BLOG 4:
Library Displays.
Arrangement of fiction on
library shelves:
·
What is the most common arrangement of
fiction?
·
How does it vary from library to library?
·
How are genre fiction treated in different
sorts of libraries?
·
How are fiction for different age groups
treated in in different sorts of libraries?
·
What sorts of shelving arrangements are used
in libraries - what influences are there on the choice of shelving for
different types of fiction (reading age, print size, format, genre, etc.
·
Look at some online library catalogues - school, (if possible), TAFE,
university, public and some quirky special libraries (if possible) which deal
in fiction such as the Atheneum Library to see what you can find out about the
arrangement of their literary works on the shelves and the subject headings
they use.
At my work placement in the Balcombe Grammar School library their fiction
books are grouped by age appropriate. So subject headings were: picture books,
beginner fiction, junior fiction, and senior fiction, with teacher resources
and fiction class sets areas. There was an end display shelf with “New Releases”.
Online catalogue access is not available you need a password to log in to the
intranet service.
The Mornington Peninsula Library’s online catalogue asks you to select
the format ie: book, talking book, large print etc and you also choose by
collection so novel (adult, teen, junior), picture book, biography etc so their
catalogue is not genre focused but more by format and age requirements. In the public library there is a large fiction
section and a separate large print fiction area. There is a dedicated teen
area, children’s picture books, beginner and easy readers and junior fiction
area. The cheaper quick picks fiction is grouped by genre: romance, sci-fi and
mystery.
Public and school libraries tend to follow similar shelving guidelines,
as much stock on the shelves as possible so lots of spines facing out and not
many front covers on display. They tend to group fiction together and in
alphabetical order. Their signage is more functional- fiction, large print etc.
Bookshops tend to arrange fiction
by genre first, then in alphabetical order with lots of nice decorative covers
on show to encourage the buyer and their signage has a strong genre focus.
·
Find some pictures (Google images might be a good place to start) of
shelving arrangements in libraries and shelving arrangements in bookshops - how
do they differ.
Bookshops
seem to have a focus on presenting stock with as many front covers facing out
as possible, a good thing when you are trying to sell product, to display
things attractively/decoratively. They also shelve their fiction by genre such
as fantasy, horror, sci-fi, comedy, then alphabetically within genre. The
public Library’s focus is too keep as much stock as possible in the area they
have available so more book spines on view and less front facing books and they
stock fiction genres all together (generally-except “quick picks”) and in an
alphabetical manner.
School Library Shelving:
School Library Shelving:
Public Library Shelving:
·
Find some pictures on signage practices in libraries especially school
and public libraries and some information or pictures on the use of special
stickers or labels on book spines.
School Libraries:
Alphabetical/Age segregation.
Public Library: Alphabetical
with stickers to help “spot” the genre.
Bookshops: By genre and
general interests with teen and children areas.
·
Does genre arrangement encourage an interest in borrowing or buying fiction?
Probably yes. People have favourite
authors and they usually write in a preferred genre so readers can look under
author name or go to a genre area and look under author name.
When bookshops group by genre
they increase the chance that a customer who already enjoys that genre will
pick up and purchase another author in their favourite genre-increasing
sales.
Public libraries go by book type mostly: fiction,
non-fiction, magazines, children’s, junior fiction, junior non-fiction, teen,
dvds and talking books etc. Although biographies are together and large print
has both fiction and non-fiction together. The cheaper “quick picks” on
spinners are arranged by genre – romance, sci-fi and mystery.
Bookshops seem to break areas into genre: sci-fi, horror,
romance, mystery with new promotions, and special interest areas ie: cooking,
sport, comedy, craft, and teenager/children areas.
It’s easy for people to find the reads they usually prefer
by arranging by genre but it’s the process of looking/hunting that perhaps
leads us to new unexpected reading journeys.
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