Every day, children and young people navigate an ever-evolving information landscape, where the ways they access and interact with content—through streaming services, social media, and other platforms—impacts their learning and personal interests. In response, school libraries have increasingly considered alternatives to traditional collection organisation systems like Dewey Decimal Classification, with some adopting genrefication, which organizes collections by genre for easier, more intuitive browsing. But what does the research say about this trend?

In this session, Dr. Kay Oddone will present the findings from a systematic literature review that was conducted by Dr. Kasey Garrison, Krystal Gagen-Spriggs, and Dr. Oddone, all members of the Teacher Librarianship team at CSU. The research will be published in an upcoming issue of Library Trends.

The review examined eighteen academic and professional articles on genrefication in school libraries since 2000. The majority of literature supports the benefits of genrefication, citing improvements in student access, collection development, and alignment with reading and curriculum needs. However, the review also uncovered a lack of empirical studies, highlighting the need for more research to guide best practices.

Guided by this indepth exploration of the literature on genrefication, participants will explore its advantages and challenges, learn about its impact on student engagement and resource access, and understand the gaps in existing research. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how genrefication can enhance their own library practices and the value of high-quality research in informing evidence-based decisions for key library management choices.