The Library
What is a school library?
A school library is a library within a school where students and staff have access to a variety of resources.
Libraries have many books that are fun and/or educational to read and information that can improve students’ understanding of the subjects they learn at school.
The School Library is a place where all students should feel welcome and encouraged to grow and learn. Reading helps to increase one's knowledge of the world, but school libraries provide more than just books. School libraries provide a haven for all students to think, create, share, and grow. School libraries can be the hub of learning and the favourite spot for many students.
Many libraries offer learning support through reference services, meaning they will personally help you seek the information you need. That doesn't mean library staff knows everything, but it does mean that part of our job is helping you find the best resources possible.
Shelving Library Books
If you go to a physical public library, you may notice there is a specific way that the books are organized.
Some libraries try to make it easier for library users (library patrons) to find what they are looking for on their own - they might have signs showing where to find Fantasy, Picture Books, Romance, or the children's section. Library staff are also available to help locate materials.
Some libraries also use different organization styles (these are called classification systems). These classification systems may vary depending on the library, but many use a system that includes letters and/or numbers (call numbers) to arrange books so that books on the same topic are grouped together on the shelves.
For more information about public libraries, visit our Ottawa Public Library Resources page.
Fiction books are shelved in alphabetical order by the author's last name. Nonfiction books tend to be shelved according to the Dewey Decimal System, but sometimes other types of organization are used. If you pay close attention to the labels on the spine of books in libraries, you can tell whether or not they are using the Dewey Decimal System or some other system for organizing their books.
Many people struggle to learn these classification systems, and that is ok. Library staff should always be willing to help you find what you need. Many library patrons choose to explore the library themselves and still manage to find what they are looking for rather quickly, even without knowledge of the classification system.
Above this section there is a video introduction to the Dewey Decimal System. After, you can practice shelving books using the game Shelver! Remember, if you go to a public library, you don't have to shelve the books yourself. There is usually a trolly where you can place any books that you removed from the shelves so that staff can reshelve them later.