Rethinking the Call Number

This training program, produced by a department of the Baltimore County Public Library, highlights a couple of public libraries that do not use Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) to organize materials on their shelves. Instead, each employs an organizing scheme called "neighborhoods" adapted from the Book Industry Study Group (BISAC). Opening with the origins of DDC, the production is largely composed of interviews with staff members and customers from two libraries who have adopted this customer-driven organization system: Maricopa County Public Library (AZ) and Frankfort Public Library District (IL). The research behind the change and the methodology on how it was implemented and received by the staff and the public at each site are covered in detail. The planning required for conversion, getting staff and library board buy-in, clean signage and reorganization of physical layout (including the importance of low shelving, casual seating, and heavy marketing), and a smooth transition for the public are emphasized. Arguments for and explanations of the process are clear and articulate, offering a different way of thinking about cataloging. This intriguing idea is worthy of inclusion in library school curriculums and consideration by libraries looking for an alternative means of moving their collections.—Stephanie Bange, Wright State University, Dayton, OH