Ask the Librarian About Book Selection: How do I determine the reading level of a book?

There is no official body that assigns a reading level to books. Most often, a book’s reading level is determined by the book’s publishers. A book review or publisher’s description is the original source for a book’s reading level designation. The book publisher will assign the book to a certain category for marketing purposes such…

Ask the Librarian: What are the different kinds of book binding and publishing categories?

There are many more terms and materials for covering and binding books–leather bound, cardboard covers, cloth bound, and more. But these are some of the most frequently used, and confused, in libraries and in the general book trade. You can read more details about library binding in this Wikipedia article. The problem with all of…

How do some librarians label their books?

From Mary Schubert of Pursell Schubert Legacy Library in Oklahoma: There are many ways that you can label your books. I use the Avery Return Labels Avery Easy Peel Laser Address Labels, 1/2″ x 1 3/4″, White, 2000 Labels Per Pack (5267) | Staples for my library name and label identification. Since I do not have a…

Why are older books special treasures that are preferred by many living books librarians?

The mid-twentieth century is often called the Golden Age of Children’s Literature, the 1930s to the early 1970s. Books published during this time period are highly valued and sought after by many living books libraries and librarians. Why? From Michelle Howard of Children’s Preservation Library in Michigan and Living Learning Libraries in Florida: “What difference…

Why move from informal book lending to an official library? Why charge fees?

From Michelle Howard of Children’s Preservation Library in Michigan and Living Learning Libraries in Florida: Let me just respond to a question I’ve often been asked. Why not just informally lend out books?  Wouldn’t that be more generous? Why make an official library out of them? What are the benefits of an actual library scenario? 1) The books…

How can I organize and shelve picture books?

NOTE: Many (most?) of the librarians simply shelve fiction picture books in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. Science picture books are shelved with the other science books using whatever system of classification you are using for those books. History and biography picture books are shelved the same way in their subject areas. However,…