Quarterly Library Newsletter: A Working Template

A quarterly library newsletter is the one most media specialists skip, and it is the one with the most influence in the building. Monthly newsletters keep families current. The quarterly tells the story of what the library actually did over twelve weeks. It is the document that builds the case for the program at budget time.

Who the quarterly is for

Three audiences, one email. Families want to see what their kids are reading and what is coming next. Teachers want to see which collections are getting use. The principal wants to see whether the library is moving the needle. Write it for all three and let each scroll to the section that matters to them.

Section 1: the 12-week recap

Two short paragraphs. What was the focus of the quarter and what happened? Example: "Q1 was about getting every grade through a library orientation and seeing what stuck. By week six, our K-2 students were checking out independently. Third grade ran a peer book-review project that filled an entire bulletin board. We hosted one author visit and ran the fall book fair."

Section 2: circulation data

Three numbers, no more. Total checkouts, percent change from the prior quarter, and the most-circulated grade. Example: "Q1 circulation: 2,840 books, up 11 percent from Q4 of last year. Third grade led the building with 612 checkouts." That is the entire section. A small bar graphic can sit next to it if your tool supports it cleanly. If not, the numbers alone do the work.

Section 3: top 10 books of the quarter

Pulled from your circulation system. List title, author, and grade range. No synopsis. Example:

1. Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea by Dav Pilkey (grades K-3)
2. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (grades 3-5)
3. Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland (grades 4-7)
4. New Kid by Jerry Craft (grades 4-7)
5. Front Desk by Kelly Yang (grades 4-6)

Five to ten is the right range. More than ten gets ignored. Less than five reads as if nothing circulated.

Section 4: what teachers and students did with the library

One paragraph. Name two or three collaborations from the quarter. Example: "Worked with third grade on a six-week research project on animal habitats. Co-taught a unit on source evaluation with the fifth grade ELA team. Hosted weekly book talks during fourth grade lunch." Specificity here builds the case that the library is instructional space, not storage.

Section 5: programming preview for the next quarter

A short list of what is coming. Three to five items with dates if you have them. Example: "November: author visit with Erin Entrada Kelly, date TBD. December: holiday book swap, Dec 15. January: battle of the books kickoff for grades 4-6." Families plan early. Teachers plan earlier. The preview lets both adjust.

Section 6: one ask

Every quarterly should end with one specific ask. Volunteers for an upcoming event, donations of gently used graphic novels, parent recommendations for the spring book fair. One ask, one paragraph. Multiple asks dilute the response. A single concrete ask in a quarterly newsletter typically pulls more volunteers than three months of monthly mentions.

How Daystage helps with quarterly library newsletters

Daystage gives you a quarterly template that holds the structure steady across four sends a year. The data blocks, top 10 list, and preview section keep their formatting. You refill the numbers each quarter and send to families, teachers, and the principal in one go, without rebuilding the layout each time.