Comments on: Dewey and its future in public libraries http://connectinglibrarian.com/2006/07/02/dewey-and-its-future-in-public-libraries/ Connecting new ideas and technologies with library service Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:02:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Michelle McLean http://connectinglibrarian.com/2006/07/02/dewey-and-its-future-in-public-libraries/#comment-36 Michelle McLean Sat, 22 Jul 2006 13:39:00 +0000 http://connectinglibrarian.com/?p=33#comment-36 You have dreams like that too. I have many, including items that reshelve themselves amongst many others. It never hurts to dream, LOL. You have dreams like that too. I have many, including items that reshelve themselves amongst many others. It never hurts to dream, LOL.

]]> By: Ivan Chew http://connectinglibrarian.com/2006/07/02/dewey-and-its-future-in-public-libraries/#comment-35 Ivan Chew Sat, 22 Jul 2006 07:27:00 +0000 http://connectinglibrarian.com/?p=33#comment-35 Perhaps the day will come when it doesn't matter how we label the books. Like, our customers would pick up a pair of hi-tech lens and switch on to whatever Display Mode they choose -- by DDC, by Subjects, by Themes... ok, time to wake from my dream : ) Perhaps the day will come when it doesn’t matter how we label the books. Like, our customers would pick up a pair of hi-tech lens and switch on to whatever Display Mode they choose — by DDC, by Subjects, by Themes… ok, time to wake from my dream : )

]]> By: Michelle McLean http://connectinglibrarian.com/2006/07/02/dewey-and-its-future-in-public-libraries/#comment-34 Michelle McLean Tue, 04 Jul 2006 01:22:00 +0000 http://connectinglibrarian.com/?p=33#comment-34 Thanks for your input. I agree that the way the system works at present that everything that should be together isn't necessarily so. We are finding thus far that genrification, whilst keeping the dewey order within that subject area, gives us the ability to link up like subjects, but still be able to find particular titles with little trouble. We do what we can to make the most of what we have. Thanks for your input. I agree that the way the system works at present that everything that should be together isn’t necessarily so. We are finding thus far that genrification, whilst keeping the dewey order within that subject area, gives us the ability to link up like subjects, but still be able to find particular titles with little trouble. We do what we can to make the most of what we have.

]]> By: Anonymous http://connectinglibrarian.com/2006/07/02/dewey-and-its-future-in-public-libraries/#comment-33 Anonymous Tue, 04 Jul 2006 00:53:00 +0000 http://connectinglibrarian.com/?p=33#comment-33 At the Brooklyn Public Library in New York City we have a new very efficient "holds" system that allows customers to get<br/>a book that is on the shelf<br/>anywhere in the system within a week. This has had a huge impact on circulation because virtually every circulating book is available no matter where in the borough the customer lives. <br/><br/>If we had "gentrified", or as the Queens Borough Library system, also in New York City, call it merchandizing after the bookstore model, the material would be impossible to difficult to locate quickly. Our customers want speedy access to what they came into the library for and although well-done subject or new book displays also please them it still works as smoothly as possible with Dewey.<br/><br/>The problem is not with the Dewey system but the riduculous, redundant subject headings and numbers that the Library of Congress puts on the books. They are the ones that need to be changed. Logic and pracicality is unknown to them. If the librarians who work on the reference desks all day had the final say on subject headings and Dewey numbers library collections would be practical and books on a subject would be shelved together already. At the Brooklyn Public Library in New York City we have a new very efficient “holds” system that allows customers to get
a book that is on the shelf
anywhere in the system within a week. This has had a huge impact on circulation because virtually every circulating book is available no matter where in the borough the customer lives.

If we had “gentrified”, or as the Queens Borough Library system, also in New York City, call it merchandizing after the bookstore model, the material would be impossible to difficult to locate quickly. Our customers want speedy access to what they came into the library for and although well-done subject or new book displays also please them it still works as smoothly as possible with Dewey.

The problem is not with the Dewey system but the riduculous, redundant subject headings and numbers that the Library of Congress puts on the books. They are the ones that need to be changed. Logic and pracicality is unknown to them. If the librarians who work on the reference desks all day had the final say on subject headings and Dewey numbers library collections would be practical and books on a subject would be shelved together already.

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