Types of Books
The West Wing Library Media Center contains thousands of books! Finding what you need is easy, if you know how to use the LMC.

Types of Books
Non-fiction: books that are about real things - animals, countries, space, etc.
Biographies are located in 921 by the subjects last name - Abraham Lincoln would be found in 921 LIN
Fiction: stories are made up by the author
Everybody: Picture books containing context appropriate for all ages.
Everybody non-fiction: generally, non-fiction books for grades K-3
Beginning Chapter: fiction books for grades 1-3
Reference: books that are not allowed to be checked out by students but may be checked out to teachers or used in the LMC by all for research.

Every book in the LMC will have a spine label located on the book's spine, easily visible when on the shelf. It contains the book's call number. This is the book's "address." This address will identify to the reader what type of book it is and where on the shelf it belongs relative to the other books. Using a shelf marker is very important to keep books shelved properly so that other students may find them.

 

Electronic Books:   West Wing carries "E books" which can be read online anytime.  A login (wws) and a password (guest) are needed to enter our E book collection.  There is no need for "checking out" these types of books.  When you are finished you simply click on the book icon that says "close"  in the upper left hand corner of the screen to close the book.   If the book is closed any other way the book will be inaccessible for 15 minutes.   Some of our books are "infinite user" and are designated with the lazy 8 (infinity sign).  These books can be read by an unlimited amount of users at the same time. 




Non-fiction Organization
Non-fiction books are organized using the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC). This system was developed by Melvil Dewey, one the greatest librarians of all time. He used 10 numerical categories to organize books by their subject matter.  While the number identifies the category, the first 3 letters of the author's last name are also used for further classification.

Examples:
Welcome to Italy by Nicole Frank - 945 FRA
The Solar System by Paul P. Sipeira - E 523.2 SIP (Everybody Non-fiction)
1000 Years of Famous People - REF 920 (Reference)


Fiction Organization
Fiction is organized by using the first 3 letters of the author's last name.

Examples:
The Giver by Lois Lowry - FIC LOW (Fiction)
The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett - E BRE (Everybody)
Afternoon in the Amazon by Mary Pope Osborne - BC OSB (Beginning Chapter)




Reference Materials
Reference materials include encyclopedias, dictionaries, multi-volume sets and research related books. They are organized using the Dewey Decimal Classification system and will have REF before the number. Reference materials are located in a special area of the LMC. They may NOT be checked out except by teachers but may be used for research within the LMC by all.