Sometimes when you become so familiar with your surroundings and social circle, you tend to forget the verbal shorthand you use. Our community at The Friends is no exception. There are a number of phrases that our staff and volunteers use that can be confusing to the public. To clarify our jargon for all visitors to the warehouse, a list of our common terms and explanations are provided below.
A B C
Antiques and Collectibles—this is a nonfiction section that pertains to acquisition, care, and selling of old and collectible items. You would find a book on stamp collecting in this section.
AV (audiovisual) — Our AV collection comprises CDs, DVDs, LPs, audio books, magazines, and sheet music. We have a space separated from the rest of the collection where these items (and other categories such as puzzles and ephemera) can be found.
Coffee table books— oversized books which usually contain photography and art and often serve a decorative function in a home. While these books may be priced higher than others in our inventory, the second-hand pricing of our selections are a great value compared to other retail stores!
Comic Books, Manga, Graphic Novels, and Anime—a widely popular art form which uses cartoons to tell stories. We sell all of the above, but you’ll find it in different places. All the comics, manga, and graphic novels located in the children’s department have been screened for age-level appropriateness and content. Some of the graphic novels located in other sections may be explicit, so parents and caregivers should exercise judgment when allowing their children to browse beyond the designated children’s sections.
Crafter—a volunteer position that assists with the aesthetic quality of the Warehouse. They make signs, arrange displays, and use their creative genius to help with internal marketing and organization.
Curator/Shelver –a volunteer position that includes a second review, pricing, and placement of books on the shelves. Curators are the category experts and are familiar with what is popular in their genre.
D E F
Ephemera–this is a broadly used term that refers to collectible memorabilia (generally printed) that was popular for a short time. It may include old newspapers, magazines, catalogs, ticket stubs, post cards, or event programs.
“The Friends”—short for, The Friends of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. We are not the Library, but rather a nonprofit organization that exists to support the Library and promote literacy in our community. We achieve these ends mostly by the selling of used books and other donated items, largely through the support of an army of volunteers.
G H I
Gift books—generally include small, occasion-based, or quirky books which are suitable for gifting. We try to make sure these items do not have writing, names, or dates listed in them..
J K L
Juvenile fiction—also called J-fic, is elementary aged-fiction.
M N O
Mass market and “brick” paperbacks—Mass market paperbacks are the compact books you often see in airports or convenience stores. They have newsprint-quality paper and are often fairly thick. “Bricks” are identical in quality to their mass market counterparts, but they sit a little taller on the shelf. Mass markets and bricks are housed together but separate from the rest of fiction. (See also “Trade paperbacks”)
Members—refers to individuals who join by purchasing a yearly membership from us. There are different price points, but all membership levels receive the same benefits (including a 10% discount at our store year-round).
P Q R S
Sorter–a volunteer position that includes the inspection and the sorting of books into genres and categories. Sorters may also receive book donations that come to the door.
Stacks—the rows of bookshelves in the Warehouse that make up our collection. Fiction is organized by genre, and then alphabetized by author. Nonfiction is organized by category and subcategory. The shelves are labeled directly under the books, as well as at the end of each row.
T U V
Trade paperbacks – found mixed in with hardcover books, these paperbacks are more substantially sized than mass-market paperbacks, have larger margins, and are printed on higher quality paper. Trade paperbacks are more expensive than mass market and mass market bricks.
Vintage—these are old books: fiction, nonfiction, and children’s, which are grouped separately from the rest of the collection. Vintage books with a higher value than our other books are identified by a book mark.
W X Y Z
“The Warehouse”—refers to our center of operations in Hartwell, where the processing of all donations occurs and where our Used Book Store is open for shopping four days a week. You’ll find upwards of 100,000 items available for sale here.
YA (young adult)—YA fiction is also known as ‘teen fiction,’ and usually features a teenaged protagonist.