Advantages of the Dewey Decimal System

        

As I discussed before, there are inherent advantages and disadvantages to any library organizational method. It is important to identify both parties when evaluating which method you should use in your own situation. However, other factors such as collection size, availability of technological components, ease of adaptation and application to academic writing make a significant impression on the effective nature of the DDC.










Ability to Organize Large Collections






The larger a collection grows, the more specific in nature the organizational method used to catalogue its contents must become. Oppositional methods such as the Book Store Method (BISAC) simply place books into a generic section based on broad categories and shelf the books alphabetically according the author name. The simplistic nature of this method lends itself to libraries that largely rely on their patrons coming in for leisure reading, and not academic research. In order to build valid support to ones argument, a well planned hierarchy of research and thought must be established. As Fister (2009) notes, “Dewey can sort large collections into more specific groups than BISAC can” (p. 24). Given this remark, if one is looking for a book on the Engineering of the Apollo 11 Spacecraft, this may be a bit difficult to find in the BISAC library simply because one cannot track the book from section, to shelf to resource.










Easily Revised and Expanded






The DDC provides a method that can be improved upon and keep up with the increasing amount of media and resources in contemporary society. The decimal system lends itself to being adjusted and changed based on how materials ebb and flow with changing times. Through the first 124 years of the Dewey Decimal System, 21editions of the unabridged Dewey Decimal Classification were published (Multimedia Tour). This is a testament to its longevity and ability to apply to a variety of time periods and publications.










Modern Technology Is Applicable






Authors Shorten, Seikel and Ahrberg (2005) found through their survey research, “‘patrons can browse it easily on their computers’” (p. 129). I have a feeling that most of the criticism of the Dewey Decimal System stems from the feeling that it in fact is so old. However, I have tried to give reasons why this method is indeed flexible and applicable in contemporary times and here is another reason to consider this presumption. The advent of computer technology merging with the library was one that was inevitable, and helpful for the cause of the DDC. The options are endless for the application of database technology, in particular affecting the way in which people actually can transfer their search results to actually finding a book. Because the BISAC method only organizes books in a specific section, that specificity is not provided down to the shelf and call number.