Chad Comello

Tag: Melvil Dewey

  • DDC 230-239: Fresh loaves and fishes

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 230 Christian theology
    • 231 God
    • 232 Jesus Christ & his family
    • 233 Humankind
    • 234 Salvation (Soteriology) & grace
    • 235 Spiritual beings
    • 236 Eschatology
    • 237 No longer used—formerly Future state
    • 238 Creeds & catechisms
    • 239 Apologetics & polemics

    Probably because, not in spite of, Christianity’s hitherto cultural/religious hegemony in the United States specifically, it has inspired a lot of writing. Some good, some terrible, and some I’m not quite sure about. Reading Jesus (below), for example, seems to bring a new approach to the Gospels, which are arguably the most published and referenced texts in world history. At weddings, funerals, and many events in between we hear many of the same verses quoted as inspiration and encouragement, or as argument or counterargument. It’s easy to cherry-pick and plug in a verse for an occasion, but how often does it go beyond that? There’s a lot to consider if we want to get past the tired, old interpretations of religious orthodoxy, so as someone reared in the Christian world I appreciate those who try to look at Jesus and his teachings in fresh ways.

    The Dew3:

    Disappointment With God: Three Questions No One Asks Aloud
    By Philip Yancey
    Dewey: 231.7
    Random Sentence: “Richard does not know Mother Theresa, but he does know me.”

    Reading Jesus: A Writer’s Encounter With the Gospels
    By Mary Gordon
    Dewey: 232
    Random Sentence: “The darkness of my grandmother’s bedroom.”

    The Great Divorce
    By C.S. Lewis
    Dewey: 236.2
    Random Sentence: “‘Whisht, now!’ said my Teacher suddenly.”

  • DDC 210-219: Are you there, God? It’s Melvil

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 211 Concepts of God
    • 212 Existence, attributes of God
    • 213 Creation
    • 214 Theodicy
    • 215 Science & religion
    • 216 No longer used—formerly Evil
    • 217 No longer used—formerly Prayer
    • 218 Humankind
    • 219 No longer used—formerly Analogies

    Once again we’ve got a number of winning Ghosts of Dewey Past. Perhaps it’s fitting that formerly evil is in the section about God. Whether by divine intervention, miracle, or the fortuitous maneuverings of an OCLC employee, Dewey #216 is no longer the damnable hellscape of sin and evil it once was, and I for one am thankful. I was pleasantly surprised to find a quite varied field of God-related books: some that argue for the existence of God, others that aren’t so sure, and some that make a federal case out of their certitude either way. Personally, I’m more interested in the former than the latter. Doubt, like any tool, serves an important purpose in its right context, so leaving some room for it, I think, is a healthy way to look at the world.

    But what do I know anyway?

    The Dew3:

    Einstein’s God: Conversations About Science and the Human Spirit
    By Krista Tippett
    Dewey: 215
    Random Sentence: “But ‘wonder’ for St. Augustine was a religious experience that drove back to a creator.”

    Divinity of Doubt: The God Question
    By Vincent Bugliosi
    Dewey: 211.7
    Random Sentence: “I’ve said that I don’t believe Jesus was insane.”

    Galileo Goes to Jail: And Other Myths About Science and Religion
    Edited by Ronald Numbers
    Dewey: 215
    Random Sentence: “As Stark sees it, chimneys and pianos, and all the more so chemistry and physics, owe their existence to Catholics and Protestants.”

  • DDC 130-139: Calling Questlove

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    The Rundown:

    • 130 Parapsychology and occultism
    • 131 Parapsychological and occult methods
    • 132 No longer used—formerly Mental derangements
    • 133 Specific topics in parapsychology and occultism
    • 134 No longer used—formerly Mesmerism and Clairvoyance
    • 135 Dreams and mysteries
    • 136 No longer used—formerly Mental characteristics
    • 137 Divinatory graphology
    • 138 Physiognomy
    • 139 Phrenology

    So many strange words in this section–where to start? I have no idea what Physiognomy (138) means and I’m not even going to look it up. I’m going to pretend that it is the study of a human’s physiological reaction to gnomes. Academic librarians, could you point me to some good physiognomy journals? Publications lacking pictures of gnomes will not be considered. We also have Phrenology, which I’m assuming is the study of The Roots. (Contrary evidence of this assertion also will not be considered.)

    Meanwhile, we’ve got a fascinating collection of topics in this ten-spot, including Mental derangements, Mesmerism, and Divinatory graphology, which is the practice of seeking knowledge of the future (divinatory) through handwriting analysis (graphology). Ummmm… OK. I should come out as a skeptic of this kind of stuff: not of the paranormal per se, because I do believe in the spiritual, but of the general wisdom of messing around with all the “dark matter” out there. I’m happy to debate and learn more about it, but don’t invite me to your seance because I’m too busy Deweying.

    On second thought, summoning the spirit of Melvil Dewey for a Q&A on this blog would be quite the scoop.

    The Dew3:

    Cosmic Karma: Understanding Your Contract With the Universe
    By Marguerite Manning
    Dewey: 133.5
    Random Sentence: “In this Pluto house, intellectual freedom is power.”

    So You Want To Be Psychic?
    By Billy Roberts
    Dewey: 133.8
    Random Sentence: “Allow the space surrounding you to become slowly flooded with vibrant light, coloured with pink.”

    You Can Read A Face Like A Book: How Reading Faces Helps You Succeed in Business and Relationships
    By Naomi Tickle
    Dewey: 138
    Random Sentence: “Individuals with large ear lobes are naturally inclined to support others in their personal growth.”

  • DDC 020-029: Meta-Dewey

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    The Rundown:

    • 020 Library & information sciences
    • 021 Library relationships
    • 022 Administration of physical plant
    • 023 Personnel management
    • 024 No longer used—formerly Regulations for readers
    • 025 Library operations
    • 026 Libraries for specific subjects
    • 027 General libraries
    • 028 Reading & use of other information media
    • 029 No longer used—formerly Literary methods

    We’re getting meta up in here. I suppose it’s fitting that the section on libraries should be towards the beginning. Imagine how much this section has changed from Melvil Dewey’s time until now. I wonder how blown his mind would be by the Internet and online catalogs. It’s something we modern users take for granted. I’m old enough to remember using card catalogs, but kids these days (*shakes fist at sky*) don’t have a clue. Whether that’s good or not is debatable, I suppose, but so long as they’re using the library I’d call that a victory.

    Speaking of victory, this section is the first thus far that has books I’ve already read, two of which are below. Yeah reading!

    The Dew3:

    Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian
    by Avi Steinberg
    Dewey: 027.665 STE
    Random Sentence: “For these reasons, the library has always been run by a strongman.”

    The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction
    by Alan Jacobs
    Dewey: 028.8 JAC
    Random Sentence: “Fortuity happens, but serendipity can be cultivated.”

    My Ideal Bookshelf
    edited by Thessaly La Force
    Dewey: 028.9 MY
    Random Sentence: “I picked all of these books because I think you should always judge a book by its cover–or its spine, in this case.” -Oliver Jeffers