Flashback (Youth Collection Demystified- Board Books)

Have you ever walked into the youth area of your local library and wondered "How on earth is this organized, and where do I find what I need?"  Maybe you browsed on your own until you located the right title, or maybe you asked a librarian for help.  Maybe you left the library frustrated that you couldn't find what you needed.

Well, no more!  All the information you need is at your fingertips- in the catalog and on the book spines!  Over the next few weeks, I'll help to "demystify" the code on those paper spine labels so you can always find exactly what you're looking for. 

Overview
Let's start with the board book collection.  Those small, sturdy squares with cardboard-esque pages are perfect for adults to read to babies or toddlers who are just beginning to learn how to appreciate books.  The covers of board books are washable, their pages don't rip easily, and they often feature simple, bright illustrations and minimal text.

What It Looks Like

Here's a seasonal board book I snagged from our collection at Ironton.

Board books are different from the majority of the Youth Collection in that they don't have spine labels. 

Look, Ma, no label! :)

We often keep our collection corralled in a plastic bin or two, near the picture books- a section we'll talk about in the next installment of this series!

How to Find It
Let's say you found the above dePaola title listed in the card catalog...

Author entry card for Tomie dePaola's My First Thanksgiving.

and you wanted to know how to find it in the Youth Collection.  In the upper left-hand corner of the catalog card is a call number or locator.  This card notes that My First Thanksgiving is a board book, so automatically, we know we can find it in the board book bin (or designated shelf, as it happens at some of our branch libraries), which I've already mentioned are always located near the yellow-spined picture books. 

And that's it- an overview of board books and how to find them in the library!  Next up: demystifying the picture book collection...

Keep reading!

Shaen