[LM_NET] HIT: AR Shelving Part II

[Angie Woodson <librarypup@GMAIL.COM>]

Okay, you asked for our collective 2 cents!! I am totally against this. This
is not how libraries are arranged. You can't teach library skills (at least
in regards to the fiction section) I know some people do it this way, but I
think they should be arranged the standard manner. When the students use the
public library or when they move on to another school they need to know how
to find a book. Good luck,
Susan Ferkin





I would be curious to see a hit on this topic.  The professor for my YA lit
class opted not to shelve by AR level, instead inputting all AR info onto
the catalog record.  It is a way to get the students
more familiar with the catalog and with searching (as they could get a
search report of books by AR level).  They would then have to find the books
on the shelves following standard library arrangement, helping them to have
more familiarity with library arrangements in the "real" world, helping them
get more practice on their info seeking skills.  As students at his school
are allowed to read within various AR levels, it also seemed a way to get
them to broaden the scope of their reading instead of just focusing on one
certain AR level.  Good luck!

Ronda







Ours are shelved only by grade level, which are differentiated by the
colored dot system. To find the specific .whatevers the students has to open
the book and look inside. For instance  4.2/3 would show grade level and
points of book.  We have also devised a system in cataloging where the call
number for AR books is AR and the level is shown in location at the bottom.
(We use Follett for circ and cataloging)  We started this system before ar
levels were being put into the MARC records.  Also this way our statistics
will show the number of AR books circulated.

 Consider before you change how long reshelving will take each day. Do you
have enough manpower and time etc. It is all against our librarian
sensibilities to do it this way---but we should be all about ease for
patrons should we not?

 Good Luck.







The over-riding factors in the arrangement of any collection are that it be
orderly and that patrons of whatever level will be able to find what they
need.

Though I personally would not do what you are suggesting, I can see that it
would be useful for your particular students.  As long as your catalog is
accurage in reflecting the location of the books, it shouldn't be a
problem.  HOWEVER:  if your catalog says the book is 629.2 in the Dewey
system, with no mention of its location in the 4.0 reading level...THEN you
have a problem. It also presents a problem for students when they start
asking for books by a certain author or on a certain subject and you have
them shelved across several different reading levels.

Virginia Y. Martin, Librarian
Ketron Middle School
Kingsport, TN 37660





It's scary isn't it that AR is changing how you want to shelve the books?
Dewey would roll over... I understand your concern for the students.  We,
too have a big emphasis on AR. I do have a shelf for the first level
arranged by author for those beginning readers.  But after that, my
responsibility to the students is that they learn how to use library
resources and the beginning step is using the OPAC and library locations.
Your cataloging process would be useless and the students would be missing
out on a lot of books and valuable life skills and knowledge. I think you
should stick with Dewey!

 Nancy Brown

Library Information Specialist

Moore Elementary School

1061 Lewisburg Pike

Franklin, TN 37064

brownnan@fssd.org







I have been where I am for 17 years.  I pulled out 0.4 - 0.9, and put red
dots on them putting them in bins in no particular level for easy finding.
I did the same for 1.0 - 1.9 using blue, 2.0 - 2.9...green although I am
planning on putting the green dotted books in the bins by author for my
sake.  The 3.0 - 3.9 picture books that are Ar are on the shelved by the
author's last name.  THis is a good gransition for the students.  I have an
orange dot shelv ( the short kind you get from Scholastic with book fair
points) on whcih I put the beginning series chapter books to get students on
the move.  Also, three years ago, I started a special section for anyone
with the easies non-fiction, mostly from Capsonte 9All AR levels below 3.0)
because teachers didn't want the Pre-K throuh 2nd using the shelves...in the
big areas, but the kids wanted non-fiction books.  This has been a great
success.  Then the child says dod you have any more books on horses?  We
look at the number on that book and head for the big shelves for a special
one on one lesson.  WOW!!!  Although some would disagree, when a child comes
in with 7 minutes to get a book.....I want them to find what they are
looking for and not be in trouble fore being late or choosing the wrong
book. Lots of people will give you lots of information, but you have to do
what works for you.  Sometimes my Easy picutre books, (AR) get mixed with
the easy picture books, (NOT AR), but OH WELL I think they are all great
books and my staff does a great job of using AR the way it was created.
Sorry about the rambling, but you asked.

