Categorizing Children's Books

Hi Everyone,

Requesting assistance on categorizing children's books.

The existing system is classified by C - Children; J - Juvenile; and Y - Youth.

1) What ages are included in each category?

2) Do you shelve the Youth in their own section, or with the Adult?

3) Do you use the term 'Juvenile', or have a more welcoming word? Perhaps "Student"?

Now that we are downsized to the bare minimum I want to use this time to make any changes.

Thanks, Pam

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  • Hi Pam -- Wonderful! I wish you the best as you navigate your way with this project. My heart goes out to you! With much prayer & consultation in the last seven years (first as assistant librarian than as librarian), I spent an incredible amount of time sorting/dividing/weeding/building. I still am building and bringing finesse to things, but it’s feeling more settled than ever. This network has been incredibly helpful as I first poured over old posts & then now continue to come back in order to glean as much wisdom as I can -- I've still so much to learn.

    Background: Note that we have a small library and it feels brutal weeding out so much --- VHS tapes and many books. And yet, it’s worth it! If interested, I’ll be glad to share more details about the Children’s Collection. For one thing, I draw an “Ichthus” symbol on the spine labels of children’s books if the material is overtly Christian/Biblically based content.

    1) What ages are included in each category?
    Collections: Children’s Collection “C” (up to 7 yrs) ~ Junior Collection “J” (8-12 years) ~ Youth Collection “Y” (13-17) ~ Adult Collection (No letter designation)
    I don’t list the ages or the school grades anywhere, but use it as a framework when assigning library items.

    2) Do you shelve the Youth in their own section, or with the Adult?
    Each collection has their own designated area. Because of our “open library” setup, books are at times used for in-house use as well as borrowed for home use. We have the Junior Collection in a Sunday School room and the Children’s Collection in another Sunday School room. The Adult & Youth Collections as well as all audiovisual are in the main library room off of the front foyer. I find that a lot of crossover happens between Youth and Adult Collections, such as with biographies.

    Editing to add: When assigning the areas, if the content is a little more "heavy" or what I would deem more appropriate for the older collection, the book(s) go "up" to the next collection. This is even if the reading level may seem "easier" for that older collection. This method seems to work well for us.

    Blessings to you, Linda
  • I put all the board books together in a basket to encourage pre-schoolers to explore Then we have C which goes up to 3rd grade reading level, M which is 3rd grade up they are longer chapter books, Y is youth 6th grade reading level up We use J for the non-fiction books of all these (C,M,Y). I find Bookfinder.com helpful in labeling Accelerated Reading Books (AR) and label them with reading level and points onside the cover as some schools push reading reading on level and testing rather than reading for fun. They all have their own shelves Our room lends itself to a sorta lTl shape lay out with children,s books to the left on one wall across then non-fiction and youth in middle On the right Adult Fiction starts at bottom of T going up and around
    • Adair -- I'm interested in your response here. I'd like to echo something back to you, and then can you tell me if I understand you correctly? (Please take this on my end that I'm not quite getting it.) 

      So what you do is to divide fiction into the following:

      1. Preschoolers (board books) 

      2, C (Children; up to 3rd grade)

      3. M (Middles; 3rd grade & older to about 5th grade; longer chapter books)

      4. Y (Youth; 6th grade & older)

      __________ Non-fiction books 

      J (for C & M & Y)..... These books are in their own section for which all children access. 

      ---- 

      Is this right? I really love how each library has its own special touch. I've thought about how there is so much "cross-over". Also, that's how our local public library does with the fiction & non-fiction for a wide range of children. Last I knew (it's been a while since COVID-19 restrictions), they put out board books for the real younger ones. This is something like you're doing in your church library, if I am understanding your setup. 

      • You have it. Now mind that some series like Magic Tree House or Junie B. June might have an odd book that is reading level 2.8 or 3.2 but they are put in with the rest not shelved by themselves.

        With the boardbooks having their own place the little ones are not (generally) pulling the others off and Mom can breathe while she looks  There also seems to be a big leap in reading skills around 3rd grade for many kids Created the Y because of books about teens doing things and books of teen intrest.

        Now I am not going to say Owen that is a M book and you are only in 2nd grade go find something else more like" this looks like a fun book about pirates make sure you ask if there are any hard words. I might however mention the reverse Owen this is a nice picture book is it one of your favorties to read to little Noah? Why? Because I was that child who by 4th grade had read everything in the childrens section of public library and started on the same books my mother read and still remember being told I was getting books from the wrong section

         

         

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