1. Going ‘Dewey Free’ at New Frontiers School Board
MEES Library Symposium
March 29th, 2017
First heard about Dewey Lite at the QLA Pam Harland (librarian at Sanborn Regional HS in Kingston, New Hampshire) spoke about her decision to go Dewey Lite, and why she did it.
Why force students to use an outdated, complicated system when searching could be so much easier.
Visited her school in 2014 and was hugely impressed.

2. MELVIL DEWEY (1851-1931) The Granger Collection / Universal Images
But first – a little history lesson.
This is Melvil Dewey – circa 1876 when he first published the Dewey Decimal System
MELVIL DEWEY ( ) The Granger Collection / Universal Images

3. The Granger Collection / Universal Images
The same year that Alexander Graham Bell
received a patent for the first telephone.
The Granger Collection / Universal Images

4. Universal History Archive/Universal Images
And that was 10 years before Mr. Benz invented the motor car!
Suffice it to say, things have changed a lot!
Universal History Archive/Universal Images

5. Toronto Star \ Universal Images Group
Similarly, the way students get information has changed, from books…
Toronto Star \ Universal Images Group

6. Tim Ridley/ Dorling Kindersley / Universal Images Group
To desktop computers…
Tim Ridley/ Dorling Kindersley / Universal Images Group

7. To mobile devices.
So how do we encourage them to continue to use books as well?
By making it as easy as possible to find the information they need.
Ipad: Peter Macdiarmid, Getty Images News, Getty Images, Universal Images Group; Cell phone: Media for Medical/UIG Rights Managed

8. What is Dewey Free? Dewey Free is a classification system in
which books on a similar topic are filed
alphabetically by subject rather than by
Dewey number.
What this means is that Sports would no longer be found in 796…. But under S for Sports– with possible sub-sections for summer, winter, hockey – depending on the size of your collection.
Similarly, countries wouldn’t be scattered through the 900’s but would be found under C for Countries.

9. Why did we do this?
Ease of access for students. Children today want immediate results – google generation.
Bookstore model.
Students don’t learn about decimals in math class until grade 4.
Students aren’t taught the Dewey system and it has no meaning for them.
“The Dewey Decimal System is a wonderful classification system, but a very flawed access system” – Pam Harland
. Google generation – want immed. results. Now – line up at the circ desk, ask where are the books on trains, person at desk looks it up, writes down the call number (S), gives it to student - has to go to try to find it on the shelf… crazy... Student lost interest by step 2. And some may even be shy to ask for help.
. Bookstore model – a book about something, not a specific title/author. Maybe they were looking for a book on trains but instead go for a book on airplanes
. Not really taught, may be shown where books are but the numbering system remains a mystery.
. Young students should be allowed in non-fiction section, too so it should be as easy as possible.
And, at the end of the day, we just want students to read – to find that perfect book that will turn them into a reader.

10. The ‘Old’ Dewey system
Right now, if books are filed by ‘correct’ dewey number books on the same general subject can be found in several different sections of the library – cars, car racing, inventions
ALSO, transportation sections can be found in the 300’s and 600’s ( eg Trains in 385 and 625)
And Computers are in the 000’s while technology is at 600 – but today everyone equates tech with computers. And what about onlline safety – where should it go???

11. 940’s section
OK, this is my favorite section - The 940’s house a crazy jumble of topics – the order of which would make no sense to students.
(History of Europe) – even in the abridged, single volume Dewey manual the 940’s take up 13 pages!

12. 940’s – everything from Vikings, Wars, Middle Ages, Countries - Does this make sense to students??!!
Does any elementary student think, ah, Middle Ages – I should go to History of Europe? No, they just want to look at pictures of knights in armor and castles.

13. Middle Ages
Dewey system can be confusing, putting books on a similar topic in different locations.
Most of us probably put these books together anyway but Dewey classifies this Crabtree Middle Ages series throughout non-fiction.

14. Places of worship in 200.

15. Manners and Customs under 390

16. Legends in 398
We decided that this system doesn’t work for us anymore and we decided to change things up…
So we decided to go dewey free.
So how did we go about this?

