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Shelving LibGuide: Stock Maintenance

This LibGuide uses the Library of Congress Classification Scheme to shelve to items and maintain collections.

What is Stock Maintenance?

Maintenance of library material involves kinds of stacking, shelf arrangement, cleaning, shelving, stock verification and weeding of unwanted material. Maintenance of library materials involves continuous monitoring of the stack room, displaying of new materials on the display racks and arrangement of the books and periodicals on the shelves after use. 

Collect - Sort - File

  • Begin by arranging the books to be shelved on a trolley, in the order which they are going to be shelved.
  • Sort books by location first, then by call number.
  • Remember to separate pamphlets as these are not filed among the books. 
  • This preparation will help you speed up the shelving process.
  • Place the books upright on the trolley.

 

Shelf-Reading and Blocking

  • All miss-shelved books should be removed /corrected.
  • Tattered and torn books should also be removed.
  • Books in the library are usually arranged in a way that will enable the reader to locate them easily.

PROPERLY BLOCKED SECTION              SECTION THAT NEEDS TO BE BLOCKED

                                                                           

Shelving Maintenance

In general, good air circulation should be maintained in storage areas. They should be stored three inches away from walls to allow air circulation.

Books should be arranged so that shelves are full, but not so tight as to cause damage when they are removed. Bookends should always be used for shelves that are not full. Shelving should be wide enough so that books do not extend beyond the edged. As a rule, books should not be staked in piles on shelves. 

At the same time, books on shelves should be kept even with each other on the shelves and not in a ragged, haphazard, or "any old way" fashion - - even if shelved upright and with bookends.