SHELVING NONFICTION BOOKS
Many libraries group and arrange their books into 10 main categories by subject.
These 10 main categories make up the Dewey Decimal System of Classification. This classification system
uses a combination of numbers and letters placed on the spine of the book. These numbers tell us what
subject the book is about and where it belongs on the shelf. Nonfiction books are placed on the shelves in
numerical order. (001 – 999) Decimals are added to the base number to make the subject more specific.
For instance, the base number 796 by itself is used for the subject “sports and games.” The number 796.3
is used for “ball” games. The number 796.32 is used for games in which an inflated ball is thrown or hit
by hand. The number 796.323 is used for basketball.
Remember, nonfiction books are shelved in numerical order. Books having the same numbers are
shelved together. The letters under the numbers represent the last three letters of the author’s name. So
books are first shelved in number order, then in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. Base
numbers with decimals are put in numerical order the same way you would put decimals in numerical
order in your math class. Look at the first number after the decimal; the lowest number comes first. If
these numbers are the same, look at the second number after the decimal; the lowest number will come
first. If both numbers after the decimal are the same, then look at the third number after the decimal,
etc. When shelving books with decimals, remember, “nothing comes before something.
PUT THESE DEWEY NUMBERS IN ORDER:
(1)
910
SHA
796
WAC
971
FIT
912
ANG
227
SCA
420
HAY
762
BLA
811
LON
327
STO
098
SHA
____
____
____
____
____
_____
_____
____
____
____
(2)
796.13
ARM
796.01
TAY
796.1
BUT
796.02
MCC
796.101
JOH
796.31
TAY
_____
_____
_____
_____
______
______
821.08
JOH
811.08
PUT
811.8
KRA
821.08
BRA
811.008
STE
_____
_____
_____
______
_____
821.008
STA
811.084
MIT
_____
______
796.5
DEX
796.404
STE
_____
______
811.8
NAY
821.008
KLI
811.018
KLI
______
_______
_______
(3)
SHELVING FICTION BOOKS
(1)
Fiction books are shelved in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name. Fiction books will
have an “F” or “Fic” above the first three letters of the author’s last name.
PUT THEE FICTION BOOKS IN ORDER:
Fic
Row
Fic
Avi
___
____
Fic
Jac
____
Fic
Voi
Fic
Bya
Fic
Alc
____
____
____
Fic
Jen
____
Fic
Pau
____
Fic
Jer
____
Fic
Rol
____
(2)
READ CAREFULLY:
1. Fiction books are shelved in alphabetical order by the first three letters of the author’s last name.
2. Authors with the same first three letters in their last name, but have different last names should be
shelved in alphabetical order according the their names. (e.g. Carpenter would come before
Carroll.)
3. Authors with the same last names but different first names should then be shelved in alphabetical
order by the last name then according to the author’s first name. (e.g. Books by Beverly Lewis
would come before books written by John Lewis.)
4. A group of books written by the same author, should have his/her titles put in alphabetical order.
Remember to ignore the words A, An, or The when it is the first word in a title. (e.g. These books
by Richard Peck would be shelved in this order (1) The River Between Us (2) Through a Brief
Darkness (3) A Year Down Yonder.
PUT THESE FICTION BOOKS IN ORDER:
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
Fic Cla
Fic Pau
Fic Sac
Fic Cla
Fic Wil
Fic Cla
Fic Voi
Fic Hin
Fic Cle
Fic Row
Fic Pau
Fic Cle
Fic Cla
Fic Row
Fic Ode
The Hammer of God by Arthur C. Clarke
Harris and Me: a Summer Remembered by Gary Paulsen
Holes by Louis Sachar
While my Pretty One Sleeps by Mary Higgins Clark
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Hidden Agenda by Tom Clancy
A Solitary Blue by Cynthia Voigt
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
Queen of Hearts by Vera Cleaver
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
The Car by Gary Paulsen
Dust of the Earth by Vera Cleaver
Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clark
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
SHELVING OTHER TYPES OF BOOKS
1. BIOGRAPHIES A Biography is a book about a person’s life, written by someone other than the
person that the book is about. An Autobiography is a book about a person’s life written by the
same person that the book is about. These types of biographies are given the Dewey number 921.
These books are shelved alphabetically by the last name of the person that they are about. (e.g. A
book about Franklin Roosevelt would have the Dewey number 921 Roo; a book about John F.
Kennedy would have the Dewey number 921 Ken.
A Collective Biography is a book about the lives of more than one person. These books are given
the Dewey number 920 and are shelved like other nonfiction books, by the author’s last name. (e.g.
The 20 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century by Brad Herzog - 920 Her)
2. REFERENCE BOOKS – An “R” is placed above the regular Dewey number. They are shelved in
a separate section, but shelved like regular nonfiction book.
3. SUPPLEMENTARY BOOKS – An “S” is placed above the regular Dewey number. These books
are fiction books that are checked out to students when a teachers have requested them. They are
shelved in a separate section like regular fiction books.
4.
PROFESSIONAL BOOKS – A “P” is placed above the regular Dewey number. They are shelved
in a separate section, but shelved like regular nonfiction books.
5. ACCELERATED READER BOOKS - These books are marked with an orange dot. The number
on the dot indicates the number of AR points the book is worth. Every AR book has a label on the
inside front cover that lists the reading level and point value. These books are shelved with the
regular fiction and nonfiction books.
Each library assistant is responsible for two sections of books (fiction and nonfiction). You will be given
grades each grading period for how well you take care of these sections. Here are some pointers.
1. Shelve your books daily from the book cart.
2. Check your books for accuracy that they are in perfect order each time they are graded. I will
give you several days’ notice.
3. Pull books to the edge of the shelf.
4. Books randomly placed in your assigned sections should be shelved if they belong in your section
or put back on the book cart if they do not belong in your section.