Graduate Research Papers

Availability

Open Access Graduate Research Paper

Keywords

Classification--Books;

Abstract

Genrification, or the act of organizing a library or section of a library by genres or topics, has been a trend in recent years in both school and public libraries. Little to no research has been conducted on the effectiveness of this transition from the Dewey Decimal System in fiction and or nonfiction collections. The purpose of this research is to explore the usefulness of a genrified fiction collection in a school library by examining how students interact with the collection along with teachers’ perceptions of genrifying. This study focused on student browsing behavior in a genrified fiction collection and how frequently students browsed and borrowed books from across genre sections in the fiction collection. It also focused on how the genrification affected classroom teachers. The researcher observed one sixth grade class with sixteen students during four library visits and conducted follow-up interviews with eight students (four females and four males) to provide insight into the student's’ library experiences. Collection statistics before and after genrifying the school library’s fiction collection were also used to determine changes in circulation. Based on these data sources, it was clear that students were checking out more books across genres, preferred browsing genres to find books of interest to checkout, and had at least one genre they preferred. An online survey with eight literacy teachers showed teacher support for the library genrification. All teachers felt genrification had helped students find books with ease.

Year of Submission

2015

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Department

Division of School Library Studies

First Advisor

Joan Bessman Taylor

Date Original

12-2015

Object Description

1 PDF file (48 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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