Find your school
For students & parents

Get the books you're assigned. Give away the ones you're done with.

Someone at your school probably already owns the book on your reading list. BookBaton.com helps you find it, get it for free, and pass your old books along to the next reader.

📱Try the student app previewSee how you'd scan, list and give away a book. Takes about a minute.→

How to start: When your school joins, your librarian will give you a Baton Card with your own code. Find your school to count yourself in.

Is your school on BookBaton.com yet? Search any high school or college in the U.S., public or private. Find your school →

What you can do

Free for every student at a participating school.

🔎Get assigned booksSearch your class reading list and see which students at your school already own each book.
🔁Give away what you're done withList last year's books in 30 seconds. The next reader gets to keep them.
🏅Earn badgesBuild your reliability score and earn badges like Reliable, Bookworm and Pass-it-on.
🏡Parents: list the books on your family's shelf for your child, and stay in the loop on every Book Drop.→

See it in action

How you get an assigned book, and how you pass it on when you're done.

See all four animations →

Listing a book takes about 30 seconds

1

Scan the barcode

Point your phone at the barcode on the back. The title and cover fill in on their own.

2

Make the condition promise

Pick the condition, make the condition promise, and list it to give away.

3

Drop it at the library

When another student requests it, drop it off at the library desk. That's it. The book is theirs to keep.

Try the student app preview →

Safe and private

You never meet strangers or share your contact info.

🔒Your name stays privateOther students only see your trust card (reliability score, books given and badges), never your name, photo or phone number.
🏫Book Drops at the libraryEvery book is dropped off and picked up at the library desk with a pickup code.
⏰Reminders for everythingYou'll get a nudge before every deadline, so nothing slips.

Student questions

Does it cost anything?

No. BookBaton.com is free for students. You never pay to get or list a book.

Do I need an account?

If you're under 18, you don't sign up with your name or email. When your school joins, your librarian gives you a Baton Card with your own code, and you sign in with that code and a PIN you choose. College students 18 and older sign in with their school email. The student app is for students 13 and older. Middle schools use a librarian-run version with no student accounts. See how sign-up works.

My younger sibling is in middle school. Can they join?

Yes, through their school library. At middle schools, the librarian runs BookBaton.com at the desk, so younger students never need an account and we never collect any information about them. Families can send books in with their child, and the librarian hands them out. How it works for middle schools.

What if my school isn't on BookBaton.com yet?

Find your school and tap Count me in. You don't need to give us your email. Then tell your librarian. The more students who count themselves in, the sooner we launch there.

What's a class code?

Your teacher may give you a class code for a book they've assigned, like GATSBY-7K. Enter it in the app and your request for that book is teacher-verified, so it goes to the front of the line.

Will other students see my name?

No. Other students only see your trust card: your reliability score, how many books you've given away and your badges. If you're under 18, we don't even know your name. Only your school knows which code is yours.

What if a book I get isn't in the condition promised?

Every book comes with a condition promise: the student giving it promises there's no writing, damage or anything inappropriate inside. The librarian takes a quick look when it's dropped off, and you have 1 school day after pickup to report a problem. If a book doesn't match its promise, the student who gave it loses trust points and the librarian can pause their requests. Nobody has to pay for or replace a book. See the condition promise.

Can parents sign up?

Yes. Parents can join the list to hear when BookBaton.com launches at their child's school.

Made for middle school, high school and college

From the summer reading list to the college syllabus, someone at your school probably already has the book.

Middle schoolHigh schoolCollege

Middle schools: the librarian runs everything at the library desk, so younger students never need an account. How it works for middle schools.