First
inventory plus reorganizing equals one exhausted librarian. When I
first started in the library (K – 6 school) I grouped the books according to AR
level. I felt strongly that this would be the best way for my students to find
what they needed. After a while, I realized that they were only looking at
their “color” and actually missing out on great books that were
outside of their level.
inventory plus reorganizing equals one exhausted librarian. When I
first started in the library (K – 6 school) I grouped the books according to AR
level. I felt strongly that this would be the best way for my students to find
what they needed. After a while, I realized that they were only looking at
their “color” and actually missing out on great books that were
outside of their level.
I
started my adventure by enlisting some fabulous 6th
graders to help. I wrote each letter of the alphabet on a sticky note and put
them in order on the tables. Starting with the picture books, students took them
from the shelf and placed them under the correct sticky note on the table. When I heard a student say, “I
never saw all these books before.” I was sure I was doing the right thing.
started my adventure by enlisting some fabulous 6th
graders to help. I wrote each letter of the alphabet on a sticky note and put
them in order on the tables. Starting with the picture books, students took them
from the shelf and placed them under the correct sticky note on the table. When I heard a student say, “I
never saw all these books before.” I was sure I was doing the right thing.
Inventory was an eye-opener for sure. I actually
had 13 separate inventories which helped me see if the books were in the right
area. I had an inventory for the following groups: Easy, Fiction, Biography,
000-099, 100–199, 200–299, 300–399, 400-499, 500–599, 600–699, 700–799,
800-899, 900–999. In Follett Destiny, you can look at
the progress details of the inventory you’ve started. When you click on the
details for “unaccounted for” you can see the date the item was last seen. OMG!
Some of the books in the system had not been seen since 2003! I really don’t
think I’m ever going to see those books again. So…..I marked as lost, then deleted
the entire MARC record. There were many books in Destiny that had not been on
the shelf in a few years. It felt great to have the catalog cleaned up!!!
had 13 separate inventories which helped me see if the books were in the right
area. I had an inventory for the following groups: Easy, Fiction, Biography,
000-099, 100–199, 200–299, 300–399, 400-499, 500–599, 600–699, 700–799,
800-899, 900–999. In Follett Destiny, you can look at
the progress details of the inventory you’ve started. When you click on the
details for “unaccounted for” you can see the date the item was last seen. OMG!
Some of the books in the system had not been seen since 2003! I really don’t
think I’m ever going to see those books again. So…..I marked as lost, then deleted
the entire MARC record. There were many books in Destiny that had not been on
the shelf in a few years. It felt great to have the catalog cleaned up!!!
Weeding
is
like cleaning out your closet. If you haven’t worn those shoes or that pretty
dress in a few years, it’s time to go. Things get cluttered and it’s hard to
find the good stuff. My weeding
began early in the year. I got rid of books that were beyond repair and those
that were too old for anyone to be interested in. If a book had not been
checked out in the last 10 years, I discarded it. For some reason, students love
getting those discarded books. Yay!
is
like cleaning out your closet. If you haven’t worn those shoes or that pretty
dress in a few years, it’s time to go. Things get cluttered and it’s hard to
find the good stuff. My weeding
began early in the year. I got rid of books that were beyond repair and those
that were too old for anyone to be interested in. If a book had not been
checked out in the last 10 years, I discarded it. For some reason, students love
getting those discarded books. Yay!
I know these statistics will sound really
sad to a lot of people, but it is a great
improvement for
me. My shelves look clean and I believe my students will be more interested in
the books that are available.
sad to a lot of people, but it is a great
improvement for
me. My shelves look clean and I believe my students will be more interested in
the books that are available.
Take a look at these short videos of my adventure.
You might also like:
I was a volunteer librarian at a senior retirement complex & was sorting by genre. My grandkids came to help me- ages 3 & 7. We were moving them to a new bookshelf so there physical help was appreciated & I expected to sort them alphabetically when they left. They surprised me. The 7 year old asked how to "do the second letter". Then the 3 year old told me, "I already did one of these." Even though she couldn't read she was seeing the cover as a picture & discarded all duplicates. Many hands make light work certainly fit that day. Leaving a very proud grandma.
A lot of work however so worth it. What an amazing job you and the six graders did.
We use Dewey for now, but looking into reorganizing by genre.
How do you shelve your non-fiction, by dewey, grade level or some other system?
I shelve the nonfiction by Dewey.