The Hunt for Dewey

Topic

I will be doing an instructional program in a public library setting with children ages

8-11 about the Dewey Decimal System. Using both an informative lecture and an

activity, I hope to teach the children how the Dewey Decimal System works as well

as how to find books in the library’s stacks using Dewey Decimal numbers.

Audience

Because the Dewey Decimal System can be confusing, I will be focusing on children

in late elementary school (ages 8-11) who can more understand the material being

covered easier than younger children would be able to. As this is a public library,

the children can be anyone from the community whose parents bring them to the

library. Keeping in mind the age of the audience, I will use simple Dewey Decimal

numbers and a lot of visual representations to make learning easier for them.

General Goals

The goal of this program is to have the children become familiar and comfortable

with the Dewey Decimal System. As this classification system is predominantly used

in libraries, especially public libraries, it is good knowledge for children to have. It

is also important that the children understand why the Dewey Decimal System is

even necessary. The knowledge of hierarchies and classification can be explained at

a level that they will understand and they can apply this knowledge to other aspects

of their lives as well. Another goal of the program is to have children feel

comfortable finding books in the library’s stacks, especially in the nonfiction section,

which can be overwhelming for some children.

Specific Objectives

One of the specific objectives for this program is for the children to learn exactly

where the most popular subjects are located in the stacks, using the Dewey Decimal

System. Topics such as pets, crafts and vampires will be covered, all of which are

commonly requested by children.

Additionally, the children will leave the program with the ability to take any Dewey

Decimal number and find it. This will help them feel more comfortable in the stacks

as well as be able to find their books without needing the assistance of a

librarian. Although a librarian’s job is to help patrons find their books, children like

to be independent so having the ability to find their own material will greatly appeal

to them.

Time Line for the Lesson

Information about the Dewey Decimal System (15 minutes)

The opening section of this program will include information on Dewey and why he

created this system that we still use today. The basic setup of the system would

then be discussed with special attention paid to how the numbers start on a broad

topic and then how they get more specific the further down one goes. Although the

word hierarchies will probably not be mentioned, the basic idea will be

discussed. Finally, we would discuss how the numbers are ordered on the shelf.

Scavenger Hunt (45 minutes)

Each child will be given a printout of the 10 most popular subjects that children of

the library request often. They will also be given an informational sheet that clearly

shows where different subjects are placed, although they will not be the exact same

subjects that the children will be looking for. For example, if a child is looking for

dogs the instructional sheet will display “pets” so that the kids will have to infer that

they should look there.

Once the children make a guess as to where the subjects are shelved, they will

venture out into the library to search for where they think the subjects are. Each

subject will have a fake book placed on the shelf that will have a small stamp inside

that the children can use to stamp their sheet. The children will also write down the

correct number for each subject so that they can find it again after the program.

Once they have found all of the subjects, they will reconvene and be awarded prizes.

Required Materials

Printouts

o An in-house printout of the instructional material will need to be

made with similar subjects’ locations on the shelves as those on the

scavenger hunt list.

o A list of 10 popular subjects that the children need to find will also

need to be made and printed.

Additional Materials

o 10 fake books will also be made and shelved in the sections. The

books will be made out of small box and construction paper. The

book is supposed to stand out on the shelf so that children can easily

find it if they are in the right section and will be covered in bright

paper.

o Small stamps will be placed in each book so that the children can

stamp their scavenger hunt list. If possible, the stamps will match the

subjects.

Step-by-Step Procedures

Planning

Advertising for the event will take place, starting no less than 1 month before

the program is planned.

10 topics will need to be picked based on popularity and how easy they are

to find using the Dewey Decimal System.

The instructional printout and scavenger hunt list will need to be made and

printed out.

The fake books will be made with the stamps placed inside. The books will

be shelved in the correct sections.

After everything is placed, a librarian not related to the project will walk

through the exercise, making sure that the subjects are easy to find and

understand.

Program

Introduction

o Information on Dewey and the Dewey Decimal System will be given.

o Explanation of how the system works and how to find a book using it.

Scavenger Hunt

o Help the children decide what number each of the subjects will have.

o Follow the children into the stacks and help them find the books and

stamp their list.

o Return to the room for prizes (awarded to all).

Assessment Methods

This program will be assessed in a variety of ways. One will be the attendance

although it is not the best way to evaluate the program. If a lot of children attend,

we will know that the topic is was found interesting and informative. However, if

not a lot of children attend, this does not necessarily mean that the program is not

necessary. If only a few people attend, this could be a result of the program’s

marketing, the busyness of the families or many other reasons. While a large

attendance would be welcome, a small one does not necessarily indicate a bad

program.

A more reliable gauge of the program would be the satisfaction had and knowledge

gained by those children who attended. The answers to this could be found using a

poll although at the intended age of the attendants, this may not be the best way to

gather information. Instead, a trained librarian who gives the program can watch to

see how excited the children are during the program and how quickly they

understand how the Dewey Decimal System works. If the children get bored

halfway through the scavenger hunt or cannot grasp how the system works, a

librarian would be able to see that this program was not effective.