[Web4lib] Innovation: NYT article on Dewey-less Arizona publiclibrary

[Karen Harker]

I think a distinction is needed between call numbers and classification systems.  The purpose of call numbers is to find a specific book. The purpose of classification is to group books by topic.  The call numbers are based on the classification system, but they should not be used for browsing.  If a user is looking for a particular book, the call number is what should be used.  If the user is looking for a section in which browse, the classification system should be used.
 
Any classification system requires some rules - alphabetizing by name (which name? surname? what about non-Western names?), general topic (to what level? what are the topic's called? how to organize the topics - alphabetically? heirarchically?).  In addition, the rules must be applied consistently by both the cataloger and the user.  Given that humans are notoriously inconsistent, every system will have its failures.
 
Going back to the user, consider a someone looking for "a book on the civil war."  If there are 100 books generally about the US Civil War, how easy is it scan them to find the best one?  The user is pretty much left to "judging a book by its cover."  In a library with a modestly granular classification, the more general books will be grouped together at the beginning of the section, followed by books on much more specific sub-topics.  If the user is only looking for a general book, I imagine it would be easier to find than if they were scattered within the 100 (or 1000 or more) books.  
 
Of course, the system used must be appropriate for the size and scope of the collection.  A small public library that classifies to 6-7 decimal spaces is not applying the DDC appropriately.  To improve browsability of shelves, a library may, instead of abandoning a proven method of organizing their collection, use signs (i.e. "U.S. History" or "U.S. Civil War").  
 
 
 
Karen R. Harker, MLS, MPH
UT Southwestern Medical Library
5323 Harry Hines Blvd.
Dallas, TX  75390-9049
214-648-8946
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/library/ 

>>> On 7/15/07 at 5:07 PM, in message <e6abbff40707151507j48f140cfl16707d329a9dfe32 at mail.gmail.com>, "Brian Gray" <mindspiral at gmail.com> wrote:
I was wondering the same thing. Were they still using a card catalog?

I do not see the problem switching the classification it serves the
need of their users. Does anyone know how the books are labeled now
and how you do find a specific book within a subject area? I cannot
tell from the pictures within the story. The article stated people did
not know what the numbers meant, but there has to be a new system they
are going to need to know now.

The people no search by subject on the computer. Where are these being
derived from? Is the library defining their own or pulling from
another source? How much extra work have they created for staff?

Brian Gray
mindspiral at gmail.com 


On 7/15/07, B.G. Sloan <bgsloan2 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Forgot to mention...I found this to be a rather odd statement by the authors of the article:
>
> "So at the 24,000-square-foot Perry Branch, there is not a hint of a card catalog. (Mr. Courtright says most people do not know what the numbers mean anyway.) Visitors may instead search for books using an automated computer system..."
>
> As if this was the first library to do away with the card catalog and allow users to "search for books using an automated computer system"?? Wonder when was the last time the authors had visited a library?
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