Sunday, October 18, 2009
Week 9, Part 2: Podcasts (#21)
I subscribed to Librarian's Live on Podcast.com. I listened to the podcast called "Breaking Up with Dewey," an interview with the Collection Development Manager of Anythink Libraries in Adams County, Colorado. The discussion was about how the library system decided to change the way they organize their collection without the Dewey Decimal Classification System in favor of the retail model found in bookstores such as Borders and Barnes and Noble. It was definitely an interesting conversation about how this public library system is trying to reach customers where they are, respond to the changing needs of their customers and redefine the community library. It is an interesting concept that seems to be yielding positive feedback and results. Personally, I don't see other types of libraries such as school and academic libraries following this trend anytime soon except in possibly an experimental way. This would be a very time consuming and expensive experiment. If more public libraries adopt this system, they will differentiate themselves from the academic library, which might not be such a bad thing. Who says all libraries have to follow the same organizational system? The larger the library collections are and the more depth in the subject matter collected, the library will need a more sophisticated and detailed classification system than a public library that may tend to have a broader range of subjects collected to appeal to the variety of interests of their patrons that libraries want to be lifelong learners. School libraries mainly support the curriculum and academic libraries support scholarly research. Libraries can serve niche markets or communities, accept change and be adaptable. Libraries can learn much from the the business model and the paradigm shift that needs to take place for communities, administrators and politicians to see the value and purposes they serve in various capacities.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
As I see new posts added on my Google Reader, I tend to shy away from ones that are about "Things" that I haven't completed yet and save them for later. They usually stress me out because I don't have all of the information yet. Yours really caught my attention, though, and I had to read it right away. :) I look forward to learning about Podcasts, and listening to the one you mentioned. What an interesting topic, especially since that is what we're learning about in our other class. Thank you for sharing! I can't wait to get to "Thing #21!"
ReplyDeleteinteresting discussion about classification
ReplyDeleteThe biggest hurdle that I see might be with students who are learning Dewey in school and somewhat used to this concept and decide to visit their local library that may no longer use Dewey. Students are adaptable to change. If a local library no longer uses Dewey and tends to have a varied collection that may not include much applicable material, students are less likely to rely on the public library for research needs. It is a tough balancing act. Older patrons who have not had the amount of digital information exposure as younger students or been in school for a long time will barely remember Dewey and would prefer a simpler system of organization. We will probably see more libraries redefining and repositioning themselves into serving niche segments of the population. Libraries will begin shifting their resources toward their target markets instead of trying to be everything to all people.
ReplyDelete