Book Care

DMS Library Card Catalog

How Books Are Organized

Every book in our library has a home on a shelf, and the address (call number) to its home is located on the spine label. Important things to remember:

The spine of the book should always be facing out so that the call number is visible and readable.
Occasionally, a book is too tall to fit on the shelf properly. In this case, the spine should face up and out toward the reader.
Shelf markers help to hold a book's place on the shelf when the book is removed to look at. Replacing the shelf marker with the book ensures that it is properly shelved for the next patron.
Call numbers for non-fiction books begin with Dewey Decimal numbers, followed by the first 3 letters of the author's last name. For example: Believe It Or Not: Space Facts by David Baker - 501 BAK.
Decimals are used to further refine the location of non-fiction. In this case, they should be shelved as follows:

501 BAK

501 OSB

501.02 TAY

501.2 ABR

501.22 BOR

502.1 CRA

Fiction books have call numbers that contain letters, using the first 3 letters of an author's last name. For example: The Giver by Lois Lowry - FIC LOW.
There are two sections for Everybody books - picture fiction books and non-fiction books. The call numbers for both types of Everybody books are the same as fiction and non-fiction, except they will both start with "E".
Beginner Chapter Books have call numbers like Fiction, except they begin with "BC".

Book Care

Watch this video to see how to properly care for books!

Keep library books in backpack except when reading so you always know where they are and they are always with you.

Do not put water bottles inside backpacks. Use outside water bottle holders.

Handle library books with clean hands.

Turn pages carefully from the top right hand corner using the pinch/slide/turn technique.

Keep library books away from pets and small children.

Use a bookmark of paper, thin plastic, or ribbon.

Do not write inside books.

Return library books on time.

Do not try to repair library books on your own. Please return damaged books to the library for professional book repair.

Book Types

The Desert Mountain

Library Media Center

contains thousands of books!

Finding what you need is easy,

if you know how to use the LMC.

Types of Books

Non-fiction: books that are about real things - animals, countries, space, etc. and organized by Dewey Decimal System.
Collective Biographies and Biographies are located in 920 and 921, respectively, by subject (Abraham Lincoln would be found in 921 LIN).

Fiction (FIC): stories that are made up by the author, organized alphabetically by author's last name.

Everybody (E): books that everyone can enjoy, organized alphabetically by author's last name.

Everybody non-fiction (E): non-fiction books for grades K-3, organized by Dewey Decimal System.

Beginning Chapter (BC): fiction books for grades 1-3, organized alphabetically by author's last name.

Young Adult (YA): fiction and non-fiction books for grades 7-8 only. Fiction YA are alphabetized by author's last name and non-fiction YA are organized by Dewey Decimal System.

Reference (REF): books that are meant to be used and enjoyed in the library, not available to be checked out.

Every book in the LMC will have a spine label located on the book's spine, easily visible when on the shelf. It contains the book's call number, the book's "address." This address will identify to the reader what type of book it is and where on the shelf it belongs relative to the other books. Using a shelf marker is very important to keep books shelved properly so that other students may find them.

Non-Fiction Organization

Non-fiction books are organized using the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC). This system was developed by Melvil Dewey, one the greatest librarians of all time. He used 10 numerical categories to organize books by their subject matter. While the number identifies the category, the first 3 letters of the author's last name are also used for further classification.

Examples:
     Believe It Or Not: Space Facts by David Baker - 501 BAK
     Cats That Roar by Kimberly Weinberger - E 599.75 WEI (Everybody Non-fiction)
     Arizona the Beautiful by Herb McLaughlin - REF 917.91 MCL (Reference)

Fiction Organization

Fiction is organized by using the first 3 letters of the author's last name.
Examples:
     The Giver by Lois Lowry - FIC LOW (Fiction)
     The Hat by Jan Brett - E BRE (Everybody)
     Afternoon in the Amazon by Mary Pope Osborne - BC OSB (Beginning Chapter)

Reference Materials

Reference materials include encyclopedias, dictionaries, multi-volume sets and research related books. They are organized using the Dewey Decimal Classification system and will have REF before the number. Reference materials are located in a special area of the LMC. They may not be checked out but may be used for research within the LMC.

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