The End of an Era-Dewey Decimal Ditched?

Just saw this article courtesy of a publisher who is on Twitter and thought it might be something this group would be interested in seeing: http://www.denverpost.com/frontpage/ci_12542434?source=rss

It sounds like the idea of moving away from Dewey, though it would be a major shift, has some merit - DDC is great for some things - but its not intuitive to relate to or remember the numbers, and the classification scheme leaves some things to be desired. I would have voted for switching to Library of Congress, but recognize that LC may not be the de-mystifier the Colorado system was looking for.

Maybe the change, will even get more people in library doors.

Thanks for posting that, Storeetllr. :) I've noticed libraries becoming more retail-like. For instance, we're supposed to refer to patrons as "customers", though that hasn't caught on. (I guess I should add I work in a library. :) And my first instinct was "Noo! No change", but I see how labeling sections would make it much more user-friendly for patrons--(ahem) customers. And I agree with you, bfertig--just as long as libraries stay open. :)

I'd rather be a patron than a customer.

Ditto. It makes me feel like I have to pay to come in or something. We've even had people not want to get library cards because they thought it cost money. I'm not sure where they heard that one. Maybe from people with a lot of fines? (Totally off topic there. Sorry. :)

Definitely agree on the patron thing- I'd much rather be a patron than a customer. "Patron" suggests an ongoing relationship, whereas customer is more a get-in get-out kind of situation.

>5 saraslibrary:
In some areas you do have to pay to get a library membership. I believe it costs $20/ year to join the public library in the province of Alberta.

#5 and 7 I'm so lucky to live in Los Angeles, at least as far as the library systems are concerned. We have two, actually ~ the City and the County both have library systems ~ and neither cost anything to join. The fines have gotten steeper, but I never mind paying those fines. I figure all the fines I pay to the library in a year end up being much less than I would have spent had I been buying the books, and I hope I'm helping to keep the libraries open in this depressing economy.

8 I'm in LA county too, (used to be in the city, I miss it) and I agree our library systems are kick ass. Though a lot of the individual branches are kinda depressing.

(Sorry this message is so late!)

#7: $20 to join a library?? How absurd! Is that just a Canada thing or do other places do that (if you know)? I wonder how many people actually join....

#8: We have something similar to that: a couple city systems and a county. (I live in Washington, just south of Seattle.) We lowered our fines a year or so back because of the economy, to kind of help out our patrons, but it doesn't seem to stop some people from racking up enormous fines. (One person I think was almost up to $1,000. I can't even fathom that!)

>>10 saraslibrary:: It's not like that all over Canada. I think that only Alberta has a fee. They also have library membership fees in Ireland. I don't know about other places.

That is interesting! Thanks for letting me know. :) I'll have to do a little more research, because I wasn't aware of how different libraries are in some countries. I just figured everything was free (fines excluded, of course).

In the summer of 1960 when we lived in Newport, RI, my mother went ahead and took out a membership for me and my sister at the Redwood Library, two blocks away, rather than send us to the public library, maybe 10 blocks away. The Redwood Library certainly predates the era of free public libraries, which I think only date from the last third of the 19th century in the United States.