Becky Brown

Bookstore Model

Is the bookstore model best for both fiction and non-fiction shelving?
While I was reflecting on this, I began to really think about the impact that this would have on a
media center or a library. How would someone find a book? Would it just be a crap shoot on
whether or not a patron would be able to locate a book? But, as I began to research and read, I
began to realize a few things. The first is something that I already knew-the DDC is not very
intuitive or user friendly unless you have had to use more than 50 times or you have a degree in
library science. In fact, Dewey, not matter how good for librarians needing to locate a book
fast, is simply not suited to a popular collection intended more for browsing than research
(Casey and Stephens 2009). After coming to this conclusion, I then began to really want to learn
more about the bookstore model. Upon further investigation, I found that this argument is not a
new one because over the past 60 years there has been a schism within the field of library science
about whether to use a new updated model or the DDC. For myself, I think that using a
bookstore model for fiction and non-fiction would be a great thing because it is more user-
friendly and intuitive.
Is the bookstore model best for all levels elementary, middle, and high school?
Keep Dewey or kill it? There are pros and cons to each approach, and what works in the
30,000-volume Perry Branch may not work in your library. But what does work is listening to
our public, having the guts to experiment, and creating libraries that more intuitive for your
students and users than for you. After all, theyve come to use our books and DVDs, our
reference services and databases-not to learn our idiosyncratic systems (Kenney 2007).
Whether or not a library for any educational institution uses or does not use the DDC, what this
really boils down to is what is best for the patrons that use the services of a media center or
library, and not what a librarian, who loves to research, wants. If that means using the bookstore
model, then use it. If that means using a Dewey mash-up, then use it. If that means continuing
to use the DDC, then use it because, in the end, its not so much about what librarians have
done in the past. Its about creating a user-responsive environment now (Fialkoff 2009).
Would BISAC Subject Headings cover all specific subjects needed in P-12
schools? (IF that method was used for subjects)
While BISAC Subject Headings are not ideal, the system makes better sense to patrons who use
the library/media center. If one was to try to locate a book on caring for your dog using the DDC,
the location of that subject could be in two that are not even remotely near each other. If one
was to use the BISAC, the location of pet care would be under pets. One of the other advantages
of BISAC is the flexibility afforded to media centers or libraries to create their own subject
headings. To make it work, I would think that there would have to be excellent signing for both
patrons and staff to ensure that people knew where all of the different sections were located.
Now, post your thoughts on this new model of organization versus authority
control of Dewey/Sears. Include thoughts from the source you found on the topic.
Recently, I went to my local public library in search of a book to read for my enjoyment. I
browsed through the biographies and went into the classics but I could not find anything that
caught my eye. Then, I went searching through the fiction books but to my dismay, my five
minute time limit was up and I left the library without checking out a book. When I got home, I
went to the librarys website and began a search to find a book. When I finally located a
selection, I was able to receive my selection via my Kindle. Why relay this story to you? I
relayed this story because while my search for a selection in the library is not an uncommon
event to happen several times for others in the library, the way I finally found my selection is.
Libraries and school media centers are no longer just a location for books anymore. They are
slowly but surely becoming information commons where collections are held digitally and
patrons have access to the collection at any time on any given day. If this is indeed where the
field is headed, does using Dewey to classify collections really make sense? In my opinion, the
answer is no because there has to be an easier method to classify collections to encourage others
to use the services offered. The most promising method to use is the bookstore model because
within the model it allows librarians to be able to focus on innovation and creativity, to deliver
intuitive patron focused service, and to stop worrying about whether or not the catalog is
perfectly correct according to the DDC (Casey and Stephens 2009). Instead of focusing on
whether or not a non-fiction book about the Amazon rain forest has the right classification
number, how satisfying would it be to be able to teach a 2
nd
grader how to create and publish
their own e-book on the same topic? Or how about making sure that a high school senior knows
how to correctly create a bibliography for a research paper? I guess what it ultimately comes
down to is this-are we going to be the innovators that help recreate the role that a media center or
library has on our society or are we going to be the victim of its demise?

Casey, M., & Stephens, M. (2009). It's Fine To Drop Dewey. Library Journal, 134(12), 19.
Fialkoff, F. (2009, November). It's Not About Dewey. Library Journal. p. 8.
Harris, C. (2009). For Libraries, the Future Is Now. School Library Journal, 55(9), 16.
Hill, N. (2010). Dewey or Don't We?. Public Libraries, 49(4), 14-20
Kenney, B. (2007). Desert Storm. School Library Journal, 53(8), 9.
McGrath, M. (2011). To Dewey or Not to Dewey: Libraries Go Dewey-free. Journal of the Library
Administration & Management Section, 7(2), 29-33.