Fiction_L Archives Short Story Anthologies -- Where Do They Go? Dates: 1/7/00,9:37 AM  through  1/7/00,3:13 PM  (8 postings) Search for: Select one or more indexes to search: 2011-current     2009-2010     2004-2008    1995-2003    (Matches from each index will be displayed separately in the results page.) Return to January 2000 thread menu   |   Fiction_L Archives Menu

FROM: "Ridgefield Library Fiction Room" <[removed]@biblio.org>
REC'D: 1/7/00, 9:37 AM

At our library, anthologies of short stories by more than one author are
grouped together in a separate Story Collection area in our adult fiction
room. This location is indicated by the call number, which says STRY rather
than FIC, but that doesn't mean much to patrons. The rest of the call number
is based on the title of the anthology. Within this collection, we do put
SF, fantasy, and mystery genre stickers on the spines (these are the genres
we separate from regular fiction as well). This is fine if someone is
looking for the O. Henry Prize stories or the Nebula award volume
specifically, but the collection as a whole gets very little use because
people don't know it is there. I am not convinced that even aggressive
promotion is going to train many people to go to this area unless they have
identified a particular title on the computer and it sends them there. I am
toying with the idea of dispersing these volumes back to the genre they
match and eliminating this separate section. This would put all the SF
collections for example, of which there are numerous, with the other SF
books where fans of that genre would find them while they browsed. I am
undecided about whether to interfile alphabetically (titles in with the
authors used on other call numbers) or simply to stick them at least in the
same part of the room.

What do the rest of you do with these troublesome items? Do you interfile,
keep separate, or what? Do you identify with some kind of a sticker which
would indicate that it is a story collection?

I want to do something that will bring these often wonderful books to the
attention of more people, and I am interested in hearing about any scheme
which has been successful for you.

TIA.

Mary Rindfleisch
Adult Services/Reader's Advisory Librarian
Ridgefield Library
Ridgefield, CT
[removed]@biblio.org

FROM: "Linda Cannon" <[removed]@mail.connect.more.net>
REC'D: 1/7/00, 10:42 AM

Ours are interfiled with the fiction (alphabetically by title, mixed with
the other books, which are shelved by author). We don't separate genres,
but do have SF stickers and so forth. Short story collections don't
circulate well here, no matter where we put them or what we do, but that's
how we shelve 'em!

At 10:48 AM 01/07/2000 -0500, you wrote:
>At our library, anthologies of short stories by more than one author are
>grouped together in a separate Story Collection area in our adult fiction
>room. This location is indicated by the call number, which says STRY rather
>than FIC, but that doesn't mean much to patrons. The rest of the call number
>is based on the title of the anthology. Within this collection, we do put
>SF, fantasy, and mystery genre stickers on the spines (these are the genres
>we separate from regular fiction as well). This is fine if someone is
>looking for the O. Henry Prize stories or the Nebula award volume
>specifically, but the collection as a whole gets very little use because
>people don't know it is there. I am not convinced that even aggressive
>promotion is going to train many people to go to this area unless they have
>identified a particular title on the computer and it sends them there. I am
>toying with the idea of dispersing these volumes back to the genre they
>match and eliminating this separate section. This would put all the SF
>collections for example, of which there are numerous, with the other SF
>books where fans of that genre would find them while they browsed. I am
>undecided about whether to interfile alphabetically (titles in with the
>authors used on other call numbers) or simply to stick them at least in the
>same part of the room.
>
>What do the rest of you do with these troublesome items? Do you interfile,
>keep separate, or what? Do you identify with some kind of a sticker which
>would indicate that it is a story collection?
>
>I want to do something that will bring these often wonderful books to the
>attention of more people, and I am interested in hearing about any scheme
>which has been successful for you.
>
>TIA.
>
>Mary Rindfleisch
>Adult Services/Reader's Advisory Librarian
>Ridgefield Library
>Ridgefield, CT
[removed]@biblio.org
>
>
Linda Cannon, Systems Librarian
Joplin Public Library
300 S. Main St.
Joplin, MO 64801-2384

417-623-7953 (fax 417-624-5217)
email [removed]@mail.connect.more.net

FROM: "Marla" <[removed]@orion.mtgr.mtlib.org>
REC'D: 1/7/00, 11:24 AM

About 15 years ago, we had a separate short story collection
shelving area in the fiction room. It was almost totally ignored.
Because we needed the shelf set it was on and in hopes of getting
the collection more noticed, I had it interfiled with the regular
fiction. They don't have genre stickers, but spine stickers that
indicate they are a short story collection.

I can't say this has helped improve the circulation on these items
much or not -- it seems about the same.

