Content area
Full text
Identifying a Problem
It was early March 2008, and I was only a few months from finishing my third year as an elementary school librarian. During the morning recess the school library was humming with the sounds of students. Suddenly, three students rushed in asking me to help them find a silent-reading book for class. Looking at the clock and seeing the bell was ahout to ring any second, I told them I could, but we'd need to look up some choices on the computer and then they would be late to class. We could find lots of choices at the next recess.
Sound familiar? After nearly three years of watching my students' disappointment when I told them that the best way to find a book was by using a computer, I decided enough was enough. Something had to change, especially since many students left the school library without a book because they were frustrated by the system.
It didn't matter that I had devoted numerous lessons on how to use our OPAG or shown students read-alike websites that could aid them in finding another book. Those lessons seemed to work only for the students who were avid readers who had the tenacity to find anything they wanted. The kids I was losing were the reluctant readers. These kids would read if the process of finding a book wasn't a struggle. Using the computer involved too many steps and significant frustration. If I couldn't help them right when they needed me, they typically left without a book. When I asked them why, their answer was simple. Their classrooms had mini-libraries where the chapter books were arranged in tubs and sorted by genre. Teachers had an efficient system in place. Memories of my own former classroom library merged with the thoughts of rearranging the school library, and an idea began to emerge.
Researching and Planning
What if the fiction books were shelved by genre? Bookstores and classroom libraries are arranged by genre. Why should it be harder for students to find a book in a library than it is in a bookstore? Why not take this successful model and apply it to a school library? Wouldn't arrangingby genre make it easier for students to find the...