Nonfiction can be defined by what it is not and consumes a
wide array of books. Nonfiction completes roughly half of the library.
Nonfiction has certain qualifications, one of them being the author. Librarians
should do their homework and look into nonfiction authors and their background.
Some authors are known to be the “go-tos” who have done their research.
Nonfiction can be broken into sub genres and formats, such as narrative and
picture books. Checking to see if the facts are accurate is an important part
of evaluating nonfiction. When checking facts, take a specific topic and
compare the facts. Even students can help in researching the facts. Librarians
should rely on professional lists, quality series and authors to know they are
getting quality books. Knowing the purpose of a nonfiction book may better suit
the needs of various patrons. Nonfiction text should be organized in a way
where students can efficiently find information without wasting time. Visuals
help break up the text but also help convey the purpose of the book. As
librarians, it is important to put aside personal viewpoints and be sure to
provide nonfiction books that may not align with your beliefs. Fact checking is
imperative to having an authentic nonfiction section of the library. When I
evaluate criteria, I want to be sure to look at the credibility of not just the
books, but the authors as well. I think as librarians get experience under
their belt, this might be an easier task. I will pay close attention to the
organization of the book because having glossaries, indexes, table of contents help even me
when I am researching a topic. I recently read a book about the Titanic and in
the back, it had notes, pictures, and quotes from survivors along with the time
line and information about key players during the sinking of the Titanic. These sections helped me piece the story together a little
better in my mind.
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