When students enter the library that I manage, I’ve become hyperaware, since interviewing Kelsey, that students can become overwhelmed by staring at what can be rows and rows of book spines. Having a library with thousands of books that reflect the lives of the student population that you serve is vitally important, yet without a librarian there to guide them it can be a confusing ordeal. There is evidence to suggest that having too much choice can be detrimental. This is reflected in the UK supermarket giant Tesco and their decision to reduce the number of products they serve by 30,000. There can be parallels drawn to a school library and this decision by Tesco to reduce the number of products. The reason Tesco is doing this is that they understand that their customers are short on time and that shopping in a huge store can be exhausting and stressful, especially if you have children in tow. In a school library, the students are also short on time. They have to grab some food, rush in, look for a book, or join a club and then look for a book if they want one. Then they are faced with nothing but row after row of spines that tell them absolutely nothing about the books they are staring at. This is where dynamic shelving comes in, because it’s a great way to reduce that stress, bring in new readers, increase circulation and make your job easier as well. There is no magic wand approach to shelving arrangements, however, as mentioned, there is strong evidence to show that kids and teens who are presented with a wall of books can feel overwhelmed and even anxious. Too much choice without a dedicated librarian on hand can have a detrimental effect. Using dynamic shelving by bringing great books to the forefront with well-written reviews and presented in a way that they jump out at students can make a difference and it’s worth a try.