I have made a display of them occasionally (called "Short and to
the Point") or include them in other fiction displays when they
pertain to a certain subject display. They seem to circulate well
then.

(Maybe if we have "blue light" specials and announce them in the
stacks, people will flock to see what they are -- otherwise they are
just sort of *there* until needed.)

Marla/Great Falls Public Library/Acquisitions
301 2nd Ave N
Great Falls, MT 59401-2593
[removed]@orion.mtgr.mtlib.org

FROM: "Viccy Kemp" <[removed]@ci.carrollton.tx.us>
REC'D: 1/7/00, 12:18 PM

After many years as a separate collection, the Carrollton Public Libraries
decided to return the short stories to the main fiction collections, i.e.,
Poe's short stories will be filed with all the other Poe fiction. The
mystery and science fiction short story collections we have interfiled by
title, i.e., "Christmas stalkings : tales of yuletide murder" is in the
Mystery collection under "CHR" and "Best from fantasy and science fiction"
is in the Science Fiction collection under "BES." We determined this was
more patron friendly than making the patron look in a separate area.
HTH
Viccy Kemp
The opinions are my own; the library wouldn't want 'em!

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ridgefield Library Fiction Room [[removed]@biblio.org]
> Sent: Friday, January 07, 2000 9:49 AM
> [removed]@maillist.nslsilus.org
> Subject: Short Story Anthologies -- Where Do They Go?
>
> At our library, anthologies of short stories by more than one author are
> grouped together in a separate Story Collection area in our adult fiction
> room. This location is indicated by the call number, which says STRY
> rather
> than FIC, but that doesn't mean much to patrons. The rest of the call
> number
> is based on the title of the anthology. Within this collection, we do put
> SF, fantasy, and mystery genre stickers on the spines (these are the
> genres
> we separate from regular fiction as well). This is fine if someone is
> looking for the O. Henry Prize stories or the Nebula award volume
> specifically, but the collection as a whole gets very little use because
> people don't know it is there. I am not convinced that even aggressive
> promotion is going to train many people to go to this area unless they
> have
> identified a particular title on the computer and it sends them there. I
> am
> toying with the idea of dispersing these volumes back to the genre they
> match and eliminating this separate section. This would put all the SF
> collections for example, of which there are numerous, with the other SF
> books where fans of that genre would find them while they browsed. I am
> undecided about whether to interfile alphabetically (titles in with the
> authors used on other call numbers) or simply to stick them at least in
> the
> same part of the room.
>
> What do the rest of you do with these troublesome items? Do you
> interfile,
> keep separate, or what? Do you identify with some kind of a sticker
> which
> would indicate that it is a story collection?
>
> I want to do something that will bring these often wonderful books to the
> attention of more people, and I am interested in hearing about any scheme
> which has been successful for you.
>
> TIA.
>
> Mary Rindfleisch
> Adult Services/Reader's Advisory Librarian
> Ridgefield Library
> Ridgefield, CT
> [removed]@biblio.org

FROM: "Brenda O'Brien" <[removed]@sls.lib.il.us>
REC'D: 1/7/00, 1:48 PM

At my library, single author story collections are shelved
under author in fiction, mystery, science fiction, or western. Multiple
author story collections that are of one genre: mystery, science fiction,
or western, get shelved by title in that genre. Everything else goes in
the 800's. Romance collections, usually 3-4 novellas, rather than
stories, go in the paperback romance collection, or the hardcover fiction
collection, so I guess that's one exception.

We also do displays to promote short stories. It's just my
perception, but I think multiple author collections go out more than
single author ones. Perhaps that's because the latter are often new
authors who are not familiar to patrons. Are there libraries out there in
Fiction_L land with high circ statistics for short stories? What's your
secret?


Brenda O'Brien
Woodridge Public Library
[removed]@sls.lib.il.us

FROM: "Karen Bilton" <[removed]@wccls.lib.or.us>
REC'D: 1/7/00, 2:37 PM

We also have a short story collection, separate from the rest of adult
fiction. We include anthologies as well as collections by a single author.
We assign the collection code SSC before the call number which is either the
first 3 letters of the author's last name of title of the book. We get a
mixed response from patrons with regards to understanding this.

It is reassuring to hear from others that their's do not circulate well
because ours do not either. But they do have a small following of very
loyal fans. I was told that before I came here they were intermingled with
the rest of adult fiction and that separating them has actually improved
their numbers. I plan on doing an assertive display and promotion of them
very soon; hopefully that will help. I am curious to hear about others
experiences and methods of getting short story collections noticed.

