The Sonoran Foothills 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 subject - Abraham Lincoln would be found in 921 LIN
Fiction: books are made up by the author
Everybody: books that everyone can enjoy
Everybody non-fiction: generally, non-fiction books for grades K-3
Beginning Chapter: fiction books for grades 1-3

Graphic Novels: stories told using text and illustrations in a comic-strip format

Young Adult: books for 7-8 graders with more mature themes
Reference: books that are not allowed to be checked out but may be used in the LMC 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.

 

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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. This graph of a caveman considering himself and the world around him, makes remembering the Dewey system a little easier. While the number identifies the category, the first 3 letters of the author's last name are also used for further classification.

Examples:
Believe It Or Not: Space Facts by David Baker - 501 BAK
Cats That Roar by Kimberly Weinberger - E 599.75 WEI (Everybody Non-fiction)
Arizona the Beautiful by Herb McLaughlin - REF 917.91 MCL (Reference)

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 Hat by Jan Brett - E BRE (Everybody)
Afternoon in the Amazon by Mary Pope Osborne - BC OSB (Beginning Chapter)

 

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 but may be used for research within the LMC.

 

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