GLMS 611: Specifications on File - Reflection Sheet

Name: Christine Kafkalas Lopez

Discuss your decision to use uppercase vs. lowercase letters on spine labels. What other
information appears on your spine labels, and why did you include this information?

When doing this assignment, I chose to fill out Mackin’s specfication sheet because I would
like to start ordering materials from Mackin, but our school never had a specification sheet on
file with the company. We have used Follett for as long as I can remember, and the previous
librarian walked me through ordering on Follett. Up until this year in the GLMS program, I
never thought of ordering elsewhere. I pulled up the specifications that Follett has on file for
my school and then looked at the labels and barcodes used in my library. All of the labels on
the books in my library use uppercase letters on the spine labels. Therefore, to be consistent,
I decided to keep that specification so that the new books would blend seamlessly into our
existing collection. On the spine labels in my library, the fiction books are labeled FIC,
followed by the first three letters of the author’s last name, all in capital letters. The same
specifications are found for the picture books (PIC) and the easy section (E) followed by the
first three letters of author’s last name in capital letters. For nonfiction, we start with the
Dewey number, and beneath that we have the first three letters of the author, in capital
letters. Biographies are labeled BIO or B followed by the first three letters of the subject’s last
name. It seems that the older titles have the B listed and the newer titles have BIO. Graphic
novels are all labeled GRA 741.5 followed by the first three letters of the author’s last name,
capitalized. The world languages section of my library does not use codes for foreign
languages, but that is something I would like to start using in my library. For this reason, I
decided to use the prefixes that were suggested by library services on the Mackin order and
plan to specify this with Follett for future orders. I’ll be making that call to Follett this week to
change the specifications and work on changing the labels on the current titles in that section
of the library.

The reason that I’ve included all this information on the spine labels are twofold. For one,
this is the way the rest of the collection has been labeled and organized and I want the new
books to match the rest of the collection. Second, I use the information listed on the spine
labels to teach students how to locate materials in the library. All the information that is part
of the call number is important for students to understand so they can properly locate books
that they’ve searched for on the library’s automation system. Additionally, learning these
labels will help them use the resources in the public library since our library is similar to the
city public libraries in our neighborhood.

Where is your barcode located on your books? What are the positives and negatives of
affixing barcodes to this particular location?

The barcodes on my books are found on the back cover, on the upper right hand side. The
barcode is placed vertically, with the label facing “bottom to top” as indicated on the Mackin
Custrom Cataloging & Processing Preferences Form. I like that it isn’t on the cover because
most of my children gravitate to the cover before even cracking open the book. Additionally, I
like that it is on the outside of the book because it makes checkout and checkin a lot quicker
and easier. The downside of having the label affixed there is that it sometimes blocks the
blurb found on the back of the book. Luckily with most of the hardcover books, the summary
can be found on the inside of the jacket, so many of the blurbs can be read. I did indicate that
they try to avoid covering the summary with the barcode, something that is part of my Follett
specifications. Other than blocking the blurb occasionally, having the barcode in this location
has worked very well for me in the library.

What prefix have you assigned to your biography books, and why? What processing
differences are noted with individual biographies as opposed to collective biographies?

In the library, we have some library books labeled BIO and some labeled B. I decided to have
the BIO as the prefix assigned to biographies because I have a designated space for
biographies in the library, separate from the non-fiction section that uses the Dewey decimal
system. This was already in place when I inherited my library, but even if that wasn’t the
case, I like the idea of the biography books being catagorized differently from the other
nonfiction titles because they read differently than the books found in the nonfiction section.
They are more narrative nonfiction and I have students who gravitate towards biographies,
but not necessarily nonfiction texts. For these students, the separate section is better. I also
opted to use the BIO marker rather than the B because more of my texts are labeled BIO and
the older texts (that will probably soon be weeded or replaced) have B as their prefix. I will
eventually change those to match the rest of the collection. Additionally, I feel that the BIO
prefix is easier for students to remember in elementary school rather than just the B. I use
the prefixes in my teaching of the library to help them remember what the markings mean
when they see the call numbers in the catalog. Having the biography section labeled and
organized this way also makes it far easier for patrons to find the specific person they want to
read about.

Within the processing preference form, they differentiate between individual biographies and
collective biographies. For individual biographies, the spine label for my library will read BIO
followed by the first three letters of the subject’s last name. However, for collective
biographies, 920 is the call number used. Again, biographies are shelved separately, making it
easier for patrons to find the subjects they would like to read about. However with collective
biographies, they are housed with the rest of the 900 section because they contain
information about many different people within the one book. Additionally, it may not give
information about all of the people’s entire lives like the biographies or autobiographies do
and they tend to read more like history books than biographies which read like narrative
nonfiction.

Have you decided to include book leveling labels on your books? Why or why not?

I did not include book leveling labels on my books because over the last year, the leveling
system has changed and I anticipate it to change again. Because of this, I think it’s wiser to
have it on the catalog, rather than the actual book. Additionally, I want the library to be a
place where the children get to choose their books based on interest, not on reading level or
ability. I think it’s important, especially now, that children are not burdened by levels and
restricted to materials. As a library, we are built on the notion that there is free choice and
access for all to all materials in the library. The students who come to the library are thrilled
at the prospect of getting to choose what they’d like to read themselves, or bring home to
read with family members. They should be able to choose books freely here without
limitations. The joy of reading is slowly being killed in classrooms of late, and the library is
the one place where reading is still something that is loved. Therefore, I decided to not put
any lexile on the books. Additionally, when students enter a public library or bookstore, those
markings are not available. It is important that students learn to gauge what books are just
right for them, without the markings of a reading level on each text.

What are your takeaways from this activity? What questions still remain regarding
specifications on file?

I really thought this was such a useful activity and one that I can readily apply to my practice.
The practical assignments are my favorite because I can use what I’ve created immediately. I
plan on looking through Mackin this week and making lists for next year from it. I’d like to see
the difference and will try ordering from both vendors next year to compare the experiences.
I don’t have any lingering questions for this activity.