What is historical fiction?

This week, I am trying to figure out what is meant by historical fiction because it seems like there is no clear definition.

I tend to keep a simple definition of historical fiction which would refer to a fictional novel based on or set around historical events or a historical setting. It would have to be based on research relating to the event or period by the author and try to represent the accuracy of events or society of focus in the story.

But how recently should a historical fiction novel be set? Should it be as recent as a decade ago, twenty-five years ago or even earlier than that?

I'll confess that I will tend to go as recently as a decade ago because a novel such as 47 degrees by Justin D'Ath is based around a historical event - The Black Saturday fires of 2009. It was fifteen years ago.

Some say it is too recent but as a teacher librarian who can teach history, it is a significant event in Australian history. It is one of the deadliest natural disasters to hit our nation with 173 people killed.  People will be aware of what happened on that day well into the future.

However, there are some novels where the story occurs in a specific historical setting but the plot may focus on another genre such as fantasy or romance without in-depth study. It needs to be asked as to whether or not they are historical fiction.

Genre Allocations (for labels)

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. 

What I Like Reading (Handout)

Last year, I created a resource for Teacher Librarians that could have two uses:

What I Like Reading

It can be used for either (or both):

1. Finding out reading preferences of students.
2. Genrefication of library fiction collections

I ended up using the handout for both reasons. 

Firstly, I needed to know what they enjoyed reading so I could help each student select suitable books to read given that the students I worked with had experienced difficulty locating books that they enjoyed reading. It helped me make more informed recommendations to students during their wide reading sessions. This provides a diagnostic assessment of student reading preferences. I scanned student responses and emailed each English Teacher a copy for their records. As we start the year, this will be a good resource to use in wide reading sessions. 

Secondly it helped me to plan and advise the school on how the fiction collection could be genreified. I tallied the results for each wide reading/English class and provided me with a broader indication of what the student body at the school enjoyed reading. You may notice that I mostly used genre labels from RAECO in the handout as I was proposing to utilise their labels when genreifying the collection. However, labels (custom made or accquired from any supplier) can be used. 

There was an additional benefit in that it better informed me on resources to be accquired for the library. For instance a number of students indicated that they enjoyed reading sports fiction and the library had very few books catering for their interest in this genre. In response, I had to order additional books encompassing sport. I also needed to expand our collection of humour novels/stories as it was identified as one of the most popular genres by the student body and some series e.g. Diary of a Wimpy Kid was in very high demand. 

If you would like a word.doc of this resource, please email me at either fabian.amuso@syd.catholic.edu.au or famuso.teachlib@gmail.com. 

Sorting fiction items by genre

Schools have been embracing genrefication of the fiction collections. In my practice, I can see the benefits.

• 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.

NSW PRC and SCIS - Please Note

I am commenting on observations that I have made as I have been in the process of allocating genres to Fiction books on the school NSW Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) list and placing the appropriate sticker/s on them.

• Alot of books are not necessarily allocated a genre under genre. I used SCIS and ScOT Terms to formally allocate a genre.
• I read blurbs and notes if required.
• If I had doubt, I would refer to the listing of the item on Trove and look at the headings.
• Before making any changes, I would use OLIVER Software to "enhance" the resource by obtaining the most recent details listed on the Schools Cataloging Information Service (SCIS) .

Even after the changes, books that were not originally catalogued as being on the PRC list needed to be manually added in by using the details available on the NSW PRC website.

My tip for Teacher Librarians and support staff in school libraries, undertake a check to ensure that all items are properly catalogued if not already done so on your library system.

So far, I have located 200 books that needed their records updated to ensure that they appear as PRC books on the system. 

Genre Labels on Books

I am in the process of introducing spine labels at school, encouraged by the fact that most schools do so.

It has helped me immensely in helping students (or myself) in choosing a good book to read. It is part of a broader objective to move the school towards genreifying the fiction collection. Research has shown that dividing the fiction collection into genres does increase borrowing. Students feel more guided in their selection of books to read.

I have had some conversations with students this week telling them about the spine labels and they are in fact excited by the idea. It might be because its a fresh idea, or being able to easily find books in a genre that interests them.

The labels are primarily being sourced from Raeco, but some will be made in house.

I cannot find anything explicit on research about the impact of genre labels on books. However research on the broader topic of genrefication might give us some answers or clues like the link provided here.

Feel free to download and use the poster that I created for my students. It doesn't need to be too fancy.