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Do the Dewey - or not!

5/29/2021

A library is only useful if the materials and resources in it are easily accessible. As I spent time over spring break working in another school library for a class I was finishing this semester I was introduced firsthand to genrefication. I hadn’t given this a thought for my school library as our district has not embraced this trend yet, but I had talked with others who had successfully done it in their districts and loved it. The library I was in was genrefying their upper elementary and high school fiction section for several purposes: to increase circulation, to make it easier for students to locate specific genres needed for class projects and to help analyze and enhance the collection. It helped me start thinking about the pros and the cons of organizing a library in this way. I would like to share a few pros and cons with you.
Pros

Children do not need to learn how to use the catalog or consult a librarian, but can easily find books in their preferred genres.
Being able to move directly to a favorite section could help students feel comfortable and confident using the library.
Children tend to get focused on specific topics like robots or dinosaurs. Genrefication means they can find favorite subjects more easily, and related topics could be shelved with them. (Of course, Dewey already shelves like topics together or nearby, in many cases–there just usually isn’t a big sign saying “Dinosaurs” over the 600s. Though there could be!)
Nonfiction books that get overlooked can be highlighted. This includes fun topics like aliens, crafts, and spy technology. It also means that patrons will be able to find fiction books (fables, legends, and mythology) that many erroneously believe are already shelved with fiction (when they are often in the 200s and 300s).
Libraries apparently circulate more books.

Cons

Patrons may be less likely to look for books outside their preferred genre.
It becomes more difficult to find books by the same author, if they write in multiple genres.
Patrons may not know where to look for certain types of books because librarians each make up their own genre categories. Or patrons may be confused by a vaguely named section.
Books that cross genres may be difficult to shelf. (One library reported undoing genrefication for their YA section for this reason.)
Students do not learn to use the catalog, so may be confused when using another library. They may also experience difficulty later in life when doing research, if they are unfamiliar with how to use key words, narrow searches, adjust search parameters, etc.

“Genrefication seeks to combine like with like, expanding browsing options and increasing findability,” (Witteveen, 2019). Making the library usable for students and staff makes everyone happy. It also helps to raise your circulation! “Genrefication empowers students to find exactly what they are looking for and browse subjects they are interested in,” (Witteveen, 2019). Sweeney, (2013) states, “initially, perks of genrefying appeared to be that it would be easier to make recommendations. It would be easier for students to find their favorite genres, and I would know exactly how many books were in each genre which would improve collection development.”
Genrefication is no quick or easy process, but there are ways to simplify it and not make the task quite so daunting. Each librarian must draw up their own plan, locate the person power to help physically shift the materials and use ready made tools to help them ease the process. The first step is to run circulation statistics and begin weeding. Once the weeding process is finished you can examine your collection to identify which genre labels you want to use to genrefy your collection. There are quite a few different choices available. These are just a few to choose from: realistic fiction, chick lit, romance, historical fiction, science, fantasy, horror, manga, mystery, adventure, sports, and guy reads. After ordering and receiving your labels (Demco sells them.) you must decide when you want to take on the challenge of labeling and relocating the books. When labeling you may choose to create your own scheme for labels beyond the genre labels. “Identifying series titles was important because we had so many, and I, like most librarians, certainly couldn’t remember the correct order of all of them,” (Sweeney, 2013). You may choose to order series stickers or just buy colored dots and mark them with the numbered title in the series. Some librarians choose to work section by section and put up under construction signage so students and staff know to avoid that section. Others choose to do the shift over the summer so they can spread things out and really plan for the space they need for each reclassified section. When you are finished with the relabeling and reshelving it is time to work on signs so that your patrons can easily locate the genres. You could even create a video for classroom teachers to show to students before they come to visit the library for the first time after genrefying.
Genrefication works well for school libraries because it removes the frustration of learning to use the catalog and searching for related topics under different call numbers. It also frees up librarians to make book recommendations instead of having to guide students around the library. Students feel a sense of confidence about the library when it is welcoming and accessible. Genrefication works well with children because they are more likely to be browsers and to be obsessed with certain topics and benefit from those topics being placed together. However, if one of your library goals is to teach the catalog then you may have to rethink how to do this if you genrefy. Will you do the Dewey, or not?

Submitted by Deanna Hirschman

Rodgers, L. (2018). Give your circulation a lift. School Library Journal. July, 24-27.

Sweeney, S. (2013). Genrefy your library: improve readers’ advisory and data-driven decision making. Young Adult Library Services. Summer, 41-45.

Witteveen, A. (2019). Flipping for genrefication. School Library Journal. September, 40-44.

Krysta, (10/01/2019). Pros and cons of the push for shelving by genre in libraries. Pages Unbound Reviews, pagesunbound.wordpress.com

Branding Your School Library

5/10/2021

As we wrap up this unprecedented year, many of us are ready for some kind of change in our work lives – a reboot of some sort so we can start the new school year with a new outlook. An over-the-summer exercise in branding your school library program might be just the reboot you’re looking for.
What is Branding?
“Branding is relationship” (Sheninger and Rubin) – it’s a combination of the stories you tell and the connections you make daily – through marketing, graphic design, social media, and relationships with stakeholders. As a school librarian you are branding by default; you are branding yourself and your program with every interaction you have with your stakeholders. From book talks to book fairs to instructional services, you have so much to sell as part of your school’s library program. Why not make it intentional?
Build your Brand
Branding yourself and your school library program can be a big undertaking and it can be hard to know where to start. Maybe you’re ready to take a deep dive into rebranding your program from your own personal social media brand to a consistent visual identity for your library program through signage, website, and social media design. Or maybe you have just enough energy to do a visual identity re-branding. No matter the breadth of the reboot, follow these guidelines from The First Five Steps to Building a Library Brand, from The Librarian in the Middle, a school librarian who is passionate about branding:

Align your goals – start with a vision and break your vision into goals. Consider starting with your school’s mission and vision and visual identity.

Pick a name and logo – how do you want to refer online to your program?

Identify audience and purpose – this will help you to match your content to your target audience.

Engage your audience – what events, materials, or services do you want to promote?

Build consistency – be reliable in promoting your events. Once you engage followers, don’t leave them hanging and waiting for more.

My teaching partner and I have just started to skim the surface of branding our program by designing a simple yet intentional logo for our library program using the educator’s version of Canva. As part of the process, we did some work to align our vision and goals with our visual identity. It is our vision that our program provides a sense of place in the online world in addition to the real world space we provide to stakeholders, so we chose a location pin as part of our logo, which you can see above. And the heart represents the belief that the library is the heart of school, in addition to being a place of belonging. The simple design keeps us mindful of our purpose and our role in the school and keeps us moving forward toward reaching our collective vision.
Want to learn more about branding? Here’s a list of resources that will help:
Branding Your School Library (sign up at this posting for her 5-step guide) by the Librarian in the Middle. This school librarian is passionate about school library branding and advocacy. Don’t stop with this article, though. Look for others that she’s written about branding.
BrandED: Tell Your Story, Build Relationships, and Empower Learning, a book by Eric Sheninger and Trish Rubin. Written for educational leaders of all ranks.
Librarians: Build Your Brand by Gretchen Hazlin at BubbleUpClassroom.com pulls out some of the best ideas of the book above and gears them to school librarians specifically.
What’s in a Brand? How to Define Your Visual Identity by Annie Crawford at Adobe might be helpful if your focus is on creating a new visual identity.
ICYMI: Canva for Education is a must for all school librarians. Go here to sign up!

by Beth Eilers, School Librarian, Omaha Central High School

Do the Dewey - or not!

Branding Your School Library

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