1. THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX
21st CENTURY SCHOOL LIBRARY CLASSIFICATION

2. THINKING
OUTSIDE
THE BOX
21st Century School Library
Classification
Darlene Edwards

3. INTRODUCTION TO CLASSIFICATION
 The purpose of libraries is to make it easy for the patron or user to find
the book or the information that they need.
 The Two Ronnies: The Confusing Library (end at 2:34 NOT 3:01)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYxmPHLU9oA
 Definition of classification: “the process in which ideas and objects are
identified, differentiated and understood”
 Classification systems:
 scientific relationships
 functional relationships
 subject relationships
 size and colour relationships

4. SCHOOL LIBRARIES
Purpose: to make ideas and resources for the school
community easily and efficiently accessible
 Users want to be able to locate books quickly and easily
 How can school libraries make the experience of finding
the “right” book less frustrating?
 How can school libraries make it easy for kids to find
appropriate digital resources
Goal: to remove physical limitations from the
classification and organization of ideas & knowledge
 think outside the box

5. OUTLINE
 History: 20th Century School Libraries
 21st Century Learners and School Libraries
 Background: classification, taxonomy
 Are 19th and 20th Century Classification
systems relevant today?
 Dewey Decimal Classification system (DDC)
 Dewey Decimal Classification summaries
 Decoding Dewey Decimal Call Number
 Everything IS Miscellaneous
 Metadata: definition
 Need for flexible library catalogues
 Cataloguing Library Materials
 RDA vs. AACR2
 Card catalogue
 Computers
 OPAC
 KOHA
 Disadvantages of 20th Century Classification
 Alternatives
 Open Source Digital Resources:
WEB2MARC
 BISAC subject headings
 Metis Classification
 “Genre-fication”
 “Local" subject headings
 Curriculum related subject headings
 Conclusion

6. 20TH CENTURY CLASSIFICATION IN SCHOOL LIBRARIES
 Dewey Decimal Classification System (DDC)
 Opened the “stacks”
 Does it serve the needs of 21st Century learners?
 Private collections: knowledge and access to information
was controlled by financial and class standing until the 19th
Century
 1833, first free public library in the United States
 1883, first free public library in Canada

7. 20TH CENTURY SCHOOL LIBRARIES
Knowledge and
access to information
has been controlled by
publishers, scholars,
educators, librarians
"tomes" of knowledge
"keepers of the keys"

8. 20TH CENTURY SCHOOL LIBRARIES
Warehouses of information
Print materials, from old-
fashioned "readers," to
newspapers, periodicals and
reference books
How to find information
using reference materials
such as encyclopedias that
were updated annually
Managed physical
resources and access

9. 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL LIBRARIES
 Schools and school libraries are in a state of rapid
flux/change
 Learning Commons philosophy or model
 customizable spaces
 re-evaluating their programs
 broadening their services
 integrating technological and instructional components
 customizing their collections
 Flexibility: meet changing information, educational,
recreational and social needs of the school community

10. 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL LIBRARIES
 Advocates for freedom of access to information and
resources - including open-source software, tools and
other resources.
 Extensive information landscape that has exploded
worldwide
 Computers, iPads, SmartBoards and other media
 Internet
 Innovative and evolving technologies
 The purpose of the school library is to be a "catalyst for
literacy and reading and for teaching and scaffolding
inquiry learning."

11. 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL LIBRARIES
 Learning Commons philosophy
 Evaluate child/student-friendly classification systems
 Library catalogue customization
 Curriculum related websites
 Open source
 Vetted
 Customized classification system
 Resource Description and Access (RDA)
 Useful, curriculum-focused metadata into the cataloguing
of all resources

12. CLASSIFICATION: BACKGROUND
Evolution
Communicate
Name
Classify objects
Definition of classification:
classification is a "logical,
systematic ordering of records"
Definition of library
classification:
the logical, systematic ordering
of information, resources, ideas
and knowledge

13. Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New
Digital Disorder by David Weinberger
Until recently, humans have placed physical
limitations on knowledge by applying systems of
organizing physical objects to information and
knowledge
Book: one way of organizing information and
knowledge
Libraries are another.
Books and libraries are constructed and place
artificial, physical constraints on information
Physical world you only get to order things in one
way
Are 19th and 20th Century classification systems relevant today?

