I remember learning the Dewey Decimal System in junior high so we could find books on our own in the library. At university, it was the only way to find a book without disturbing the librarian. The decimal number classification introduced the concepts of relative location and relative index. Libraries previously had given books permanent shelf locations that were related to the order of acquisition rather than the topic. The classification's notation makes use of three-digit numbers for main classes, with fractional decimals allowing expansion for further detail. Numbers are flexible to the degree that they can be expanded in a linear fashion to cover special aspects of general subjects. A library assigns a classification number that unambiguously locates a particular volume in a position relative to other books in the library, on the basis of its subject. The number makes it possible to find any book and to return it to its proper place on the library shelves. The classification system is used in 200,000 libraries in at least 135 countries
In 2015, the Smithsonian reported that the Online Computer
Library Center had discontinued providing the printed cards for those drawers
that once lined the walls of most libraries.
The card catalogue had been the staple method for organizing a
library’s inventory for more than a century. Now, if you see them, chances are
it’s in a reference or historical archive department.
There was just no need to keep them around once online drives could store and organize a library’s collection in a much more efficient and automated way.
Earlier librarians would have to write down long strings of
numbers on scraps of paper to find their way to the book they were looking for
via the Dewey Decimal System.
This is where that clear, concise handwriting would have come in handy. As well, the internet, and the proliferation of computers to help people look up the book they want, mean certain death for those little card-filled drawers. I am not sure it is a loss.
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