17. How did we implement Dewey Free?
Weeded and weeded and weeded!
Decided which classifications would work for the collection.
Changed call numbers on books and on computer.
Filed new classifications in alphabetical order.
Updated signage.
. Weeding, got rid of old material/evaluated the collection.
. Assessing the classifications - lots of discussion – eg student and Nascar book – sports or transportation – think like a student;
. Changing call numbers was the longest /most tedious task. - number in Regard is now word.
. Took all books off shelf - in alpha order.

18. Dewey Free at New Frontiers School Board
So what does it look like in practice?

19. Harmony Elementary First school we did.
I did a lot of reading/research first but basically the first one was trial and error – strictly alpha order.
Worked with very limited budget used dollar store foam board cut to 4 x 12 pieces and made headings with label maker

20. They didn’t care if all the animals were together, birds are under B, reptiles are under R
Subjects strictly in alpha order

21. Used bugs not insects – what would students think to use – similarly used jobs, not careers or occupations.
Even have a ‘fun’ section for Guinness, I Spy books, etc.

27. Howick Elementary Howick – now finessing the topics a bit more.
For example, keeping all the animals together.

32. We didn't separate skiing separate from hockey,
let them browse the shelves.

33. Ormstown Elementary
Ormstown Elementary, the latest to convert to dewey-free.
Sometimes where collections were small, different topics were grouped together.

35. Here sub-sections were use – history cooperated nicely by already having timelines in alpha order

38. Not a lot of books on each topic but this heading seemed to speak to students better than ‘The Arts’.

40. Native American legends were put with Native Americans rather than folk lore.

41. Franklin Elementary Colour-coded - larger sign main category,
smaller one for sub-sections.

42. Whales and Dolphins with Ocean Life, a bit controversial maybe – think like a students, where would they look?

44. New labels were simply put over the dewey call numbers – super easy to file – not alphabetical within heading, just by word on spine label.
And word in call number in Regard.

45. Where there’s a sub-heading, main category in bold & caps, sub-heading in small letters.

46. The High School Experience
Going completely Dewey-free is probably not possible.
However many sections can easily be adapted – eg. Art, Sports, Countries
A word about the high school experience - …
Too many narrowly-specific subjects to go totally dewey-free
But many sections work well.

47. Sanborn Regional H.S.
After the QLA conference, I visited Pam's school in New Hampshire.
Still have a dewey section but also have several dewey-free sections.

49. Have lots of smaller, free-standing, moveable bookcases with just one topic.

51. Sports -

52. Musc -
Also have sections on music, Shakespeare, etc.

53. Chateauguay Valley Regional H.S.
After doing a massive weeding - prob. close to 50% of n/f collection, it was easy to see how some sections could go dewey-lite.
For example,
Typically painters are filed by the era they painted in or their style of painting.
Here, we just have a section for general painting books

54. Canadian painters

55. Alpha by painters last name – so if you want a book on Renoir, go to R.

56. Do you really need to separate violins from guitars??!!

57. There are also sections for Canadian music and Classical music.

58. Lots of country books - Countries A-Z by continent

60. North America, Asia, and so on.

61. Canada by region

64. We've also done a number of other sections -
. Biographies (some 920, 921) - general section and then alpha.
. Poetry (811, 820, 821),
. Religion,
. Ancient History (Egypt, Rome, Greece, etc.)
. Sports,
. War (WWI, WWII, Canada at War, Holocaust,
Other Modern Wars),
. Shakespeare – General, The Plays
. Food & Cooking - food, general cookbooks, healthy eating, cooking around the world
. etc.

65. Results
Students love it – some have commented that the books have finally been put in order.
Volunteers/staff love it – shelving is much easier.
Non-fiction circulation has increased dramatically.
Students are finding the books they want and they are finding books they didn’t even know they wanted!
Shelving much easier – student helpers not always accurate in filing - no alpha within sections
Expected some increase but- All schools have shown major increases - and the increase in non-fic loans has been sustained in the second year.
Interestingly – the schools with foamboard signs have had larger increases than the schools with shelf label signage - not sure what that says!
And the best thing is .. students are finding what they want and what they didn’t even know that they wanted.
And, in the end, helping students to find the right book is the reason we're there.

66. Thank you! Comments? Questions? Joan Fraser Burton jfburton@nfsb.qc.ca
I’ve brought a list of online resources I used when looking into going Dewey Free as well as a sample our classification headings.
And if anyone would like to more information on this, please feel free to contact me – I’d be more than happy to help.