Organizing Library Collection as Junior Fiction / Senior Fiction

[Shailja Sunil Kale]

Dear All, 

Greetings!!!

I am a professional Librarian and need to know your view points on certain topics as under mentioned:

1. Is it really required or is it any where mentioned that to categorize the collection in the library should be /         ideally be divided as per the titles saying Junior Fiction / Senior Fiction etc.

2. Do you write B for biography instead of 920.

3. When your user is aware of the collection and the labels on the shelf is it really make sense to categorise collection in any of these ways.

Kindly state your view points about the points to have a better picture.

Thank you.

Regards,

Shailja Sunil Kale

[Shailja Sunil Kale]

Is there no one who can put across his/her views on the topic

[Surajit]

Dear Shailja Mam,

with the help of my experience I am sharing my views....

 It depends on the nature/purpose  of the library. You didnt mention the type of the library i.e., sch/ college/ university or any other else. The decision will vary with the type(s) of the library. Say, if it is a sch library, then we are usually tag 'fiction', some extent to 'junior fiction' or ' senior fiction'.  But if it is a case of college or any other higher institute, then the category is not required so far. 

Surajit.

[Siddhartha Shankar Ray]

Dear Ms. Sailaja Sunil Kale,

Thanks for your post.

Though you have not mentioned the type of your library, it almost reveals that your's is a (presumably Non Govt.) School Library with Jr. & Sr. Sections and the Authority does not want the Jr. students to read books not befitting for them. This is quite natural for the part of a  School Authority.

Apart from the question of 'Taboo' or 'Morality', this has practical reasons too.

I am citing an example which is in a different set-up but you will certainly understand the underlying philosophy.

My first job was in a PG Teaching Hospital in Calcutta run by a Philanthropic Organization. I had to look after the Medical Library, The Nursing Library, a Library of general nature and a small corner with 7-8 Almirahs which constituted PATIENTS LIBRARY!!

My Full Time job was at the Medical Library but as a single professional, I had to supervise the technical jobs in other two Libraries. When the Patient Library came into being, I was asked to check for the books which were NOT RISKY for patients. Meaning books dealing with Horror and suspense/thriller which might affect the well being of ailing patients should not be included into its collection.

I hope this answers your first question.

Regarding your second question, It is always easier to mark books with prefix for identification of ts nature. In west Bengal, there are plenty public Libraries run by clubs and other private agencies which opens in the afternoon to mid-evening. I am certain that such Libraries do exit everywhere in our Country. The staff are volunteers who do not get any remuneration and are mostly non professionals and often not highly educated ( But many of them posses enviable unique skill to remember location of books in the racks. Besides, they have genuine love , affection and interest for books!!) In those Libraries, in majority of cases, books are marked with the accession No. with a prefix.

And the Libraries are OPEN ACCESS.

There, they have several copies of two different types of exercise books; one bears alphabetical list of titles while the other bears those of Authors and in each case marked with a number with prefix. Never-the-less the books are generally kept in the racks according to their Serial No.or what we call Accession No.

The local users feel it easier to identify the books this way. 

So, "TO SAVE THE TIME OF THE READER"s if the authority of your institution intends to mark the books with alphabetical prefix, it should not be viewed as a failure of the Librarian. rather, it should be viewed to be an helpful means to initiate interest for books among the tiny readers!!

Hope I could explain your queries.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta