How do libraries prevent books from being re-shelved in the total wrong place?
When I was younger I knew kids that did it to be funny, but today at the library i started to wonder how they keep all of those books in the right place>
Has anyone worked in a library and know how they do it?
2007-03-19 12:01:17 · 5 answers · asked by stephasoris 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
Most libraries have their shelvers do it as they are shelving, and periodically it's done all at once, involving as many people as it takes.
It's not a lot of fun.
2007-03-19 12:06:43 · answer #1 · answered by The Skin Horse (formerly ll2) 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've worked in a library for years, and they do it it simply by walking through the shelves and looking at all the books to make sure they are where they are supposed to be.
How often this is done depends on how much staff the library can afford, or how many volunteers they have. Experience usually shows that certain areas get messed up more quickly than others, so those are usually checked the most. At the same time, they also have to look for hidden books - some people actually like to conceal books behind the rows of other books so they'll be the only ones who can use them, or just to annoy people.
If you see misshelved books at your library, you can really help them out by either by either turning the books in to the librarian, or taking them to where they#re meant to be yourself.
2007-03-19 19:15:00 · answer #2 · answered by Ms. S 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The library employees in charge of reshelving books after they're returned are also responsible for "shelf-reading": systematically going through areas of the shelves and correcting anything that's out of order. Depending on the schedule and how many employees have this job, the whole library should be shelf-read in the space of two months or so.
It's also helpful when libraries post signs asking people NOT to reshelve books if they look at them but decide not to check them out--they request that people leave them on tables or put them in special labeled areas or baskets.
2007-03-19 19:13:11 · answer #3 · answered by tk 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are other good answers here, but I wanted to mention shelf-reading. Some libraries are able to have people go around and make sure individual sections are in order.
2007-03-19 19:35:44 · answer #4 · answered by Piaz 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i have worked in a library before and after every day the librarians look at all the book and make sure they are all in the right place!
2007-03-19 19:07:33 · answer #5 · answered by ♥Hot•Babe♥ 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