Elementary School Libraries
Volunteer Quick Guide to the Online Catalog and Shelving Books
Using the Destiny Online Catalog to Search for Books
You may search the following fields in a Basic Search (the default):
 Keyword - Selecting this will search in all fields. This is the default search which
is often a good place to start.
 Title - Searches the catalog for titles that match your search term(s); you can
search for a partial title.
 Author - Searches the catalog for any occurrence of the author's name; can be
a first and last name search in any order or just last name.
 Subject - Searches the subject headings* for any occurrence of your search
term in the subject heading field (not the entire record as keyword does).
 Series - Searches for the name of a series (Examples: Magic Tree House, A to
Z Mysteries, I Survived, etc.) This is a handy search tool as many of our
students read books in a series.
*Subject headings are a set of terms or phrases (known as controlled vocabulary)
that classify materials. Essentially they identify and pull together, under a common
umbrella, information about a given subject. Most library subject headings are
assigned by the Library of Congress and are not always the same as keywords you
might use to search. An example of this is World War II which is a fine keyword
search, but the subject heading is World War, 1939-1945.
Search Tips:
 You do not need to use any capitals.
 Do not use articles: A, The, An, etc.
 The Destiny catalog will sometimes offer options to correct misspellings.
 Using “Narrow Your Search” allows you to employ limiters such as Award
Winner and Interest (Grade) Level which can be helpful to focus searches.
 If you are having trouble finding books on a particular subject use a Keyword
search.
I
Shelving Books
The libraries use the Dewey Decimal Classification system for organizing materials.
Each library may have its own system for shelving series, special collections, etc. In
addition, call numbers may vary between schools (e.g., F vs. FIC for fiction) or you
may find several different patterns within the same library. Please spend some time
perusing the shelves in your school's library to familiarize yourself with its shelving
system. The following is a general guideline.
Library Sections and How to Shelve Them
Fiction
Fiction books are shelved alphabetically by the complete last name of the author (not
just the first three letters). If there are several authors with the same last name,
shelve by last name then by first.
F PEC (Peck, Richard -Fair Weather)
F PEC (Peck, Robert Newton -Extra Innings)
About Names That Start with MC and MAC...
In some schools, all Mc and Mac authors may be shelved together while in others
they may be shelved as the author's last name is actually spelled–letter by letter.
Picture Books - Easy/Early Readers
Picture books (E) and Early Readers (E) are both arranged alphabetically by
the author's last name. However, they are shelved in separate sections.
Frequently the Early Readers will have a colored label protector or colored dot
on the spine label. Early Readers may include series such as Step-into-Reading or An
I Can Read books. They are also beginning chapter books.
E
BRO
Please note: You may find some easy/early NONFICTION titles in the collection as
well. These books will also have a dot or colored label protector, but will have a
Dewey number assigned. Shelve by the NUMBER not the dot.
Nonfiction
Nonfiction materials will have Dewey Decimal numbers on their spines. Shelve
Nonfiction books first by numbers, then by the letters under the numbers that usually
stand for the author's last name or the title of the book. Tip: Nothing comes before
something!
Example of correct shelving order:
973 HAR
973 STE
973.03 HAR
973.3 HAB
973.73 CAT
973.73 STE
973.734 CAT
Individual Biography
The Biography section may be located in a separate section at the end of the
Nonfiction section. In this section, books are arranged by the subject's last name. So,
if a student wants a book about George Washington they'll go to the W section.
Call numbers may start with 92 or BIO.
92
OR
92
WAS
Washington
Collective Biography
The Collective Biography (biographies of more than one person) section is usually
located at the end of the Biography section. In this section, books are arranged by
the author's last name or the title of the book (if no author is listed).
920
FUR
Series
Some libraries have series (Geronimo Stilton, American Girls, etc.) in separate
sections so be sure to note what the arrangement is in your school. Some are simply
shelved among the Fiction collection. Some are shelved in a specific area while others
have colored dots or labels (such as FS for Fiction Series) on the spine or book cover.
Reference
Follow the instructions for shelving Nonfiction, but be sure to shelve these materials
separately in the Reference area. You will see a prefix of R, or REF or Reference
before the Dewey call number. Some may have a Reference label or colored dot.
Again, check your school for their arrangement. These materials do not circulate to
students, but teachers may use them in their classrooms.
REF
OR
R
OR
REFERENCE
973.73
973.73
973.73
ZIN
ZIN
ZIN
Audiobooks
Audiocassettes and/or CDs are shelved together and are usually arranged
alphabetically by the author’s last name. You may come across some with a
Nonfiction call number.
CAS
F
CUR
Videos/DVDs
Videos and DVDs are shelved together and are arranged by call numbers just like
books. Fiction titles and Nonfiction titles are arranged separately. These materials are
for teacher/staff check out only.
VHS OR
DVD OR
VHS OR
DVD
AVI
AVI
973.4
973.4
SMI
SMI
Teacher Collection
There are some materials for teachers to use with their students (T before call
number) or for teachers’ professional development (P or PRO or PROF before call
number). These materials check out only to teachers/staff.
T
OR
PRO
FIC
372.2
DEP
HIN
Please note: Correct shelving of materials is very important. It may seem like a
mundane job, but shelf-reading is a valuable task that volunteers should do on a
regular basis so that materials are easy to locate. A misshelved book is a lost book!
Major Categories of the Dewey Decimal System
000-099
Computer Science, Information & General Works
100-199
Philosophy & Psychology
200-299
Religion
300-399
Social Sciences
400-499
Language
500-599
Science
600-699
Technology
700-799
Arts & Recreation
800-899
Literature
900-999
History & Geography
Updated January 2012
Originally created by Anne Bate, NA Middle School Library