Sandy Cravens

Santa Fe Elementary

Moore, OK







I hope I don't sound too sarcastic here. Being faced with your dilemma is
quite hard, especially in your first year. Teachers love the idea, it seems
so logical and it sounds like a great system  -
for the grown-ups.  How handy it is for us all to tell kids that they can
only look on shelf 1.1 - 1.5....  It would be very hard to change back to
the accepted norm. But there are very good reasons to keep it within the
standard library practices:

How do you teach library skills with such a shelving arrangement? How do
they transfer their skills to 'real life' in the public library?  This
arrangement doesn't let the kids browse by author and
allow them to read up every book that their favorite author wrote...
sometimes authors write things that get put in different lexile levels.  And
I haven't even touched the topic of how kids who are
tested in one level might be able to read a higher level of something if
they're interested enough in the topic.  We've had several kids read Harry
Potter who we would have never thought should even try it. They were slow,
but successful. And on the other side - kids like to read below their level
when they just want to 'veg' with a book. In fact, all of us Y.A. librarians
fit into that category! I read kids books - Harry Potter....LOVED the Alex
Rider series...and I'm over 50! [Surely I should be reading something by
Carl Sagan by now - eek! What a thought].....
Another question: if a student comes in with the title of a book that they
want....a friend told them about it perhaps, does your catalog reflect the
call number by author or only by level and then author? Do you cross
reference your titles with their AR number so kids can find them on the
shelf?  IT seems to me that this method discourages use of the catalog
because if they aren't allowed to read a book about cats [for example] that
the catalog mentions is there, then why
even go to the catalog? By it's very nature, it discourages free and
voluntary reading since the easiest way to not get frustrated is to just
look in the area that you're allowed to look at by your test scores.
IMHO fiction should be shelved by author - not just because of convention
but because it gives a universal access point from which to choose books and
not have them judged by someone before you, the reader, even gets a chance
to look at it.  The numbers are solely based on a computer analysis of
syllables. Nothing else. Let's give our kids some options and choices.
Sorry I can't agree with you on this. But I think it's wrong.
Good luck with your decision. It's a hard one.
Connie Williams
Connie Hamner Williams
Teacher Librarian
National Board Certified
Kenilworth Junior High
800 Riesling Road
Petaluma, CA 94954
707-778-4719 [direct]
707-778-4710 [school office]
chwms@mac.com
www.teacherweb.com/ca/kjhs/homepage





I just went through this.  I am also a new librarian in a district that is
very AR oriented.  The library I inherited had over 11,000 books shelved by
AR reading level (1.0, 1.1, etc. ) At least the books had the Dewey call
number and letters on them too.  With the help of friends and family we
removed all the books from the shelves, moved the shelves around (vacuumed a
lot), weeded a little and reshelved them in order.  We put in  over 150 man
hours, but it WAS worth it.  Most teachers were happy that I would be able
to find books for them much easier, because I would't have to look up what a
books Reading level was before I checked the shelves.
Libraries are suppose to be in order (Dewey or Library of Congress). Most
school libraries are arranged by Dewey.  I now have a Fiction, Easy and
Dewey as well as Reference, Biography and Professional.  We need to teach
student how to use a library.  When my two mentor librarians came to visit
my school they were appalled that anyone in their right mind would ever
shelve a library like a giant leveled book room!
Please inform your teachers and administration that "Best Practices" for
students would be to have a library arranged like the public library.  They
need to select books for reading pleasure and information, not just for
reading level.  If your books are properly identified with the levels I see
no reason anyone should complain too much.
Good luck.

