I am so lucky to have stepped into a fabulously stocked library in a brilliant space when I became a lower school librarian at Providence Day School in August 2016. My first impression of the library was one of amazement at how the shelves overflowed with the best books! Teachers must be well-stocked for all their classroom teacher and learning, I concluded. |
When I took the perspective of one of my young students and knelt among the stacks, I wondered, How will my students search for books? Will my pre-readers be able to find books they love? The books that are calling their names, begging for a thumb-through and a hug? Without the advantage of forward-facing shelving to help readers quickly flip through cover after cover, I wondered how I could best help my students to find those reading gems.
My first strategy was to procure a bunch of baskets in which I handpicked the best books for transitional kindergarten (four year-olds) and kindergarten readers and organized them by theme: transport, dinosaurs, funny books, animals, sparkly, and so forth. I brought the baskets out before each class and arranged them on tables and low stools around our cozy fireplace. (Yes! A library fireplace!) I modeled how to look at the basket labels to help narrow my search, then flip through the books in the basket until one struck my fancy.
At the same time, I brought a laptop to the fireplace area so students could check out their books without having to traverse the great expanse that is the distance between the picture books and the circulation desk. We saved the time of kids legging it to and fro, and I was able to keep an eye on the kiddos under my care. Students consistently found books they liked and were able to help each other in the process. The basket experiment was a success!
My first strategy was to procure a bunch of baskets in which I handpicked the best books for transitional kindergarten (four year-olds) and kindergarten readers and organized them by theme: transport, dinosaurs, funny books, animals, sparkly, and so forth. I brought the baskets out before each class and arranged them on tables and low stools around our cozy fireplace. (Yes! A library fireplace!) I modeled how to look at the basket labels to help narrow my search, then flip through the books in the basket until one struck my fancy.
At the same time, I brought a laptop to the fireplace area so students could check out their books without having to traverse the great expanse that is the distance between the picture books and the circulation desk. We saved the time of kids legging it to and fro, and I was able to keep an eye on the kiddos under my care. Students consistently found books they liked and were able to help each other in the process. The basket experiment was a success!
But those curious kindergarteners...after five months with the baskets, they were itching to get into the shelves! So I extended the reorganization to the whole picture book collection. I had been considering genrefying picture books for years, but I was stuck. The concept of genres doesn't really align with how young readers identify and search for books. I needed a topic-based process rather than genre-based, and after significant searching, I found a model that suited my thinking. OBX Librarian generously documented her detailed process which informed my action planning and soon we were off and running! Zowee! We decided on ten kid-friendly categories but agreed to remain flexible as we sorted our collection. After making explanatory signs for each category and a cheery video explaining the purpose and the process for our volunteer fleet, we cordoned off the picture book section with CAUTION tape and deconstructed the shelves. After books were sorted, we reshelved them in their new categories, organizing them alphabetically by author. Then we labeled books with stickers designed by our in-school graphic designer--see slideshow below for his brilliant work!--and placed the new category signs above each section. Kindergarteners eagerly joined in a ribbon-cutting ceremony! I gave them a chance to wander through the shelves and share observations about what they noticed. The new signage really helped these students navigate to books they love! After explaining some of the trickier sections (like the character corner, which features our favorite authors and characters; or the animals section, which is broken up into several subcategories, such as cats, dogs, farm animals, forest animals, etc.), the students were eager to spend time searching the shelves for just-right books. |
To further clarify the reorganization, I enlisted the help of my techy-director son to create a video starring one of our TK students, which helped explain the reorganization in an accessible way for both teachers and students. The video was a huge hit with students who asked to watch it again and again! Students looking for books also used the same language featured in the video when searching the shelves, signaling to me that the purpose of the video had been achieved.
Next up is trialing some forward-facing shelves to make the easy book section even easier!
Next up is trialing some forward-facing shelves to make the easy book section even easier!