I wrote an article in Library Media Connection in January about shelving
issues (Dewey or Dalton: An Investigation of the Lure of the Bookstore by
Shonda Brisco. LMC, v. 22, n4, January 2004). The article (and my
experiences) relate to not only the problems of locating materials in public
libraries or bookstores when each group is divided by a (possible
subjective) genre but also the problems that students will have when they
reach the college level.
Examples of the bookstore methods include various books by the same author
in different genres categories or individuals / patrons trying to figure out
if a title they've heard about is science fiction / fantasy OR if it might
fall under numerous genres---mystery / horror / detective stories---both of
which may cause them to wander aimlessly looking for a needle in a haystack
or eventually giving up in their search. Naturally, I would suspect that
most libraries would place their genres in the catalog record, but if
students / patrons do not use the online catalogs, they will not see this
information. This then requires signage, signage, signage and labels on
spines to provide students with visual locations to books that they are
interested in reading.
Although the concepts may appear pleasing to the patron, the problems of
shelving may be disasterous to the librarian / shelver. How will you
check-in / shelve books on your bookcart for reshelving? How much extra
time will it take to divide your materials and place them in specified areas
of the library? How many books will be catagorized as "lost" or "missing"
in the process because various genres by the same author are placed in a
different area? How many genres are you planning to create? Do you have
the space to separate all of these "mini-collections"? Do your patrons
understand "genres" and will they venture into other areas (subjects) or be
more inclined to remain in one area throughout high school because they
didn't realize the depth of the collection?
Despite what public libraries and bookstores are doing, college libraries
will be the LAST group to conform to major changes in collection shelving.
Many will group some fiction or new titles together in a display area near
seating to spark interest in the books and to increase check-outs of these
materials, but when it comes to locating them on the shelves, students will
need to know how to utilize the card catalog AND know how to search the
shelves for call numbers and not genre labels or brightly colored hanging
signage pointing to "Molecular Chemistry" (and most will have withdrawals
when they realize that their university libraries "don't have any fiction
books!"--- wait until they realize where "fiction" is located, if they ever
stop a librarian to ask!)
I think that shelving books in a special display for specific periods of
time will draw attention to genre that hasn't moved in a while and that
utilizing special times during the year (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas,
etc.) will allow you to focus on creating displays that invite usage. I
also believe that using genre labels on the spines will help students to
locate immediately those titles / subjects / genres that they might miss if
they are basically shelf browsers and not catalog users. But I don't think
re-setting the library because B&N or your favorite public library is doing
something to draw readers into the special areas is providing students with
the skills they will be able to transfer to other libraries later (colleges,
universities, special libraries like medical libraries, law libraries or
even libraries for blind and handicapped individuals).
Coming from a public school library to a university library and now in a
private, college-prep school library, I understand the need for consistency
in learning how to utilize the online catalogs and why we must teach
students / patrons to locate materials on the shelves using that
information. It seems to be a disservice to provide our students with
intricate detailed instruction in ways to locate information on the Internet
/ online databases, but not provide a reliable visual AND concrete example
of the same arrangement in our own libraries.
Providing students with a temporary display of genres on topics of interest
is a great way to slow them down long enough to thumb through the book,
browse the shelves, or return later to investigate "what IS happening in the
library" but placing fiction in genre catagories / shelving all over the
library isn't solving a problem that we have now....students who don't
understand how to locate information and students who cannot / will not
investigate to learn what information is best. Our job is to give them the
correct ways to locate and use information, and hope that once they leave
our school libraries that they can determine what is being done in public
libraries, their favorite bookstores or the university library.
Just an opinion.
~Shonda Brisco
Trinity Valley MS / US Librarian
Fort Worth, TX
sbrisco021@charter.net
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