I suppose it's only natural that as an avid reader I have developed an adoration for the Dewey Decimal System. In case you didn't know/recall/remember, the Dewey Decimal System (DDS) is the system used to organize nonfiction books. It also happens to be really awesome.
Now, fiction books are organized alphabetically. Nonfiction books, however, are organized by subject matter. DDS is a list of numbers correlating to subject. You start out with a basic 000-900 number, each hundred mark representing a different subject. For example, 700 is "Arts and Recreation". The more specific the number you go down to, the more specific the subject matter is. 435 is German Grammar. For a comprehensive list of subjects n' numbers n' fun, I direct you to... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dewey_Decimal_classes .
Now you're thinking "Okay, so you can put numbers on books, whoop-dee-doo" but I am now going to explain why it is so exciting. Suppose you were looking for a book that talked about Dungeons and Dragons. Your average library computer would go tell you to look for "Dungeons & dragons player's handbook: arcane, divine, and martial heroes : roleplaying game core rules", or number 793.73. You gingerly skip over to the 790's when you notice that your beloved volume is not there. Some jealous nerd probably checked it out to spite you. As opposed to grimacing and storming out of the library stifling your feelings of disappointment and woe (as I'm sure you would), as you would have if you had been looking for a fiction book, this time you'd have the option to look next to where your book was supposed to be. Then you would notice the "Dungeon's Master Guide", which according to Amazon has better ratings anyhow. Voila, problem solved.
The other great thing about the DDS is that it can be a very efficient upper body workout regimen. First you must find a subject matter you are interested in. I personally enjoy psychology books. After finding the one psychology book I had intended to get, I am then bombarded by twenty other books of similar subject matter, but they are different enough to not be repetitive. The results? Me ambling around the library with books stacked up to my chin.
Although the system is not as straightforward as good ole alphabetical ordering, I think if you know how to use it you get more out of going to the library than you would otherwise. In fact, I believe that fiction should be organized that way too. Of course I'm not just saying that because I finished the Hunger Games series two weeks ago and need a new blond "boy-next-door" Lit-love... okay, maybe I am.
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