Freshman library worker Christine Stanton sits cross-legged in the children’s section of the library. She studies the call numbers of each book and compares them to each other. Occasionally, she removes a book and places it in a different spot, then marks the paper on her clipboard. As she goes, she adjusts the books so all the spines are flush.
Stanton is a shelf reader, and her job is essential to keep the library organized. She makes sure books are shelved where they belong.
“Shelf reading is part of everybody’s duties,” Public Service Librarian George Allen said. “The collections are under constant review.”
Stanton said while some student workers find shelf reading tedious, she enjoys it.
“I like listening to music, sitting down here, and going through the books,” she said. “It just depends on the person.”
Shelf reading is just one of the ways the library keeps books organized. According to Allen, the books are sorted and checked multiple times before being shelved, and student workers shelf read the entire collection to ensure books are not misplaced.
“We actually have two logs going at a time so that there are always two places moving continually throughout the collection,” Allen said. “When they get to the end of the collection, they’ll just start over and go through it all again.”
When books are returned to the library, they enter the sorting room, where workers organize them by call number and location. Then they move the books to a cart, still arranged by call number, which is double-checked before being taken to be shelved. Shelf reading serves as an extra precaution and neatening process after books have been shelved.
“For every student worker in circulation, their eyes and hands are being trained to become acquainted with how things are to be arranged on the shelf to catch errors in shelving and to be continually neatening up the appearance of the items on the shelf,” Allen said.
The practice began this spring to replace the library’s previous organization process called “shelf revision,” Allen said.
Shelf revision involved shelving books horizontally with their spines up and pages facing the bottom of the shelf. Student workers would scan the shelves for books in “revised position,” double check the call numbers, and reorient them into the proper position.
Allen said the librarians decided to stop shelf revision for multiple reasons.
“It’s bad for the materials themselves to sit too long on the shelf like that,” Allen said. “If that happens too long or too frequently, the block of text begins to pull away from the spine and it causes binding issues.”
Allen said also this shelving style created aesthetic issues and practical issues — the mismatched shelving looked unsightly, and the hidden call numbers made it harder for patrons to find books.
“The other consideration was that none of the other librarians are actually aware of any other library that engages in this practice,” Allen said. “Shelf reading itself is considered standard practice throughout the profession.”
Sophomore student library worker Carolyn Spangler said she prefers shelf reading to the older practice.
“Once you get into the mindset of where you are in the section of books you’re going through, those numbers are passing through your head. You don’t have to constantly readjust to a different section as you would if you were revising,” she said. “It’s more of a thorough process.”
Spangler said shelf reading has helped her become more familiar with how the library works.
“It is very energy consuming,” she said. “But it’s very interesting to see how the library system works, and I’ve learned a lot too.”
