I love this! I was an academic librarian for 40 years before retiring in 2014. In the US (maybe Canada, too?) most academic libraries use the Library of. Congress classification system and most public and school libraries use the Dewey Decimal System. In library school, I loved learning to catalog in the Dewey system because it was like doing puzzles. You could make a number for anything, and we were given titles like "How to Paint Bullfighting Scenes" to create a call number for. Library of Congress system is must more complex, but allows for larger collections with a greater variety of subjects.
Subject headings are being updated all the time to reflect changes in society, but it can move slowly. I remember when "human rights" had to be assigned "civil rights" because "human rights" was not yet a heading.
There are radical catalogers whose life's work is to remedy this sort of racism and even just dated terminology. Some of them are famous and write books and articles! "Radical Cataloging: Essays at the Front" by K. R. Roberto is a good one!
I was just explaining the Dewey Decimal System to my middle schooler as he needed to find some books for a school project. I pointed out to him how biased the Religion category is towards Christianity. I will make sure to point out the LGBTQ+ bias and the racism as well. Thank you for this article.
Mlvl Dui (he was a proponent of simplified spelling, the douche) also created library schools specifically to provide himself with a constant supply of young women to sexually harass. AND he designed library furniture (card catalog cabinets, for example) to specific measurements so he could corner the market on selling furniture to libraries. For what it's worth, I prefer the Library of Congress Classification system, though it has had some weird (One-Legged Standing Position) and racist (Yellow Terror) categories in the past.
My bestie worked for a monastery. She convinced the monks to change their library from Dewey to Library of Congress....and then spent an entire summer restacking shelves. Finished, it was a thing of beauty.
Cool article! I enjoyed being a public school LMS for 25 years. Something I loved was that the 200s included religion with mythology. I had to type catalog cards and it was annoying to have to retype as subjects changed. During my era, Negro had to be changed to Black and then to Afro-American.
My primary school librarian imbedded in me a pure love of the very short story form by reading O. Henry stories rewritten for kids. I'll never forget hearing The Gift of the Magi and The Last Leaf. I sought out the oldest copy of his story collection I could find, in a tiny bookstore in country Western Australia attached to a heritage-inn specializing in secondhand and very old books. We'd stop in on road trips to Perth and have long, intensely interesting conversations with the owners and browse their over-stuffed shelves with a glass of wine in one hand and my tiny pet bunny in the other.
That's quite a journey from O. Henry's picture books and Mrs. Rosair who gave me a love for words and a penchant for writing similarly styled stories.
THAT….was Before computers….where this Info could only be accessed. DID U write/transfer ALL this information….into a Data Base…for Easy access? Ya, I see your point…dewy, microfishe+ YUK.
My Favorite Aunt was a Librarian and You Are Correct...They LOVE Puzzles! She later switched to Teaching but kept her Love for Puzzles. In her home on her long dining table was always a puzzle in-the-works...and Everyone was Invited to jump in and help complete it! Looking Back, that arrangement produced some very Interesting and Intense Conversations around the Table...Something that doesn’t happen today w/ Everyones noses in their cell phones.
I love this! I was an academic librarian for 40 years before retiring in 2014. In the US (maybe Canada, too?) most academic libraries use the Library of. Congress classification system and most public and school libraries use the Dewey Decimal System. In library school, I loved learning to catalog in the Dewey system because it was like doing puzzles. You could make a number for anything, and we were given titles like "How to Paint Bullfighting Scenes" to create a call number for. Library of Congress system is must more complex, but allows for larger collections with a greater variety of subjects.
Subject headings are being updated all the time to reflect changes in society, but it can move slowly. I remember when "human rights" had to be assigned "civil rights" because "human rights" was not yet a heading.
There are radical catalogers whose life's work is to remedy this sort of racism and even just dated terminology. Some of them are famous and write books and articles! "Radical Cataloging: Essays at the Front" by K. R. Roberto is a good one!
Thank you!
Sharing this on FB. My librarian friends will love it.
Love this!
I was just explaining the Dewey Decimal System to my middle schooler as he needed to find some books for a school project. I pointed out to him how biased the Religion category is towards Christianity. I will make sure to point out the LGBTQ+ bias and the racism as well. Thank you for this article.
Mlvl Dui (he was a proponent of simplified spelling, the douche) also created library schools specifically to provide himself with a constant supply of young women to sexually harass. AND he designed library furniture (card catalog cabinets, for example) to specific measurements so he could corner the market on selling furniture to libraries. For what it's worth, I prefer the Library of Congress Classification system, though it has had some weird (One-Legged Standing Position) and racist (Yellow Terror) categories in the past.
I had no idea about any of this. Just, damn.
My bestie worked for a monastery. She convinced the monks to change their library from Dewey to Library of Congress....and then spent an entire summer restacking shelves. Finished, it was a thing of beauty.
RIP, bestie.
Cool article! I enjoyed being a public school LMS for 25 years. Something I loved was that the 200s included religion with mythology. I had to type catalog cards and it was annoying to have to retype as subjects changed. During my era, Negro had to be changed to Black and then to Afro-American.
Will share to my librarian friend. Thanks for the information.
My primary school librarian imbedded in me a pure love of the very short story form by reading O. Henry stories rewritten for kids. I'll never forget hearing The Gift of the Magi and The Last Leaf. I sought out the oldest copy of his story collection I could find, in a tiny bookstore in country Western Australia attached to a heritage-inn specializing in secondhand and very old books. We'd stop in on road trips to Perth and have long, intensely interesting conversations with the owners and browse their over-stuffed shelves with a glass of wine in one hand and my tiny pet bunny in the other.
That's quite a journey from O. Henry's picture books and Mrs. Rosair who gave me a love for words and a penchant for writing similarly styled stories.
Sad but funny history.
LC is prevalent in academic libraries.My library friends will get a kick out of it:)!
Speaking of bigots and books, did you know that L. Frank Baum was a bigoted yahoo?
Interesting!
Not sure that the Library of Congress System is much better.
This is so interesting. I had no idea! Thank you!
THAT….was Before computers….where this Info could only be accessed. DID U write/transfer ALL this information….into a Data Base…for Easy access? Ya, I see your point…dewy, microfishe+ YUK.
My Favorite Aunt was a Librarian and You Are Correct...They LOVE Puzzles! She later switched to Teaching but kept her Love for Puzzles. In her home on her long dining table was always a puzzle in-the-works...and Everyone was Invited to jump in and help complete it! Looking Back, that arrangement produced some very Interesting and Intense Conversations around the Table...Something that doesn’t happen today w/ Everyones noses in their cell phones.