Page 210 - DLIS003_LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

Unit 11: Library Rules and Maintenance Work

‘Do not shelve the books. Leave them on the table’ etc. Notes
Stock Verification, etc.
Shelf Register/Shelf List: Shelf register or shelf list is an important record of books; which shows
the position of any book on the shelves. In order to control the movement of books in a library
a shelf list is made use of. A shelf list is usually maintained in standard size cards. These cards are
arranged parallel to the corresponding arrangement of books on the shelves. Books in the
library are kept in multiple sequences. Therefore, there would be many groups of shelf list card.
The shelf list enables the library to maintain correct sequence on the shelves. It can also indicate
immediately the position of any book on the shelf. Shelf list is nothing but a stock register and
therefore comes in handy for stock verification purposes. Since the shelf list is an important
record, it should be kept under the safe custody and also kept up-to-date.
Maintenance Routine: In Addition to the areas of responsibility related to the different functions
like stacking, shelf arrangement and stock verification, the maintenance section/division should
also attend to day-to-day routines. The duties of routine maintenance work are the following:
Dusting and Cleaning of Shelves: These are important and indispensable routines of libraries
which have to be attended meticulously. Books have to be protected from dust and dirt.
No room should be given to readers to complain about dust and dirt on the shelves. In a
library where stack area is very large, cleaning can be done by mechanical devices like
vacuum cleaners.

Shelving: Books received from the processing sections of the library need to be displayed
for a week or ten days on the latest additions shelf, before are taken to the stacks for
shelving. This may be a weekly activity. But books received from borrowers must be
returned to the shelves regularly, preferably the same day so that they are readily available
for use by others.

Shelf Study and Shelf Rectification: The maintenance staff at all levels in a library would
do well to devote their free time to studying the books on the shelves so as to develop a
fair knowledge of their contents. This knowledge is of vital importance to the efficiency of
their work, particularly in their relation to the reference section. An intimate knowledge
of the book collection would be invaluable in answering reference enquiries which involves
prolonged search.
Books are very often misplaced on the shelves by readers who browse through them.
Readers are to be strictly instructed not to replace books on shelves but still it may happen
quite often. A book wrongly placed is as good as lost. Hence restoring order among the
books is absolutely essential. This work is referred to as shelf rectification.

Damaged Books: Shelf study and shelf rectification would also enable the maintenance
staff to identify books that need mending, repair, rebinding, etc. Unsocial elements could
also mutilate books which can be discovered during shelf study or rectification. These
books have to be withdrawn from circulation temporarily till they are repaired or replaced
by a fresh copy if they are important.

Shifting and Re-shifting Books: In order to take away the monotony of appearance of
shelf arrangement and to introduced an element of novelty, books have to be reshuffled to
keep in tune with the changing popularity of subjects with the reading public. While this
cannot be done too frequently, the entire library may be reshuffled once in five years. But
this is necessary, though it involves extra work and some dislocation in service.

Assistance to Readers: Readers often need advice and help in locating and identifying
books of their interest. Although reference assistant may do this job, the maintenance staff
that have a closer knowledge of the contents of me library could go to the name of their
colleagues in the reference section.

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