Let’s say a second grader asks you for a book about the military. Where do you take them in the library—355, 623.8, or 940.5?

Or how about when a kindergartener asks for a book about the Detroit Lions, and you direct them to 796.332 ADA? What’s the likelihood they’ll find that book on their own?

These are real scenarios that occurred regularly in my library and made me question whether my nonfiction section was truly accessible to the students who were using it.  After reflection, I realized it wasn’t. So over the past two years, I have worked to reorganize the nonfiction section to better serve students in preschool through third grade, with the goal of allowing them to find materials independently. I also wanted related topics to be grouped in a way that made sense, allowing students to discover all the resources available on a subject easily.

Getting Started

When I looked at the AASL National Standards, I found several that supported this work. These include:

  • D.II.2 – Enabling equitable access to learning opportunities, academic and social support, and other resources necessary for learners’ success.
  • D.V.2 – Anticipating learners’ needs and adapting the learning environment by evidence-based best practices.
  • B.V.3 – Establishing and maintaining a learning environment conducive to independent and collaborative exploration and problem-solving.

On top of that, my school focuses on Mind, Brain, and Education (MBE) practices, and this project aligned well with those goals, especially creating a student-driven classroom culture and designing spaces with cognitive load in mind.

Once I saw the need for change, I dove into learning from others who had already done this work. I listened to podcasts, explored different models, and connected with librarians who had reorganized their nonfiction collections. I looked closely at Ben Kort’s genrefied nonfiction guide and Tom Bober’s use of the five types of nonfiction.  I also learned a lot from Shelley Kappeler in her discussion with Amy Hermon about Elementary Genrefication on School Librarians United.  Ultimately, though, I found that Wendy Garland’s simplified Dewey model made the most sense for my school community.

Decisions

I still wanted to honor the Dewey Decimal System, since the students will use it in middle school and beyond. Plus, I think it’s helpful for my students to understand that nonfiction books have number-based locations in the catalog.  I wanted whatever I ended up with to be clear and structured, and allow another librarian to easily step in and use it. Even though I have no plans to leave my role anytime soon, I wanted to create a system that would be sustainable.

Next Steps

Once I had a model, the next big task was deciding on categories and the call numbers for each one. This took me about four months to complete, mainly because I had to work around my teaching schedule. If you had a full day or two to sit with it, the process could go much faster. I used a spreadsheet and went section by section through the library, deciding what each group of books should be called and which Dewey number made the most sense.

During this process, I realized that we do not even start teaching decimal places until second grade, and even then, we only go to the tenths place. So, giving a kindergartener a call number like 796.332 ADA just did not make sense. I decided to get rid of decimal places altogether. All the books in a category now share the same call number, making it much easier for young students to navigate.  Here is the final list I created for each category and call number. 

Examples from the pet section:

  • Cats – 636 CAT 
  • Dogs – 636 DOG 
  • Other Pets – 636 PET 
  • Rabbits – 636 RAB 
  • Hamsters & Guinea Pigs – 636 HAM

Cataloging

We use Follett Destiny software in our library. While Destiny lets you add a prefix through a batch update, it doesn’t allow you to change the actual call number for multiple items at the same time.  This was a huge delay in what I thought would be much simpler.  So I had to manually update each call number in the system. I found the easiest method was to go into circulation, select copy status, scan the book, and then edit the copy details. It ended up being a few clicks faster than other approaches I tried.

Relabeling 

When it came time to relabel, I wanted to print all the labels for a specific category at once. To make that easier, I created copy categories for each call number and scanned the books into those categories. While you can scan and print labels directly, I was working on this project over several days, sometimes weeks, and using copy categories helped me keep track of my progress more easily. It also gave me a clear picture of how many books I had in each group.

This ended up having two unexpected benefits: first, I could quickly tell if a category needed to be split into two more specific ones, and second, it helped me identify gaps in the collection where we might need more on the topic.

Signage

I know many elementary libraries use bins to separate nonfiction sections, but that wasn’t an option for me. My library is on the smaller side, and shelf space is limited. At first, I planned to just put signs on the sides of each shelf. But as I started that process, I realized it didn’t clearly show where one section ended and another began. A preschool teacher suggested labeling the shelves the same way they label the block shelf in their classroom by using contact paper directly on the shelf itself. This approach ended up working and made it much easier to identify what belonged on each shelf.  

I included the call number, category name, and an image for each section. This was especially important because several of my students are non-readers, and I wanted to make sure they could still navigate the library and find what they were looking for.

Large shelf signs 

Small shelf signs

Tricky Things

Collection in use: One of the biggest challenges was that the collection was still being used throughout the entire process. This made it tricky to catalog and label books. I ended up working through the entire collection once, then going back to catch the books that were checked out the first time around.

Some books just don’t fit: Some books just did not seem to belong in any of the categories I had created. When that happened, I had to stop and ask myself if I was missing a category.  Or does it make more sense to include this book in a broader section? For example, I ended up creating a “South American Animals” section that I had not originally planned for.

More than one category: Some books fit into more than one category, so I had to decide which placement made the most sense. I found it helpful to consider where the book would be found best by students, since that was the ultimate goal. 

Time: When I started this project, I thought it might take me one school year. In reality, it took two. Even though I can now say the project is “done,” I know it will keep evolving. As students use the reorganized collection, I’ll continue to tweak and adjust things based on what works best for them.

Tips

Be flexible: I spent a lot of time carefully creating categories, only to realize once I started sorting that some of them did not work. For example, I originally had “holidays” as one large section, but when I actually sorted the books, I found it made more sense to break it down into smaller, more specific categories.

Use help: If you have a teaching partner, assistant, or parent volunteers, do not hesitate to ask for help! I was lucky to have another teacher work with me for about an hour each day. She handled a lot of the relabeling, which helped to move the project forward. 

Be okay with it being ongoing: This was the hardest part for me. I had a clear vision and knew there would be huge benefits, so I just wanted it to be done. But I also wanted it done well. The truth is, a library collection is always changing, so this work will continue to evolve.

Think long-term: From the start, I wanted to make sure my choices would make sense not just for my students now, but for the wider school community over time. Taking the time to research and select a model that could grow with the collection has made the system much more sustainable.

Teach students: Even though the shelves are clearly labeled, students still need to be taught how to use the system. Modeling how to find books, practicing together, and reinforcing the categories has made a big difference in helping them find things on their own.

Results So Far

Increased independence: Students are much more confident in finding books on their own. After grouping all the military-related books—whether about branches, vehicles, or history—into one labeled section, I stopped getting questions like “Where are the army books?”

Weeding: Before I started relabeling and recataloging, I took time to weed. This helped clean up the collection, made materials easier to find, and raised the overall age of the collection.

Finding gaps: Touching every book helped me see where we had holes in the collection. That made it easier to target my purchasing and improve what we offer to students.

Shelving made easy: In the past, nonfiction shelving often fell behind. This year, that has not been the case. The new organization has made shelving faster and reduced the number of books ending up in the wrong place.

Easier to see what’s available: Now, when a student asks for a book about cars, I can glance at the shelf and know immediately what is available. No more checking multiple places or guessing where something might be.

Have you reorganized the nonfiction section? I would love to hear what worked for you and what challenges you faced along the way!