Fortunately, I have done this in two previous schools, but I am working through the fiction collection in my current school to determine genres for each fiction item.
In 2018, I did an entry on this topic.
I have decided to do it because the fiction books don't have genre labels at all, and have felt that it has stopped students from selecting books that they wish to read. I was told it had been based on the need for students to be able to locate and select books independently. Having labels was seen as an "impediment".
Unlike in 2018 at the school in question at the time, I have seen here that there is an even greater need for it. Students have indicated that they don't know if a book belongs to a particular genre. I observed it recently with Year 8 English classes visiting the library to borrow fantasy books - Several students asked me to find out if it was a Fantasy book or not, searching for it on OLIVER. This was time-consuming.
Do I still hold the same views in 2023 from what I wrote in 2018 - yes.
Also, there are no labels for the Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) featured, whether its on the spine or inside the cover, causing more difficulty for those participating in PRC.
Am I doing this with formal genrefication in mind - I will explore it but that will come later.
