Dewey

So ... I've always liked to think of myself as a fairly progressive teacher librarian. I go out of my way to learn new skills and about new tools and how to create new experiences ... and bring them to our kids and staff and school community.

photo credit: Enokson via photo pin cc

But I seriously do not get the big push to get rid of Dewey and move to the subject/ bookstore model. Seriously. Have you ever actually tried to FIND a particular something in a bookstore? I wander around and ask for help and then most of the time they can't find it either. Plus they are always changing where they keep things! One day the cookbooks (HA! Like I go to the bookstore looking for cookbooks) are down this aisle and then two weeks later when I go back? Totally different place.

Would Enola Holmes or Theodosia go under historical fiction or mystery? Would craft books for "kids who love space" go under space or crafts? Would graphic novels on inventors go ... where would they go? Inventors? Biographies? Graphic novels? I mean, maybe I don't have quite the grasp on how it is done that I should? It is for exactly that reason I do most of my book shopping online (Don't hate! The closest brick and mortar indie is downtown which makes for terrible traffic).

But with Dewey you get the animal books together. In the 500s and 600s. You get the art books together in the 700s. You get the "weird stuff" together in the 000s and (ghosts) 100s. You get ABC books together in the 400s. You get books by the same authors together because there are so many books that could fit in more than one genre. Last name is not something you have to try to determine how others would be thinking Now, I maybe could see picture books by "theme" ... though would Truckery Rhymes go under trucks or poetry? Would Rockin' in my School Shoes go under school books or cat books?

I seriously need to get in the habit of taking more pictures. Note to self: major goal for the next year! But face out displays as much as you can make fit? Super important. I tell volunteers they know they've done a good job with helping on displays if the books they put out yesterday are already gone!
Signage both on the shelves, on top of the shelves, hanging from the ceiling, on the walls (if you are lucky enough to have them!), wherever you can get it in without making everything look totally cluttered (cause then you can't see the signage for all the clutter, anyway)? Super important.

Of course could I take pictures of all of these in the library I work at? Not necessarily. :/ One day I'll get it all together, though!


The one advantage I can see is that you can look at traffic patterns and instead of the shark books "having" to be in the corner right by the stage entrance because that is where 597 comes in the numerical sequence you could have them right by the circ desk. Kiddos would still have to learn where to find them, though. And signage would still be super important. There would be more space for all the browsers who want to look at shark books to spread out there. But then they could not count on the shark books being next to the circ desk in their next library, now, could they?


Feeling a bit behind the times on this particular topic,