Melani Kimery
Liberty Hill, TX







I agree with Nancy on this.  We need to remember that we are here to teach
students how to transfer skills from our library to other libraries in
schools that, perhaps, do not use AR but rather, shelve their books by
Dewey. If AR is the method for getting students reading, then perhaps using
a program such as QuizList Interactive would be a better way to provide
students and teachers with a list of books with tests in YOUR library that
can be selected by reading level, points (or a variety of other search
capabilties).  This allows you to retain standards in collection
organization and accessibility while providing for a reading program that is
used across the school.
You can see my school's QuizList Interactive page at
http://www.quizlist.net/search.aspx?id=29538
You can receive a 30-day free trial at: http://www.quizlistinteractive.com/
Shonda Brisco, MLIS
Technology Librarian
Fort Worth Country Day School
Fort Worth, TX
http://www.fwcds.org
sbrisco@gmail.com







We too are a major AR school (and it's done wonders for our school culture
and reading scores). However the library is still arranged as a library
should be - by Dewey.  Just as others have said, one of my responsibilities
is to teach students how libraries are arranged and they aren't arranged by
AR level.
We put a star sticker (chosen because star stickers are cheap) on the spine
and the book level on a label on the inside.  I teach a series of lessons on
selecting a "just right book" and even the first graders know to open the
book and look at the level.
And since I am also adamant that there is more to reading than AR all the
kids know that in addition to an AR book "to help your brain become a
reading brain" they can also have a book of their choice because reading is
like eating -we need healthy foods but a little chocolate goes a long way to
making life more enjoyable.  AR levels are not written in a stone - a child
whose ZPD is 2.1 - 3.1 can most likely handle a 3. 2 or  3.3 - or even
a 4.0if the subject is of interest.  Give yourself time to get to know
your
students and your collection - you'll soon know who has the drive to handle
a challenging book.
Arranging books by AR level will turn into a full fledged nightmare when
teachers (or you) need specific books for lessons.  And what about the child
who loves Junie B Jones and wants to read "all of them"?   If you shelve by
AR they will scattered among 10 different places.  I can't even imagine how
one would teach how to use the OPAC nor help a teacher who dashes in saying
"I've got 5 minutes till I have to pick up my kids and I need 10 books on
caterpillars because I just found out I've an emergency ARD and one of the
assistants is going to have to watch my class".
Give some thought to the program and how you want to define it- and then
take control of it and run it.  I am in charge of  the program at my school.
Despite being a full Title I, low SES, 85% ESL school all our reading scores
are in the high 90%s so nobody argues with what I'm doing- mostly because I
make it easy for the teachers to buy into the program. I organize all the
celebrations, print the reports and get the kids excited. I know of
librarians who refuse to have anything to do with AR and hand it over to the
reading teachers.  I'm of the opinion that if something is going
to impact the library to the degree that AR will then I'm going to be the
one making the decisions and setting the parameters.
And yes I am a bit of a control freak!  :-)

Guusje Moore
Librarian
Housman Elementary School
Spring Branch ISD
Houston, TX
guusje@mindspring.com
Blog= http://guusjem.blogspot.com/







I wasn't going to get into this argument (again) because I think my opinion
of AR and other reading schemes dominating the library has been expressed on
many previous occasions.
But I was writing to Shonda about something else and I had this thought
...Over the 33 years I have been teaching, many, many commercial packages
have come and gone (including
one that I had a hand in writing) yet Dewey has survived and thrived.  Why,
I wonder?
So, one has to ask, if you spent all the time and money and effort labelling
and reshelving your
books according to AR in 2006, who is going to re-label and re-shelve them
in five years when AR's (or whatever scheme you use such as one based on
lexiles) days have passed?  Because history tells us, they will.
Barbara Braxton
Teacher Librarian
PALMERSTON ACT 2913
AUSTRALIA





Yay!  I love how Guusje thinks!   When I started my position  five years ago
(taking the place of a retiring librarian) I was taking my  library classes
and hobbling along in the library.  I had worked in the  school for 5 years
before I took over the library and knew that arranging the  books by AR
level made it a nightmare for everyone trying to find a book.   The previous
librarian had arranged by level, but none of the levels was in the  OPAC, so
if you didn't know what level a book was or if it had a test or not,  you
were stuck!  No one was using the library because they couldn't find
anything.  I knew that was the FIRST thing I wanted  to change.  I had
talked with the previous
librarian about changing  how the books were shelved and I remember the last
thing she said to me before  she left..."It will never work."  Well....I
spent all my summer in the  library that first year, and I reshelved
everything, color coded by levels so  they were easier to find, and started
teaching the kids how to find their level  and a book they liked using the
color code and looking at
the specific levels on  the sticker on front.  It worked!  Now the kids know
just what to  do.  They know how to use the OPAC to find things correctly.
 My teachers can come in and find things when they need them.  I can find
what we need.  We are big into AR too, but I felt it was most important that
the library be accessible to EVERYONE and that the kids learn to use the
 library.
Sort of that "Teach them to fish....don't just give them a fish"  thinking.
Just my opinion and experience.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Melissa  Norris
LMS
_melnorris@aol.com_ (mailto:melnorris@aol.com)





