Former leading New Zealand publisher and bookseller, and widely experienced judge of both the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, talks about what he is currently reading, what impresses him and what doesn't, along with chat about the international English language book scene, and links to sites of interest to booklovers.
Monday, July 16, 2007
LIBRARY DROPS DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM
Another story from the New York Times tells of this Arizona library which is one of the first in the US to drop the long-used Dewey classification system in favour of one familiart at large bookstores.
Libraries aren't bookstores. Libraries will be on shaky ground if they attempt to become completely like bookstores. The library community can embrace certain aspects (mainly atmosphere) of bookstores but they can't lose their identity in pursuit of the competition. Instead, libraries need to breath new life into their buildings and into the profession. They need to capitalize on what sets them apart from bookstores by highlighting the many unique and valuable services they provide.
I hope that the demise of the Dewey Decimal System is limited to Mr. Courtright's library. Dewey isn't a perfect system of classification. It has its shortcomings. But it's served library users for generations and is vital in today's quest to connect library users to desired content.
Read my full response at Detroit Leaning: http://detroitleaning.blogspot.com/2007/07/deweys-not-dead.html
1 comment:
Libraries aren't bookstores. Libraries will be on shaky ground if they attempt to become completely like bookstores. The library community can embrace certain aspects (mainly atmosphere) of bookstores but they can't lose their identity in pursuit of the competition. Instead, libraries need to breath new life into their buildings and into the profession. They need to capitalize on what sets them apart from bookstores by highlighting the many unique and valuable services they provide.
I hope that the demise of the Dewey Decimal System is limited to Mr. Courtright's library. Dewey isn't a perfect system of classification. It has its shortcomings. But it's served library users for generations and is vital in today's quest to connect library users to desired content.
Read my full response at Detroit Leaning: http://detroitleaning.blogspot.com/2007/07/deweys-not-dead.html
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