Comments on: The Dewey Debate http://slworkshop.net/2013/12/the-dewey-debate/ Indespensible - just like you! Wed, 11 Mar 2015 14:31:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Sabrina Carnesi http://slworkshop.net/2013/12/the-dewey-debate/#comment-111 Sabrina Carnesi Tue, 11 Feb 2014 17:39:03 +0000 http://slworkshop.net/?p=305#comment-111 The absolute longevity of Melvil Dewey’s Dewey Decimal Classification System (DDC) is a key concept that not only is embedded in the history of school librarianship and school library programs, but is still an important part of today’s 21st Century library. The relevance, however, is being challenged. When Dewey developed this system in 1873, nothing in existence suggested there was a relative location and relative index for shelf organization. Since its initial introduction, the DDC has been edited and expanded 23 times, with the most resent abridged version’s 2012 publication. In recent years, some librarians, in an effort to address the needs of their patrons, have experimented with genrefication. Genrefication is a model of classification in which shelf location is determined by genres, a style used by booksellers. Critics have declared the new system a nightmare, while supporters love the browsability of the shelves. The 2013 Midwinter Conference in Seattle, presented a variety of pros and cons on the validity of DDC vs. genrefication at a Hot Topics discussion session called “Dewey vs. Genre Shelving in School Libraries.” This past Midwinter 2014, I heard people complaining that they didn’t want to hear another word on the Dewey question. You might think that this was a negative, but from my perspective , I view this as a positive. Normally, in an informal disagreement, when the opposing side begins to say they don’t want to hear another word, that usually means they are being worn down and/or can’t yet admit they see some relevance in what they initially disagreed with.

Because there is no centralized commonly acknowledged organizational approach to this new phenomenon, librarians interested in genrefying their stacks are using a variety of approaches. Some are blending their fiction and nonfiction by genre; some are using established databases that organize books by subjects; and others are only genrefying their fiction shelves. Signage for genrefying does not have to change DDC, but some librarians at the 2013 Midwinter admitted that they have gone as far as to change their catalog’s MARC records according to subject. Paige Jaeger blogged on the AASL Forum in December 2012 that school librians have always de-deweyed informational, poetry, fiction etc., according theme (http://www.freelists.org/post/ntalibdir).

My library assistant is also the cataloger for my district. Her perspective on this is that it makes sense to organize the fiction and even the story collection according to genre, based on the fact that the most common request for books in our library is genre related.
…continued on my blog http://tinyurl.com/nrrgeo9

]]> By: RonaGofstein http://slworkshop.net/2013/12/the-dewey-debate/#comment-92 RonaGofstein Mon, 23 Dec 2013 17:13:31 +0000 http://slworkshop.net/?p=305#comment-92 All good points and questions. Many are dealt with in the Knowledge Quest issue. Look for a more detailed view of the controversy in the February/March 2014 issue of School Librarian’s Workshop.

– Hilda

]]> By: Joy Fitzgerald http://slworkshop.net/2013/12/the-dewey-debate/#comment-91 Joy Fitzgerald Sun, 22 Dec 2013 17:24:29 +0000 http://slworkshop.net/?p=305#comment-91 This is a good discussion. I feel some of the key questions are:
1) What is the purpose for changing?
2) How will you change if you choose to?
3) Are you preparing your students/staff/users to be lifelong learners no matter where they go?
4) If you choose to change, who will pay for the time/work/etc.
5) If you change, what system/which and how many genres?
6) How easy will it be for any successor to take over your job when you leave/retire?

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