2. Research Guides

Music Library Staff Guide: Shelving and Shelf Reading

Shelf Reading Tutorials

Understanding the LC Classification System is very important when shelving and shelf-reading! LC Easy is an interactive training program that will guide you through every step of learning call numbers and shelving materials in the correct order! Follow this link and log in with your VUNetID password!

You can also follow this link for a tutorial that you don't need a login for! It is much shorter, but also provides you with shelving practice.

Shelving

  • Be sure that you are shelving materials in the correct location.  Some MLs and MTs are labeled MUS REF, which means they are to be shelved in the reference section near the front of the library.  All other MLs and MTs belong in the regular stacks.  You should also be sure that mini scores are not shelved with the full-size scores.
  • Make sure you are not shelving a book incorrectly due to someone else’s mistake.  If you only look at the book that directly precedes the one you are to shelve, you may not notice that this book has been miss-shelved.  One miss-shelved book can then start a chain-reaction that wreaks havoc with the collection.  This can be avoided by looking at several surrounding books rather than only the book directly before yours. 
  • The beginning and the end of each shelf are the most common spots where mistakes happen.  If you are shelving a book that you think should go at the beginning of a shelf, be sure to check the end of the shelf that precedes it.  You may find that there are books with the same cutter at the end of the preceding shelf.  If you make a point of checking both these areas, there will be fewer mistakes.
  • Shelve in a critical manner!  Why is the item being placed in that particular spot?  Is it the logical place for such an item? (Ask questions if the answer is no!) Are the surrounding books on the same subject? What subject is the classification number shorthand for? What is the first Cutter (the alphanumeric portions following a period) shorthand for? Are the surrounding books in the correct order? What sort of items might be mis-shelved in this particular area?
  • Read the call number in sections as needed. For MUS M1500 .B552 C3 2008, find the circulating M's; then find the 1500s; find the .B552s; find the C3s; and then shelve the item within the M1500 .B552 C3s.
  • Get to know the lingo. The more you shelve, the better you'll get.  You'll know that the M1500s are opera scores, that M1500s are full scores and M1503s are vocal scores, that .B552 is probably a composer starting with B (in this case Bizet), and that C3 is a work starting with C (Carmen in this case). 
  • Get to know the most common shelving mistakes. Might a ML420 be mis-shelved in our large collection of ML410s?  Could a M1500 be mis-shelved in our larger collection of ML1503s? 
  • Don't judge a book by its appearance. Short scores aren't always placed in the miniature scores. Just because a book is green doesn't mean it's shelved with the other green books in the same general area. Shelve by the call number only.  If you've shelved by the call number and the item seems like it's in the wrong place, ask questions!

Purpose of Shelf Reading

The purpose of shelf reading the collection is to make sure that all the materials are organized in call number order so that our users can find them. If a library user cannot find an item because it has been miss-shelved, the library may as well not own it. The effect is the same – the user can’t get access to the material. For this reason, shelf reading must be done accurately, or it defeats the purpose.

How to Shelf Read

  1. Go to the Teams Shelf-Reading thread to see where the previous person left off. You will pick up with the next score/book that is available on the shelf.
  2. Using a circulating or personal laptop, connect to the VUNet WiFi and connect the scanner. It may connect via Bluetooth. Make the scanner beep a few times to send a signal and then pair the device in settings. If it does not connect, plug in the scanner to a USB port on the computer.
  3. Go to https//inventory.library.vanderbilt.edu
  4. Select Wilson Music Library
  5. Select the location you will be shelf-reading in
  6. Start scanning bar codes!
    1. For a faster way to shelf-read, you can scan barcodes into an Excel spreadsheet. When you are done, go back to the inventory program and click on the ellipses to the right of where you would normally scan a barcode. This will pull up a Bulk Add Barcode and you can copy and paste all of the barcodes you scanned from the Excel spreadsheet to that location. Still make sure to go back and check for mistakes!
  7. Pay attention to the items that are highlighted. Items in red are out of order, so must be re-shelved in the correct order. Items in yellow are mis-shelved, so must be moved to a different area of the library. Items that are highlighted blue have duplicate call numbers; they are usually volumes in a set. Pull any item that has an alert you don't recognize and put it on Michael’s desk with a sticky note about the alert.
  8. When you are done, export an Excel report in .csv format of the barcodes you've scanned and share it with Meagan via a Teams chat.
  9. Add the call numbers of where you started and stopped into the Teams thread so we can keep track of the inventory we have done!

Things to Look Out For

  • Damage:
    • As you are reading the shelves, please be on the lookout for any books that are in need of repair. Please bring those books to Robert Rich for evaluation.
  • Bookends:
    • Make sure all of the shelves have bookends. There are extra bookends behind the desk if you need one. A shelf of books or scores should be pushed as far left as possible with the bookend on the right. It is important to keep books and scores standing upright and straight on the shelves, because leaning books cause damage to the spine and can warp the binding.
  • Face the Books:
    • The books should be on the shelves in a straight line. Line up the edge of the book with the edge of the shelf. All books should be standing straight on the shelves, not leaning over. Gently push books to the far left of the shelf.
  • Other Tips:
    • If books/scores do not fit upright on the shelf, shelve them on their spines (spine on the bottom, sitting on the shelf). Make sure that the book is placed so that the call number is at the front of the shelf and can be easily seen.
    • Never shove books on the shelf if they do not fit. Shift the books around and use free space on other shelves.
    • Never pull a book or score off the shelf by the top of the spine. Always grasp a book near the middle and pull gently. You may need to push the books next to it to the side to allow you to handle the book properly.