C3: Replacing Dewey for better merchandising and customer service

THURSDAY January 29, 2009
[316] C3: Replacing Dewey for better merchandising and customer service
Markham Public Library’s newest branch, Markham Village, is totally customer centred – with merchandising displays (power walls like you see in Chapters, face front displays, media cascades in bins for easy browsing) and everything grouped in categories that make sense to customers, e.g. Food and Drink instead of Adult Non-fiction Collection, and four-letter call numbers vs. long Dewey numbers.

Compare the classification of the Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook at Markham Village and the other MPL branches:
Markham Village Library Food & Drink FD 4197 VEG 2005
Angus Glen Library Adult Non-fiction Collection 641.5636 VEG 2005

C3 (Customer Centred Classification) was invented by Amy Caughlin (now CEO of Scugog Public Library) in the middle of moving into the new branch last summer. Categories were determined by talking to customers. The numbers (e.g. 4197 = vegetarian 4080= baking) are completely arbitrary.

Customers love the shorter numbers. Shelving time is cut by 75%. Cataloguers have to add the C3 code, but say it’s easy to do. MPL plans to extend C3 to Children’s materials at Markham Village, and then to adult Non-fiction at other branches.

All MPL branches merchandise their collections – i.e. group them into customer-pleasing displays. Dewey presents challenges: either you stick the gardening and landscaping books in different displays (not helpful for the customers) or you give up on Dewey-order shelving.

For RWL, I like the idea of merchandising into customer (or patron!) friendly groupings. I don’t think we need to invent C3, because our collections and branches are so much smaller.