ALPENA — After months of research and discussions, the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library has begun the process of reorganizing the Juvenile Nonfiction collection to make it more user-friendly for kids, parents, and caregivers, according to a press release from the library on Monday.

The collection will be rearranged according to the Browse Method, a system developed by librarians at Cumberland Public Library in Rhode Island and implemented at multiple libraries across the country.

The Browse Method is a modified version of Book Industry Standards and Communications, a globally recognized method of categorizing books with subject headings instead of using the Dewey Decimal System.

This system has been proven to make browsing the shelves easier by using clearly defined and labeled subject categories in plain English.

“I think we wanted to be clear that we have been listening to the concerns expressed by members of the community about items they felt are too mature for some of the kids browsing the shelves and we felt that this reorganization was a good way to address those concerns, not removing or moving the titles but making sure that users can take a glance at the shelf labels and know exactly what type of material is shelved there,” Assistant Library Director Jessica Luther said. “We want our patrons to be able to find what they are looking for without the confusion and vagueness of the Dewey system labels.”

The Browse Method will shelve the books similarly to a bookstore.

Reclassifying the books will be a lengthy process with over 4,000 books in the Juvenile Nonfiction section, the press release said. Each item will be placed under one of nine major categories and then under a more specific subcategory, the label on the spine will be color-coded and clearly marked with the subject and subcategory.

The shelves within the collection will be clearly labeled to ensure library users are searching in the section they want to be in.

“For example, if a child is doing a report on birds they would go to the Science shelves, look for the Nature section and ideally, all of the books in the Juvenile Nonfiction collection about birds will be right there instead of having to figure out which of the Dewey Decimal numbers corresponds to birds,” the press release said. “Additionally, books about human anatomy and body systems would be cataloged under Science: Biology; Anatomy and Physiology, while those titles about sexuality, bodily autonomy, and other sexual education topics would be cataloged under Body, Health, and Mind: Family Life; Sex Education.”

Once the Juvenile Nonfiction Collection has been reclassified, the Teen and Young Adult Collection will be next. For more information on the Browse Methodology visit: https://www.cumberlandlibrary.org/browse-method.