Genrefied Book Speed Dating

Two years ago I spent the school year genrefying the fiction section of my high school library.  Genrefication is a popular movement in libraries - it makes it easier to browse and find a book and gives the library more of a bookstore feel.  My students LOVE it, and check out has definitely increased to support that claim! 

Today some 9th grade classes came to the library for book speed dating.  I had 8 tables with stacks of different genres and I made signs for each genre.  The students had 3 minutes at each table.  If they found a book they liked, they could carry it with them, but they couldn't carry more than 2 with them at a time. I didn't make them be silent or take notes.  It was designed to be a low-key activity that gave the students the opportunity to look at a lot of books.  I did make bookmarks for them so they could write down books they wanted to read if they found a lot they loved!  I was excited about how many students took advantage of this and made a "to read" list for themselves!  (You can download the bookmark for FREE here!)

I made genre signs to put on the tables and put out big stacks of books from each genre.  I had tables for Realistic Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Nonfiction, Historical Fiction, Sports (fiction and nonfiction), Graphic Novels, and Mystery/Horror!  I pulled from our new books, my favorites, and student favorites. 

The students have had a great time and found some good matches. You could tell when the kids were at the table with their preferred genres, but some students even checked out books in genres they may not normally read - which makes me so happy! 

So now I have a cart full of books to shelve on Monday, but it's totally worth it!