The Upper School Library Unveils New, Inclusive Filing System

The Upper School Library has unveiled a newly redesigned filing and classification system that reimagines how students discover and engage with books. Led by librarians Nora Murphy and Natalie Mattox, the project moves beyond traditional library organization to create a collection that is more accessible, inclusive, and aligned with how students actually use the library.

One of the most visible changes is the “genre-fication” of the fiction collection. Rather than shelving all novels together alphabetically, fiction is now organized by genre, making it easier for students to find books that match their interests.

“Many schools have already genre-fied their fiction, and we hadn’t,” Nora explained. “When all fiction is mixed together, it makes it harder for students to browse. Now, if a student knows they enjoy a certain genre, everything they’re looking for is in one place.”

Natalie noted that the shift also supports reader engagement and recommendations. “Before, when we were trying to pull books for students, we were searching all over the library,” she said. “Now it’s much more intuitive, for us and for students.”

The work began in earnest during Block Week, when thousands of books were sorted, reshelved, and reorganized. “There were piles everywhere,” Natalie said. “It was a huge undertaking, but students were immediately curious and excited. They’d ask, ‘What are you doing?’ or say, ‘Oh, this is my favorite section.’ That enthusiasm really affirmed the process.”

Beyond fiction, the library has undertaken another ambitious project: rethinking how nonfiction is classified. While the Dewey Decimal System has long been the standard in American libraries, Nora explained that it no longer reflects a contemporary or inclusive worldview.

“The Dewey Decimal System wasn’t designed for the way we understand history, culture, and identity today,” Murphy said. “We’re making the collection more browsable, but we’re also correcting the messages embedded in how information is organized.”

For example, the library has created curated sections such as Women’s Studies, Queer Studies, Climate and Environmental Studies, and Conflict and Violence, bringing related materials together rather than scattering them across multiple categories. “When books are interfiled in five different places, you can’t see what’s missing,” Nora said. “Now we can identify gaps and build the collection more intentionally.”

The reclassification has already had a direct impact on student research. Natalie shared that one-on-one research meetings have been more effective since the reorganization. “Instead of giving students a list of call numbers from all over the library, we can say, ‘Here’s the section you need,’” she said. “Students are more confident navigating the shelves, and their research conversations are deeper.”

Student voice has played a key role in shaping the project, particularly through the Library Leadership Committee (LLC). Upper School student Asher B. ’28, a longtime LLC member, helped spark deeper conversations about the limitations of Dewey through their academic research.

“Ever since middle school, the library has felt like an infinite wealth of knowledge,” Asher said. “The problem with the Dewey Decimal System isn’t the amount of information, it’s the accessibility of that information.”

Asher’s interest crystallized while shelving books and noticing imbalances in how religions were categorized.

That curiosity eventually led to a research paper examining how Dewey marginalizes non-Western and non-Christian belief systems. “It made me realize how much our understanding of knowledge is shaped subconsciously by how libraries are organized,” they said.

Nora credits students like Asher with pushing the library to act. “When students point out a broken system, we have a responsibility to respond,” she said. “This work reflects our values and the values of the school.”

Looking ahead, the librarians plan to continue refining the history section and expanding special collections, while sharing their process with other independent schools. For Nora, the goal is clear: “By the end of this work, every book in this library will be here because we want it here, and it will be exactly where students expect to find it.”