LM_NET 11/20/98: No Subject

Why not? The public libraries shelve them in alpha order. Why not just haul
them out and put them in a circulating reference section, along with your
old encyclopedias? You probably need a new shelf or two in your 900's area
anyway.

Purists may disagree, but isn't the whole point of librarianship to make
information access EASIER? Torpedo those rules that aren't helpful, full
speed ahead!


My lib also does not have a catalog (!) but will be fully automated by
next fall.  What drove me nuts was that some state info was in 917.XXX and
then some was in 97X.XXX, so I moved ALL the state stuff to the 970's.  I
did the same with country info.  So books on Japan on not in 915.2 and
952, they are all in 952.  It's soooo much easier now.

Dear Sylvia-
   You have described the problem well. I think your idea is a good one, and I
think I'm going to do it too!  It's YOUR users who must be served by your
classification and arrangement to books!

Sounds like a great idea to me!
It will help the kids practice ABC order, too!

Sylvia,

WHY NOT???  Part of our purpose is to instill a life-long learning
attitude in the students. Positive library experiences can only help this
- and positive includes being able to find what you're looking for!
They will also see the librarian (you) as someone who is willing to help
them.    They will carry this with them, and see all librarians as
helpful.   I can't tell you how many college students I have who have had
really awful experiences with a librarian at some point; they are
reluctant library users, convinced that the librarian's only duties are
to "Shush" people and yell at them.   I talk to all of them, apologize
for the nameless librarian who taught them this, explain that we do
things differently, and hope I get through to at least some of them!

Remember, part of the beauty of cataloging is being able to arrange
things in whatever manner works best for your library!   No one ever said
that everyone HAD to adhere to the CIP written by LC!

I say - GO FOR IT!!!


Dear Sylvia,

Your unorthodox solution sounds similar to one we use.

I have filed our state books by 917.3 state
        for example,
                               917.3
                               ME         for a book about Maine.

Books about individual states are now filed by state in alphabetical
order.  These are housed in a separate book shelf clearly marked state
books.

Unfortunately I realized too late that perhaps I should NOT have used the
Post Office's abbreviations for the states because Maine comes before
Maryland when the state name is spelled out, but when abbreviated
Maryland (MD) comes before Maine (ME).  This invariably confuses the
shelvers the first time they run across this situation.   This
arrangement, though flawed, works better than dealing with all those
numbers and gets the right book into the student's hands speedily.   I do
keep books about United States regions in the official Dewey location.

Part 5 is coming!  Hang in there!


Sylvia Adair, Library Media Specialist
Lomira, Wisconsin
adair@execpc.com

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Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 06:10:03 -0600
From: Sylvia Adair <adair@EXECPC.COM>
Subject: HIT:State books Pt. 3

Still more great comments on alphabetizing the state books.

Hello Sylvia,Your message was very intersting to
me. I have been a Media Specialist for a long
time and have always put state books in
alphabetical order. We have several different
sets from various publishers and I keep the set
together and alphabetize them with each set. We
also put these state books on separate shelves
at the end of the 900s. As our student numbers
increased and job description evolved to include
many more duties, I have had to find ways to
simplify what we do.  Try rearranging your state
books this way, I think both you and students
will find that it is easier to shelve and to
locate. Good luck.


I think if you just use 917 and leave off the decimal points (heresy o
heresy) then alphabetical is perfectly logical.  I guess the purists would
insist that they go by author then, but it that series by the same
authors?
Anyway, I wouldn't sweat it--do what works!  Enjoy


As far as shelving goes, whatever works for you to get through the assignment.

A spine label suggestion -
                We put the longer Dewey #'s labels on vertically rather
than
horizontally where you can't see the whole #.
                That way you can see the whole # & 3 letters of author's
name.                  As I
recall, it works with books like the Sea to Shining Sea
series...really
skinny books (ie paperbacks), nothing works             anyway!

                It makes shelving easier (don't have to wrap your head
around           each
spine...just tilt a little to the right...looks neater          also...

I hope that you didn't get too many negative remarks from the "purists"! :-)


Dear Sylvia,
        I'll be interested in the responses you receive, because I too have
decided to shelve a set of books on the 50 states together, rather than in
Dewey order.  It makes it SOOO much easier and quicker for the students to
find them!  I just say, they're arranged in alphabetical order by the name
of the state, right HERE, on this shelf!
        When I do inventory at the end of the year, I do reshelve in correct
order, however.  I am in a small library, which perhaps makes doing such
arranging easier.  Other books that have their special shelves are extra
tall books that can't stand upright if placed in their proper order
throughout the collection, and the current Mark Twain Award Nominees, which
our students want shelved together, so they can decide which one to read next

Sylvia, my state books were filed together, as one set, in alphabetical
order when I arrived 11 years ago. I haven't changed that. What I did do
was put the original Dewey number on an ordinary white spine label, then
below it on day-glo orange I put the "set" Dewey number. My parent
volunteers know that books with an orange label are going to be filed
differently than the other books. I use plain orange strips below the
spine label for four other series that are filed in a sets on a free
standing bookcase: Hardy Boys, Zane Grey, and Choose Your Adventures, and
Star Trek.


Sylvia,  Most of the nonfic in my library is in dewey order But there are 2
sets of states books plus the biographies (that should be 921) that are
marked 92 and shelved at the end of the 900s.  The states books are in
alphabetical order. The states books were that way when I got here and I
may leeave them that away for a few more years. I am trying to sneak the
921 biographies in next to the 920s because I think that is where they
belong but they need to be recataloged and I don't have time. A previous
librarian changed them from Bs had them all done as 92 and shelved them
numerically correct, if you understand me.  It drives me bats, but maybe it
is because I have always worked with the biographies as 920 and 921 or
under the subject.This probably doesn't help a bit.  I guess what I am
saying is that if it makes sense to you and your students do it.

Still not done!  Watch for Part 4!

Sylvia Adair, Library Media Specialist
Lomira, Wisconsin
adair@execpc.com

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