Old Bonhomme’s library went through a major transformation over the summer. Our library ditched the Dewey Decimal System and became genrefied. Now, the word genrefication might sound like an affliction, but fear not--it’s a good thing! Genrefying the library simply means shelving books that are on the same topic together. Now that the library is genrefied, our young readers can easily access books on topics that interest them. Sports books are found in the sports section, art books are found in the art section, and books about animals are found in the animal section. There’s even a “Make It/Do It” section where kids can find books that teach them how to make or do things ranging from origami to cooking to science experiments.
All you have to do is Google “ditching Dewey” and you’ll find that this is a hot topic in the exciting world of libraries--most librarians agree with this new way of organizing an elementary library while others are dead-set in following the hard-fast rules created in the 1800s by Melvil Dewey. This librarian decided to do what was best for our young readers and made the change!
If you are curious about how a genrefied library looks, stop on by during fall parent/teacher conferences. There is still a lot of work to be done before the transformation is complete but you’ll get a good idea of how our library is now organized. And for all of you die-hard Dewey lovers out there, fear not! All fourth graders will be taught how to use the Dewey decimal system before leaving OB so that they’ll be able to access books at the Fifth Grade Center.
Genrefication is our friend and your kids already love it! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “Oh, cool. I didn’t know we had books about ____!” It’s music to this librarian’s ears!
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