14. Everything has to go somewhere and it can only be in one place at a time
Sometimes size is a determining factor in what object is moved out of the way!

15. In the physical world,
you only get to order things in one way.
Not a natural limitation on thought
Not a natural limitation on information and knowledge

16. DEWEY DECIMAL CLASSIFICATION
 Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) Melvil Dewey, 1876
 World's most widely used classification system
 Dominated school libraries throughout the 20th Century
 Arranges all knowledge into 10 categories
 subdivided into 10 "divisions“
 subdivided into "sections"
 System allows specific designation of a discipline or area of
interest
 All subjects and subdivisions are represented by a number

17. BEFORE DEWEY DECIMAL CLASSIFICATION
 Shelving locations of books were determined
by the height of the book and the date it was
purchased or "acquired“
 Library stacks were closed to the public and
patrons could not browse through the
materials

18. DEWEY DECIMAL CLASSIFICATION
 The DDC pioneered the concept of relative location and allowed
books to be shelved in a more suitable location based on the
subject of the work
 Innovative positioning of books with other books with similar
topics made possible by DDC allowed for open shelf access for
patrons
 The DDC is revised and updated every 5 to 10 years.
 The Library of Congress Classification system (LLC) is the major
competing classification system to the Dewey Decimal system but
is not typically used in elementary and secondary school libraries

19. DEWEY DECIMAL SUMMARY -- THE 10 CLASSES
Class Subject
000 Generalities
100 Philosophy
200 Religion
300 Social Sciences
400 Language
500 Pure Sciences
600 Technology (Applies Sciences)
700 Arts
800 Literature & Rhetoric
900 General Geography, History, etc.

20. DECODING DEWEY DECIMAL CALL NUMBERS
 Three-digit number that can be expanded with an unlimited
number of decimal places to capture additional details about the
item
 Cutter
Main Class 800 Literature
Division 810 American literature in English
Section 813 American fiction in English
Main Class 800 Literature
813.54 ...further narrowing of topic

21. DECODING DEWEY DECIMAL CALL NUMBERS
 three-digit number that can be expanded with an
unlimited number of decimal places to capture
additional details about the item

22. EVERYTHING IS MISCELLANEOUS: THE POWER OF THE NEW DIGITAL DISORDER
 David Weinberger
 All classification systems reflect the predisposition and/or biases
of the creator or creators
 Every classification system (alphabet, dictionaries, the Dewey
Decimal System, scientific classification of plants, planets and
animals) represents the beliefs and priorities of the individuals
who created them
 Classical classification (subject classification)
 applies a hierarchical structure
 records management & library classification
 arbitrary or "constructed"

23. EVERYTHING IS MISCELLANEOUS: THE POWER OF THE NEW DIGITAL DISORDER
 According to Weinberger, Dewey's own biases factored heavily in the creation of
the Dewey Decimal Classification system:
 Everything is miscellaneous: the power of the new digital disorder (18:22-25:58)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHeta_YZ0oE
 Passage of time: changing perspectives and can result in different thinking and
priorities
 No universally acceptable way of classifying information
 The world is "miscellaneous" and does not have such clear cut categories and absolutes
 Everything has characteristics that overlap with other things
 A classification system that makes sense to one person does not necessarily
make sense to others and, in the age of digital access, it doesn't have to:
everything IS miscellaneous but can be joined together by the invisible (digital)
threads of metadata

24. EVERYTHING IS MISCELLANEOUS: THE POWER OF THE NEW DIGITAL DISORDER
 Metadata is data that describes other data
 Meta is a prefix that in most information technology usages means "an underlying definition or
description”
 Metadata summarizes basic information about data, which can make finding and working with particular
instances of data easier
 Digital world: everything is metadata (searchable)
 Weinberger suggests that we should adapt the way that social media sharing sites have adapted
 Allow end-users to add metadata to create a user search experience that is flexible and adapts to the
needs of different users
 For example, tagging photos in sharing sites like Flickr allows users to retrieve virtually any set of
information based on a query (ex. you can search for all crater photos and see a list of results that will
include craters on the moon, active volcanic craters and other craters)
 Results would not be as vast or open as many pathways for users if school librarians had catalogued
the same photos with 20th Century systems of classification

