De-Dewefication Begins
2007-05-31

Last discussed here in May of 2006, de-Dewefication has begun at the new Perry branch library in Maricopa county, Arizona. The library will open without using Dewey classification. Their books will be shelved by topic. Maricopa County officials say the Perry Branch library will be organized like a bookstore. Instead of assigning them numbers, the tens of thousands of books will be shelved by topic. County librarians say it's time to do away with the century-old Dewey Decimal system. They say it's too confusing for people to hunt down books using those long strings of numbers and letters. The idea to get rid of Dewey came from Marshall Shore -- an adult service coordinator for the Maricopa County Library District. He says that patrons are frustrated by the old cataloging system. He says that the libraries must adapt to their customers needs. Articles here and here.