RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
Books and documents Books should be arranged upright from left to right, starting
on the top shelf. Shelves must not be overcrowded. Overcrowding can damage the
books by preventing any flow of air between them and making it awkward to
remove them. It will also leave little space for adding new books. It is best to fill
only three-quarters of the shelf space to allow for new additions. This will save staff
from constantly having to move books to make room for new ones.
Each shelf should be labelled according to its subject, so that users can see where to
find material on a particular subject. If shelves are labelled with classification
numbers and the subject that they represent, it will help users to understand the
classification system.
Shelf labels or book labels can also be used to identify different categories of
materials. For example, different coloured labels can be used to identify materials
that may not be borrowed, or to distinguish training manuals from other
publications.
Labels can be hand-made and stuck onto the shelves, or a special shelf-label holder
can be obtained from library suppliers.
TIP: How to make shelf labels
You can make shelf labels from stiff white or coloured cardboard. The
piece of card should be long enough to fit the number of letters needed,
without making the letters too small to see from a distance. The height of
the card should be no more than a couple of inches, to prevent it getting
in the way of removing books from the shelf.
Write the classification number and subject on the piece of card clearly
with a thick, felt-tip pen. If you have a computer, print the labels in large
type. If possible, cover the labels with transparent tape to keep them
clean and protect them from damage.
Oversized books, posters and audiovisuals It is often convenient to keep very large
books separately from other books, as this makes better use of shelving space, and
enables more materials to be fitted into a smaller resource centre.
Slides are sometimes kept in hanging files, either in filing cabinets or filing boxes.
Posters are usually stored in map chests or plan chests, or in a large folder (see
Section 3.3: Choosing furniture and equipment). Rolling up or folding posters is
not recommended, as it may damage them.
Videos are sometimes kept in a locked cupboard. If so, it is very important to
provide a list of videos in subject order, with brief summaries of their content, so
that users know what is available.
Periodicals Periodicals are best kept in pamphlet boxes or magazine boxes (see
Section 3.3.3). These help to protect the periodicals and make them easily
accessible. All parts of a periodical volume should be kept in one box. Several
24 SECTION 5: ORGANISING THE INFORMATION