ABCs in the YA Lounge

It's not a metaphor, I am talking about the actual alphabet of ABCs in the YA Lounge.  For more efficient and convenient book location, I posted each letter of the alphabet on the book shelf where that section begins.  Looking for Marie Lu?  I can see the "L" shelf label from here and go straight towards it.  This makes finding a specific author much easier!

This project was not done just for convenience, however, though it has made shelving and book location go more quickly for staff, but for general acknowledgement of a cold, hard fact: some teens in our community did not yet know their alphabet.

I made this discovery during student teaching wherein I kept running into the difficulty of teens not being able to locate authors such as Collins, Grant, or Meyer.  At first, I thought they just did not want to take the time themselves or were unsure of how to follow the library shelf (left to right, then top to bottom).

As time went on, however, I realized the issue went a little deeper than I had suspected.  Some struggled to find their book, scanning whole shelves to find a single book instead of looking at the spine labels.  I was shocked and confused and worried all at the same time.

It was quite obvious these same teens could read as I had discussed (in detail) the plots of many books with some of these students and had witnessed others reading in Study Hall.  No, this was an alphabet problem, plain and simple.

But how had they gotten so far in the school system without learning this?  Was standardized testing so intense that there was no time left to focus on the basics?  Had they just forgotten?  It was not really my duty to question them intently on the why, but I knew I wanted to help them find books in the library and maybe even learn the letters, slowly but surely.

Hence, the project of shelf lettering was enacted in my own public library.

The Project

 
Items:

• Bright neon paper
• White cardstock
• Glue
• Ellison Maker (Die-Cut Machine)
• Laminator
• Masking Tape

Every letter of the alphabet was cut out in the bright neon paper with the Ellison Maker.  We attempted a loose rainbow pattern with the alphabet to mix it up.  Then each letter was glued onto a white square of cardstock to make it stand out.  We also laminated these to make them last longer (and look nicer).  Finally, each letter was taped onto the top (or side) of each shelf where the section began.

The Reaction

This has been an easy, but effective use of a little bit of paper and time in the library.  The only questions I have received about the letters come from library science majors (usually doing a report for a class) while patrons take it in stride as they head over to the "J" shelf for the Redwall series.  These little squares of lettering have certainly helped librarians in shelving and so it is my hope that the teens have benefited as well.

I have noticed a decrease in teens asking where to physically find books or authors.  I certainly never minded showing a patron to the "S" shelf or specifically where Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series is located, but the increased independence, for teens especially, can boost the general comfort and openness of the library, allowing these patrons to feel as though they can easily navigate the library and, therefore, feel like it is a space intended for them.