- Allows students to locate fiction items more easily.
- Students can locate items by personal interests and identify related texts.
- As a Teacher Librarian, I can easily located related texts on the shelves without having to refer to the catalogue.
- Can be modelled on the genres already in use by the library.
- Case studies show more engagement with genrefication e.g. more borrowing.
- Can stimulate ideas for new displays that revolve around genres.
However, there are disadvantages
- May require more shelving.
- May not accommodate books that are tied to more than one genre. The question that has be asked as to which genre should the item be placed in.
- Time consuming - especially if genre labels have not been placed on books. This can restrict access to resources for students.
- Identifying which genres should be allocated shelving and what types of literature would be listed under them.
Never be limited by what genres may be listed in cataloguing systems or the labels that be provided by suppliers such as RAECO. If you feel the need to have a "Quick Reads" genre, which is one idea I would like to try, do it if you believe that it would support reading programs. My idea of the "Quick Reads" genre stems from the need to accommodate weak or reluctant readers who may be challenged by longer or more challenging literature.
