How to Sort Materials at TLCPL Branches

This is helpful walkthrough for any new staff at TLCPL Branches as well as customers wanting a better understanding of how things are sorted.

Disclaimer: As is common when using carts and moving objects the possibility of things falling on feet or toes getting run into is high. So proper footwear is recommended so that injuries are minimal.

Scan the barcode that is typically on the front of the materials. With books they could also be on the inside cover or on the first page when opened.

Since 2016 the release month stickers have included the last two digits of the year, they also have different colors that are on a 4 year rotation (so 2020 and 2016 are the same color).

Each branch shelves anywhere from 4-12months in there new section. So as of February 2020 in the new section of the branches could be February-October 2019 and forward. This is done for multiple reasons with the main being space available. Some months there are more new materials received at the branches than others so the need to move some of the older new materials is necessary.

Each branch has a new cart for the new materials to be shelved. Check with your supervisor on where it is located at your branch.

Non-Fiction are organized by the Dewey Decimal System. The call number is where you start with sorting it. For example if I have a book that says 641 Ray that would be sorted onto the 600s shelf to be put in order later. Where as if I have 031.2 Rip that goes on the 000 shelf. Some branches combine shelves in the back so it could be 000-400 for where to put it.

When shelving they are put in first by numerical order then alphabetized by the letters.

Juvenile Non-Fiction is almost exactly the same as adult except there is a lowercase j at the beginning of call number (either above the number or right in front of it). Depending on your branch they could be shelved in their own section or interfiled with Adult Non-Fiction.

Fiction does not have a sticker denoted to it. It is shelved by authors last name in alphabetical order.

Large print follows the same rules for the fiction and non-fiction shelving as all other materials. The main thing to look for are notations on the spine of the book and the info sticker on the front of the book that state it as large print. These usually have their own area for easy access and findability.

Movies are labeled by the first letter of the movie title, unless it is a non-fiction movie then there will be a Dewey Decimal number in the place of the letter

The other sticker is to denote which section the movie belongs in.

• The blue E is placed in the general movie area of the branch.
• The red E denotes that it belongs in the juvenile movie area. There are older stickers for the juvenile movies as well that say juvenile or jf.

Each branch has a cart for the movies to be shelved. Check with your supervisor on where it is located at your branch.

As you can see there are different ways of categorizing these materials. The main sections are

• Picture Books--Has the red E sticker on it as the way to show that it is a picture book
• Easy Readers/First Readers/Primers--These are a bit trickier as there are multiple stickers from the red E, a sticker that says Easy Reader, or no sticker at all. With these it is always a good idea to look at the info sticker on the first page for the 1-3/Easy Reader notation. If you are unsure ask your supervisor how to check in Sierra to verify what it is classified as.
• Learning--Has the red E or Dewey Decimal number with the blue learning sticker above it. In some cases on the info sticker has notations of learning, colors, 1-2-3, A-B-C, or concepts to denote that it is a book for the learning section. The Dewey Decimal materials are always shelved after the fiction in these sections.
• Series--Series denotes that it covers the same information/characters but by different authors. For example, Thomas the Train Engine is in the children's series section while Berenstain Bears is in the picture book/easy reader area.
• Juvenile Fiction--As seen is the Juvenile Graphic labels. If the book is fiction, more often than not it does not have an outward sticker on it. It is shelved by authors last name. To determine if it is a jf book you will need to look at the info sticker on the first page. Some books have an Easy Chapter sticker on them and they belong in the jf area.

These stickers are there to denote what type of book they are, and some branches give these specialty stickers there own section. The main ones are:

• Teen--These books are the ones that are aimed for those two old for JF books but not quite old enough for Adult Fiction. A good example of how it is split is that books 1-4 of the Harry Potter series are in the JF section whereas books 5-7 are in Teen.
• Holiday--Holiday stickers are used on all varieties of materials (Fiction, Non-Fiction, Juvenile). In some branches there are specific sections for the holiday books separate from the original section.
• Mystery--Mystery books are usually in a separate section from fiction.
• Graphic--Graphic covers Comics, Graphic Novels, and Manga. They are shelved following fiction and non-fiction guidelines with non-fiction at the send of the section. They are also separated by category Adult (no additional sticker), Teen, and JF/E.
• Sci-Fi--(not pictured) Sometimes Sci-Fi is separated some time it is mixed in, it all depends on how that branch is set up.
• Western--(not pictured) Some branches separate Western out, though the sticker classification in not always there