Hi Everyone,
Thank you so much for all your responses. I have several weeks until school
starts and plan on reshelving the books together. Here are the responses I
received.
The pro's are that it simplifies shelving schemes. I intershelf paperbacks
and trade fiction books. I suppose the negative is that you have two
disparate sizes of books, and that it is harder to keep the shelves neat.
Another consideration would be as to whether the books are separated by
genre, as well. I'll be curious to see what the consensus is.
**************************************
I'm one of those who shelves the paperbacks in their own sections. I have
shelves for fiction paperbacks in the fiction area, and shelves for
nonfiction paperbacks in the nonfiction area. Why? Two reasons: 1) Easier
to find. When a small paperback gets placed between two larger hardbacks,
many times the paperback gets "lost". It either finds its way behind the
larger books, or in the case of many very skinny non-fiction paperbacks,
they are very hard to see between two larger (wider) nonfiction books and 2)
they look nicer! :-)
Also with paperbacks I allow some leeway with call numbers. For example,
many of my kids like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer books, but they are
written by various authors. So I just put them all together under B for
Buffy. I think the Sabrina books are done the same way. The kids don't seem
to have a problem with that for they can recognize the spines when they are
all grouped together.
************************************************
I researched this issue about 2 years ago and found (in LM_NET archives)
that everyone who had intermingled the books would never go back. Now,
at a different library, am trying to convince my co-librarian to mix
them up!
I agree that kids gravitate to the paperbacks and having them all in one
spot helps them find them faster; but,
...paperbacks don't slip and slide all over shelves as easily when
shelved with hardbacks.
...authors are not split up into two sections.
...students discover that we DO have a section copy of the hot title
they are dying to read.
...students occasionally discover there are other good books.
...it solves shelving problems when you have a paperback copy of a
classic you want in fiction.
...it becomes easier to find a single book [then when looking on a
spinner].
When I intershelved the books at my previous school I left the labels
alone -- it was an experiment at the time. When the library lost space
(while I was leaving) there was no longer any question about separating
them.
I know this group suggests NOT weeding your first year (or two) at a
library, but if you do intershelve them, I'd take a quick look at at
least the covers -- I got rid of quite a few with boys with large afros,
short shorts, and athletic socks pulled up to their knees, and a few
with girls in bobby socks and dresses.
***************************************
I was new to a high school last year, and when I went in before
school in the summer there was a cumbersome wire rack full of
paperbacks. All fiction also. I immediately interfiled the
books, they all had barcodes on them, and threw that rack out
(after offering it to anyone who wanted it). I have had the same
experience you have, they run to paperbacks first thinking that
they're "better" or easier or what, I don't know. And I have had
the same experience with paperbacks in the K-3 schools. I feel
that if all of the Fiction books are in the Fiction area they
have to do some browsing even if they end up with a paperback.
And if you have the same title in hardcover or paperback, they
have a choice. I am an interfiling advocate.
**************************************************
Personally, I shelve them together, but 500 is quite a task. Being at a new
school, I wouldn't make it a priority, but maybe something you can do later?
*******************************************
I retired after opening a new middle school and staying for five years. We
put Vistafoil on all our paperbacks (or had Follet put Kapco covers on them
when we ordered from them) and we shelved them with the hardbacks. I think
that it is too difficult to find paperbacks when they are in a separate
section and you are right they would ignore the hardbacks.
*********************************************
I'm doing the same move (or rather, going back to MS after 7 yrs in
elem). When going over the MS library, I noticed the same thing
(separate section for PB). However, I also noticed that the section was
somewhat derelict; not to up to date (only a couple of the redwalls,
missing full runs of other series), many worn copies, etc. My plan is
to phase out the PB section during the next 2 years using proactive
weeding while adding new stuff (HC and PB) to the regular fiction
section. I'm planning on doing a lot with more attractive displays which
should help the browsers anyway.
I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time, especially with PBs,
recataloging and relabeling. First year there is going to be enough to
do anyway.
**********************************************
Nancy, when I went to my middle school, I was surprised at the junky little
paperback rack and soon decided to interfile the books. I strongly recommend
it.
***************************************************
elementary person also! however-- I would also shelve with other books!
**************************************************
Yes, shelve them all together!! This is the voice of experience speaking!
Reasons:
1. It's easier to keep things in order. Paperpacks don't stay in order
well.
2. You only have to look one place for an author, not two.
3. You will be amazed how many hardcover books you will check out after you
shelve them together.
*********************************************
I think it is foolish to shelve the paperback books separately.
Inter-shelve them with the hardcover copies.
***********************************************
There's quite a division of those amongst us who shelve paperbacks
separately or integrated. I suspect the main agreement is that format
should not be considered when acquiring information for our clients, but
the practicality of intershelving is daunting.
Paperbacks are an extremely popular and, often, preferred format. They are
initially cheaper, so we can expand the number of titles purchased,
purchase multiple copies, many times providing us access to titles no
longer available in hardbound editions, not to mention that we can pick
them up almost anywhere (including garage sales).
I've seen studies indicating that the average life expectancy of a
paperback is 7 circulations. And this raises questions of what amount of
cataloguing and processing should we provide for what amounts to disposable
items? Should we purchase multiple copies? Should we purchase pre-bound
ones or, indeed, have them bound before going on the shelves? And, there
are no simple answers.
Shelving poses an ongoing question - the width of a traditional paperback
means that they will either end up at the back of the shelve or the
surrounding books will jumble ; yet few suppliers have come up with
efficient paperback racks that will allow the client to view all the titles
and accept more than one size of volume.
As an elementary, middle, and high school librarian, I, too, noticed that
students prefer the paperback format and had to be encouraged to look in
other areas.
And I've tried many methods to solve the whole question.
The best solution for fiction titles I've found is one company that
provided shelve inserts that angled the paperbacks and we interfiled
"close" to the area. Of course the more inserts, the closer you get to the
correct shelving. The inserts also broke up the tedium of all books filed
the same way.
For non-fiction, we simply took our lumps and, with the exception of
oversized books, interfiled with the collection. We found that our needs
tended to have us purchase mainly hardbacks for this area anyways.
However, we did find having a separate rack for paperbacks useful for those
items which, because of their condition, were either being discarded or
replaced. And, of course, it was also a place to put some of the parent
donations of items we already held.
**********************************************
Nancy O'Donnell
Library Media Specialist
Hoover Middle School
249 Thorncliff Rd.
Buffalo, New York 14223
ODonn247@adelphia.net
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=
All postings to LM_NET are protected under copyright law.
To quit LM_NET (or set-reset NOMAIL or DIGEST, etc.) send email to:
listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER:
1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST
4) SET LM_NET MAIL * Please allow for confirmation from Listserv.
For LM_NET Help see: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/
Archives: http://askeric.org/Virtual/Listserv_Archives/LM_NET.shtml
See also EL-Announce for announcements from library media vendors:
http://www.mindspring.com/~el-announce/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=
LM_NET
Mailing List Home