From the Editor: Change, Change, Change!

It’s the start of a new year, and this month’s CLCD Newsletter is all about change. First up is Heather Kindschy’s latest article about transforming her school library based on the Learning Commons model. I’ve always considered myself a very progressive thinker when it comes to school libraries, but I have to admit that it took me a while to wrap my mind around the idea of tossing out the Dewey Decimal System. After reading Heather’s article, I realized that good old Dewey is a lot more ‘old’ than it is ‘good,’ and I remembered that I have not always been a fan of it anyway. (Once, during a master’s level cataloging course, I tried to illustrate the absurdity of it by vehemently arguing that a book on weeds could be classified in the 300s, because invasive species of weeds could be considered a problem of modern society.) Perhaps this example is a little over the top, but I think most of us can think of circumstances when Dewey is more confusing than it is helpful. I would still strongly discourage any library from shelving books according to reading level, but the new genre-based systems Heather describes sound perfect for many libraries.

On a more serious note, this month’s newsletter also includes a themed book list on MLK and the Selma voting rights marches. I’m in awe of Dr. King and the others who faced violence with love and persevered to bring about a seismic change in civil rights.

Finally, our CLCD developers are hard at work on Version 4.0, one of the biggest changes to CLCD in years. It might not look much different on the surface, but it is a complete overhaul under the hood. Look forward to major improvements in speed and usability in the near future!  (If you want a sneak peek, visit Booth #1915 at the Midwinter ALA Conference for a demo or contact our sales department at sales@clcd.com and they will bring the preview to you!)