Supporting Readers’ Book Selection: Developing a Fiction Classification System for Fantasy and Science Fiction

Chen, Jing; Ke, Hao-Ren

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132978 Copy

Description

Title

Supporting Readers’ Book Selection: Developing a Fiction Classification System for Fantasy and Science Fiction

Author(s)

• Chen, Jing
• Ke, Hao-Ren

Issue Date

2026-03-12

Keyword(s)

• Faceted classification
• Appeal factor
• Library OPAC
• Fiction classification

Abstract

Introduction. Readers often struggle to select fiction of interest when using library OPACs, especially without a clear search target. This study explores whether a fiction classification system for fantasy and science fiction incorporating appeal factors can better support exploratory book selection. Method. This study applied faceted classification and appeal factor labels from Novelist to design a classification system for fantasy and science fiction, then classify a total of 475 translated Western fantasy and science fiction published in ten years in Taiwan. The classification result was implemented in Anytype, and participants completed three book-finding tasks by using Taipei Public Library (TPL) OPAC and Anytype, followed by interviews. Findings. The finding shows that the proposed classification system received higher satisfaction scores than the TPL OPAC. Appeal factor labels enabled readers to discover interesting books’ titles, while the TPL OPAC was constrained by general subject categories and lack of supplementary information such as book covers and summaries. Conclusion. This study highlights that a fiction classification system integrating appeal factor labels can help readers articulate their reading preferences, focus on relevant themes, and discover new subgenres of interest; the proposed classification system also enhances both usability and engagement in readers’ book selection.

Publisher

iSchools

Series/Report Name or Number

iConference 2026 Proceedings

Type of Resource

Other

Genre of Resource

Conference Poster

Language

eng

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132978

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2026 is held by Jing Chen and Hao-Ren Ke. Copyright permissions, when appropriate, must be obtained directly from the authors.

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