How to Read a Spine Label at ACPL

At the Albany County Public Library, everything a patron can check out has a spine label with a call number. Here’s a quick guide on what each one means:

Children’s Area

The children’s area is home to one of the most diverse collections at ACPL. This area of the library houses anything from board books for babies to large chapter books to board games! We’ll start with the youngest readers and go up from there.

E BOARD

Our board books conveniently have the same call number: E BOARD. Board books are typically meant for young children, from babies to early toddlers. These books are durable and made of thick cardboard, perfect for these young readers to get used to holding their own books!

E

Books with call numbers that say “E” on top are our picture books. Picture books are, usually, meant for parents to read with their children. They have many illustrations that provide context to children for the story. ACPL labels picture books with an “E,” then a genre, like “SERIES,” “SOCIAL,” or “STEM.” Finally, the last line of the call number is the author’s last name. We organize them in alphabetical order by author’s last name!

ER

ER books, which stands for “Early Reader,” are books meant for children to read on their own, especially those in early elementary school. The words are simple and the stories are easy to understand, and are usually accompanied by illustrations to help guide the story. ACPL has both fiction and nonfiction ER books, perfect for little ones looking for adventure or for facts about their favorite animals. Fiction ERs are organized alphabetically by author’s last name, and nonfiction ERs are organized numerically using the Dewey Decimal system.

EC

Books labeled “EC” are the next step up from Early Readers. EC stands for “Easy Chapter.” These books are a transition from picture and ER books into chapter books, and usually have a chapter structure that you’ll find in bigger and more complex chapter books, while being at a reading level for younger readers. There are fiction and nonfiction EC books as well, and are organized the same way as ER books.

J FICTION

What kids commonly call chapter books are what we label as “J FICTION.” These books are more complicated with higher reading levels, meant for later elementary school and early middle school reading levels. They are usually longer than EC books with infrequent, if any, illustrations. These may also commonly be called “middle grade” books – they fall in the middle between children’s books and teen books. The call numbers on these say “J FICTION,” followed by the author’s last name, and are alphabetized by author’s last name in our collection.

J NONFICTION

J Nonfiction books follow the Dewey Decimal system for classification – you’ll see the letter “J” followed by three or more numbers (or a “B” for biography). These books are for readers of all ages to learn new facts, but are usually more advanced than the nonfiction books found in our ER and EC collections. They are organized numerically by number, starting at 001 and going through 999. There is also a biography collection coming after 999, specified with a “B.”

J GN

GN stands for “Graphic Novel.” J GN books are graphic novels meant for kids. These have grown in popularity in recent years! They feature illustrations in panels that tell the story, similar to comic books. The grade level for J GN books at ACPL varies, with some graphic novels being comparable to ER books and others being more like the J FICTION chapter books. They are organized alphabetically by author’s last name.

J PLAY

ACPL has a variety of children’s audiobooks! “J PLAY” books are Playaways – small devices with audiobooks on them, similar to an MP3 player. J PLAY books at ACPL are typically comparable to J FICTION books. Just plug in your own headphones and listen to a book!

J CD

Similar to Playaways, ACPL also carries children’s CD audiobooks. Sometimes on multiple CDs, these audiobooks can be put into any CD player, like one in a car or on a boombox. These are usually also comparable to J FICTION books!

J WONDER

Wonderbooks are a fantastic way to listen to an audiobook while reading along! These span across age ranges, with some being picture books and others being chapter books. Wonderbooks will read books out loud to children while they can read along with the actual pages of the book!

J BG

Did you know ACPL has board games to check out? Our Juvenile or “J” board games are meant for children and families, and usually have a suggested age under 8. The call numbers on these board games will say “J BG” followed by the first word of the title of the game. Anything without a “J” would be a board game for adults or older children!

Movies/TV Shows

This section of the children’s area features movies and TV shows meant for children or families, like Bluey, Shrek, or Frozen. Spine labels in our children’s movies/TV shows section start with a “J” followed by either “BLURAY” or “DVD.” Then, they feature the first word of the title. ACPL organizes these alphabetically by the first letter of the title. We also offer a variety of nonfiction J DVDs, organized in numerical order using the Dewey Decimal System!

Young Adult

Moving up in age now, we have our Young Adult section of the library. Young Adult books are meant for teenagers, ranging from 12 to 19 years of age. These books are a step above the middle grade chapter books, with themes and writing styles more suited for teens. While these books have teenaged main characters, adults over 19 read and enjoy them as well!

YA FICTION

“YA FICTION” on ACPL spine labels refers to books in the Young Adult age range that are fiction. At ACPL, this includes all genres, like science fiction, thriller, and romance. These books are organized alphabetically by the author’s last name!

YA NONFICTION

Our YA nonfiction section is also based on the Dewey Decimal system. The spine labels will say “YA” followed by three or more numbers (or a B for biography) and the author’s last name. These books are also meant for teens, with many of them being adapted from adult books to be more suitable for this younger audience.

