What is the "Dewey Dilemma?" A New Way to Approach the Organization of a Library Collection

McCune, Andria

Fister, Barbara. (2009). The Dewey Dilemma. Library Journal, 134(16), 22-25. Retrieved from https://sjsu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=TN_ericEJ859403&context=PC&vid=01CALS_SJO&search_scope=EVERYTHING&tab=everything&lang=en_US

 This article by Fister (2009) offers a fresh take on the organization of a library collection. Many libraries in recent times have found that patrons prefer to have a "browsable" library collection to peruse, akin to the organization adopted by bookstores. In other words, this would be a collection in which materials are grouped together by categories with clear signage distinguishing the categories from one another, an altogether more user-friendly approach to organizing a collection of materials. As Fister explains,  “unlike Dewey, which categorizes related knowledge systematically, BISAC is an alphabetical list of categories ranging from Antiques and Collectibles to True Crime. Many librarians feel BISAC's relative simplicity and user-friendly language have an advantage over Dewey's complexity” (Fister, 2009). This type of system allows for more self-sufficiency for library patrons, and allows them to quickly identify the areas of their interest, and browse the titles that are grouped together in order to find an assortment of what they are looking for. There are a few library systems that have adopted the BISAC system, including the Perry Branch Library, which is part of the Maricopa County Library District (MCLD) in Arizona. What helped to prompt the change of organization was through the results of annual surveys conducted by the library system, in which ""Over 75 percent of...customers stated that they go to the library to 'browse' for materials" rather than to find a specific title they had in mind (Fister, 2009). 

While this new type of classification appeals to library patrons, many librarians throughout the United States when surveyed expressed their skepticism over this new type of organization. For example,  Tom Eland, who is a librarian who works at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College, sees the switch to this type of organization as an "uncritical acceptance of market capitalism...unlike customer service, which is done by private sector corporations on behalf of the profit motive, public service to library patrons is done on behalf of the civic duty of library workers to serve the interest of citizens and residents of the community who patronize the library" (Fister, 2009). 

In my experience working for a large library system, I understand the hesitation experienced by librarians towards switching to a whole new system of organization. For instance, this type of system may make it more difficult for patrons to find specific titles they had in mind. Also, there are many intricacies and levels of detail involved with the Dewey decimal system that especially appeal to patrons performing research, and these intricacies will be lost if the switch is made to a more simplistic system such as the BISAC system.