It will be of little surprise to inform you that within the very fabric of the Dewey editorial team there are book nerds who love science fiction and fantasy. Former Senior Editor Winton Matthews just returned from a trip to Dublin, Ireland to attend the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon), where members awarded the Hugo Awards to recognize outstanding works and achievements in science fiction and fantasy. He was quick to share reports of Irish language and societal trends that may influence Dewey development in the future—even on vacation we've got classification on our mind.
Announced on August 18th, the Hugo winners included "A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies," written by Alix E. Harrow. The short story is about a troubled teenager looking for liberation via library books. And it features Dewey numbers! The books in the story are filled with magic and personified (and kind of judgmental): "The sewing and pattern books (646.2) noted that his jeans were unlaundered and too small, and the neck of his t-shirt was stained grayish-yellow. The cookbooks (641.5) diagnosed a diet of frozen waffles and gas-station pizza. They tssked to themselves." Librarians will especially enjoy the story; take the time to read it at Apex Magazine's site.
Authors, we’re always willing to provide fact checks (within reason) for the DDC numbers you feature in your works, whether historical or current; just send an email to dewey@oclc.org and we’ll help you maintain your fictional verisimilitude!
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