Re: Alternative terms for 'nonfiction', etc

[Jean Liming <jliming@SILS.UMICH.EDU>]

I think that you need to consider your mission as a school media center.
Ultimately you want your students to become "library literate" and
develop the propensity to use information collections and resources after
they leave school, right?  Consider then, that the standard terminology
is what makes it possible for them to transfer their research skills from
one collection to another.  The rest of the world is not going to change
with you.  I've dealt with this for a long time with teachers who want me
to call EASY something different so that their students won't be
insulted.  I tell them that, in spite of my Ph.D,., I'm not going to
argue with the Library of Congress!  Good luck, Johanna!


On Fri, 28 Oct 1994, Global SchoolNet Fdn (FrEdMail) wrote:

> I want to find some substitutes for some of our standard Dewey
> terminology.  I see the confused looks on my students' faces and
> think, there's no good reason for this!  Has anyone used other terms
> for
>         Fiction
>         Nonfiction
>         Call number (only nonfiction actually has *numbers*!)
>
> Also, nonfiction as 'information' really doesn't make it when you have
> poetry, folk and fairy tales, jokes and riddles in there too.  I am very
> tempted to call it "everything else".
>
> Send all responses to me and I'll post a hit.
>
> Rabble Rouser Halbeisen
>
> Johanna Halbeisen
> Rebecca M. Johnson School
> (K-8) Springfield, MA
> jhalbei@k12.ucs.umass.edu
>
> We are confronted by insurmountable opportunities - Pogo
> --
>