Thanks to all the great information on Library Shelving. I haven't decided which I
want yet, but you all gave me lots to consider. Below you will find my original
request and the many fantastic answers I received.
Here's another shelving question: If you have free standing shelves in your
library, are they open or do they have back panels? Please tell me the pros and
cons of each, so I can decide which to recommend they purchase for my library
remodel. Thanks in advance.
Cheri Horyna
Library Media Specialist
Hutchinson High School
1401 N. Severance
Hutchinson, KS 67501
620-615-4157
We have open back metal shelves - 6 feet tall. It is nice to be able to get a
limited view of students who might be down another isle, especially for monitoring
purposes. I feel like it cuts down on some of the silliness that can happen with a
'concealed' view. The downside is that sometimes books get pushed behind the other
books and you have to occasionally make a sweep...but I guess that happens with any
shelves. With it being open, you do stand a better chance of spotting the 'lost'
book.
One other note, we did line up our shelves at an angle so that you can see down
most of the isles from the circulation desk.
You want back panels! Otherwise the books get shoved through, kids horse around
pushing things through, etc. (and yes, I'm in high school too and do not have back
panels).
Listen to mama....NO OPEN BACKS! I opened a library with both wall and free
standing open backed shelves and it was a nightmare! I loved the look, but the kids
pushed books through a million times a day. If you must, make sure they are the
kind with a lip in the back to keep the books from going through/falling down the
wall. You would think this would be a given, but these were architect chosen
shelves and he was clueless.
Our free-standing shelves are double-sided cases and have boards down the middle.
This prevents students from accidently pushing books off of the "back side" shelf
when they are putting books back. I would NEVER consider ones without this
protective piece.
I had open backed shelving for years. The advantage is that you can see through the
shelves to see students who are "hiding" behind the shelving. Light also is better
as it goes through the shelving and isn't blocked by the backs. You can also see
books that have slipped behind the books from the other side. The disadvantage is
that once in a while, a student plays pranks by pushing the book through from the
other side and on to the floor--this is rare and easily handled because you can see
who it is!
Then the district bought new shelving with closed backs. The disadvantages are
students can and do hide in areas in the shelving. It tends to get very dark at the
bottom shelves. We almost needed a flash light to see what was at the bottoms
because the lighting didn't line up nicely with the aisles leaving us with
canyon-dark areas. You have to really look for books that have slipped behind the
book on the shelves by moving the books or sticking your arm behind the book. The
advantage is students can't push the books through.
I prefer closed backs on free standing book cases although I have both. The
problems with the ones that are open between the shelves are: kids can reach
through the shelves and grab at each other "for fun", despite the stops on the
shelves books are pushed through completely to the other shelf or pushed in in such
a way that they displace books on the other shelf, if a kid doesn't want the book
that they have but doesn't know where it came from s/he can push it through to the
other side and say that they don't know anything about it (even if you gave them
the now stray book...sigh).
We recently moved our elementary shelving to our middle school facility. The
shelves had originally been attached to the wall. We made them freestanding by
having our maintenance dept. put backs on them and put sections back-to-back for
support. I'm glad we put the backs on since it keeps the books from sliding
through. I have open metal shelving at the high school, and I'm always having books
sliding from one side to the other. Backs are a MUST!
We have free standing shelves w/ backs to the 2 sides. They are also on
wheels which make them easy to move. It is great when there is a big meeting
or the book fair.
Bookcases need backs! After having to move long sections of bookcases out from
against the wall to retrieve books, I had backs put on all of them. Now I don't
have lost books due to them falling out the back and down into the dead bugs and
cobwebs!
I like having panels in the middle so that books can't be pushed through.
Ours are open. The one advantage I can think of to that is the lighting is nicer.
I have open backs of shelves. They are no particular problem, but I imagine the big
difference with closed backs is expense
Al my free standing shelves are 2 sided and without backing between the sides on
the metal shelves, nicely finishing on the shelving that was put in when the school
was remodeled in 1985. The previous librarian was a pack rat and got addition metal
shelving that doesn't match and is ugly to boot.
See through can be good though - I can sneak up and spy on troublemakers
My freestanding shelves are double-sided, 6 feet tall. They are backed with a solid
piece of laminated compressed board (the same material the shelves are made from).
The biggest downside is that kids always feel the need to shove books as far back
on the shelf as they can, and with a 12” deep shelf, some of the books fall into
the shadows of other books and the spines are hard to read.
Ours are open. I like the light that comes through and the fact that if the shelves
do happen to 'block' the view you can see some motion through the shelves. I don't
like the 'push through' factor, but being able to see out weighs the problem of
pushing through the books.
Hope this helps.
ine have a metal panel that is adjustable. If you have completely open shelves,
books are liable to get pushed through and fall behind.
Having worked in a media center with metal shelving that was open backed, I would
not recommend it. Books fell through and on the floor all the time. With a backing
it would have saved that plus the back would serve as poster and display space.
We have wooden shelves. They have backs on them. Personally, I would prefer open
backs because you could go higher and still be able to see through them!
My free standing shelves are double-sided with a divider down the center that forms
the back of the shelves. It's great.
I always get back panels in them, this way nothing goes all the way
through to the other side and if you have it against a wall now, you
might rearrange and it may sit out in an open area and then you would
want the backs on them.
We have free standing shelving units with back panels. They originally came without
the back panels and after 5 years of finding books down at the bottom, bent and
torn, we bought the back support panels which were about 4" high. They really
helped.
In my library days, I always had to have backs on mine, even if they
were placed up against a wall. If not, any thin book (though there are
not as many of those at HS as at other levels) would slip behind.
I hate the open back shelving that I have. The books get shoved in behind and fall
down between and that's if they don't push the books behind them out and on to the
floor. When they were new they had a brace across the back, but somewhere along the
way that brace is missing from most. It's good that I can see through them because
they are ten feet high and just out into a third of my little itty bitty library,
but still...I hate them because kids talk to each other through them also. Kids
also look for us through them when they are doing something they shouldn't
You do not want open shelve backs! The books fall through, and are difficult at
times to retrieve. Another point it to not let the shelving be over 4 feet or so
which allows for viewing most of the library. Too tall and not just the kids get
crazy, adults go behind the shelving and hold conversations which are too loud!
I have both and I highly recommend back panels. These keep the books from sliding
out the back.
We have closed back. I would think the open back would be easy to slide all the way
through and out.
DO NOT get the open back panels. Books get pushed through to the other side, or
fall into the gaps between the shelves, to be lost until inventory at the end of
the year. I HATE my open bookcases, and would replace them if I could.
Mine have back panels & I love that. I've worked in a library before that had open
backed shelving and books would fall down between the two shelf faces and be really
lost. At least with back panels they're behind the shelf they're supposed to be on.
I can't think of any cons to back panels.
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