I do something along your lines.  I don't have enough shelves to break down
each little increment, but I shelf all the 1's together, 2's together, etc.
 Instead of my author, I do it by title (that really blows the librarian's
mind in me!), but it seems to work better for the kids as they are more
title focused than author.  The rest of the library is shelved "correctly."
sue berger
davenport, iowa





I replied to the librarian that posted the original question, but after
reading some of the additional comments, I decided to add my thoughts for
the entire group.  I retired ten years ago, but I agreed a little over two
years ago to help a small school that had had no trained librarian before on
a part-time basis (one day a week with an aide that had never worked in a
library before). I, too, inherited an AR arranged library for grades 1-6.
The first day I looked and immediately knew that the arrangement needed to
change.  The second day I discovered two huge boxes of catalog cards (yes,
we are still not computerized) that had not been filed so we started filing
those cards. The third day I was there I was trying to find a book for a
student and discovered that the majority of the books in the library did NOT
have cards in the card catalog--we have since made (with the help of a
computer program) and filed over 17,000 catalog cards in addition to all the
other duties that we librarians have.  Even though I wanted the grades 1-6
filed by Dewey, it was very apparent that if there were no cards in the card
catalog and the old system was working for the students, my time would be
better spent getting the necessary tools in place to use the Dewey system.
Early on I did subscribe to QuizList Interactive to teach the students how
to use a computerized system and I am teaching the use of the card catalog
every chance I get even to the point of telling the students to let me know
if I have a book on the shelf without cards to it in the card catalog (I
even give a prize when they find one). The student and I check to see if he
is correct and I am talking to him as we are looking about some filing rules
that I think he should know.
I also discovered that there was no record of books nor inventory; this
library was apparently established several years ago using the existing
classroom libraries. Temporarily, the accession cards for my 1-6 books are
in the same order as the books on the shelf in order to establish an
accurate inventory. I am happy to report that I have almost a complete
inventory done.
My high school and junior high sections are filed in the proper manner, and
if I am able to last that long, the 1-6 grades will be also.  All of us need
to thank the librarians who came before us and/or ourselves for having a
wonderful library. Sometimes I think that we forget that in some situations,
it takes a long time for a library to take those steps required to get to
the point that it can function as it should.
This listserve has been a valuable asset for me. I have always been a high
school librarian and this job covers PreK-12; I have really benefited from
the suggestions and comments from all of you.
Minta Wilson, Librarian
Hardesty ISD
Hardesty, OK

minta@allegiance.tv







We also use AR but shelve books by Dewey.  Our state regulations and
procedures for acceditation of school has this to say about organization of
books. "All library media resources are properly cataloged, marked, and
shelved according to a standard classification system."

Carole Matthews, Librarian
Hay Springs Public Schools
Hay Springs, NE
matthews@haysprings.net







I'm in the same position as Angie.  I'm starting in a new school that is
VERY focused on AR and the books are arranged according to the AR level.
However,  my goal for the year is to rearrange the books back to the
traditional fiction/non fiction arrangement for four main reasons.
1.  Students need to learn the location and arrangement of books.  How would
one teach the location and arrangement when books are arranged by AR?   We
are doing students a disservice if and when they are transferred to a non AR
school where they are expected to find books by the call number.
2.  It is difficult for staff and students to look for books.   I was
searching for some Chris Van Allsburg books for one of my teachers and told
her it would only take a few minutes and actually  took a very very long
time to search through the various levels.
3.  The arrangement is awkward as the AR shelves are quite crowded with
books stuck being each other and then there are lots of room on the shelves
for the nonAR books.   One would have to constantly shift the shelving of
the books to keep the shelves manageable.
4.  There are many great books that do not have AR tests.   When books are
separated students might ignore those nonAR books.
Lois Langholz
Hohenfels Elementary School
Department of Defense Schools
Hohenfels, Germany

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