Literature-or theme-based instruction in classrooms brings more and more primary-age children into the library seeking books about specific topics. In one day's time, emerging readers came to our library with a dozen requests for books about specific topics. They wanted books on everything from what foxes eat to something about the stars (because "my uncle just gave me a telescope"). Today's top question was for a book about sunflowers what triggered that request is still a mystery.

Intermediate readers can locate books on any topic they need by using the automated catalog. They can also browse the shelves in designated sections. Not so the beginning readers. They encounter two basic difficulties. They do not read well enough to use the automated catalog independently, and they haven't yet developed browsing skills to comb the nonfiction sections. Even if they can find books by browsing, they' often can't make judgments about content or reading level.

In our media center with approximately 10,000 volumes, we had the traditional arrangement of "Easy" books, fiction, and nonfiction (including a biography section). As is the case in most library media centers, the "E" books are likely to be picture book fiction. In recent years we have cataloged some easy-to-read nonfiction titles in the "E" section. That seemed to solve some of the problem for young readers, but the books on any one subject could be strung throughout the section depending on the authors' last names. And the young students were not really convinced that they were getting information books if the books were shelved with the picture books.

Picture book versions of folktales also caused concern. Do they more properly belong in the easy section than with other folklore in the 300s? Picture book versions of "The Little Red Riding Hood" or "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" seemed to be lost among the thick collections of Grimm tales or collections of tall tales in the regular nonfiction shelves. As we worked hard to help children understand the origin of folktales and their traditional place in the nonfiction classifications, readers were perplexed when we directed them to the folklore in the "E" section of the library.

When easy nonfiction was shelved with nonfiction for all readers, the youngest students were overwhelmed by the number, size and location of books on the shelves. For example, in the 400s, dictionaries and other thick titles dealing with etymology and language overpowered Jerry Pallotta's 32-page alphabet books. In all sections, thin books filled with pictures were virtually lost among the thicker, more substantial books. The youngest children in our school (pre-school-grade 5) found it difficult to remove and replace the thin books shelved with books for the older reader.

Nonfiction books by well-known writers for beginning readers, for example, Gall Gibbons, were spread from the 000s (Deadline!) to the 900s (Pirates). Placement is determined by subject not by author.

So the problem was identified--and a solution sought. Beginning readers who regularly cheeked out "early chapter books" wanted a similar level of informational books. Our solution wa,s to reclassify books that would satisfy this need and create a junior nonfiction section.

First, we identified newly purchased books that would be part of this section. We added a "j" for "junior nonfiction" to the call number of each identified book and we created a corresponding call label. Thus, the call number "400.67 Gib" was simply converted to "j 400.67 Gib." In our automated catalog the category designation was also changed to reflect the junior nonfiction category. A global edit changed all books with a "j" in the call number to the new category designation.

During the weeks prior to school closing for the summer, we identified the books that met our criteria. The criteria were rather simple:

1. A text that could be read by those who were confirming their ability to read or were emerging as confident readers (similar to readers who sought easy-to-read books by Arnold Lobel or James Marshall or early chapter books such as the Polk Street School series by Patricia Reilly Giff or the Peewee Scout series by Judy Delton).
2. Topics of general interest to primary school readers. (Many topics were dictated by the curriculum, but popular topics, such as animals, birds, big machines, and dinosaurs, also received special attention.)
3. Generally appealing to an early reader.
4. Highly illustrated.

We put our emphasis on reading and interest levels rather than the number or extent of illustrations. Thus, the Eyewitness Books (Knopf) remained in the regular nonfiction section while the Junior Eyewitness Books were designated for the new section. We wanted to retain a selection of attractive nonfiction for readers who were able to read and access information independently

New shelf signs were created and posted before the section was unveiled. Since the opening the students have eagerly browsed the section. They make fewer inappropriate selections.

Some of my library colleagues wondered out loud about the ability to select books for this section. However, I viewed the structuring of a junior nonfiction section to be similar to the selection of titles for a picture book section. We have little difficulty in identifying titles to include in the "easy" or "everybody" section, to encourage early readers of fiction. It seemed that we could begin to encourage readers of nonfiction in the same manner.

In all, we placed approximately 1,000 books in the junior nonfiction section. Over 5,000 remained on the regular nonfiction shelves. Some of the authors who have proven to be the most popular in the junior nonfiction section are Aliki, Caroline Arnold, Joanna Cole, Gail Gibbons, Joan Hanson, William Jaspersohn, Bruce Mc Millan, Jerry Pallotta, Angela Royston, and Joanne Ryder. The titles ranged from Never Say Ugh! to a Bug by Norma Farber (Greenwillow, 1979) to Batty Riddles by Katy Hall (Dial, 1993). Among the popular topics are libraries, folklore, space and science, riddles, poems, and biographies.

Changing the way we worked and shelved books has changed the way children in our library media center select and read books. We are on our way to becoming a school of 'book readers," who read books of fiction and nonfiction with equal ease and delight.

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By Sharron L. McElmeel

Sharron L. McElmeel is a Library Media Specialist in the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Community School District. She is the author of more than a dozen resource books for educators. Her most recent publication, Research Strategies for Moving Beyond Reporting was released in the fall of 1996 by Linworth Publishing.

©2005 Sharron L. McElmeel

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