This is the fiction wall showing mainly the shelves containing FIC C through FIC H. This picture was taken in February of 2005. Books were in circulation but even at the end of the year, the shelves were not completely full. There are lots of old books on these shelves. Most notably the top shelf on the right side of the picture are the Betsy books by Carolyn Haywood. These titles are from the 1940's and '50's. I'm sure these were reprints, but probably from the 1960's.
Here is a picture I took today. I tried to take it from the exact same angle.
This is the same section of the fiction wall. Books are in circulation but the shelves are so impacted that I have to keep books on display on top of the shelf because they don't fit. Poor Carolyn Haywood is nowhere to be seen. She got weeded. Anthony Horowitz now sits in her place. Quite a number of other dusty old shelf sitters have been replaced by new titles that kids want to read.
When I stand back and look at the fiction shelves, I feel very proud of what I've been able to accomplish, especially considering how much my budget has shrunk since 2001. Non-fiction, not so much. However, with the Common Core Standards coming, non-fiction is going to need some serious attention.
Here are some fun facts about the collection:
In 2003, the average publication date of the general fiction collection was 1980. Today it is 1997. Still not ideal, but better.
The total number of books in the library in 2003 was 11,535 (21.36 books per student). Today it is 14,525 (25.32 books per student).