25. EVERYTHING IS MISCELLANEOUS: THE POWER OF THE NEW DIGITAL DISORDER
 A "playlist" allows users to fluidly divide up music according to their own preferences
or classification system (new idea or concept that Weinberger is suggesting be
applied to all forms of digital data)
 If end-users could have the power to sort and arrange the information they need
according to the metadata that is relevant to their topics, they are more likely to find
the right information, to take ownership of that information and to be engaged as
learners.
 Systems of classification need to be adaptable and allow users to add their own
metadata and create their own systems of organization
 Applying metadata to everything allows users to manipulate and order information in
ways that make sense to the end user
 Weinberger says to give up on organizing the content in one specific way and
instead allow users to group it in ways that make sense to them (user-centric)

26. CATALOGUING LIBRARY RECORDS/MATERIALS
 1980s computers in public schools
 Old-fashioned card catalogues
 Library database only accessible at school
 Rapid evolution
 Library records migrating to and becoming accessible through an Online
Public Access Catalogue (OPAC)
 OPAC is an online bibliography of the library collection that, through the
internet, is accessible by the general public (hybrid with access, by links,
to full text information)

27. CATALOGUING LIBRARY RECORDS/MATERIALS

28. CATALOGUING LIBRARY RECORDS/MATERIALS
 KOHA is an open source web based Integrated Library System (ILS) or
OPAC currently used by Rocky View School (RVS) District Libraries or
Learning Commons
 24/7 access to print, non print and digital resources to support the needs
of the 21st century learner
 Users can create personalized information lists,; share reviews and post
comments on titles from anywhere with internet access
 KOHA data base is a Union catalogue which inventories all of the RVS
Library resources in the division (interlibrary loans)
 Aligns and supports the Learning Commons philosophy to provide
access to the most up to date resources in multiple formats

29. WHAT ARE THE DISADVANTAGES?
 Not child friendly: children do not learn about decimal places until late 4th grade
 Excessively long series of #s after the decimal place
 Sometimes organization of categories seems illogical /shelving categories don’t pull
together topics in the way patrons want to browse (pets not shelved with animal books,
sport biographies not shelved with sports)
 Not user friendly:
 Complexity (too complicated K-4)
 Language that is not child-friendly or user friendly
 Not easily to browse
 Don't want to understand DDC
 Intimidating:
 ‘I don’t understand them’
 ‘It makes me feel stupid’
 Reading levels are not taken into consideration

30.  Role: to build and maintain a database of materials in various formats for teaching and
learning
 need for library personal to update the bibliographic cataloguing records and facilitate access to
these resources
 The traditional library framework no longer serves the needs of schools and school library
personnel must adapt to the constantly evolving digital information needs of learners and
schools
 Library personnel as researchers who navigate the digital world in search of exemplary
curriculum related resources to add to their school library databases
 Myriad of Digital Library (DL) projects have outstanding collections for elementary and
secondary educators and students
 diversify their collections with "open content"
 Open content refers to any freely downloadable, distributable and editable content on the Web,
such as video files, audio files, hypertext resources
 Digital Libraries to School Libraries (DL2SL) from the United States and can be used as a
model for school library personnel in Canada
ALTERNATIVES: OPEN SOURCE DIGITAL CONTENT

31. ALTERNATIVES: OPEN SOURCE DIGITAL CONTENT
 One of the primary roles of school librarians and/or library technicians is to build and
maintain a database of materials in various formats for teaching and learning

32. ALTERNATIVES: LIBRARY CLASSIFICATION
 Book Store Model
 Book Industry Study Group (BISAC) subject headings: 52 broad
categories
 Metis Classification:
 Flexible, intuitive and child-friendly system of library categorization
 Headings like Making Things and Ourselves
 System places the thinking, interests, information needs and information-seeking
behavior of children at its center
 “Genre-fication” of fiction titles
 “Local" subject headings

33. ALTERNATIVES: SUBJECT HEADINGS
 Customized Subject Headings: it is important that meaningful subject headings
be used when cataloguing, especially if the item has curriculum connections
 If available at the time of cataloguing, the GRL (Guided Reading Level) OR the
GL will appear on the spine label below the call number
 Examples:
 GRL:P
 GL4
 Alberta Education--Authorized teaching resource.
 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
 STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics)

34. 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL LIBRARIES
 "We hope that libraries will always exist as places for learners to find
information, resources, services, and instruction. But formats,
technologies, learning needs, and our schools are evolving. And so are
students themselves. Our entire information and communication
landscapes have shifted—and this shift will only continue." -
Valenza & Johnston (October 2009)
 School libraries are part of a much wider information landscape
 Rapid change past 15 years
 In both records management and library organization, the 21st Century
has brought a movement away from controlled access to physical
records and books toward random and unlimited access to the digital
world of information and ideas. When records are electronic and library
resources are catalogued digitally, classification can occur in various
layers or levels that are not hierarchical and metadata can be applied to
the items being catalogued.

