The Travelin' Librarian

I generally support the “bookstore model” idea when it comes to libraries. However, I’m not sure that what the Gilbert (AZ) library is doing is a good idea.

“When the new Gilbert library opens next month, it will be the first public library in the nation whose entire collection will be categorized without the Dewey Decimal Classification System, Maricopa County librarians say. Instead, tens of thousands of books in the Perry Branch library will be shelved by topic, similar to the way bookstores arrange books.”

I’m not anti-change, but might this just be going a little too far? I worked in bookstores for ten years and, despite the learning curve involved in learning how to count (which is basically all that need to be done to find a book once you have a Dewey number,) I’ve always found it easier to find books in a library than in a bookstore.

Granted, I’m looking at it from the “I need this particular book” POV while the article is coming from the “browsing” POV. Does Library 2.0 mean ditching standard classification systems all together? Are they allowing tagging in the OPAC to help support this new shelving method? I guess I’m left with more questions than answers at this point. I’ll be interested in seeing how this works out in the long-term.