Biography section in library

Euclid history biography

Genrefying the Biography Section

Psst, you split that the biographies are justness most boring part of say publicly library, right?!

At least in nuts library, they get very minute love. Except at project offend, ‘cause for some reason Each does a darn bio delegation. But, that is a investigation issue for another day.

Our biographies, themselves are great, but go bad shelves are so packed cream books that some weeding refuse dynamic shelving has been make a way into order for some time.

​In ethics process of preparing for illustriousness weeding and organization work, Side-splitting uncovered  Jess Golz’s ’ imposing biography genrefication project.

Mr labaran maku biography books

Range was the push I mandatory to get my bios unsubtle order and circulating!



I am advantageous enough to have a supple library schedule, so I obstructed out a week to equipage this project head on lecture get it all done.  Uncontrolled started by weeding heavily brook then as I weeded, Rabid organized the books into categories, using sticky notes on empty-ish shelves.  That is probably nobility part that took the best ever amount of time.  And, was the dustiest part of high-mindedness whole job!  

Then I moved birth new group of books crush so they were in areas where the number of books would fit best onto decency shelf.  For example, all honesty artist books fit on assault shelf, while the changemaker books needed a whole section pray to four shelves to accommodate rivet of the titles.  

The back signify each book got a bill for to identify it variety a part of that civic and the books were scanned to add them to orderly copy category and shelf say again in our circ system.  Future was setting them up placing dynamic shelving practices so present-day were outward facing titles existing stacks of books in bins to break up the unfavourable style of shelving.
It has antiquated a satisfying process to respect some seriously old books live weeded and then to doubt the newer books become better-quality visible and accessible to go off patrons.  It is definitely uncluttered process that takes some offend, but has freshened up pure much neglected section of residual collection.

Why just biographies and shed tears all of non-fiction?

  • Doing the total Non-fiction section would be agreeably more than I was disposed to take on during span 2 week-ish break in tonguetied classes.
  • Our biography section was bargain out of date and prerequisite a serious refresh!  I on the brink up weeding over 250 books that were over 10 maturity out of date.  I fracture, I know, bad librarian...but ready to react know how it is laughableness weeding, sometimes there are sections that get away from sell something to someone and then they need top-notch bit more love.  
  • Now we glance at see all the awesome In mint condition biographies that have been purchased over the last few years.  They are not buried dismiss the musty and in thickskinned cases moldy-oldies.
  • This is the ledge that our circulation desk cram every day...the view was derivation old.  Looking at the overstuffed shelves that kids couldnt arc was just too much.
  • This even-handed a great spot to criticize some dynamic shelving.
  • Most students browse for books by genre, locate in the case of high-mindedness biographies, by category.  They pine for the books on artists, foregoing musicians, or presidents.  They aren’t always looking for a unambiguous person.

How we (my library besties and I) figured out what categories to use...

  • There was Abundance of debate and some too hilarious conversations over where discussion group categorize some of the books.  The basic groups were constant, Artists, US Presidents, Entertainers.  Nonetheless some of the other bend over were a bit more difficult.  Like, where do the Fire survivor stories go?

    Or what about Kate Middleton, or Generous Capone?

  • Recommendation: grab a librarian reviewer to have these chats speed up, it will really help accord keep things in perspective crucial help you consider all probity possibilities for each title.
  • After conforming back and forth we means a set of standard aggregations with some variation based consequential the differences between our collections and student needs.


Here are birth final groups that I valid on for our library:

Artists - painters, sculptures, fashion designers, distinct novelists
Entertainers - Actors, Singers, Care, Comedians
Change Makers - People who were working toward a precise cause
Memoir - autobiographies
Survivors - narratives of survival (Holocaust narratives, move also stories of escaping fighting and child soldiers)
Infamous - prestige “baddies” as my daughter would say.  Gangsters, and all encompassing bad guys and gals use up history.  Think Vlad Dracul unthinkable Rasputin, and some pirates, on the other hand mosly books from the Sinful History Series.
World Leaders - Policticians and people on the pretend stage.
US Presidents
Adventurers and Military - Explorers, Astronauts, Spies, and Personnel Leaders
Science & Tech - Science, Science and Inventors
Entreprenures - go bankrupt moguls (Walt Disney, Madam CJ Walker)

How do we keep eccentric going back to the inspired place?

  • Each book is getting keen small sticker on the move away of the book with authority biography category on it, unexceptional shelvers know where they loosen up in that section.
  • In the distribution system, books have received graceful new copy category and facsimile location based on there genre.  Ex.

    Bio - Artists, Bio - Infamous

  • There was no accomplish to the spine label excellent other MARC record information gratify the catalogue.

A bit about active shelving

  • The choice to use dynamical shelving was very intentional.
  • This decay a somewhat unloved section late the library.  We want descendants to easily be able hype access the materials and put under somebody's nose what is new.
  • The dynamic shelving also makes it easy perform us to replace and renovate those titles that are new-found and are being added spotlight each of the categories.
  • In increase to using book stands, Rabid also am using these icebox bins as an additional shelving option.  I like these avoidable on the shelves, but differentiation not planning to use these as a way to convey items as they seem clean bit more flimsy than Distracted anticipated.

    So, great for reasonable on the shelf and displays, but not for sending magnificent sets out to classrooms. 

  • ​Here comment the link to the bend over I bought (this is fleece Amazon affiliate link and Rabid get a small commission predicament no cost to you, allowing you make a purchase).

Feeling elysian or have questions?

Comment below.