We try to make things easy for our patrons here at the library, and that generally doesn’t involve using lots of crazy acronyms. I got used to it when the college I went to for undergrad used acronyms as their own, private language and it was either learn it or never figure out where my classes were. But I remember how exacerbating it was coming in as a freshman to decipher all those letters that seemingly meant nothing. So why on earth would I head my post today with an acronym? Well, it’s less about the acronym and more about the great new system we’re starting to implement t the South Branch. The South is following in the West Branch’s footsteps by implementing the BISAC system.

BISAC (which stands for Book Industry Standard and Communications) is an alternative way to organize non-fiction books. It’s most commonly used by bookstores, largely because the format is inherently browsable, allowing people to find things more intuitively rather than deciphering Dewey or Library of Congress call numbers. Instead of substituting a topic with a number or a letter, the topic itself is used to identify the item. For example: If you’re looking for a book on the history of colonial times in America, you will be able to find it in History / United States / Colonial.  For another example, check out what Erik Larson’s latest book, Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania looks like in the catalog under BISAC:

The hope is that by adopting this system, the non-fiction sections at the West and South will be a more pleasant experience for patrons to find what they’re looking for. This is not to say that the Library of Congress system, which is what the Peabody Libraries have been using, or the Dewey Decimal System, which many other NOBLE libraries use, don’t have their merits. The systems were based on logic and organizational principles that have been honed and adapted for years. They are honored library traditions, but sometimes traditions need to be changed or adjusted to meet people’s needs and we here at the branches felt that meeting patron needs didn’t quite fit with the more traditional versions of library classification. (And this is from someone who misses the card catalog dearly!)

What does this mean for you? Well, right now, you can see the BISAC system in action for yourself in the West Branch’s adult non-fiction section. I’ve seen it for myself and it’s pretty darn cool. Over the coming weeks, you’ll be able to see it implemented in the kids’ nonfiction sections at the South and West branches. This fall/winter, the South will be adopting BISAC for our adult nonfiction section as well. Right now at the South, we’re in a bit of a transition, so our kids’ nonfiction books are in their BISAC categories, but aren’t labeled in the catalog or on the book spines yet. That process will be taking place very soon. In the meantime, you are welcome to ask us to help you find books (always!) or you can stop by just to browse the newly organized section to get a feel for what it will look like.

The South Branch very excited about this new development and sharing it with you, our wonderful patrons, so feel free to tell us what you think, or suggest other ways we can improve the library for you! And thank you for your patience this week while I’ve been moving books around instead of writing a more book-centric blog post. Till next week, dear readers, remember that it never hurts to re-think something you’ve been doing for a long time; it might just lead to something exciting .