People with library skillz needed!

In My Humble Opinion
21

I would never have guessed! I’m a grad of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro program, myself.

Sorry for the hijack, Daowajan!

22

Eutychus55, I have to disagree. Providence Public Library does not use LC. They use there own adaptation of Dewey. (The 800 and the 300’s are switched) Pawtucket and Warwick are the only good-sized public libraries in RI I can think of that use LC.

23

It’s pretty hard to switch over a collection from Dewey to LC. It’s a royal pain to recatalog and relabel all the books. And then you have to move them around as well.

In California, the Inglewood Public Library uses LC for most of its collection, but that’s about it for public libraries in Southern California.

Few, if any colleges, use Dewey however.

In my opinion Dewey is easier to understand and grasp for the average user, but it can’t handle more complex questions like the OP had. Dewey is also propietary. It’s owned by OCLC. LC belongs to the Federal government and there is no copyright.

24

Another librarian checking in; MLS from Kent State. Public librarian, still working in the field.

Pursuing the tangent, I’ve rarely experienced a public library using LC outside those with very large collections. It’s more precise* but much less user-friendly. For all its faults (and don’t get started) the DDC has mnenonic qualities that LC lacks. It’s just a lot easier for casual users to navigate. (And conversion–reclassifying–is horrendously expensive.)

  • Of course the old tech proc joke holds: the skinnier the book, i.e. highly specialized, the longer the call number. Add in cuttering (the letter/number combos at the bottom of the call number, for you civilians) and the label ends up wrapping halfway around the front and back covers.

Ahem!
Back to the OP…Daowajan, just ask the reference librarian for help. You’re doing this for an assignment so time constraints apply. He/she can give you the best idea what’s actually in their collection and advise you on interlibrary loan possibilities.

(It’s heartwarming to know this place attracts so many professional book nuts! I discovered Cecil and the Dope years ago while working a busy reference desk.)

Veb