Death to the Dewey Decimal System.
Every branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library will be closed Monday through Wednesday as staff embark upon a mission they’re calling the “bookshelf reclassification project” — rethinking how books are organized and doing away with the decimal system that has long flummoxed schoolkids and grown folk alike.
Officials said the GCPL experience will be more like bookstore browsing when branches reopen Thursday (Jan. 9).
“We looked at our collection and decided instead of organizing everything by numbers, which has been done for over 100 years, we have decided to organize everything by words,” Michael Casey, the library’s director of customer experience, said in a news release.
To further clarify: Instead of memorizing numbers (398.2 for fairytales, for instance), bookhounds will be able to peruse categories like “animals” and “cooking.”
“Words are easier to remember than numbers and many libraries in the country are taking this approach to create a more inviting environment for patrons,” library spokeswoman Dee Driver said.
Library patrons can still return books and use online resources during the closures.
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