The Semi-Genrefied Library

If you haven’t discussed genrefying your Library, are you really even a Librarian?

Just kidding, but seriously, the last few years it seems to be the main discussion that we’re all having.

I find myself balancing a more traditional Library with the contemporary touches that make students more engaged with the Library. I want to keep books, all books, but I also want to reorganize and create more collaborative spaces, and make the Library a space that suits their needs. And I think I can do both. I will do both.

I’m fortunate to have a very nice sized Library. I have rows and rows of fiction and non-fiction and I have the space to host up to three different classes at the same time. I really do love my Library. But since I began here a few years ago, I’m constantly reimagining the space and what it could be. I’ve probably moved furniture around more times than I could count on 2 hands. I like change.

One of the things I’ve been holding back from was genrefying. I just couldn’t imagine upending the current set up of fiction and non-fiction. It looks so nice, but now that I’ve been in this role for more than a few years, I’ve noticed that my fiction just isn’t circulating like it should. Many times the books that circulate are ones that I’ve pulled out on display or books that I’ve placed on a new shelf towards the front door, but it seemed as though once a book takes it’s home back on the regular fiction shelves, that’s where it sits forever and ever.

So I started toying with the idea of genrefying.

I’ve slowing started weeding my non-fiction, but haven’t touched the fiction at all in the past 4 years. It was time for that to change.

I started reading a lot of information, and when I came across Kelsey Bogan and GVHS and her genrefying process, I thought to myself….”it is time.”

I decided to start small instead of jumping in full force. And that’s where I began with my semi-genrefying project.

SHELF SPACE & SIGNAGE

Since I love rearranging my space, this one just made sense. I had been working on weeding my Reference section (dust collectors) and once those shelves were empty, it mades sense to move them around my classroom area, as space I had wanted to sort of section off anyway.

I used Canva to create the signs and placed them in plastic holders on top of the shelves.

Once they were positioned, I got to the really fun stuff.

CATEGORIES

I didn’t want to offer too many or too few categories, and taking Kelsey’s lead, I decided to break them down similarly. I believe I have less categories than she used, but it leaves me the chance to add more eventually. I also decided to color code the books, and eventually the shelves, in order to keep them organized in both Destiny and in the Library.

My categories are as follows:

Red: Horror & Mystery

Orange: Action & Adventure

Yellow: Realistic

Blue: Historical & War

Purple: Fantasy & Magic

Green: Science Fiction & Dystopian

And to the age old question, what about those that fit more than one, I place a more than one color-coded sticker on the label.

DESTINY

I also needed a way for students to distinguish in the catalog where these books are located. As you can see below, I’ve added the color to the call number, the categories, and the sublocation in the copy record.

FINAL THOUGHTS

My final thoughts on the semi-genrefying…

Starting this process slowly will give me time to weed my fiction sections and add new books to the genres as I get them. I can also add what is being kept to the appropriate sections over time.

Eventually I will run out of room on the shelves I’ve already made and I will definitely have to change around the space to accommodate the fiction, but in the meantime I’m ok with the set up.

I’ve already had some students who have been delighted to find them arranged by genre, and I hope that this will help to up my circulation stats in the coming years!

Below are the images of the signs I made. They’re currently sitting on top of the shelves. I wanted them mobile so that as I grow and adjust, I can move them around! Feel free to copy or use all you want!