Do the Dewey - or not!

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

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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