Cataloging

Science Fiction (10110)

iCode iType Loan Rule Loan Parameters Call Number Location New Items on STAR?
10110 95 67 21D YH YR $.10 SF ### znaf Yes. Use iType 82 and location znan. Add STAR to OPAC call number.

What’s included:

  • Items with a Science fiction or Fantasy fiction genre heading.
  • Generally, any novel with strong supernatural overtones – i.e., magical elements, zombies, etc. If it has subject headings for elements like these but lacks one of the genre headings above, still err on putting it in SF.
  • Dystopian novels set far in the future and/or involving some implausible factor, such as a technology we aren’t anywhere near inventing.
  • Novels that have time-travel as a key element of the plot. The inclusion of any technology that’s unrealized in regular life or still a long way off suggests SF.

What’s not included:

  • Scary, futuristic, or fantastical novels that have a distinctly literary bent. If an author’s known for his writing skills and highbrow references as much as for his contributions to the SF/fantasy genre, put him in regular fiction. Margaret Atwood and JRR Tolkien are good examples.
  • Gothic horror usually goes in 10101. Works like Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde combine the impulse to frighten and unsettle with “the artistic pleasures of…literature”. The latter bit warrants shelving in F. More info on the genre, including sample titles, is here
  • Any other frightening/disturbing novel that’s lacking supernatural elements. If it’s straight horror – if it’s just meant to frighten the reader and the tension comes from a conflict that could occur in real life – put it in F.

Spine label and other info:

  • Add a SF or Fantasy label to the spine – but never both at once.
  • For items getting a Fantasy sticker, making sure the item record includes a note field reading “Fantasy.”
  • Short story stickers are added when appropriate.

ITEM RECORD
sf item1
sf item2
SPINE LABELS
sf spines