One of my favourite things to do on holiday is to visit public libraries; some people might think that’s a bit sad but I look at it as keeping up to date with everything that’s going on internationally.
On this trip I visited Toronto Public Library’s Central Branch, which occupies a very convenient space on York Street, not far from the main shopping district in Toronto. It boasts a style of architecture and interior design that I think (and I’m no expert!) was very popular in the late 1970s. If I’m honest, it was actually really nice to visit a library that hadn’t been completely re-designed to look like a bookshop – it looked and felt like a library ought to and I loved it!
Toronto Public Library - Central Branch
We visited on a weekday morning and were surprised by how busy it was. And not just on the ground floor where the café was situated, but on every floor.
I was visiting with somebody who didn’t have the first clue about Dewey Decimal Classification and this really made me re-think how we catalogue books in our libraries. Sure, my friend was able to stand in line to find out from a very helpful librarian the location of the book he was looking for…but this highlighted to me just how unfriendly Dewey is to users with no concept of how the system works.
I’ve had several discussions / arguments since then with other librarians about whether or not we should be organising book stock to make it easier for staff or for users to locate books. It seems some people feel quite strongly about maintaining systems such as Dewey but I’m just not sure anymore, especially after experiencing first hand the many obstacles my friend had to overcome just to locate one book…
…maybe we should just hand out compact versions of RFIDs to each user as they enter our libraries?
Awesome! Down with dewey! check this out –
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=3734701&version=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1
(I know this article is from Fox news, sorry)
So I’ve met quite a few librarians from this branch and everyone seems to love it since its not a research or academic library. I think its great that somebody had the pair to make this decision and then go through with it.
For the average person, Dewey is an address to find a book at a physical location. When the average person goes to a library, the card catalog terminal gets the job of finding the desired address. With the desired address in hand, if the library is well laid out and has good signage, a map isn’t necessary to find the physical location. I don’t consider Dewey to be the problem. Software and signage are the usual weaknesses at the average library.
Patrick – thanks for posting the news story about East Valley Library. Very interesting! I think the ‘bookshop cataloguing model’ (as they refer to it) is suitable for some public libraries, but maybe not all. I’ve seen it used in one of our new community libraries in Glasgow and the users seem quite happy with it.
I’ve always felt that Dewey is the librarians best friend, rather than the users. And I agree with ‘thedonofpages’ that if the signage is well laid out it can effectively communicate the Dewey system to users, which in turn helps them to navigate the shelves without additional help from library staff.
However, I’m really not convinced that it is the best system for organising stock / knowledge in a public library setting. I don’t know what the solution is…but I’m excited about what might happen over the next few years as we attempt to catalogue the web…maybe something new will develop from that…!
Hello, I am a librarian at the Library referred to in the
main posting above ” A Visit to Toronto Public Library…”.
Just wanted to clarify some things said about it. The Library is the central branch for the Toronto Public Library system (99 branches!) and is actually called the Toronto Reference Library.
It is located on Yonge Street, NOT York Street as indicated. The Library was opened in 1977 but has undergone and still is undergoing renovations. I’m glad that you liked the Library.
It was interesting to see comments from a patron about the Dewey Decimal cataloguing system — yes, it isn’t perfect…
I’m not sure how relevant DDC is to library users in the age of Google – Google turned a 10 step process into a 1 step one – I know it doesn’t always find the best resources but equally with DDC you don’t get to see how relevant what you actually found until you go all the way to the shelves & open the book which takes a lot longer. In a small library (in a school) I’m always wondering how useful my DDC is, does it make sense to pupils that wild animals are in one place but for pets you have to go around the corner, pass books about Cars and Helocopters and then you find Pets…?? Its great in an academic setting with a lot of non-fiction but how relevant is it actually in a small library? And is it just another barrier which puts people off even asking for help?? How many searches are abandoned without the person ever asking a Librarian for help?
Hi Peggy
Thanks for taking the time to comment on the Blog. Apologies for mixing up my street names. It was a pretty busy three weeks in Canada and I was lucky enough to visit lots of different places. Your library was one of my favourite destinations though…and I particularly liked the old style pencil sharpeners that were distributed throughout!
I hope to visit again one day and perhaps enjoy a proper tour of your facilities.
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Hi Cathy
You make a really interesting point here:
“How many searches are abandoned without the person ever asking a Librarian for help?”
Having dealt with enquiries in a smallish community library in the past I’d guess that quite a lot of people abandon their search rather than ask a member of library staff for assistance. There could be several reasons for this, such as…
*feeling intimidated by the formal enquiry desk
*not wanting to expose a lack of knowledge
*reluctance to share a private health matter with a stranger
*no time to queue
etc, etc…
So, like you I also wonder if DDC is the best option for smaller school and/or public libraries. The Library at the Bridge in Glasgow has adopted a mixed approach to classification…you should check them out for inspiration.
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.