35. 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL LIBRARIES
“The only group that can categorize everything is everyone” - Clay Shirky
Recommendations:
 Changes in thought: universe is not organized in only ONE way, everything is metadata
 System that allows users to manipulate and order information in ways that make sense to them
 Adopt new systems of classification are adaptable and allow users to add their own metadata and
create their own systems of organization
 Build and maintain a database of materials in various formats for teaching and learning by developing a
metadata structure to support the identification of learning resources
 Open Source Digital Resources: WEB2MARC (Digital Libraries to School Libraries)
 BISAC subject headings
 Metis Classification
 “Local" subject headings
 Curriculum related subject headings
 Support 21st Century Teaching & Learning: engage learners through meaningful and challenging
experiences, preparing them to understand, adapt, and successfully contribute to our changing
global community
 Focus on user-friendly or user-centric

36. In the physical world, you only get to order things in one way.
Not a natural limitation on thought.
Not a natural limitation on information and knowledge
Goal: systems free of limitations of “physical” order
Goal: Think Outside the Box

37. THINKING
OUTSIDE
THE BOX
21st Century School Library
Classification
Darlene Edwards
dedwards@rockyview.ab.ca

38. REFERENCES
 Digital Libraries to School Libraries. (2012, January 1). Retrieved May 1, 2015, from
http://dl2sl.org/

 Gibson, M. (2011). Innovative 21st Century Classification Schemes for Elementary School
Libraries. Feliciter, 57(2), 48.

 Giffard, S., Kaplan, R., Still, J., & Dolloff, A. (2012, May 1). Metis Classification Schedules.
Retrieved May 1, 2015, from https://sites.google.com/site/metisinnovations/

 Gordon, C. d. (2013). Dewey do Dewey don't. Knowledge Quest, 42(2), E1-E8.

 Hill, R. b. (2015). Are Schools Killing Reading?. School Library Monthly, 31(4), 19-21.

 J., Collette. (2014, September 28). Whole Number Dewey: A Year Without Decimals.
Retrieved May 1, 2015, from https://awrinkleintech.wordpress.com/2014/09/28/whole-
number-dewey-a-year-without-decimals/
 Kaplan, T. B., Dolloff, A. K., Giffard, S., & Still-Schiff, J. (2012). Are Dewey's Days
Numbered?. School Library Journal, 58(10), 24.

39. REFERENCES
 Keeling, M. (2015). Backwards Design Considerations for the 21st-Century School Library.
School Library Monthly, 31(4), 22.

 Mardis, M. A. (2015). Collect or Curate? Open Education Resources and the Future of the
School Library Catalog. School Library Monthly, 31(4), 29.

 SAIT Polytechnic. (2014-2015). Module 3: Classification processes. Advanced information
and records management. Calgary, Canada: SAIT Polytechnic.

 School library: Purpose. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2015, from
http://schools.natlib.govt.nz/supporting-learners/effective-practice/school-library-purpose

 Shepherd, E & Yeo, G. (2003). Managing records: A handbook of principles and practice.
London: Facet Publishing.
 Snipes, P. R. (2015). Dewey's Destiny: Actions in the Field. School Library Monthly, 31(5),
18.

40. REFERENCES
 The Two Ronnies: The Confusing Library. (2014, September 15). Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYxmPHLU9oA

 Van Riel, R., Fowler, O., & Downes, A. (2008). The reader-friendly library service (p. 379). Newcastle
upon Tyne: Society of Chief Librarians.
 Weinberger, D. (2007, May 10). Everything is Miscellaneous. Retrieved May 1, 2015, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHeta_YZ0oE

 Weinberger, D. (2007). Everything is miscellaneous: The power of the new digital disorder. (Kindle
edition) New York: Times Books.
 Please note that the images used for this assignment have been taken from the internet and may be
copyright protected. It would be illegal to use images with a copyright taken from the internet for
business use.