Previous |
Next |
July 24, 2007, 02:49 PM ET
What a Post-Dewey Library Looks Like
A couple of public library systems in Arizona have drawn attention for scrapping the Dewey Decimal System — a move that, at first glance, might seem a bit odd. But Karen G. Schneider of the American Library Association says the shift away from Dewey makes perfect sense for the modern library.
In place of Dewey, the Maricopa County Library District is using subject headings developed by the Book Industry Study Group, an organization for publishers and booksellers. The BISAC headings, as they are known, should be fairly familiar to anyone who has browsed at Borders or Barnes & Noble. According to Ms. Schneider, the headings are more accommodating to visitors than the trusty old Dewey numbers: BISAC codes are pragmatically user-centric; they’re designed to make it easy for customers to browse for books. The language is simple, the subcategories broad, and the main groupings are designed around user browsing and buying habits, such as “I’m looking for new mysteries” or “I am planning a wedding.” Melvil Dewey, on the other hand — and this is no criticism of his efforts — was designing middleware. Dewey invented his Decimal System in an era when most libraries had closed stacks and library workers retrieved known items or conducted their own “browsing” on behalf of patrons.
Research librarians may still have misgivings about the BISAC headings, but Ms. Schneider says the Maricopa libraries haven’t heard any complaints from their patrons. —Brock Read
Categories: Libraries
Add Your Comment
Commenting is closed.