The following is a summary I constructed of responses from a question posted to the professional email lists YALSA-BK and PUBYAC. This is a common way for librarians to conduct informal research into the practices of their colleagues.

YA NONFICTION COLLECTIONS: SEPARATE OR INTERFILED? 

Total responses:                                                60

YA nonfic interfiled with adult or J:                           16 (27%)
YA nonfic interfiled, but with an identifying sticker:          9  (15%)
YA nonfic interfiled, with new books on display in
   YA area for a period of time (6 months - 1 year):            4  (7%)
Some interfiled, some in separate section:                      7  (12%)
YA nonfic in separate section:                                  21 (35%)
No or little YA nonfic:                                         3  (5%)


Many libraries have a separate nonfiction area for their YAs (47%).  Some
are just "browsing collections" with fun things, and some have both
material for fun and for school in their YA nonfic collection. 

The most common materials in YA nonfic collections include: "issues" books
(sexuality, drugs, pregnancy, etc.), graphic novels, comics, the occult,
biographies, fun fads (jewelry-making, mendhi, etc.), makeup and
sports.  (When most librarians mentioned "issues" books, they were not
including serious pro-con homework books.)

Reasons for having a separate YA nonfiction section:
- Teens like to browse, and a separate section promotes browsing
- Teens don't have to ask to find books on difficult subjects like sex
- Increases circulation of these materials
- Increases likelihood of actually buying YA nonfiction
- Teens are overwhelmed by the size of the adult nonfiction section

Reasons for interfiling YA nonfiction:
- Lack of space in YA area
- Keeps all materials on one subject in one place

Some libraries keep the new YA nonfiction in the YA area for six months to
a year, then interfile it with the adult collection.

Several people mentioned that their small, separate YA nonfic collection
does not circulate very much, but it is *used* a lot by patrons in the
library. 

OBSERVATIONS

Teens respond well to a *small,* *private* collection of nonfiction items
targeted just at them -- not so well to an overwhelmingly large
collection.  Thus for small libraries, it might make sense to separate all
the YA nonfiction, but in larger libraries, it might be better to
interfile the "serious" stuff and just separate out the fun stuff.  This
is what many libraries do.  However, one librarian mentioned that the
small libraries may want to interfile to keep all their same-subject
materials in one place.  And a few large library systems said their main
branch has a separate section of YA nonfic, while the branches interfile.

There seemed to be no significant difference (I didn't do the
statistics) between small, medium or large libraries.  Large libraries are
more likely to have a YA section than small libraries because of space
concerns.  



