Book Organising
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Proper book organisation is crucial for allowing all library users to locate books efficiently. Labelling books ensures that they are returned to their designated places, thereby maintaining the library's tidiness. An untidy library with misplaced books hinders everyone's ability to find books and renders the labels ineffective.
Based on experience working with children in an educational setting, it is evident that instruction on how to return books correctly—spine out and positioned on the appropriate shelf—is necessary. This should be taught in schools, similar to classroom organisational features that require explanation and proper usage.
Libraries are typically designed to foster reading for pleasure and to provide resources for curriculum subjects. Books that are levelled for difficulty, such as book-banded books or Accelerated Reader titles, should be kept separate either within the library or in another part of the school.
Non Fiction Organisation
Non-fiction books are typically organized in numerical order using the Dewey Decimal System. This system, designed for large academic libraries, is effective for organizing extensive collections. In a primary school library, there usually is not more than one shelf per subject, making detailed categorization less necessary and potentially complex. Additionally, young users may find three-digit numbers and decimal points challenging. The table below presents the different sections for subjects and the colours commonly used in children's libraries to assist with differentiation.
Range Colour Category
000-099 white Information
100-299 black Philosophy, Psychology, Religion
300-399 orange Society
400-499 brown Languages
500-559 yellow Maths & Science
560-599 green Natural World
600-699 red Technology
700-799 purple The Arts and Leisure
800-899 pink Literature
900-999 blue History and Geography
This system allows for every book to have a place. Poetry is around 820, Traditional Tales 398 and general fiction would be around 823.
Many primary schools use a simplified Dewey Decimal System by limiting division to 2 decimal places or avoiding decimals entirely. Narnia Libraries has created a straightforward cataloguing system with three-digit numbers, no decimals, and multiples of 10, along with colours and images for each category to aid children in locating and returning books. Recognising the trend towards using creative non-fiction and fiction in schools, we've incorporated relevant fiction into subject-specific categories. For instance, "Roman Boy" by Tony Bradman is placed with the other books on Romans, while "Romans on the Rampage" by Jeremy Strong, being more humerous, is categorized under fiction. This approach, called Themed Collections, includes about 90% non-fiction books.
Range | Colour | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
Robert Zanny | 12/16 | 2 |
Dana Marks | 09/16 | 1 |
Robert Zanny | 10/15 | 3 |
