Guest post by Kate Brown, Adult Non-Fiction Librarian, Clinton-Macomb Public Library (Michigan)
In the months that the Clinton-Macomb Public Library has been closed due to COVID-19 we've offered programs through Zoom and on Facebook Live. We've had story times, trainings on databases and book discussions and recommendations. Our enlivened Facebook page seemed a good place for a program I've always wanted to do on the basics of the Dewey Decimal system. Many Library customers seem mystified by the arrangement of non-fiction titles. I suspected that a basic understanding of the Dewey decades would enhance their ability to browse the collection productively and enjoyably. With this in mind, our four-person Adult Non-Fiction team put together a five-day Facebook Live series called Dewey Demystified.
We each have responsibilities for different Dewey decades. We decided right away to present on our own decades, so we were able to work with areas of the collection that we knew well and to focus on the most popular sections within those areas. While the program was intended to highlight the types of materials found in each Dewey decade, it also ended up being something of a team-building experience, as we met frequently over Zoom to consult with each other and to practice our presentations.
We brought our own styles and ways of presenting the material to the project. We all created PowerPoint slides, but we didn't try to make all the slides look the same. In choosing the images of books we considered the timeliness, popularity and attractiveness of materials, as well as how representative they were of the Dewey decade. We made sure that there wasn't a day when only one person presented and tried to keep each of the daily program under twenty minutes. Whenever possible we made comments and asked questions during our co-workers' presentations. A friend of the Department Manager's came up with the idea of using the app My Talking Pet to make it appear that her dog, Sally, was contributing to the program. Sally gave an amusing introduction that touched on Melvil Dewey's issues with women. Later Sally wondered why her little cousin, a wolf, was not in the Dewey decade with dogs. She also recommended two books of dog-focused poetry that happened to be favorites of mine.
We've had positive feedback on our program and the videos remain available on the Clinton-Macomb Public Library's Facebook page (parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). We'd be happy to provide more details and to answer any questions if you'd like to offer a similar program.
Comments