Library         Pop.    YA Nonfiction           Content & Comments
Size            of area
------------------------------------------------------------------------
mid-size        30k     small (5 shelves)       Only select "hot" areas: 
                        separate, rest in J     sex, relationships,
                        (important to have      college, careers, comics
                        separate area)          sports, entertainment,
                                                contemp. issues, litcrit
------------------------------------------------------------------------
40-45k                  small area separate,    only books less than 1
items                   remainder interfiled    year old are separate;
                                                after that they are
                                                interfiled with adult
------------------------------------------------------------------------
branch of       300k    heavily used, heavily   biographies, issues, 
large system            promoted (grades 6+)    current fad stuff
------------------------------------------------------------------------
large urban             separate                popular interest, not
                                                for school assignments:
                                                drugs, sex, poetry,
                                                biographies, graphic
                                                novels.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                30k     interfiled      
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        separate                "issues" collection - 
                                                suicide, pregnancy, etc.
                                                but expanding from here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                50k+    small (4 shelves)       "issues" collection
                                                for 6-9th graders
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                84k     extensive separate      "The more we have, the 
                        collection - kept       more it circs."
                        near the new books
                        & before the fiction
------------------------------------------------------------------------
large           250k    separate, full Dewey    both entertainment &
(2.7 mil.               range, plus a nonfic    curriculum needs
items)                  browsing collection     browsing section= humor, 
                                                biographies, pop-psych
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                        interfiled (although    
                        J nonfiction is separate)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
large                   both interfiled and     browsing = separate
                        separate                homework = interfiled
------------------------------------------------------------------------
branch of               interfiled (lack of     
large                   space)
library
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                120k    small (8 shelves)       "issues" collection --
                        separate                "Purely recreational."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
branch of       25k     interfiled              "I don't know why - it
medium                                          was before my time."
library                                         Would prefer fun YA NF
                                                to be separate.  Other
                                                branch has separate NF.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
branch of               separate                Career material, college
large                                           prep, teen fun things,
library                                         advice books, teen
                                                biographies, comic books
                                                Music collection
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        interfiled w/           
                        YA sticker on item
                        (not enough space,      
                        and not too many YA-
                        specific items)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
medium  18k+            small collection        
                        interfiled in J and
                        adult
------------------------------------------------------------------------
        65k             separate & interfiled   "high-interest" = YA
                                                (music, religion, comics
                                                health, memoirs, etc.)
                                                homework/research= adult
                                                or children's
------------------------------------------------------------------------
large   85k             small separate &        "issues" collection:
                        others interfiled       lifestyle, drugs, eating
                                                disorders, & biographies
------------------------------------------------------------------------
350k    82k             interfiled              
items
------------------------------------------------------------------------
large                   separate                music, media, computer
(18 branches)           Circ. is growing.       games, fashion, poetry,
                        Encouraging other       paranormal/astrology,
                        branches to separate.   inspirational, etc.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        separate (likes it)     "Some books have a 
                                                natural division between
                                                children and YA, like
                                                sex & contraception."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
small   10k             no YA nonfic (doesn't   
                        like it that way - no
                        space)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
small                   separate                "We have a corner made
(24k items)                                     by two book cases called
                                                YAville... my YA circ
                                                has increased
                                                tremendously since."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
medium  75k             separate browsing       "Many teens only read
                        collection (1 shelf)    nonfiction."
                        very successful!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
medium  15k             separate                Browsing collection - 
(70k                                            "Prefer to browse the
items)                                          fun YA collection than
                                                the large adult coll."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
medium  35k+            interfiled (likes it)   "Whatever level your
                        with J and adult        patron is on, it's all
                                                there in one place."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
medium                  interfile (no space)    interfiled after 1 year
                        except new books on
                        teen idols/movie stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------
medium                  currently interfiled    "The YA nonfic gets
(140k                   but working on a        lost... and teens don't
items)                  separate collection     browse the adult 
                                                shelves."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                15k     interfiled w/sticker    
------------------------------------------------------------------------
large           110k    most interfiled with    "YAs doing a school 
                        a small separate        project can go to the
                        browsing collection     adult or J nonfiction."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
branch of       150k    interfiled - little
county                  YA nonfic
system
------------------------------------------------------------------------
medium                  separate (was inter-    "Teens never seemed to 
branch                  filed until recently)   find their books [when
(90k items)                                     they're interfiled]."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        interfiled (no sticker  
                        on the book, but says   
                        YA in the catalog) - 
                        no space        
------------------------------------------------------------------------
branch  40k             most interfiled, with   Teen interest = sex, 
of large                separate browsing       puberty, parents, drugs,
system                  collection = "Teen      peer pressure, etc.
                        Survival Center."       "Except it's too open 
                                                and high-traffic."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        interfiled except 
                        biography (likes it)    
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        interfiled - no space
------------------------------------------------------------------------
small                   separate
(10k items)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                40k     interfiled w/sticker    
------------------------------------------------------------------------
large                   interfiled w/sticker    High-interest kept for
                        except new, high-       6 months or more
                        interest titles         Also graphic novels
                                                "[Interfiling] makes
                                                weeding and collection
                                                development a bear!"
                                                But makes sense for them
------------------------------------------------------------------------
branch                  YA SF&Fantasy inter-    
of large                filed with adult.
system                  (no comment on nonfic)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        separate
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        interfiled except biography
------------------------------------------------------------------------
medium  22k             interfiled - no space   
(150k 
items)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        interfiled, thinking    New YA nonfiction is put
                        of changing - no        on display for a while
                        space                   before interfiling
------------------------------------------------------------------------
large           125k    interfiled - no space
(500k+                  and helps patrons find
items)                  nonfic easier
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                30k+    very little YA nonfiction
                        - would like to build
                        a YA nonfic area
------------------------------------------------------------------------
branch of               interfiled w/sticker
large
system
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        separate                Circulating well
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        large separate          "We are very strict 
                                                about weeding and having
                                                a good-looking 
                                                collection."    
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        interfiled
------------------------------------------------------------------------
main branch     415k    separate (branches      
of large                interfile for space
system                  reasons)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
small                   separate (50 titles)    "I separated them out
branch of                                       recently because they
large rural                                     never circulated."
system                                          ("issues" collection)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
medium                  interfiled - no space   
(100k items)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                20k     separate plus YA ref.   "Nonfic circulates even
                                                more heavily than fic."
                                                Occult, sports, fitness,
                                                issues, poetry, etc.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        interfiled, some w/     
                        sticker - no space
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        interfiled, no sticker
------------------------------------------------------------------------
small                   interfiled with J nonfic
(13k items)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        interfiled w/sticker
------------------------------------------------------------------------
small                   interfiled w/sticker
                        (YA fic also interfiled
                        with adult fic)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        interfiled w/sticker
------------------------------------------------------------------------