Jacquie, I've wondered about this trend myself...and if school library media
classes are not teaching skills to catalog books/materials using the Dewey
System? While it has been about 15 years since my last college library media
classes at the 6-year degree level...I do not recall hearing of anyone not using
the Dewey System at that time other than colleges.
Could this be a result of so many libraries arranging their collection around AR or
RC reading levels? That was the first I had ever heard of a non-traditionally
organized library...to make it easier for students to find their RC books, the
librarian put all the RC books together in a separate section. She commented to
me that kids rarely even bothered going to her non-RC books.
When our school started investing in Electronic Bookshelf (now Reading Counts), I
was bound and determined to keep my collection in a traditional
arrangement...because I wanted them to at least have the opportunity to lay their
hands on a good book whether or not it was RC. RC books are tagged with a bright
yellow spine-label protector that makes them stand out and the reading level and
points level are written inside the front cover. After a number of years, the
friend moved her RC books back together with the non-RC books.
Maybe I am old fashioned, but I feel as a group of professionals we are losing a
cohesiveness we once had. I am not saying everyone should do the exact same
thing, but to have a format in place that students can go from one location to
another and be familiar with the arrangement and quickly pick it up is beneficial
in my mind. Our local public library does arrange by "themes." However, I have
learned over the years that placement of some books is determined by the
cataloger. Many times I find books in one series in the Science Fiction section
(my favorite), but I also check the "regular" fiction because some in the series
have been cataloged in that section. As for using the on-line catalog there...I
can generally find materials faster than I can get access to a computer or that I
can use the cumbersome search engine.
Just my two cents!
Hope everyone is having a great summer!
Tony Pope
Library Media Specialist
McHenry Primary School
100 McHenry Dr.
Rome, GA 30161
Pope1966@att.net
________________________________
From: Jacqueline Henry <JHenry@GANANDA.ORG>
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Sent: Monday, June 8, 2009 8:02:55 AM
Subject: Dropping Dewey - I don't understand....
I have read articles such as this one before. I know there are public
libraries dropping Dewey and organizing the books more like a book
store. I understand the change in subject headings. What I don't
understand is - how is the location indicated in the catalog. And - if
the heading is Animals (or even as specific as Mammals), once you find
the subject area, are the books then in alpha order by author? By
title? Is there SOME sort of number assigned? I can see that finding
the right section might be easy for browsers - but what about quickly
locating a specific book?
Here is one of several articles I have read recently. Apparently there
is some sort of number assigned. Can anyone enlighten me?
Quoting from this article: Rangeview Library District, CO, First
System To Fully Drop Dewey
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6663145.html
"there were small tweaks necessary to make to the ILS like changes to
display the call numbers properly."
Looks like there are call numbers of some sort. Or is the call number
simply a broad subject category and from there you have to scan the
whole section to find a specific book?
Jacquie
"You see, I don't believe that libraries should be drab places where
people sit in silence, and that's been the main reason for our policy of
employing wild animals as librarians...." (Monty Python)
"The Librarian, whose job is to heal ignorance, to keep life safe for
poetry and to put knowledge smack dab in the middle of the American
way." ~ The Philadelphia Inquirer, 9-20-03
“Education is not about filling a pail, it’s about lighting a fire." ~
William Butler Yeats
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jacquie Henry, MLS
Ruben A. Cirillo High School (GHS)
Gananda Central School District
3195 Wiedrick Road
P.O. Box 609
Macedon, NY 14502
315-986-3521 x 3144
jhenry@gananda.org
Library Page: http://www.gananda.org/webpages/hslibrary/
Blog - Library Links For Teachers: http://rachslibrary.edublogs.org/
Blog - Wanderings
http://wanderings.edublogs.org/
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