Library 2.0 is all about user-participation and services.  While we have been discussing that technology has a major role in this movement, I’d like to concentrate on things that are not all technology driven, but are changing our libraries, needless to say.

In 2007, there was a lot of press revolving around a library that stepped away from the norm and embraced possibilities.  I’m talking about the Maricopa County library system in Arizona, that no longer shelves their books according to Dewey.  The amazing thing about this library’s movement away from Dewey isn’t that all the librarians agreed to do this; no, what I find amazing is that the librarians listened to their users– it was their community that wanted to make the change.  Marshall Shore, the adult services coordinator at the library took the time to ask users what they desired in their public library and found out they wanted a library they could browse and explore with books available in broad subject areas (“The Man Who Said to to Dewey” 2008).

Books are now classified with BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) codes, which are also used in most bookstores.  BISAC codes are designed to make it easier for patrons to browse for books, due to its simple language and subcategories (Schneider 2007).  Patrons of Maricopa have welcomed this change that they had a voice in creating.  Within a month of implementing the new system, circulation statistics had increased over 800 percent (LaVallee 2007).

Since the “Maricota movement”, other libraries have begun to consider and even make the change to a dewey-free classification system.  Locally, Frankfort Public Library in Cook County is in the process of making the change.  According to their blog, Frankfort values the following mission: