Student Assistants: Guide to the Collections and How to Shelve Books: 3. Keeping the Shelves Neat and Orderly

(Credit: Video clip is from the Lynn University Library. The clip stops at 1:39. Video has background music. You may want to mute the sound if you are in a public space.)

Principles covered in this video:

• All books on the row should be flush with the edge of the shelf.

• Even if gaps are not evident, push books together, and add a wire book support (or bookend if a book support can't be used).  Be sure the books are not pushed together too tightly-It should be easy to pull a book from the shelf.  Also, theren't should be any books on the shelf beyond the book support/bookend.

• For very tall books, placed books on their spine to prevent damage to the book, as shown in the video.

• Collect stray book supports/bookends and bring them back to circulation. 

(this section is in process) 

Other principles to keep in mind:  

• There is trash, such as scraps of paper, discarded food and drink,  or a dead bug, on the shelf.

• The Shelf is dusty.

• A book needs repair

• A book has a missing or hard to read spine label (font is very faded). 
• There are books with mold or mildew (white fuzzy appearance on the outside of the book)

• A book in your section (which is already on the shelf)  but is mis-shelved.

•  A book is found behind other books

• The row is too crowded.

• The shelf is too low, and books can't be shelved upright

• There appears to be a section of books misshelved

• The sign on the end of the book shelves, indicating the call number ranges, needs to be updated

• A Book has an N or M prefix (which the Library no longer uses)

Source:MA State Library

Don't pull a book by the top of its spine, the most vulnerable part of a book  There are several ways you can correctly pull a book from the shelf:

As the image above shows, you can slightly push the book on either side of your book a little back, so you can easily pull out your book.

Or you can place your hand on the top back of the book and push forward. 

 (Don't; forget to straighten the remaining books on the shelf  before you leave.)

(Image and most of the above text are from MA State Library)