This document is for INTERNAL purposes in order to sort books only. It is NOT the school policy document.
People signing up for book sorting should have a very good idea of children and youth literature in order to discriminate between the vast numbers of donations we receive. The main categories we use for sorting books are as follows.
Fiction Kinder / Primary
Non-fiction Kinder / Primary
Fiction Secondary
Non-fiction Secondary
Fiction / non-fiction read and recycle - secondary / Adult
Fiction / non-fiction read and recycle - kindergarten / primary
Books and materials suitable for global concerns
Languages other than English
Suitable for Art department
Trash
Keep for library:
Books must be worthy of the library, so in very good condition (no mold, tears, scribbling, names written inside). Books can be vintage books or classics which are out of print and hard to find or otherwise unusual. Put these books on the shelves in the right category and librarians will check if they need them for the collection.
Keep for classroom libraries:
We have classroom libraries throughout the school. Books that are popular for the various age-groups (or on the classroom library lists) that are in good condition (but perhaps not pristine), or where there already are enough copies of that book in the library (would otherwise be suitable to keep for library) can be offered to teachers for their classroom libraries. Need to sort between primary / middle / high school in the categories of fiction / nonfiction. Teachers will be invited to come and select books as needed. Books suitable for 16+ years old can be put on the shelf for "boarding house".
Langues other than English
Any foreign language books in good condition should be set aside and sorted by language. The nationality representative for that language will assist in finding parents who can help to check if the book is suitable for the school library and for what level and help the librarians in cataloguing the books.
Suitable for Global Concerns:
We support a number of global concerns around the world and a few local concerns here in Singapore. Books that are suitable include easy readers, alphabet books, nice picture books, board books, children’s encyclopedias and stationery in good condition. Separate the various types of books so it is easy for the person in charge of that GC to select books to take along on trips. For example separate between fiction and nonfiction and in age ranges. Simplest English, slightly more complex and then High School.
Be culturally sensitive, i.e. any christian books are suitable for Philipines but not for the other countries we support.
Read and Recycle - Kindergarten, Primary, Middle school and High school / adult:
Books that are in readable condition and of interest to our community are separated into fiction/nonfiction and between Kindergarten, Primary, Middle school and High School / adult. These books are put on shelves outside the primary / secondary libraries and are free to borrow / take for our community.
Art Department
Books that are not in a readable condition or of interest to our community or which are badly out of date but which may be recycled into art work, are separated and boxed for the art department who will recycle them in various art projects.
Trash
Unfortunately some books are in such bad condition or so torn and moldy that they are unsuitable for anything but being thrown away. These need to be put in a box and placed for collection to be recycled as old paper.
