Posted on 06/30/2019 4:10:48 PM PDT by reaganaut1
American librarians have voted to remove the name of Melvil Dewey, widely seen as the father of modern librarianship, from one of their top awards, citing his history of antisemitism, racism and sexual harassment.
The council of the American Library Association (ALA) passed a resolution this week to rename its top professional award, the Melvil Dewey Medal. The resolution explains that Dewey did not permit Jewish people, African Americans or other minorities admittance to the resort he owned, the Lake Placid Club. He also “made numerous inappropriate physical advances toward women he worked with and wielded professional power over” and was ostracised from the ALA after four women accused him of sexual impropriety, the resolution continues, declaring that “the behaviour demonstrated for decades by Dewey does not represent the stated fundamental values of ALA in equity, diversity, and inclusion”.
Dewey was one of the founders of the ALA. In 1876, he published A Classification and Subject Index for Cataloguing and Arranging the Books and Pamphlets of a Library, which outlined what would become known as the Dewey decimal classification – a system which is now used by libraries throughout the English-speaking world. He was director of the New York State Library from 1889 to 1906, when pressure from petitioners outraged at the exclusion of Jews from his resort forced his resignation. In Dewey’s biography, Irrepressible Reformer, Wayne Wiegand recounts how Los Angeles Public Library head librarian Tessa Kelso wrote in a 1924 letter that “for many years women librarians have been the special prey of Mr Dewey in a series of outrages against decency”.
Writing in the ALA’s magazine American Libraries last June, editor-at-large Anne Ford described how early biographies of the librarian called him a “genius” and “a prophet pointing forward to a glorious promised land”.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
I think you are referring to John Dewey, not Melvil Dewey, the subject of this thread.
I hate when that(double posts) happens.
> I guess we have to rename the decimal system as well? <
Maybe they could call it the Deweyless Decimal System.
I’m waiting for them to start erasing the names of anyone of import who refused to support transgender rights. Which basically disqualifies anyone prior to 2012.
Exactly. You nailed that one. They eat their own, and they always go after the one not woke enough. Just a natural part of the Communist power struggle internally.
Yes and how about rebranding everything named after Woodrow Wilson.
They’ll rename it the Buttigieg or Schumer Decimal system.
Someone should claim he was a closet fag and had a black ancestor...
and their very current and outright antisemitism and abuse of women?
MLK, Jr.’s time is coming up. The race of professional victims are going to be very upset.
Sounds like slow Joe.
Not a fan of the Dewey Decimal System. The Library of Congress system is much better.
Their main objective is to reduce the number of white men in books on great inventors, etc., so that the books will look more ‘balanced.’
Heads up.
Two things. I am NOT a member of the ALA and won’t ever be. :D
The other is that I have retired. So, maybe I should change to Conan the Retired Librarian. :D
ALA supports Castro. I am NOT surprised by this.
As a retired Librarian, I cannot disagree with you more than I do now. While you are welcome to your own opinion, and, everyone has things that work for them, the LC catalog makes very little to absolutely no sense to most library users.
With the Dewey system, I could get a subject just by knowing the first 3 digits.
The times I did LC, I found things....scrambled to say the least.
BUT, you must use what is comfortable for you.
..... Image .... Over .... Substance ..... It's the Bane ... and Downfall ... of our Civilization ........
No offense or upset meant, Conan. Just knew you were an honorable bearer of the profession. I’d be a librarian myself here in middle Tennessee if I weren’t a male sort of lesbian.
The Doo-doo Decimal System ?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.