On library systems

Being a somewhat fanatical library patron I have come to realize I have certain preferences in the structure of library systems, (1)book cataloging (2)check-out processing.

(1)book cataloging

For those who don’t get out to the libraries too much or you frequent book sellers of various sorts often you would probably think that book are ordered either by only one system or by any number of systems.
There are actually two main systems that you will find in libraries (at least the two main ones I have come across, I would have to enlist the aide of my library professionales to verify this), either the Dewey decimal system or the Library of Congress Catalog system.
The Dewey system is rather straight forward. Nonfiction is divided by subject through the range 000-900; fiction is ordered by author’s last name A-Z. Pretty straight forward, right?
The LCC is rather more dense, I don’t pretend to understand the specifics of how the system works. All I know is that everything is ordered by topic and some kind of historical sub ordering, nonfiction as well as fiction. So you have stuff like 19th century English literature followed by 20th century English literature; prose and criticism placed side by side, something that is separated out with Dewey’s system.
This is where the distinction is large for me. Though it is handy to finding an author’s works without having to search a catalog within Dewey’s system, I don’t usually get my reading this way. I more like to peruse through I certain section. Dewey doesn’t really help when I am looking for an early 20th century American author. What is especially handy is when you already know where 19th century Russian literature is, then you can go straight to that section and find the specific book you want or rather peruse to find new/different authors from that same period. I guess this comes down in large part to how I think about reading: I seem to be very topical or theme based, I’m looking for this kind of book. I’m sure which one I want but this way I can browse and also find some other interesting titles I would otherwise not come across.
Though there is a problem with this system, as with any system; someone like Derrida or Foucault is hard to put into just one box. What ends up happening is that his works become scattered all across the shelves so you then need to use the catalog in that case. What is problematic is that there are a lot of contemporary continental philosophers who are like this, so any attempt at perusing through their titles is met with limited success. Overall though I like LCC over DDC.

(2)Checkout Procedures

Secondly, today’s libraries are all moving over to electronic check-out procedures. No longer do you have someone stamping a due date in your book, you now get a slip of paper. While this is handy, many people can checkout at once, using the new self-checkout stations that have cropped up. This is tragic on two sides.
First, there is a loss in interaction. No longer do I get to say hi and chat with my wonderful librarian while my booked are tagged. Now too often I can go to the library without as much as eye contact with anyone.
Secondly, is anyone else as curious as I am to whom is checking out the books am I. It was always nice to look at the dates that had been stamped. How long ago was this book checked out. Such this like, “oh wow, this book hasn’t been touched in 50 years,” are now gone. Though what is now possible, is finding others slips of paper which they leave behind. This has a better advantage of seeing a whole list of books they checked out. I find this kind of thing so very interesting. I try to leave my slips within my books for this very reason.

This also goes alongside my enjoyment of reading other’s reading lists. Amazon does this really well; I can’t help but to browse those lists that people have created.

Yes, if you didn’t know it already, I am a library geek.