杜威十进制图书分类法 Dewey Decimal System.docx

1、杜威十进制图书分类法 Dewey Decimal SystemBethany GrabowLS 502 Research PaperDecember 11, 2009Dewey vs. Bookstore ShelvingIts out with the old and in with the new at libraries across the country; an increasing number are eliminating Dewey Decimals and using classification methods found in bookstores. The idea

2、of abandoning a system that has had a place in libraries for over a century has stimulated much discussion among patrons and librarians. The following explores the differences between Dewey and bookstore-style classification, the changes made by those using bookstore shelving, and the advantages and

3、 disadvantages of changing to a bookstore-style shelving system. Melvil Dewey created the Dewey Decimal Classification as a way to organize library materials (OCLC). It was first published in 1876 and is currently in its 22nd edition. The Dewey Decimal Classification is maintained by the Library of

4、Congress and is constantly updated to reflect the needs and changes in modern society. Due to its history, popularity, and consistency, Dewey remains a widely used organizational tool in libraries.What does Dewey look like? The Dewey Decimal Classification has 10 main classes, divided into 10 divisi

5、ons, divided into 10 sections based on the subject of the material. (OCLC). Nonfiction books are assigned a call number based on these divisions and the authors last name, meaning that each book has a specific “address” where it can be found in the library. This means whether a patron looking for th

6、e book Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson in Broomfield, Colorado or Seattle, Washington, will find it located at 155.24 Joh with other books about developmental psychology. This uniformity is often an argument for retaining Dewey in libraries. Bookstore shelving is a classification method mode

7、led from retail bookstores (Fister 22). This method is a relatively new phenomenon. Unlike the rules-based Dewey Decimal Classification, bookstore shelving appears to be open to interpretation by the individual library during and after implementation. Research on libraries working with bookstore she

8、lving methods show that they tend to avoid universal rules and focus on creating a system that works best for their libraries and patrons. What does bookstore shelving look like? It depends on the individual library. One of the most prominent bookstore-style classification systems currently in use i

9、s the Book Industry Standards and Communications (BISAC) list of categories (Stauffer 49). BISAC organizes books into 52 categories, each with further levels of specificity (Fister 22). The category and subdivisions for each book is decided by the book publisher. An example of a BISAC subject headin

10、g for a pizza cookbook would appear as COOKING/Courses & Dishes/Pizza (Book Industry Study Group). Maricopa County Library Districts Perry Branch in Phoenix, Arizona uses a modified version of the BISAC categories (Library Staff). Based on the books in its collection, the library created a template

11、of the categories it would use. This template is used to create spine labels. An example spine label for a book on the social sciences would simply read SOC SCI. Books are alphabetized by title within the categories. Rangeview Library District in Northglenn, Colorado uses a similar approach known as

12、 WordThink (Fister 23). WordThink has spine labels with words, a broad category such as art and a narrower category such as drawing. Books are shelved by category; within the categories, books are shelved in alphabetical order by title. Darien Library in Darien, Connecticut has attempted to combine

13、the best of both Dewey and bookstore shelving. Dariens books still have a Dewey number, but have been reorganized into eight broad categories called “glades” (Fister 24). For example, books about travel and language, separated by Dewey, are combined into a glade called Places. Darien Library buys st

14、ickers with the names of the glades and places the stickers above the call numbers. This has been especially popular in the childrens department where books are organized by age range and subject matter. Libraries in the United States are not alone in trying bookstore shelving. Bayside Library Servi

15、ces in Melbourne, Australia embraced a collection redesign after a building expansion (Hopkins 8). Goals for the redesign included increasing nonfiction use and grouping like things together to help patrons search efficiently. Bayside created collections of popular adult nonfiction, and, like Darien

16、, put things together that Dewey normally separates (Hopkins 10). Each collection has a name and a colored sticker. Signs in the nonfiction area have colors that correspond with the stickers. Public libraries are not the only ones trying to find an alternative to traditional library classification.

