In defense of the Dewey Decimal Classification System, this presentation was given by Michael Geeraedts as part of a LACONI-RASS continuing education program, Dewey and Beyond, on September 17, 2010.

1. Let’s Do Dewey the Right Way,
or Please Don’t BISAC Me!
A HIGHLY BIASED REPORT
FROM A CATALOGER &
EDUCATOR

2. DDC: 1st ten classes
 000 – Computer science, information & general works
 100 – Philosophy and psychology
 200 – Religion
 300 – Social sciences
 400 – Language
 500 – Science (including mathematics)
 600 – Technology/Applied Science
 700 – Arts and recreation
 800 – Literature
 900 – History, geography, and biography

3. The case against Dewey:
 Dewey doesn’t allow for efficient patron browsing of
library materials
 Dewey is too complicated for contemporary library
patrons to use effectively
 Use of Dewey in libraries is expensive:
 Cost of purchasing new paper editions/subscription to online
versions [WebDewey]
 Cost of professional staff [catalogers] to create locally-oriented
classification numbers
 Cost of training para-professional staff [shelvers, circ. &
related staff members]

4. The case for Dewey:
 Dewey does allow for efficient patron browsing of
library materials: organization by numbers is equal
to organization by words [use both effectively]
 Dewey is not too complicated for contemporary
library patrons to use effectively: appropriate &
detailed signage and focused assistance & BI from
librarians
 Use of Dewey in libraries is less expensive than any
retrospective conversion: work to improve what you
have since the grass is not always greener…

5. The case against BISAC:
 BISAC doesn’t adequately encompass very specific
subjects/subject headings [it tries, but…]
 BISAC can make browsing more difficult for patrons
due to lack of consistency/specificity in subject
analysis and signage [both on the stack ends & shelf]
 Cost of implementing BISAC in an already Dewey-
oriented library is high:
 Cost of materials re-class: re-cataloging, re-processing, re-
signing, re-orienting…

6. The case for BISAC:
 BISAC allow patrons to have a similar experience at
the library as at Borders [uniformity allows for lower
expenditure of already overextended brain activity:
“I don’t have the time, nor the energy to figure out
how the library works or even to ask for help! I just
want to grab the new Sarah Palin book & get to the
Tea Party & Koran burning rally!”
 BISAC allows the library to outsource its professional
staff & hire entry-level workers [i.e., wage slaves]
without that pesky and expensive library degree.

7. What we do @ Highland Park Public Library
[HPPL] (1)
 HPPL website: http://hppl.lib.il.us/
 Non-fiction books [Adult & Youth] are classed
according to DDC
 Fiction books [Adult & Youth] are classed by genre
& shelved alph. by author’s last name or keyword
 A/V materials are classed according to an in-house
created system based primarily on genre
(audiobooks are classed as Fiction/Non-fiction
books)

8. What we do @ Highland Park Public Library
[HPPL] (2)
 Each month, copies of patron suggestions are
electronically distributed to HPPL staff members. In
eight years, I have never seen a single complaint
about the classification methods employed at HPPL
which would result in lack of patron access to library
materials.
 The catalogers & the subject specialist librarians
[public service] work very closely with each other in
order to fine tune classification [Dewey & non-
Dewey] to meet patrons’ access needs.

9. Potential negative effects on technical & public
service departments of going “Dewey-less” [1]
 Cataloging and other related tech. service activities
could be outsourced which puts professional & para-
professional staff out of work, or downgrades their
current work flow, work hours, salary, benefits.
 Since BISAC is not taught in library schools, [I will
not be teaching it in my class!] catalogers and other
technical & public service librarians must learn the
system thoroughly on their own in order to
implement it properly. Extra staff time? What’s that?

10. Potential negative effects on technical & public
service departments of going “Dewey-less” [2]
 Patrons familiar with DDC are forced to “unlearn” Dewey
& “relearn” BISAC. This causes the same level of
frustration for those patrons in accessing library
materials as implementing BISAC is supposed to
alleviate for others. Why create this conflict amongst
patrons? Just fix the access problems patrons may be
experiencing with the currently implemented system:
DDC!
 There is no universally accepted empirical data to
support any claims that BISAC is better for libraries &
patrons than DDC. BISAC certainly will not be better for
some professional library staff & shelvers!

11. A library is not a book store, for good reasons, or
why we should better use what we already have:
 Libraries and librarians have more collective experience
with organizing library items than book stores & book
store/industry employees.
 Professional [degreed] librarians have received masters-
level instruction in classification & subject analysis. Book
store/industry employees are not required to have
comparable instruction. BISAC was not created by, nor
for librarians/libraries.
 Bibliographic instruction [BI] should play an active role
in EVERY library. When BI is effectively employed,
patrons are empowered in the library environment &
don’t have to settle for “2nd level” classification: BISAC.

12. “I got my MSLIS for a reason!”
 More and more libraries are already “de-
professionalizing” staff by eliminating or freezing
positions and/or creating two half-time positions [no
benefits!] from one previous full-time position [with
benefits!]
 “De-Deweyizing” a library certainly opens up the
possibility of further “de-professionalizing” of staff.
 Why hire a cataloger/technical services librarian
with a library degree when you can hire a para-
professional former employee of Borders who claims
to know BISAC?

13. “I go to the library instead of a book store
because I can actually find what I’m looking for”
 The above quote is from an actual patron of HPPL.
 Staff notes, August 2009
 When I go to a bookstore to find a book, I ALWAYS have
problems finding it unless it’s a major release that’s
shelved in a prominent location. And if I’m trying to find
a book on what might be considered an obscure subject, I
have to look it up on the store’s locator computer since
otherwise, I might spend a lot of time browsing for it.
Which is exactly what a library patron would have to do
in a similar situation at the library, whether it’s Dewey-
or BISAC-oriented.

14. In closing,
 Always remember to seek professional help for Dewey
phobia.
 It is both treatable and preventable.
 Your professional librarian can provide the much-needed
assistance to relieve your endless browsing fatigue.
 Don’t fear the library catalog! It is your guide to faceted
searching & retrieval. Remember, controlled vocabulary
is your friend! And when coupled with non-embedded
tags and proper signage, you have all the tools you need
to make your Dewey library experience the best that it
could possibly! Stop browsing & start finding!