How to Shelve Fiction Books

Shelving is a critical component of the library Shelving is a critical component of the library. If done incorrectly, books cannot be found.

Shelve Slowly We have 18,185 books in our library. A mis-shelved book is a LOST book, and the odds of finding it in a library this size are really slim!

Spine Label The Spine Label is the white label on the book spine.

In the Fiction area, the top line of the spine label is FIC.

The second line is the first three letters of the author’s last name. Ex: GAR for GARDNER

How fiction books are shelved Fiction is shelved alphabetically by the first three letters of the author’s last name. Ex: Look at the spine label for a fiction book written by Frank Adams. The first three letters of the last name are ADA. Author Frank Adams spine label would read FIC on the top line and ADA on the second line. FIC ADA

Book Shelf Order Book shelf order moves from left to right, and top to bottom—the same way you read a book. If there is more than one book with the same spine label. Ex: FIC/KIN the order proceeds by putting the titles in alphabetical order. When alphabetizing titles, ignore the words “A,” “An,” and “The.”

Shelving Order Spine Label Author of the Book Title of the Book KIN King Z is for Zingo KIN Kingsolver Zealous Children KIN Kinsley Zippedy Do Dah Kin KIN Kinsley Zippens in the Sun In the example above the four author’s last names all begin with Kin, and the titles all begin with Z. After putting all the books in order by the first three letters of the author’s last name, then put the books in alphabetical order by title of the book.

Place the book in the correct space on the shelf.

Question??? If you have a question, please ask. There are no dumb questions. I would much rather dig or hunt for an answer than have to hunt for the lost book. Take your time!

Think of the Library like a Book Store The more attractive and visual we can make the fiction section, the more students will want to checkout books. Take time to make the fiction area look attractive.

Stand books up neatly. Pull books out even with the edge of the shelf. Place book-ends firmly at the end of each section. Dust your area weekly. Pay particular attention to the tops and spines of the books. If you notice a dirty or yucky-looking book, pull it and put in the back for repair and cleaning. Where there’s room, place a book on a bookstand, so we see the cool covers.

Thank you for helping our library look attractive. You make a difference every day you work in the library.