Monday, May 14, 2018
My Library Genrification Journey
This past summer I took on the project of genrifying our fiction sections. I serve 5-8 grades, and because of this age range, my library has two fiction sections (middle grade fiction and young adult) If you are unsure what genrification is - it's the process of organizing library books by genre. Some librarians are also tackling their nonfiction section, but I choose only to tackle the fiction sections, since nonfiction books are already organized by topic.
There is quite a bit of controversy over the genrification topic. Many librarians are very traditional and believe the best way to organize library books is by author, while the more contemporary thought is to organize by genre because students can find their favorite genre books in one place.
Prior to genrifying, I spent much time asking other librarians who had genrified, reading all that I could read on this idea, and attending presentations on this topic at conferences.
There is quite a bit of controversy over the genrification topic. Many librarians are very traditional and believe the best way to organize library books is by author, while the more contemporary thought is to organize by genre because students can find their favorite genre books in one place.
Prior to genrifying, I spent much time asking other librarians who had genrified, reading all that I could read on this idea, and attending presentations on this topic at conferences.
So why did I decide to genrify my collection?
- My middle school population usually requests books by genre anyway.
- I was looking for a way to increase circulation.
- Within each genre books are still organized by author, so students can still learn what a call number looks like and will be able to find books in a library that organized in the traditional manner.
- I felt like this was a good choice for our space.
How did I genrify my collection?
Prior to moving any books, I started going through my collection (this was a good way to not only learn my current collection, but also to weed unwanted books) I began writing the genre of each book on the inside cover.
Over the summer I physically moved the books to their locations. This was the most difficult part of the transition, because at one point I had more piles of books, then I knew what to do with. I kept telling myself that once the books were moved to their designated locations, this would be worth all the hard work.
Once all the books were moved, I was able to add their specific labels.
How did I decide on the labeling?
Since I have two Fiction sections, I decided to have two distinct forms of labeling.
For my middle grade fiction area, I purchased the genre labels from Demco and added these under each spine label.
For my teen fiction area, I purchased the tinted label protectors from Demco and labels that say Teen. We have a chart that students can look at, to match the tints to genre.
What Genres Did I decide to use?
When deciding upon Genres, I choose the Genres that are the most popular in my school.
Middle Grade Fiction Genres
- Action/Adventure
- Animal Stories
- Fantasy
- Historical Fiction
- Holocaust Fiction (This is a big interest to my 6th and 7th graders)
- Mystery/Suspense
- Scary/Horror
- Realistic Fiction
- Science Fiction
- Sports Fiction
- Classics
- Short Story
- Graphic Novels
Teen Fiction
- Action/Adventure
- Dystopian
- Fantasy
- Historical Fiction
- Realistic Fiction
- Mystery/Suspense
- Romance
- Scary/Horror
- Science Fiction
- Sports Fiction
- Classics
Adding Signage
Adding signage is very important when genrifying your collection. We are purchasing signage through Demco, which will sit in front of each genrified area. I also plan to use our Cricut machine to cut out letters and add that to our shelving endcaps.
Final Thoughts
Although genrifying was a ton of work, I am so glad I did it. My circulation has gone up tremendously and students are very excited with the changes in the library. For those librarians who prefer the traditional organization style, I would say, you must do what works best for you and your student population. I am very proud of these changes, and am happy to say this has made a positive impact on my space.
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