Well from the start of my journey at Greenspoint I decided I was going to for sure genrfy my library, and that only took 6 months (on and off). I genrefied in our first year open, and this year I have decided to DITCH DEWEY! I was very hesitate at the beginning, not because I didn't want to do it, but because I didn't know where to start. I do a lot of research on the internet just looking through and exploring before I jump in, and it took me a year and half before I finally said LET'S DO IT!
So at the end of January, I went ahead and said, "time to make a mess!" Let me tell you, those first couple of days were a nightmare! When I was doing some searching online I found this signage that I really like, but the best part was I can EDIT them (so I can change them up if need be).
www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Nonfiction-Dewey-SignsGame-For-Your-School-Library-Media-Center-833139
These have been the biggest guide so far! I’ve been able to switch things up as I like, and it is okay. I decided to start with the 900 part of Dewey, not thinking of how much HISTORY you have to know to do this! (Side note: I do not know a lot of HISTORY!) So I called in THREE other people to help me sort out different categories, and should I make another or combine or get rid of this category. Well I did all three...I got rid of a few of the categories I started with, added a few new ones, and combined some! So these are the categories I came up with for the 900 section (this section took me two days of about two hours each day).
900 Section Categories
Colonial America
Continents of Australia & Antartica
United States Region
American Landmarks
America's Waterways
Asian Countries
United States
African Countries
Texas History
Wars in the USA
Pioneer America
American Revolution
South America
Pilgrims/Mayflower
Presidency
Explorers
Civil War
History Time Zone
European Countries
North American Countries
Around the World
USA Symbols
Maps & Atlas
Then once this section was completed I moved on to the 700 & 800 sections and it seems to be getting easier with practice (or maybe because I know more about those categories.)
800 Section Catagories
Poetry
Jokes/Riddles
How to Write
700 Section Catagories
I Spy, Puzzles, Hidden Words & Pictures
Games
Crafts
Film, Photography, & Acting
Magic
Plays
Origami
Musical Instruments
The Arts
Drawing People, Animals, & Things
Overall Drawing
600 Section
Cooking
Apples
Rescue Vehicles
Pets, Zoos, & Animal Care
Goats & Sheep
Dogs
Other Pets
Construction Vehicles
Airplanes
Boats
Items at Home
Farming
Horses
Pet Birds
Cats
Trains
Space Travel
Human Body
Cars, Trucks, & Motorcycles
Types of Power
Tools & Crafts
Best part about this is that I do not have to SHUT DOWN the non-fiction section while I am ditching, the students actually enjoy helping to separate all of the books, and like to argue where it should go! Which right now is okay, because we haven't labeled, so it is super easy to change the category and change it back! Also when I say change category, I am not changing anything in the system!!! All of these books are staying labeled as non-fiction...but will put the labels (from TeachersPayTeachers) on the spine of the book to make it easier to shelve and for the kids to find easier.
I originally planned on continuing to use the call numbers and put the numbers in order in each section, but that seems more confusing. The reason I say it is more confusing is because we have different numbers in different categories. We have all 900's in one area, but within the area we could have 952 with 953 here and then 956 with 953 over here. So putting the books in order by call number seems a little misleading. My concern now is trying to figure out how to help students find the books, if they are looking up the books on the Catalog online, but one step at a time right?
So at the end of January, I went ahead and said, "time to make a mess!" Let me tell you, those first couple of days were a nightmare! When I was doing some searching online I found this signage that I really like, but the best part was I can EDIT them (so I can change them up if need be).
www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Nonfiction-Dewey-SignsGame-For-Your-School-Library-Media-Center-833139
These have been the biggest guide so far! I’ve been able to switch things up as I like, and it is okay. I decided to start with the 900 part of Dewey, not thinking of how much HISTORY you have to know to do this! (Side note: I do not know a lot of HISTORY!) So I called in THREE other people to help me sort out different categories, and should I make another or combine or get rid of this category. Well I did all three...I got rid of a few of the categories I started with, added a few new ones, and combined some! So these are the categories I came up with for the 900 section (this section took me two days of about two hours each day).
900 Section Categories
Colonial America
Continents of Australia & Antartica
United States Region
American Landmarks
America's Waterways
Asian Countries
United States
African Countries
Texas History
Wars in the USA
Pioneer America
American Revolution
South America
Pilgrims/Mayflower
Presidency
Explorers
Civil War
History Time Zone
European Countries
North American Countries
Around the World
USA Symbols
Maps & Atlas
Then once this section was completed I moved on to the 700 & 800 sections and it seems to be getting easier with practice (or maybe because I know more about those categories.)
800 Section Catagories
Poetry
Jokes/Riddles
How to Write
700 Section Catagories
I Spy, Puzzles, Hidden Words & Pictures
Games
Crafts
Film, Photography, & Acting
Magic
Plays
Origami
Musical Instruments
The Arts
Drawing People, Animals, & Things
Overall Drawing
600 Section
Cooking
Apples
Rescue Vehicles
Pets, Zoos, & Animal Care
Goats & Sheep
Dogs
Other Pets
Construction Vehicles
Airplanes
Boats
Items at Home
Farming
Horses
Pet Birds
Cats
Trains
Space Travel
Human Body
Cars, Trucks, & Motorcycles
Types of Power
Tools & Crafts
Best part about this is that I do not have to SHUT DOWN the non-fiction section while I am ditching, the students actually enjoy helping to separate all of the books, and like to argue where it should go! Which right now is okay, because we haven't labeled, so it is super easy to change the category and change it back! Also when I say change category, I am not changing anything in the system!!! All of these books are staying labeled as non-fiction...but will put the labels (from TeachersPayTeachers) on the spine of the book to make it easier to shelve and for the kids to find easier.
I originally planned on continuing to use the call numbers and put the numbers in order in each section, but that seems more confusing. The reason I say it is more confusing is because we have different numbers in different categories. We have all 900's in one area, but within the area we could have 952 with 953 here and then 956 with 953 over here. So putting the books in order by call number seems a little misleading. My concern now is trying to figure out how to help students find the books, if they are looking up the books on the Catalog online, but one step at a time right?