Karen Bilton
Cedar Mill Community Library
Portland, OR

> At 10:48 AM 01/07/2000 -0500, you wrote:
> >At our library, anthologies of short stories by more than one author are
> >grouped together in a separate Story Collection area in our adult fiction
> >room. This location is indicated by the call number, which says STRY
> rather
> >than FIC, but that doesn't mean much to patrons. The rest of the call
> number
> >is based on the title of the anthology. Within this collection, we do put
> >SF, fantasy, and mystery genre stickers on the spines (these are the
> genres
> >we separate from regular fiction as well). This is fine if someone is
> >looking for the O. Henry Prize stories or the Nebula award volume
> >specifically, but the collection as a whole gets very little use because
> >people don't know it is there. I am not convinced that even aggressive
> >promotion is going to train many people to go to this area unless they
> have
> >identified a particular title on the computer and it sends them there. I
> am
> >toying with the idea of dispersing these volumes back to the genre they
> >match and eliminating this separate section. This would put all the SF
> >collections for example, of which there are numerous, with the other SF
> >books where fans of that genre would find them while they browsed. I am
> >undecided about whether to interfile alphabetically (titles in with the
> >authors used on other call numbers) or simply to stick them at least in
> the
> >same part of the room.
> >
> >What do the rest of you do with these troublesome items? Do you
> interfile,
> >keep separate, or what? Do you identify with some kind of a sticker
> which
> >would indicate that it is a story collection?
> >
> >I want to do something that will bring these often wonderful books to the
> >attention of more people, and I am interested in hearing about any scheme
> >which has been successful for you.
> >
> >TIA.
> >
> >Mary Rindfleisch
> >Adult Services/Reader's Advisory Librarian
> >Ridgefield Library
> >Ridgefield, CT
> [removed]@biblio.org
> >
> >
> Linda Cannon, Systems Librarian
> Joplin Public Library
> 300 S. Main St.
> Joplin, MO 64801-2384
>
> 417-623-7953 (fax 417-624-5217)
> email [removed]@mail.connect.more.net

FROM: "Jeanne Etling" <[removed]@ccs.nsls.lib.il.us>
REC'D: 1/7/00, 2:40 PM

At Dundee we have a short story collection separated out. The high
school's English classes have their students use short stories to some
degree, so this helps them. I do have mysteries and science fiction
short stories shelved within their collections and collections by a single
author are placed with the author's material unless they are very topical
like all legal stories or dog stories or ghost stories. Then they go into
Short Stories. I do have labels that say short stories for books that are
in fiction, mystery or science fiction. Hope this helps. By the way, if
you're looking for display ideas, short story collections are a good way
of finding a new author.

Hope this helps.

Jeanne Etling
Dundee (IL) Township Public Library District

FROM: "Pam Wheeler" <[removed]@newark.lib.oh.us>
REC'D: 1/7/00, 3:13 PM

I dealt with this problem by using the 823 number and the genre and
call number for SF, Fantasy, Westerns and Mysteries and placing all of
these at the end of the regular genre collections. Any SS by one author
are filed in the regular fiction with that author's other fiction.

Pam Wheeler
Assistant Director
Newark Public Library System
88 West Church St.
Newark, OH 43055

voice: 740-345-8972
fax: 740-345-8147

On Fri, 7 Jan 2000, Ridgefield Library Fiction Room wrote:

> At our library, anthologies of short stories by more than one author are
> grouped together in a separate Story Collection area in our adult fiction
> room. This location is indicated by the call number, which says STRY rather
> than FIC, but that doesn't mean much to patrons. The rest of the call number
> is based on the title of the anthology. Within this collection, we do put
> SF, fantasy, and mystery genre stickers on the spines (these are the genres
> we separate from regular fiction as well). This is fine if someone is
> looking for the O. Henry Prize stories or the Nebula award volume
> specifically, but the collection as a whole gets very little use because
> people don't know it is there. I am not convinced that even aggressive
> promotion is going to train many people to go to this area unless they have
> identified a particular title on the computer and it sends them there. I am
> toying with the idea of dispersing these volumes back to the genre they
> match and eliminating this separate section. This would put all the SF
> collections for example, of which there are numerous, with the other SF
> books where fans of that genre would find them while they browsed. I am
> undecided about whether to interfile alphabetically (titles in with the
> authors used on other call numbers) or simply to stick them at least in the
> same part of the room.
>
> What do the rest of you do with these troublesome items? Do you interfile,
> keep separate, or what? Do you identify with some kind of a sticker which
> would indicate that it is a story collection?
>
> I want to do something that will bring these often wonderful books to the
> attention of more people, and I am interested in hearing about any scheme
> which has been successful for you.
>
> TIA.
>
> Mary Rindfleisch
> Adult Services/Reader's Advisory Librarian
> Ridgefield Library
> Ridgefield, CT
> [removed]@biblio.org
>
>

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