Making content findable is our goal at Access Innovations. Of course, we are referring to technology and search queries in data that has been indexed with a strong taxonomy built according to standards. But if you think back, the Dewey Decimal System also had the same goal of making content findable. This interesting information came to us from the School Library Journal and their article, “Are Dewey’s Days Numbered?: Libraries Nationwide Are Ditching the Old Classification System.”
Many school and public libraries are stepping away from the Dewey Decimal System and creating a new library system based on labels, categories and visually compelling signs.
One school library’s post-Dewey system puts things together in a way that encourages kids to move easily from one idea to another through related categories that would not be possible with Dewey. In building a new system, they knew that they wanted a system that allowed students to be as independent as possible. This meant the labels needed to have a strong visual component. They clearly identified what the books are about, and they’re visually engaging and child-friendly.
Change is hard, but in this 21st-century world of rapidly changing technology, it is important that libraries continue to play a central role in our school and community.
Melody K. Smith
Sponsored by Access Innovations, the world leader in thesaurus, ontology, and taxonomy creation and metadata application.
