Deweyless Libraries

A while ago libraries in Maricopa County, Arizona announced that they were becoming a "Deweyless Library". What does that mean, you may ask?

For years, since 1876 to be exact, libraries have shelved and arranged their book collection to Dewey Decimal Classification. Books are grouped together in categories like Science, History, and Technology and then further broken down into small categories within the larger subsections.

The Dewey Decimal categories have reigned supreme in libraries everywhere; I know I can find a book on Shakespeare at 822.3 and books on specific dinosaurs at 567.91 (my son, Kyle even memorized this number at a young age to find books on dinosaurs all by himself) in each and every library I step into.

Now libraries are changing and perhaps headed into the book shelving areas of the super bookstore chains. Libraries are being awarded grants and recognition for their innovative ways to promote books and reading.

Are we headed in the direction of the Dewey Decimal Classification becoming a fossil? We, libraries and librarian are here to help our patrons(customers) to find materials they need and want, do they want Dewelyless Libraries? I guess some do.