Genrefi

Genrefi is a term used to describe a method and set of practices for organizing media collections—such as books, music, and films—by genre to aid discovery and access. The term merges “genre” with the -fi suffix common in classification and technology contexts. In common use, genrefi refers to both a philosophy of genre-centric organization and the tools or workflows that implement it, often within libraries, archives, bookstores, and digital platforms.

In practice, genrefi involves applying a controlled vocabulary of genre labels to items, using a consistent taxonomy and sometimes hierarchical structures. Physical collections may be arranged by genre on shelves, while digital catalogs offer genre facets and filters to guide browsing. Some implementations allow multi-genre tagging and user annotations, tempered to maintain taxonomy consistency.

Advocates argue genrefi improves discovery, supports programming and curation, and enables cross-collection comparisons. Critics note genre ambiguity, label inflation, and the maintenance burden of an evolving taxonomy in dynamic media environments.

Genrefi intersects with metadata standards, cataloging rules, and recommendation systems. It is one option in the broader discussion about how best to organize media for user-centric access, alongside alphabetical and author-centric approaches.