Download - Guidelines for Shelving and Shelf-Reading
Guidelines for ShelvingGuidelines for Shelvingand Shelf-Readingand Shelf-Reading
Guidelines for ShelvingGuidelines for Shelvingand Shelf-Readingand Shelf-Reading
EHS Media CenterEHS Media Center
Fiction books can be found in the following
collections:
• General Fiction
• Story Collection
• Paperbacks
Fiction Books• Fiction Books are arranged alphabetically by author’s last
name.
• If two or more authors have the same last name, books are grouped together & arranged alphabetically according to the first name of authors.
• If one author has more than one book, his books are grouped together & then arranged alphabetically according to title. Articles A, AN, and THE are ignored when arranging titles alphabetically ONLY WHEN THEY COME AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TITLE.
Note: When an author’s last name begins with Mc, the name is arranged as if written Mac.
Study the example below of the correct order for shelving fiction:
Chase, Mary EllenClarke, ArthurClarke, MaryConrad, JosephConrad, JosephDavenport, MarciaDel Rey, LesterDel Rey, Lester
Edge of DarknessSands of MarsThe Glass PhoenixTyphoonVictoryMy Brother’s KeeperThe Runaway RobotStep to the Stars
Now you try it. Arrange these books in the correct order for shelving fiction. Use scratch paper to write down your answers.
Murphy, Rita Night Flying
MacLean, Alistair The Golden Gate
Morrison, Toni Sula
Murphy, Shirley Nightpool
McKay, Robert The Running Back
Morrison, Toni Jazz
Marshall, Catherine Christie
Check your answers:McKay, Robert The Running Back
MacLean, Alistair The Golden Gate
Marshall, Catherine Christie
Morrison, Toni Jazz
Morrison, Toni Sula
Murphy, Rita Night Flying
Murphy, Shirley Nightpool
Nonfiction books can be found in the following
collections:
• 000’s – 900’s
• Reference
• Biographies
000’s – 900’s• Non-fiction books are arranged numerically on the shelf
by the Dewey Decimal Classification System.
• Put together in a group all books with the exact same whole number. Next arrange these books by the last name of the author. If two or more authors have the same last name, then use the first name to arrange the books.
973 Allen, Thomas
973 Baker, Jeffery
973 Douglas, Donald
973 Douglas, Frederick
973 Douglas, John
Books with numbers after the decimal point should be placed after books with the same whole number. For example:
394
394.01
394.76
The fractions after the decimal point are also arranged from the lowest fraction to the highest fraction.
• Hint: Always arrange numbers by the first difference. For example, in the two numbers 458 and 459 the first difference is in the last numbers, 8 and 9. The lowest of the two numbers is 8; therefore, 458 comes before 459. In the two numbers 917.803 and 917.812, the first difference is in the second numbers after the decimal, 0 and 1. Since 0 is a lower number than 1, 917.803 comes before 917.812.
Study the example below of the correct order for shelving non-fiction.
824.001 Jones
824.002 Johnson
824.002 McGregor
824.01 Swift
824.02 Lee
824.021 Cleland
824.3 Wood
Now you try it. Arrange these books in the correct order for shelving non-fiction. Use scratch paper to write down your answers.
826 Masterson
824.397 Jones
824.3 Smith
824.039 Barron
822.33 Shakespeare
822.3 Shakespeare
Check your answers:
822.3 Shakespeare
822.33 Shakespeare
824.039 Barron
824.3 Smith
824.397 Jones
826 Masterson
Biography and Autobiography
• Autobiographies and biographies are shelved together under the symbol B.
• The B’s are all grouped together and then arranged alphabetically according to THE PERSON ABOUT WHOM THE BOOK IS WRITTEN. The authors of all the books about one person are then arranged alphabetically.
• The reason for arranging by the subject of the book rather than the author is so that all books about one person are shelved together.
Study the example below of the correct order for shelving biographies.
B The Three Lives of Helen Keller
By Richard Harrity
B Helen Keller By John Tribble
B A Tribute to John F. Kennedy By Pierre Salinger
B Young John Kennedy By Gene Schoor
B John F. Kennedy, President By Hugh Sidney
B Four Days (John F. Kennedy) By U.P.I.
B Robert F. Kennedy By Robert Thompson
B Sister Elizabeth Kenney By Henry Thomas
Now you try it. Arrange these books in the correct order for shelving biographies. Use scratch paper to write down your answers
B Lincoln’s Virtues (about Abraham Lincoln)
By William Lee Miller
B Abraham Lincoln By Thomas Keneally
B Theodore Roosevelt By Betsy Kraft
B Benjamin Franklin: an American Life
By Walter Isaacson
B Franklin D. Roosevelt By Brian Grapes
B Theodore Roosevelt By Louis Auchincloss
B The Amazing Mr. Franklin (about Benjamin Franklin)
By Ruth Ashby
Check your answers:
B The Amazing Mr. Franklin (about Benjamin Franklin)
By Ruth Ashby
B Benjamin Franklin: an American Life By Walter Isaacson
B Abraham Lincoln By Thomas Keneally
B Lincoln’s Virtues (about Abraham Lincoln)
By William Lee Miller
B Franklin D. Roosevelt By Brian Grapes
B Theodore Roosevelt By Louis Auchincloss
B Theodore Roosevelt By Betsy Kraft
Special Collections
• Reference – Arranged numerically on the shelf.• Paperbacks – Arranged alphabetically by author’s last
name or the main entry.• Story Collection – Arranged alphabetically by author’s
last name or the main entry.• Professional Collection – Arranged numerically on the
shelf.• French and Spanish Collections – Arranged numerically.• Class Sets – Arranged numerically.• Audio-Visual – Arranged numerically.• Software – Arranged numerically.
Call Numbers
• Located on the spine of the book
• Include classification numbers or letters
• Include cutter letters located under the classification number.
Classification Number
822.3
SHACutter Letters
Classification Letters FIC
MITCutter Letters
Note: Cutter Letters are derived from the first three letters of the author’s (or main entry’s) last name.
Fiction Call Number:
FICMIT
Gone With The WindBy
Margaret Mitchell
Cutter letters “MIT” derived from author of book “Mitchell”.
Story CollectionCall Number
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
and Other Stories
ByWashington Irving
SC
IRV
Biography Call Number
Ben Franklin and his First Kite
ByStephen Krensky
BFRA
Cutter letters “FRA” derived from subject of the book “Franklin”.
Reference Call Number
REF500.2ENC
Encyclopedia of Earth and Physical
Sciences
This book does not have a single author. The cutter letters “ENC” are derived from the main entry (title) for this book.