LRC 480/580: Children's Literature in the Classroom Section 7 Fall 2003 Facilitator: Judi Moreillon

I hope all of this sounds familiar to you. If not, you've had some yucky librarians in your life!

Note: None of this information will help you find a children's book at the UA Main Library, which uses the Library of Congress classification system. Use the online catalog. Some of this information must be modified depending on the branch of the Tucson-Pima Public Library (TPPL) you use.

So what do you do if you don't know how to find a book on a library shelf? Right! Ask the librarian!

How to find children's books in most libraries that use the Dewey Decimal System:

Fiction Books
In school libraries, all fiction books are shelved by the first three letters of the author's last name. That includes realistic fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and informative books, such as Water Dance, which are written in story form. (Dewey didn't help us much there, did he? Fortunately, electronic card catalogs help tremendously when we are looking for particular genres of fiction.) At TPPL, they now use a longer label for picture books.
Example: The Wall by Eve Bunting is: Bun
TPPL Example: Picture Book Bunting

Informational Books
Commonly referred to in elementary schools as the "numbered" books, non-fiction begins at 001 through 999. (Informational is the preferred term. The word "non-fiction" is confusing to many students, particularly second language learners.) After the three digits, there are most often decimals. After the complete number, there are two letters that represent the first two letters in the author's last name.
Example: Dogs by Gail Gibbons: 636.7 Gi

Poetry
Most poetry is found in 811. The letters represent the first two letters in the poet's last name.
Example: A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein: 811 Si

Traditional Literature (Folk and Fairytales)
These books are shelved in the 398.2 section of the library (with the informational books). The first two letters of the author's last name follow the numbers.
Example: The Flute Player by Michael Lacapa: 398.2 La

Biography and Autobiography
You will find auto/biographies of individual people in the 92 section. The letters represent the first two letters in the last name of the person about whom the biography is written.
Example: A Picture Book of Amelia Earhart by David Adler: 92 Ea

A book that contains the biographies of more than one person (group biographies) is found in the 920 section. The letters represent the first two letters of the author's last name.
Example: Extraordinary African Americans by Susan Altman: 920 Al

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