How to Explain Shelving for Library Books

Libraries are convenient and useful because they are organized in a logical way. Books are grouped together by topic, then further organized in alphabetical order and given a call number so they can be easily returned to the correct place. To explain how library books are shelved, talk about topic classification, alphabetical ordering and the creation and use of call numbers.

Instructions

    • 1

      List the different genres in your library. Possible genres of books include fiction and nonfiction, historical, young adult, memoir, biography, autobiography, women's studies, African-American studies, anthropology, science and philosophy.

    • 2

      Mention the important details of the book that make up the call number abbreviation. These include the book classification, the author's name and the date of publication. As a demonstration, give each student a book and have her write down the title, name and date of publication.

    • 3

      Compare the title, name and date of publication to the call number. For example, a book called "Architecture of Cuernavaca, Mexico" by Jose Fernandez, published in 2003, could look like: BS559.64 F23 2003. "BS559.64" classifies the book as Mexican Architecture. "F23" stands for the author's last name, Fernandez. "2003" is the year of publication.

    • 4

      Describe shelving etiquette. That includes placing books upright so that they fit the height of the shelf space, turning the book so that the call number and spine are facing out, not shoving books into crowded shelves and bringing the spines of the book even to each other.

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