After reading the many posts on the debate of how to best organize fiction to
better serve patrons, it seems to me that we have demonstrated why having a uniform
system is the way to go. One of the big selling points in my presentation to
students on the Dewey decimal system and fiction arrangement is that when they go
to any other school or public library they will know how to find things once they
learn the basics. If we all start changing the way we do things, there is no
continuity from one library to the next. Are there other ways to arrange fiction
that might be better or more creative or easier or... We have seen that to be true
in these discussions. But when you take away the uniformity, I feel you take away
the security of knowing how to use any library.
In my library, rather than rearrange the books, I have created a binder with flyers
on different genre that kids like. This way they do not have to struggle with the
multiple hits for a search and they don't have to know the author's name. They
just look at the science fiction flyer and are able to find something in that
genre. I have even started having students create the flyers in a class I teach.
I also do many displays throughout the year to highlight different genres and
authors.
I understand the temptation to compete with bookstores and appeal to the customer,
but I feel we can find other ways to make libraries appealing without changing the
foundations upon which they are built.
Beth Conrad
Librarian
Tri-Valley Middle School
1360 Main Street
Dresden, OH 43821
740 754 3531
bconrad@tri-valley.k12.oh.us
"Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are."
-
Mason Cooley
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