Genrefying your Library Collection

 Krumme, Kelsey

Source: 

Sultanik, A. G. (2020). Genrefying the children’s fiction collection. School Library Research, 23. http://www.ala.org/aasl/slr/volume23/sultanik

The Study:

The article, "Genrefying the Children’s Fiction Collection" by Alyssa G. Sultanik, details a research study that looks at how organizing a school library's fiction collection by genre impacts student success and self-efficacy. Traditionally, school libraries use a "FIC" label system from the Dewey Decimal system. In this system the books are arranged alphabetically by the author’s last name, which can be difficult to navigate for young children who may know a topic (like dinosaurs) but not specific authors or the number within the Dewey Decimal system. The study observed the activity of students browsing using the original system to get a baseline. They also completed a Likert scale and interview to measure their confidence. The library was then "genrefied" into 11 categories (such as Adventure, Mystery, and Animal Fiction). The books were labeled with colors based on genre and there was signage posted as well. The observations were repeated using the new system.

Findings:

The findings showed that students could locate books significantly faster, with average search times dropping from eight minutes and thirty seconds to five minutes and thirty seconds. Qualitative data from interviews indicated a massive jump in positive sentiment, with 35 positive responses post-intervention compared to only 6 beforehand. Mapping data also revealed that students made fewer random stops and could navigate directly to sections of interest. Sultanik concludes that while genrefication is time-consuming, the benefits of reduced library anxiety and increased student independence outweigh the costs.

Evaluation and Opinion of the Research:

I think it is an important look at some of the possible benefits of genrefying. The study was of a very small sample size of only 5 students. It would be interesting to see the results from a wider pool of students from different areas and backgrounds. The students noted the that the color-coded stickers were a very helpful visual. This research provides a compelling, evidence-based argument for genrefication as a tool to empower young readers. By moving away from technical labels that "alienate patrons," the study demonstrates how school libraries can foster self-directed learning and a love for reading by making the collection more accessible and easy to navigate for children.

Understanding the text genre preferences of third-grade readers.

Gallo, G. & Ness, M. K. (2013). Understanding the text genre preferences of third-grade readers. Journal of Language and Literacy Education [Online], 9(2), 110-130. Available at http://jolle.coe.uga.edu/

Summary: Many have reported that reading success stems from curiosity, enjoyment, and interest.  With an eye towards reading success, building stamina and making personal connections to subject matter the authors use a study of 78 students to explain the importance of teaching reading with informational text. They monitor daily instruction, attitudes, and preferences between fiction and non-fiction. Then the study compares students' self-report against actual reading during Relax and Read programs in 3rd-grade classrooms. Most often students expressed their preference in selecting non-fictional text because the topic was already important to them.  Across the board, students demonstrated a preference and familiarity for fictional text more often than the other.  The review also sheds light on the importance of this genre by stating, "More specifically, through exposure to informational text, children built their background knowledge of the works and of domain-specific topics".

Evaluation: This study reminds me of our role as librarians, to support a learners "entry point" into a genre. Students interest may change but we can support learning success and positive reading habits by incorporating informational text into our daily routines.  Additionally, with more exposure to media and social media sharing, non-fictional stories may be shaping the learning of "domain-specific topics" in a way we have never seen before. Collections management needs are shifting to more informational text.

Genrefying a High School Library

Deligencia, Nick

Minton, C. (2014, May 4). "Genrefying" a high school library: A detailed planning document [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://christyminton.wordpress.com/2014/05/04/genrefying-a-high-school-library-a-detailed-planning-document/

Summary:  This planning document details multiple facets of the process of genrefying one high school library.  The author provides the rationale and context for the project, basically to make the library more patron-centric and match how students actually search for books (by genre, not alphabetically by author). The library expects to see increased circulation, as “non-reader” patrons will more quickly find books in their interest areas and as “reader” patrons discover new authors writing in the student’s preferred style.

The actual process is outlined in five steps: (1) assigning a genre to every title, (2) applying new spine labels to every book, (3) color-coding, (4) shelving, and (5) signage.  Each subset of the process is described, including time-saving tips and strategies for “subject integrity.”  A video and several pictures provide visual content for visual learners.  The actual 14 categories used are listed in the article, along with examples of signage for each section and a poster/visual guide to the color codes.

The post concludes with a reference list.  

Comments:  This was absolutely the “best of the best” that I read for INFO 266.  There has been a fair amount of discussion among teacher librarians in my district about the value of genrefication in a school library.  Perhaps the most useful content of the post was related to how much time to expect such a project to take.  The poster’s collection is much smaller than the one in my library but since information about how much work could be accomplished in an hour, it is possible to adjust the timeline for the scale of your own library.  For example, the author processed “30-35 records every hour” in the library catalog, which provides a method for estimating how much time such a project would take (just the cataloging part, not the re-labeling).

This article is a must-read if a genrefication project is on your horizon.

The Fight of the Century: Dewey vs. Genre Classification Systems

Laudato, Maricar

Buchter, H. (2013). Dewey vs. genre throwdown. Knowledge Quest, 42(2), 50-57.

Summary

In this article, Holli Buchter outlines the overhaul of the Red Hawk elementary school library’s classification system from the Dewey Decimal System to an organization system based on genre named after her, the BCS (Buchter Classification System). In this system, fiction books are organized by genre, nonfiction books are organized by subject, and all “call numbers” on the spine are word based—there are no numbers. The result—it was a success with the entire community and circulation statistics across fiction and nonfiction titles went way up, especially when compared to neighboring schools that still utilized the DDC.

Evaluation

 

I’ve been talking about overhauling our classification system from Dewey to a subject specific one as well, but it terrifies me because I love being organized. A project of such magnitude would involve getting used to a large measure of chaos, especially in the beginning. I’m hoping to see if there are any local high school libraries who have done this already so that there is some type of model that our school library can refer to. It’s going to take a lot of teeth-pulling, however, to get a project like this approved! 

Classroom Library Organization

Hubschman, Amy

Resource:
Newingham, B.  (2009, October 6). A virtual peek into my classroom library.  [Web log comment] Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top_teaching/2009/10/classlibrary

It's amazing how much damage three days worth of substitutes can cause to a classroom library.  Sadly I had to attend an out of town conference last week which meant entrusting my 2nd grade students, my classroom, and my materials to a substitute for three days.  Upon my return I had nothing short of a hot mess in my classroom and the biggest casualty was my poor classroom library.
After having my students sort our 1,500+ classroom books into specific genres we placed each book in its appropriate labeled basket and scanned each book with the IntelliScanner I became aware of from Beth Newingham.   

Summary:  Beth Newingham is an award winning classroom teacher, well-known blogger, and educational consultant for Scholastic.  Her Scholastic blog takes a virtual look into her own classroom library and the organizational format she uses with her high-performing third grade students.  This particular blog post explains how to create and implement an effective elementary level, classroom library.

Evaluation:  Beth Newingham has amazing organizational and education ideas.  Her scholastic blog listed in the resource list as well as her personal school website, http://hil.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/, are filled with information useful to any individual pursuing a teaching degree or a school librarian degree.