and see who has signed in and what time. It automatically updates every time the form is used.

#8: Volunteer Request Form

Are you looking for volunteers to help with the book fair? Use a Google Form to keep track of the names and contact information of volunteers. This works much better than my previous method of post-it notes! You can also create a QR code with the link and ask the PTO to include the code in their newsletter or meeting agenda.

Responses & Data

When you are using a form as a survey looking at the responses and data is a piece of cake. It is one of the best reasons to use Google Forms. Here is an example of one of my reading interest surveys. This is a survey for young readers so it is very simple. By looking at a summary of responses I can see which topics my students are most interested in.

Ready to try Google Forms in your library?

If you want to start using Google Forms in your library grab a copy of my Google Forms in the School Library. It comes with 9 different forms that you can use today!