What is used in libraries to classify books and periodicals and to indicate where they can be found on the shelves?

Once materials have been classified and catalogued, they are ready to be put on shelves, on display, or in files in the resource centre. 

5.5.1 Shelving materials

Shelving means arranging materials on shelves according to their classification number. Materials on the same subject have the same classification number, so they are arranged together alphabetically by the first three letters of the author’s name, or by title if no author is given.

Shelving means arranging materials on shelves according to their classification number. Materials on the same subject have the same classification number, so they are arranged together alphabetically by the first three letters of the author’s name, or by title if no author is given.

Good shelving:

• makes it easy for users to find what they need
• makes it easy for staff to do a stock check
• helps staff to answer questions

It is very important to ensure that each material is put in the right place. If books have been mixed up, they must be rearranged in the correct order. This is called ‘shelf reading’, and needs to be done regularly.

Book supports are useful to ensure that books stay upright (see Section 3.3: Choosing furniture and equipment).

Books and documents - Books should be arranged upright from left to right, starting on the top shelf. Shelves must not be overcrowded. Overcrowding can damage the books by preventing any flow of air between them and making it awkward to remove them. It will also leave little space for adding new books. It is best to fill only three-quarters of the shelf space to allow for new additions. This will save staff from constantly having to move books to make room for new ones.

Each shelf should be labelled according to its subject, so that users can see where to find material on a particular subject. If shelves are labelled with classification numbers and the subject that they represent, it will help users to understand the classification system.

Shelf labels or book labels can also be used to identify different categories of materials. For example, different coloured labels can be used to identify materials that may not be borrowed, or to distinguish training manuals from other publications.

Labels can be hand-made and stuck onto the shelves, or a special shelf-label holder can be obtained from library suppliers.

TIP: How to make shelf labels - You can make shelf labels from stiff white or coloured cardboard. The piece of card should be long enough to fit the number of letters needed, without making the letters too small to see from a distance. The height of the card should be no more than a couple of inches, to prevent it getting in the way of removing books from the shelf.

Write the classification number and subject on the piece of card clearly with a thick, felt-tip pen. If you have a computer, print the labels in large type. If possible, cover the labels with transparent tape to keep them clean and protect them from damage.

Oversized books, posters and audiovisuals - It is often convenient to keep very large books separately from other books, as this makes better use of shelving space, and enables more materials to be fitted into a smaller resource centre.

Slides are sometimes kept in hanging files, either in filing cabinets or filing boxes. Posters are usually stored in map chests or plan chests, or in a large folder (see Section 3.3: Choosing furniture and equipment). Rolling up or folding posters is not recommended, as it may damage them.

Videos are sometimes kept in a locked cupboard. If so, it is very important to provide a list of videos in subject order, with brief summaries of their content, so that users know what is available.

Periodicals - Periodicals are best kept in pamphlet boxes or magazine boxes (see Section 3.3.3). These help to protect the periodicals and make them easily accessible. All parts of a periodical volume should be kept in one box. Several periodicals can be kept in the same box, to save space. Each box should be clearly labelled with the title of the periodicals in it, and the years of publication and volume numbers. Issues of each periodical should be arranged in the order of their volume and issue number, starting with the first volume and issue number and continuing to the most recent.

There are two choices about where to keep periodicals. They can either be kept together in a separate section of the resource centre, arranged by title, or they can be put on the shelves (in pamphlet boxes) with books and other materials on the same subject. Keeping periodicals with books can help to bring them to the attention of users who are interested in a range of materials on a particular subject. However, a separate section may also be needed for periodicals that cover a wide range of subjects.

If funds are available, it might be worth having complete volumes of periodicals bound. However, before doing this, it is important to consider how long each periodical will be kept, and how often it will be used. For example, news magazines are useful for a shorter period than other periodicals containing less time-specific information. Instead of keeping the whole periodical, useful articles could be catalogued and kept in a filing cabinet. 

5.5.3 Filing materials

It is important to keep materials such as leaflets, brochures and annual reports in a way that makes them easy to find. These materials can kept either on the shelves (in pamphlet boxes) with books and other materials on the same subject, or in filing cabinets, filed by subject or organisation name, depending on how the information is most likely to be sought. If there are a lot of materials, such as leaflets about many different organisations, they could be filed first by geographical area and then by organisation name.

5.5.4 Displaying materials

There are a number of reasons for displaying materials in a resource centre. Displays help to highlight new materials, and encourage people to use them. An attractive display adds colour and interest to the resource centre, and shows that staff are actively providing a good service.

New books, periodicals or other materials should be displayed in a ‘display area’ of the resource centre for between a week and a month (depending on how often new materials arrive), so that users can see them before they are put on the shelves. Details of new materials should be included on noticeboards elsewhere in the organisation, to promote them to those who do not visit the resource centre regularly (see Section 8.2: Promoting the resource centre).

Current issues of periodicals are usually displayed on display racks, arranged alphabetically by title. Each time a new issue arrives, the previous issue should be removed and put in the appropriate pamphlet box.

The Dewey Decimal system is a classification system used by libraries to arrange books via subject. Each book is issued a shelfmark number, usually found on the spine of the book, and arranged in numerical order.

The first three digits refer to broad subject area, and are shelved in numerical order e.g. 945 is shelved before 946.

After the three digits there is a decimal point and numbers after the decimal point show the sub-section of the subject area. Again they are shelved in numerical order e.g. 945.805 is shelved before 945.81.

After the numbers there are three letters which refer to the author or editor of the book and are in alphabetical order e.g. 945.805 TAB is shelved before 945.805 TRB.

Note: Journals (also called periodicals) always start PER, followed by three numbers and then the first three letters of the journal series e.g. PER720 ARC. Medical journals follow the same ordering, but start MED PER.

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Sort the books into the correct order against the clock!

Watch the video

A short video overview of the Dewey Decimal system.

Duration: 1 minute 12 seconds