I have a question about the organization of the fiction section by genre. The library's fiction section is arranged by genre. This was done before I took over. When it comes to finding a book, sometimes I spend more time than I should because of a blurring or blending of the genre boundaries. A colleague was contemplating arranging her fiction section by genre and I suggested that maybe it would be better to keep the books according to the Dewey Decimal system; however, she could label the spines and keep the books where they are.
Another question I have is about the purchasing of non-fiction books. I have a large non-fiction section compared to the fiction section. A colleague was informing other teacher-librarians that she is not going to waste her money on purchasing non-fiction books when the Internet is so much better and she can focus on purchasing fiction books. So according to our textbook, Achieving Information Literacy, should the percentage of non-fiction books to fiction books be smaller?
The Dewey Decimal system descriptions looked interesting. I want to check out as many as I can. I starred a couple that I would considering using during library orientations. My thoughts were wondering how can one fit in everything that the students need to know. It is like information overload to show them too much at one time, so how much will they retain.
In one of the discussion posts a person asked the question about how others in the class arrange their graphic novels. My graphic novels are arranged by alphabetical order in series. For example, the Chibi Vampire series comes before the Nana series, then comes the Tsubasa series. It is important that the students access the graphic novels as easily and as quickly as possible because they are so popular. The students have to walk by the classic novels to get to the graphic novels, so the students notice the timeless great reads, as well.
In another discussion post, the person offered a great idea that I am considering: Putting a star on the teachers' favourite reads.
Hi Donna!
ReplyDeleteYou have some great thoughts and questions here and I will try to address them as well as I can.
I must preface all of my answers with an over-arching comment that applies to all that we are discussing. We must keep the end in mind which is: "Everything that we do must assist our students in becoming successful learners both in their present studies and as lifelong learners".
1) How best to arrange your fiction collection? I believe that you must use a standard organizational system that all users understand (you would teach this in mini-lessons at their time of need) so that they will be able to easily access what they need in a timely manner. Therefore we need to use the Dewey Decimal System as the basic organizational system... however you may always highlight various parts of the collection by creating displays or special places for highly popular items or those resources that relate to specific areas of the curriculum that students are currently studying.
2)Should the non-fiction (or as I prefer to use the term 'information literature') section be smaller than the fiction section?
I believe that we must have balance in our collections. There are many incredibly powerful information literature books that provide not only information but motivation for some of our readers. Yes, the same information may be found through searches on the internet (and only if critically selected using established evaluation criteria)but it may not be in the best format for all learners.
It is crucial for the TL to select the best resources available for the learning needs of all students. Some learners find that information from books is more suitable, whereas others prefer digital. If we find that there are not as many materials published in the form of a book about some subjects, then that part of the information literature (or non-fiction) collection will be smaller.
3) Graphic works collections - I love that you are aware of the interests and behaviour of your students. It is important to build on that to encourage them in their areas of interest. If that means briefly collecting together some of the newest series or authors' works then that is what you should do!
4) Teacher favourites - I often had displays highlighting both teacher and student favourites (which included a brief annotation to help others with their selections). That display always needed to be refreshed often as it quickly became depleted. :-)
Hope these comments help with your thinking :-)
Cathy