Non-fiction shelf labels to make MacGyver proud

 

I really wish I had taken a before photo prior to starting this project. But to be honest, I was so eager to clean up the non-fiction section that I basically tore the shelves apart as soon as the students left for the holiday break and didn't look back. 

Before this project, these red plastic supports were what we were using to divide the sections and indicate Dewey classifications. A less than charming quality of these 'lil guys: the bases break easily, causing both the support and all the books they are supporting to tip and slide all over the place. With a bunch of broken ones in a row, the shelf order had totally dissolved in some places. Additionally, these small labels were not really representative of what is in our non-fiction collection. They suggested much more narrow focus in certain areas than what was actually on the shelves, as well as using vocabulary that wasn't really accessible for the year 7s using the library. 

I can't take credit for the idea of how to replace them without spending any of our budget; that belongs to my colleague. She suggested we upcycle some of the many magazine file holders we had in storage, which could then double up as signage and storage on the non-fiction shelves. I told her she was brilliant, and got to work designing our new labels. 

What I used:

• magazine file holders
• glue sticks
• paper cutter
• scissors
• printed labels on size A3 paper
• Vistafoil

I designed the labels in Canva, and was inspired by these two sets of existing designs by Maggie Appleton and Natasha Potzsch, found through the blog of fellow international librarian Katie Day. I chose to simplify many of the Dewey subject headings, and customized them to fit our collection. 

While I was working on them, I continually asked myself "Would these words make sense to me if I didn't know what I was looking for? Would these images clarify meaning for me? How would these labels direct my browsing, if I'm not searching for a specific book?"

I made sure to measure the magazine files and replicate those sizes in my designs. After printing, I cut the labels down to size, leaving some white space on either side so the label would cover the entire back of the organizer. Some tips I picked up after the first few tries:

• I pre-folded each label before sticking it onto the organizer, which helped me get it centred properly and keep it level. 
• I put glue on both the label edges and the organizer itself, before sticking on the label. 
• I pressed out any bubbles/folds before covering the label with Vistafoil.
• The size of Vistafoil I was using didn't quite cover the full label completely, so this was actually a great opportunity to use up some of the awkwardly sized scraps I've been hanging onto. After covering the main area, I went back and covered the bottom edge with a scrap cut to size. 

They turned out really well! The labels add some cheerful, eye-catching color to the non-fiction shelves and are a more accurate representation of what we have in the collection. One thing that I'd be happy to hear suggestions on is how to weigh them down and keep them more solidly in place on the shelves. Some of the magazine holders are actually being used to hold subject specific magazines, but many are empty and move rather easily with the books to either side of them when they are taken off the shelf. So if you have any thoughts on that, please drop them in a comment! 

If you want a copy of my label designs, download a pdf version here. If you'd like to edit the labels to suit your own collection, send me an email and I'd be happy to share the editable file on Canva.