17、Bellevue High Schools in Bellevue, Nebraska recently reorganized their fiction collections (Gangwish and Pietsch). Librarians chose seven popular genres in which to classify books. A spine label for a book reads: FIC, the authors last name, and the genre category such as MYS for mystery or HOR for h

18、orror. Tinted labels fit over spine labels to color code books by genre. Libraries using bookstore-style shelving have a few things in common. First, books are classified by words rather than, or in addition to, numbers (Fister 22; Hopkins 10). Second, visual aids, such as signs, stickers, or colors

19、, direct patrons to the different subject areas (Fister 24; Hopkins 10). The look of bookstore shelving is quite different from the look of Dewey. The question that remains is whether one system works better than the other. Proponents of bookstore shelving have much to say about its advantages over

20、Dewey. In an interview on National Public Radio, Marshall Shore, adult services coordinator for the Maricopa County Library District, talked about the decision to transition to bookstore shelving (National Public Radio). Shore looked at what customers know, understand, and use: bookstores. He believ

21、es libraries should be convenient, provide the best service for patrons, and reinforce the relevance of libraries in the lives of the public. Anecdotal evidence collected in the Rangeview Library District in Colorado revealed that the public librarys problems lie in “coffee, collection, and classifi

22、cation” (Casey and Stephens 19). Patrons like to browse books with a drink in hand. Rangeview director Pam Sandlian Smith cited easy customer access and self service as reasons the bookstore shelving method works. In an online survey, 66.3 percent of public librarians acknowledged that many patrons

23、dont understand or are intimidated by Dewey (Fister 24). Marshall Shore, talking with infrequent library users, heard comments such as those numbers scare me, I dont understand them, they make me feel stupid. (Fister, 22). Bookstore shelving is meant to alleviate confusion and help patrons to become

24、 more self-sufficient by using words and signage that are easy to understand. One public library patron in Arizona, after using bookstore-style shelving, described herself as “empowered”; she now knows how to find things on her own and is no longer intimidated by Dewey numbers (Fister 22). Responses

25、 from patrons who have used libraries with bookstore shelving have been almost entirely positive (Hopkins 10). Reportedly, when Maricopa County Library Districts Perry Branch first opened, patrons did not even seen to notice the absence of Dewey (Whelan, 14). Marshall Shore remembers, “On opening da

26、y, extra staff were called in to handle the presumed customer confusion. I remember approaching a woman to explain the library, when she mouthed gardening and made a beeline to the area, browsed, and left with a stack of books” (Fister, 23). Since that time, there has been such an onslaught of posit

27、ive comments that Maricopa changed five of its 18 libraries to the bookstore shelving system (Fister 23). In fact, Maricopa County Library District, Rangeview Library District, Darien Library, Bellevue High Schools, and Bayside Library Services have all reported a rise in circulation numbers since t

28、heir individual transitions to bookstore shelving (Fister 23, 25; Gangwish and Pietsch; Hopkins 10). Perry Branchs circulation increased by 11,000 items borrowed from one year to the next after the transition (Fister 23). Darien Librarys childrens department saw an increase of about 30 percent each

29、month after the switch (Fister 25). Another advantage to bookstore shelving is creative collocation. In a survey conducted at Maricopa County Library Districts Perry Branch, over 75 percent of customers indicated that they use the library to “browse” (Fister 22). While Dewey has predetermined locati

30、ons for nonfiction books, bookstore shelving allows librarians to place related items together (Hopkins 10). For instance, Dewey places foreign language books in the 400s and travel books in the 900s. With the flexibility of bookstore shelving, the library can place in one area a travel guide for Pa

31、ris, a Paris museum guide, and a French language phrasebook. Bayside Library Services in Melbourne, Australia is pleased with the ease of browsing brought about by bookstore shelving. “Feedback from borrowers, staff and the lending figures all indicate that the collection rearrangement has made it e

32、asier for both adult and junior library users to locate items they want, or to find items which they do not know they want, but are happy to take home and read” (Hopkins 11). Although the advantages of bookstore shelving have effected change in some libraries, there are still many supporters of Dewe

33、y Decimal Classification. Dewey is quintessential public library. One can find Dewey in over 135 countries across the globe, and it exists in more than 30 languages (OCLC). Dewey is the same at every location, allowing knowledgeable patrons to understand where to locate an item in every public library, regardless of loc