The reorganisation of library collections by genre is debated. Much of the literature focuses on primary school collections, however, the concept also has both positive and negative implications for high school libraries both to students and schools individually, and to future education.
Classification by genrefication eases student access to the library and increases resource circulation (Snipes, 2015, p. 19). Genre classification groups materials in familiar terms to students which is vital in children’s libraries. High school children might not have higher reading levels and understanding of resource organisation so genrefication is equally as valuable as it allows a student-centred approach to selecting whilst decreasing selection times to find materials of interest (Moeller & Becnel, 2019, p. 203). Butcher (2013) states that younger readers rely on adults to select picture books organised by author’s surname. When organised by subject, younger readers can select materials independently. Furthermore, mathematics and decimal knowledge are not required to navigate by genrefication eliminating anxiety (p. 49). Whilst Butcher refers to primary school libraries, high school libraries can benefit through equitable access for students with disabilities and those learning English as an additional language.
The genrefication of libraries secures the future of libraries to meet the 21st century education agenda. A key goal in education and libraries alike is to encourage deep learning among students. Research in primary schools has shown that by genrefying the collection students can read fiction and related nonfiction materials together (Butcher, 2013). These results should be similar with high school students, particularly if nonfiction and fiction materials were organised using similar subject classification or if resourced together. This allows for richer learning experiences and development of self-directed information seeking (Gordon, 2013). This kind of classification is suited to students who have grown up using keyword searches online and therefore allows a seamless transition between web searching and physical searching benefiting both primary and high school students (Butcher, 2013). This generation of students is accustomed to creating their own collections of online media through self-selection (Gordon, 2013). These new collections help empower student independence and renew their interest in reading (Moeller & Becnel, 2019). Developing a school library collection that is a self-directed learning environment will secure the library’s place in primary and high schools (Gordon, 2013).
The creation of genres is a challenge for teacher librarians. In the fiction section, the selection of genres is at the discretion and potential bias of the librarian. Whilst common genre distinctions in the fiction section would likely remain consistent across schools catering to the same age groups, vast differences will arise across the primary and high school divide and between schools in the public, private and religious sectors. Furthermore, books and authors do not clearly fit into one genre. Suggestions from the literature include creating a ‘general fiction’ section for these resources or using assistant librarians’ limited time to pre-read resources to aid in genre labelling (King, 2021). Furthermore, the creation of a ‘general fiction’ section would still require classification, most likely in the Dewey Decimal system, negating the advantages in efficiency gained by genrefication. Teacher librarians must decide which sections of the collection to genrefy; whether to only reclassify the fiction section or to the nonfiction too. Further questions follow; whether to combine the fiction and nonfiction resources and how online resources are to be classified and collated, if indeed at all (Snipes, 2015, p. 18). Resolving these questions consumes valuable time and teacher librarians are often left in the dark as to which subject labels to use and which resources belong in each section (Moeller & Becnel, p. 204). With so many variables and no authority control, consistency between libraries is reduced affecting the library system on a larger scale and reducing cooperability between libraries.
The genrefication of library collections has broad scale implications. The negative impact on staff and students’ ability to locate information due to genre classification is of concern. This is pertinent when students transition through grades and into higher education (Snipes, 2015, p. 20, Gordon, 2013, pp. 6-7). Research also highlights librarians’ fears genrefication will reduce students’ information seeking skills (Gray, 2019, p. 23). There is also concern around the reduced use of inquiry terminals due to student reliance on genre groupings (Moeller & Becnel, 2019, p. 205). This has further consequences when accessing large databases and library collections in higher education.
Whilst there are benefits and disadvantages to classifying high school library collections by genre, a case is to be made for the future of the school library in the education system. Reclassification by genre must be evaluation if school libraries are to meet the needs of students and schools in the future.
References
Butcher, H. (2013). Dewey vs genre throwdown. Knowledge Quest, 42(2). 48-55.
Gordon, A. C. (2013). Dewey do Dewey don’t: a sign of the times. Knowledge Quest, 42(2). E1-E8.
Gray, M. (2019). Genre fiction collections in Australian school libraries. Scan, 38(10). 18-25.
King, S. (2021). Genres, yes or no? School Librarian, 69(1). 19-19.
Moeller, R.A. & Becnel, K. (2019). “Why on earth would we not genrefy the books?”: a study of reader-interest classification in school libraries. Knowledge Organisation, 46(3). 199-208. https://doi.org/10.5771/0943-7444-2019-3-199
Snipes, P.R. (2015). Dewey’s destiny: actions in the field. School Library Monthly, 31(5). 18-20.