Fostering curiosity in kids (and their parents) since 2011

New nonfiction titles include books on coronaviruses, space, BIPOC artists, spies, environmentalism, sports books, and video games.

Making our nonfiction more accessible

Grad school is having a “catch up on your reading week,” and I thought I’d use this pause between catching up on my reading and getting started on the two papers a week I have due between now and December 6, to report on how it’s going nonfiction-wise at my middle school library. TL;DR: Nonfiction circulation is up. Way up.

Making our nonfiction more browse-able: Part IV

My goal for this school year is to boost circulation in our nonfiction section. So far, I’ve rebalanced the entire collection to remove gaps, eliminate overstuffed shelves, and add more front-facing books. This week, I used WordArt to redo the nonfiction signs using thematically shaped word clouds that reflect the topics contained in each section.

Stack of books from our nonfiction section on voting, immigration, puberty, and body positivity.

Making our nonfiction section more browse-able: Part III

I continue to be obsessed with finding ways to make our nonfiction section feel more like the nonfiction section in a bookstore, and less like an inscrutable wall of books organized by arcane numerical wizardry. This week, how I’m planning to use the front half of the library to drive traffic to the back (where the nonfiction lives).