LABELLING BOOKS

When we visit schools to install libraries, we always aim to leave the library as inviting and as practically useful as possible. Part of this process involves letter-labelling and jacketing your fiction, and Dewey-classifying and labelling your information books. Here's a bit of info about the process, where we source the stationery, and how you can continue to label, jacket and classify new stock into the future.

Jackets

The jackets that we use for fiction stock come from Book Protectors. They are known as Lyfjackets, and the size to go for is 198mm, which is the standard size for fiction. We don't jacket books that are bigger or smaller than this - but if you'd like to, there are a bewildering amount of other sizes available. Jackets come in boxes of 100.

Click here to go to the Book Protectors website, or phone them on 020 8520 0012

Fiction Labelling

We source our letter labels from Gresswell. They come in individual letter boxes of 250, and we understand that most schools do not wish to buy 23 (no need for Q, X or Z) boxes of labels. Plus, a full set currently costs around £160.

So, if you need a letter label top-up, we can send you one of our letter packs. These contain 600 letter labels (with more of the more frequently-needed letters) plus a box of 1000 label protectors. We charge £35 per pack, which includes staff time building the pack and postage.

If you'd rather buy direct from Gresswell,

search for 'individual alphabet labels' and 'demco label protectors' on their site.

(make sure you select white labels, and choose the smaller 35x25mm label protectors)

Click here for Gresswell's Website

Dewey-Classifying Information Books

We classify information books using your local authority's version of the Dewey system, which is the standard system in British libraries. Despite the idea of the Dewey system to be consistent, most local authorities have their own variation of the system. If you're not sure which system you have in your library, please contact us and we will either look at our records to see which system we used, or try to identify the system based on some number and colour requests.

To classify new titles you will need labels and label protectors. Labels can be purchased from Avery, the size to go for is 26x16mm.

Click here to go to the Avery Website

Label protectors are available from Gresswell. Make sure you choose the 51x76mm size for non-fiction

Click here to go to the Gresswell Website

You will need the template layout to type in the Dewey numbers to be printed. We use the font Helvetica Bold at 12pt.

Click here for the template for Word

You will also need to print colour labels which align with your county's Dewey system. We suggest printing full pages of colour onto label sheets (one full page of Grey, one of Black, and so on).

These colour labels will go underneath the number labels - check the stock we've supplied to make sure that your colours match up with ours.

Different printers print slightly different shades, so we can't easily tell you how to recreate our colours, you'll have to do a bit of trial and error to see how close you can get with your printer.

Hopefully that's enough information to get you started with

classifying and labelling any new stock you purchase for your library!

Please let us know if you get stuck with anything and we'll try to help you out.

Matt Brocklehurst
matt@ncbc.co.uk
Norfolk Children's Book Centre
(01263) 761402