BOOKS : LIBRARY: CATALOGING AND CLASSIFICATION : INTERNET: SEARCH: TECHNIQUE: Can An Obscure Classification Number Make Library Users Dewey Eyed About the Existence of a Book
David P. Dillard
When I was knee high to a grass hopper in the library field and used the
card catalog and print subject field indexes to journal article literature
like Business Periodicals Index and Social Science Index and had never
used a computer in my life, I became very unhappy about the subject
heading used for a book. The book was a handbook or directory of a state
government and the catalogers had used a heading that included the word
registers rather than a word like directory. This was the year 1976. I
lost because the cataloger for serials at that time informed me that we
followed Library of Congress cataloging in such matters and uniformity
amongst libraries in the subject description of a book was important.
I lost the battle, but won the war. Some major corporations heard of my
problem and were moved to invent the personal computer, the online
catalog, the internet and the internet search engine, all because of my
problem with esoteric subject headings and call number assignments for
books and serials.
This leads me to a response I sent today to a list on which a librarian
was concerned about the cataloging decision about a biographical book
given a specialized Dewey Decimal classification number.
In this discussion list post this librarian expressed concern that an
obscure Dewey Decimal classification of a book rather than the book being
shelved with the biographies would keep this book from seeing the light of
day of readers eager hands and eyes.
Ishmael Beah -
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
Publisher: New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.
ISBN: 0374105235 9780374105235
I am not entirely certain that a Dewey call number, even if repeated in many
libraries, can do much in today's information economy to contribute to a book
becoming unknown and hidden.
Enter the Sherlock Holmes of the computer age to ferret out this hidden
treasure:
<http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=
DAUS,DAUS:2006-11,DAUS:en&q=A+Long+Way+Gone%3a+Memoirs+of+a+Boy+Soldier>
A shorter URL for the above link:
Even "Scholars" seem to be aware of this title.
<http://scholar.google.com/scholar?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=
DAUS,DAUS:2006-11,DAUS:en&q=A%20Long%20Way%20Gone%3A%20Memoirs%
20of%20a%20Boy%20Soldier&um=1&sa=N&tab=ws>
A shorter URL for the above link:
Indeed this book cannot even hide inside another book any longer.
<http://books.google.com/books?tab=sp&sa=N&sourceid=navclient&ie=
UTF-8&rls=DAUS,DAUS:2006-11,DAUS:en&q=
A+Long+Way+Gone:+Memoirs+of+a+Boy+Soldier&um=1&sa=N>
A shorter URL for the above link:
And for that matter, how can one keep the in the know bloggers from Web Logging
this title?
<http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?sourceid=navclient&ie=
UTF-8&rls=DAUS,DAUS:2006-11,DAUS:en&q=A%20Long%20Way%20Gone%
3A%20Memoirs%20of%20a%20Boy%20Soldier&um=1&sa=N&tab=pb>
A shorter URL for the above link:
Some people even group up to tell about this book:
<http://groups.google.com/groups?ie=UTF-8&rls=
DAUS,DAUS:2006-11,DAUS:en&q=A%20Long%20Way%20Gone%
3A%20Memoirs%20of%20a%20Boy%20Soldier&um=1&sa=N&tab=bg>
A shorter URL for the above link:
Without the help of a classy librarian, the user may even be able to picture
this book in their mind.
<http://images.google.com/images?tab=si&sa=
N&sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=DAUS,DAUS:2006-11,DAUS:
en&q=A+Long+Way+Gone:+Memoirs+of+a+Boy+Soldier&um=1&sa=N>
A shorter URL for the above link:
It is my considered opinion that classification can no longer keep even
the most dewey eyed library user from awareness of this or any title no
matter what library shelf street address a cataloger selects to try to
employ to hide this or any book. Indeed the keyword search capability in
online library "card" catalogs has done much to free library users from
the tyranny of esoteric classification choices and obscure subject
headings. You can book me on this one.
Todays bit of wisdom.
In order to learn how to assign call numbers, library school students must
go to class.
More on library classification electronic books from Net-Gold
<http://www.google.com/search?q=(%22electronic+books%22+OR+ebooks+
OR+%22library+classification%22+OR+%22subject+headings%22)+and+%
22net-gold%22+and+%22temple.edu%22+&hl=en&filter=0>
A shorter URL for the above link:
as well as a few Net-Gold thoughts regarding search engines and libraries:
<http://www.google.com/search?q=%22search+engines%22+and+
(library+OR+libraries+OR+books)+and+%22net-gold%
22+and+%22temple.edu%22+&hl=en&filter=0>
A shorter URL for the above link:
Also of possible interest:
LAW: CASES :
EDUCATION: K-12: TEACHERS :
EDUCATION: TECHNOLOGY :
COMPUTER: MALWARE:
The Julie Amero Case: Will It Ever End?
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Net-Gold/message/24233>
TOURISM AND TRAVEL: RESOURCES :
ENVIRONMENT: GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE:
Links to Literature Files Regarding Climate Change and Tourism
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Net-Gold/message/24230>
PUBLISHERS PUBLISHING AND PUBLICATIONS: OPEN ACCESS :
COPYRIGHT:
Understanding Open Access in The Academic Environment: A Guide For Authors
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Net-Gold/message/24228>
GOVERNMENT: DOCUMENTS :
GOVERNMENT: PUBLICATIONS :
WRITING AND WRITERS: CITATION FORMAT FOOTNOTES ENDNOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY :
WRITING AND WRITERS: STYLE AND WRITING MANUALS:
Citing Government Documents and Publications:
Selected Web Guides and Resource Lists
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Net-Gold/message/24210>
DICTIONARIES :
LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS: ENGLISH LANGUAGE: WORDS AND VOCABULARY:
100 New Terms Make the Cut for Merriam-Webster Dictionary
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Net-Gold/message/24209>
Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
jw...@temple.edu
<http://daviddillard.businesscard2.com>
Net-Gold
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General Internet & Print Resources
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<http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/ringleaders/davidd.html>
Educator-Gold
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K12ADMINLIFE
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K12AdminLIFE/>
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