2. • Let’s you shelve when on desk duty or if you are not on
the schedule but are here anyway
• Is a huge help to us because shelving is out of control in
the summer
• If you earn the badge AND you do well then you have
learned a job skill that may help you find paid work when
you are older
• Only the most responsible and mature TAB will earn
the shelving badge – it is for the best of the best
3. • NO
• You may only shelve some things
• What may you shelve?
• Easy Picture Books (E) & EB
• Beginning Readers (E # and ER)
• Series
• Easy Picture Books Series
• Beginning Readers Series
• Juvenile Fiction aka Chapter Books Series
• Juvenile Non-fiction Series
4. • Only staff and volunteers may shelve everything
• Do not shelve anything else or you might lose your badge
But I was just
trying to help!
5. • Ask for permission to learn to shelve
• Staff member must have time to give you a tour of the
shelving areas. Be patient.
• Get a cart.
• Look in the kids’ room first for a cart
• Next, go to the back work room and see if there is a cart by the
windows
• If those are empty, go to the circ desk, take the full cart
• If you take a cart from the work room or circ, replace it with an
empty cart IMMEDIATELY
• Replace with the really big carts if available
7. • Look at the spine labels and series labels
• Don’t think too hard about it.
• Don’t look at the title and author.
• Series labels are above the spine labels and they are the most
important.
• If there isn’t a series label then it is either a picture book, board
book, beginning reader, or something you aren’t allowed to shelve.
• There are labels that AREN’T series labels. Don’t shelve them.
• Parent/Teacher Corner
• Spanish
• Reference
• Manga/Graphic Novel (YA)
• Get Into College
8. • Sort the cart by section
• Easy Picture books & Board Books
• Beginning Readers
• Series Juvenile Non-fiction
• Series Juvenile Fiction
• Pre-shelve Picture Books (E) & Board Books (EB)
• Put series picture books at the beginning in their series
• Put regular Easy Picture Books in order by the Initial of the
Author’s Last Name
• For example, a book by Kevin Henkes goes in “H” for Henkes
• Double check that it is E and not ER or a series book
• EB books just go in the purple cart
9. • Pre-shelve Beginning Readers (ER)
• Put series Beginning Reader (ER) books at the beginning in their
series
• Put regular ER in order by the color of the AR label on top of the
spine
• All red and white stickers together
• All purple stickers together
• Do the same with Beginning Reader Non-fiction (E #)
• All red and white stickers together
• All purple stickers together
10. • Pre-shelve Series Juvenile Fiction (Chapter) Books
• Put series Juvenile Fiction (J Fic) books in their series
• Watch out for SSYRA or Sunshine State Readers because some
of them are actually Young Adult Fiction (YA Fic). Make sure you
put them in the SSYRA Middle School section.
• Remember to look for a series label.
• When not to shelve it
• It is YA Fic and it doesn’t have a SSYRA label
• It is just Fic (that’s for adults)
• It is J Fic and it doesn’t have a label
11. • Pre-shelve Series Juvenile Non-fiction Books
• Put series Juvenile Non-fiction (J #) books in their series
• Remember to look for a series label
• When not to shelve it
• It is YA #
• Just a # (that’s for adults)
• It is E # (that’s in Beginning Readers)
• It is Parent/Teacher Corner (don’t shelve that)
• It has a Spanish label (don’t shelve that)
• It has a Reference label (don’t shelve that)
• It is just a J # (that’s regular juvenile non-fiction, and no, don’t
shelve that)
12. That’s a series label
The top has the color
of the special shelf
(Dinosaurs)
The bottom is purple
and says Non-Fiction
Series
13. Juvenile Non-fiction
series have stickers
on the end caps to
help find those
shelves.
There is the dinosaur
sticker. So the
dinosaur series must
be right there, near
the end.
14. • Shelve by section – you just did that when you pre-
shelved
• If you find something out of place, fix it
• If you find the shelf is out of order, fix it
• Edge the shelf when you have finished with it
• Return empty shelving carts to the work room
15. Line the spines up on the edge
of the shelf. Pull forward books
that have been pushed back.
16. • All Series books go on the shelf with books that have the
same labels. They are not in order other than that.
• Picture Books
• Beginning Readers
• Juvenile Fiction
• Juvenile Non-fiction
• Picture books go on a shelf with other books that have
the same letter
• E Henkes would be with other “H” books
• They are not in order other than that
• Board Books go in the purple cart - neatly
17. • Beginning Readers
• ER & E #
• Red and white AR labels go together
• If there is not an AR label look for a red dot
• Purple AR labels go together
• If there is not an AR label look for a purple dot
• They are not in order other than that
• If a book doesn’t have an AR label or a dot, ask for help from
one of the staff members – look for someone who is shelving,
helping patrons or working the desk. If the staff member is
helping a patron remember to wait until the patron is finished.
Do not interrupt.
18. • Cleanup
• Edge the shelves
• Straighten the books
• Do not lie books flat on top of other books
• If there is no room, shift
• Shifting
• Move some books down or up so that there is room on the shelf
• If you don’t know what to do ask for help
• Never Guess
• We’d rather you be slow and accurate than fast and wrong
• Ask questions
19. • Train on Only One Section at a Time
• Sort a cart
• Pre-Shelve the Picture books
• Ask any staff member who is working the desk to check your work
• Once Picture books are cleared you may shelve them
• Repeat with the other sections in this order
• Beginning Readers – sort, pre-shelve, check, shelve
• Chapter Books – sort, pre-shelve, check, shelve
• Juvenile Non-fiction Series – sort, pre-shelve, check, shelve
• Once you have successfully finished a full cart you may
earn the badge!
20. • We won’t give you a badge unless we think you were
successful. Remember to be patient with yourself as well
as with us.
• Volunteers and TAB teens are not allowed to train you,
but they may answer your questions if they know how to
shelve
• If you have a badge you may shelve whenever you do
not have another assignment, or if a staff person or
volunteer asks you for help
• Once you have successfully finished a full cart you may
earn the badge!
