Dewey and I have a few things in common: An Introduction of sorts

Dear blog readers,

Welcome to my journey of becoming a teacher-librarian. My name is Dorothea, and I am a Teacher-On-Call in Victoria, BC. I have always loved books, and knowledge, and I am truly a learner at heart. Right now, I am completing the final year of my Master of Arts in Children's Literature at UBC. Then, I plan to tackle the Teacher-Librarianship Diploma! To me, the position of teacher-librarian is ideal because it combines two of my favourite things: books and education!

First of all, let me get a few things off my chest: before completing the readings last week, I did not know that the "Dewey Decimal System" was named after a man named Melvil Dewey. And what a unique man he was! After reading Sarah Prescott's article, "Melvil Dewey, the father of modern librarianship, was one strange guy. But his classification system is still used in most of the world," I was fascinated about the intensity of his dedication and entrepreneurship with regards to library organization.

Just like Melvil Dewey, I am a lover of words. Prescott reports that Dewey's "most essential book" was an unabridged dictionary, and that he consulted said book on a daily basis. Well, same here. Except mine is a 3-inch thick copy of "The New Penguin English Dictionary," which I was given to me on one of my previous birthdays. Best birthday present yet (and I'm not even joking!).

Not that knowing or not knowing of the man behind the system is necessary, but I think that now having a little bit of an understanding about who Melvil Dewey is will help me to understand and to teach the Dewey Decimal System in a school library.

Furthermore, another characteristic that I share with Dewey (or "Dui" as he would have preferred!) is that I love analyzing, classifying, and organizing. I am new to Teacher-Librarianship so I have much to learn with regards to the actual practical procedures when it comes to library organization. I'm positive that this course (LIBE 465) will answer all my questions and ask me in return even more than I had originally wondered.

Let the learning begin!