YA GN

Similar to the J GN section, YA GN refers to Graphic Novels for the Young Adult audience! These graphic novels are a little more mature than the J graphic novels, and feature fellow teens and young adults. They are organized first by standalone graphic novels, then by series, alphabetically by the author’s last name or by the title of the series.

YA CD

These are audiobook versions of the same Young Adult physical books! ACPL has both fiction and nonfiction audiobooks here, organized by author’s last name and the Dewey Decimal system, respectively.

Adult

Last but not least, we have adult books! Adult books feature writing for higher reading levels, sometimes featuring mature themes like sex and violence. ACPL has several adult book sections:

FICTION

Any book that just says “Fiction” without a “J” or “YA” in front of it is an adult fiction book! Adult fiction books at ACPL can include genres like romance, western, thriller, contemporary, classics, and more. They are organized alphabetically by author’s last name.

MYSTERY

Books with a “MYSTERY” spine label are adult mystery books. These can be anything from intense murder mysteries to cuter, cozier mysteries – as long as it’s mysterious, it’s here! These are also organized by the author’s last name.

SCIFI

The “SCIFI” spine label encompasses adult books in the science fiction and fantasy genres. With everything from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to The Lord of the Rings to Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series, the Sci-Fi section has all your otherworldly adventures. Again, find these in order by author’s last name.

NONFICTION

Any spine label that starts with three or more numbers without a “J” or “YA” in front belongs to the adult nonfiction section. Adult nonfiction also follows the Dewey Decimal system, starting at 001 through 999, and also includes “B” for biography. This section contains anything from self help to cookbooks to poetry, all aimed at adult audiences.

Audiobooks

CD, MP3CD, and PLAY spine labels can all be found in the adult audiobook section at ACPL. Unlike in the children’s area, these are not split up by format and are instead organized by genre (FICTION, MYSTERY, SCIFI, WESTERN, or nonfiction) and by author’s last name – every format of audiobook can be found anywhere in this section. However, the majority of adult audiobooks are in CD format.

LP

Books with a spine label that starts with “LP” are the same as the other adult books, but in Large Print. Large print books are great for anyone who may have a hard time reading the smaller words in other books. Call numbers here can include “LP FICTION,” “LP MYSTERY,” “LP SCIFI,” “LP WESTERN,” and LP nonfiction (also by the Dewey Decimal system).

Other Books

While we’ve discussed many of the traditional books you’d expect to find in a library or book store, ACPL also has a variety of other books available for patrons! Here they all are:

RPG

Found in the adult board game area, RPG books are guide and rule books for various Role Playing Games, like Dungeons & Dragons. These are books that teach the reader how to play these games and include a lot of fun information!

GN

We love graphic novels here! The GN section at ACPL features graphic novels and comics meant for older audiences. First, we organize them according to if they are part of a series or not, then alphabetically by author’s last name or series title.

MANGA

Manga are Japanese graphic novels. Because of their origins, most of these books are actually read from right to left! Originally, manga was written for a teen audience but has now expanded. A few series you may consider manga may be in ACPL’s juvenile or adult graphic novel sections based on content and reading level. These are organized alphabetically by series title.

BRAILLE

Did you know ACPL has books in Braille? Braille is a type of tactical reading that allows people who are blind or have low vision to read and write. ACPL has a variety of books in Braille, including some fiction and some nonfiction. We organize them first by fiction and the author’s last name, then by nonfiction using the Dewey Decimal System.

Other Items

We have more than just books! Check out some of these other items next time you’re in the library:

Movies/TV Shows

Find your favorite (or next favorite!) TV show or movie at ACPL. We offer these in multiple formats, as denoted on the spine labels by “4K,” “BLURAY,” or “DVD.” Spine labels will also include the genre, whether that’s “TV,” “DRAMA,” “HORROR,” “FOREIGN,” or more. You’ll also find the first word of the title on the spine label – everything is organized by genre, then by alphabetical order of the title!

Video Games

Pick up a video game for your favorite system some time! These spine labels feature the system the game is for and the title of the game. They are organized by system, then alphabetically by title. This section features games for all ages, from Mario Party to The Last of Us, so make sure you’re aware of the rating on the case!

Board Games

Our children’s area has kid/family board games, but we also offer a variety of older kid/adult board and card games! Anything with a suggested age of 10 or older ends up in this section. This includes classic games like Cribbage and Clue, or fun party games like Monikers and Codenames. ACPL organizes board games alphabetically by title.

Library of Things

Even our Library of Things items have “spine” labels and call numbers! These spine labels are unique to each item, and depict what the item is. From “KNITTING NEEDLES” to “RADON DETECTOR KIT,” we have quite a collection of useful items for you to borrow. Check out our newest addition, a pickleball kit!