[Web4lib] RE: [lita-l] Innovation: NYTarticleon Dewey-lessArizona public library

[Lin Light]

 For years there has been the debate over "Give them what they want 'vs.'
Give what we think they need". I believe this debate had a strong start in
New Jersey in the early 1980's, don't recall the library or the direct. But
it shock many in the profession. I think the Deweyless approach is just
another spin on that approach. In reality, if we are to stay in business we
need to adapt to our clientele wishes and needs (to a point that is
practical), and this is just one library's attempt to do so.
Sorry to say, but maybe the article is an indication of our current standing
in our society and it might be a glimpse of the future that scares the hell
out of some.

Lin

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Louise Alcorn
Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 12:11 PM
To: web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Web4lib] RE: [lita-l] Innovation: NYTarticleon
Dewey-lessArizona public library

 
> In the same vein, where does on place a book on medical
ethics--philosophy or medicine?  Unless one purchases multiple volumes to
cover each topic a book may address, there is a fair chance that a patron
would miss a subject unless she went to the catalog first.

>Also, libraries and bookstores stock books differently.  Even if a
bookstore has as many volumes as a typical branch library, it would almost
certainly have many fewer titles. 

I think bookstores get around the first of your questions above by having
multiple copies and putting them in both subject areas to be found when
browsing.  However, not all libraries can afford to do this.
As you say, you'd need the catalog to find the cross-reference, which it
sounds like they have.  As to the second question - do we know if this
branch library is treating itself as a browsing library of current titles,
and so is buying more multiple copies, but of fewer titles?  I didn't find
that entirely clear.  I think it's a valid approach, though you'd need to
rotate your stock frequently - perhaps eventually rotating it into a larger,
call numbered district system?  This is part of the Maricopa system, which
is huge, but it's a branch library attached to a
school.  I think their approach has some merit in that instance.    

>This would seem to make the very broad categories used in bookstores
less effective for browsing, since one would have to pick through so many
more titles in a given category.

I think it would be successful in fiction, where you could make several
divisions in genres and age-specific areas (though technically you can do
that now in Dewey, if you're willing to put in the work in your ILS).
In nonfiction, as you say, it could cause confusion, but it's possible this
library is again looking toward a more browsing type collection??
Again, it was not clear from the article or anything else I've read about
the branch.  

For what it's worth, I'm asked at least twice a month "why don't you put
them together by subject like in bookstores".  When I "gently" (and why did
they use that term in the NYT article? - it's very condescending) explain
that Dewey does, in fact, group by subject and that furthermore, we group
our fiction by genre for browsing, patrons are genuinely surprised.  They
assume (I guess) that Dewey just puts them in numbers by, what?, date of
purchase?  Random math?  Librarian whim?  It seems arcane and arbitrary to
many users.  I contend that this is a matter of education and promotion, but
we can't dismiss the complaint when it comes so often.  It sounds as if
Courtright is taking the complaint by the horns and experimenting with
"giving them what they want" (remember all the debates about THAT concept
back in the 90's?).  

I know someone down at Maricopa, and I know many of them are very excited to
see how this pans out at that branch - they are expecting to have to do some
tweaking, but want to let it play out.  I keep meaning to ask them more of
the specifics of how they're doing this that we've mentioned here, such as
how this affects staff interactions with patrons.  

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Louise E. Alcorn
Reference Technology Librarian
West Des Moines Public Library
4000 Mills Civic Pkwy
West Des Moines IA 50265
(515) 222-3573      louise.alcorn at wdm-ia.com
http://www.wdmlibrary.org   
_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4lib at webjunction.org
http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/