Integrating nonfiction & reference books.

[Alice H Yucht <alicey@LLNJ.LL.PBS.ORG>]

I'm about to take over a small, overcrowded elemiddle school (grades 4-8)
library.  Due to A)lack of space , and B)dire need to "weed and seed" the
collection, I am considering shelving all of the informational books in one
single Dewey order.  The more expensive Ref. books could be marked Do Not
Circulate, and I would keep a basic set of Encyclopedias, et al, that would
never leave the room, but otherwise, I would circulate both the Ref. and the
regular information books.   It seems to me that, given the circumstances,
integrating all the informational sources would be more user-friendly, and
maybe even more cost-efficient.  (Loss rate has traditionally been fairly
low, and let's face it, if a kid really needs a ref. book, they tend to
sneak it out anyway.)
Any advice, considerations, and/or warnings gratefully appreciated.  If
there is enough response, I'll post a Hit on the topic.
Many thanks, in advance.
--
Alice H. Yucht,  Info-trekker   ##      "A person's creative ability
alicey@llnj.ll.pbs.org          ##      decreases in direct proportion to
141 N. 7th Avenue               ##      the degree to which he takes himself
Highland Park, NJ 08904         ##      seriously."  -- Eric Hoffer