It's Coming Together!

I spent the week working in my library, specifically, genrefying the library.  With some help, I was able to get all of the Fiction section arranged by genre.  Here are some pics:

The signage indicates which genre you are looking at.  

This is the beginning of the Adventure section.

This is the beginning of Animal Stories.

This is the beginning of the Humor books.

     Sorting the Fiction books by genre has been a great way for me to get to know the collection in my library and to see some gaps in the collection that I need to start filling.  

     I think that genrefying the Fiction section will empower students.  They can now walk into the library and have a better idea of what kind of book to check out.  This also helps me guide them toward a genre (if you like Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, you might like Timmy Failure).  It's a way for students to feel like they are part of the library--no longer will they walk in, look at all the books, and ask, "What should I read?" or "Where are the scary books?"  I can now point to the Scary section.

I have worked in other libraries that have genrefied and it has been a huge success.  The students prefer the library laid out this way and they are quick to recommend books to other students, "I just finished Dragon Slayers Academy.  You should try that one."

I also started decorating the Reading Area:

I'm hoping that this will be a comfortable, relaxing space in the library where students and teachers can hang out and enjoy a book.