(Fwd) Happy 150th, Melvil Dewey!

["Bernhard Eversberg" <ev _at__ buch.biblio.etc.tu-bs.de>]

Fuer die bibliotheksgeschichtlich Interessierten leite ich mal eine
Message aus der Liste Autocat weiter.
Relevant fuer uns, weil ja nun die Dewey-Klassifikation auf einmal
ueber uns hereinzubrechen sich anschickt. Und nebenbei erfaehrt man,
dass Dewey auch versucht hat, die Umstellung auf das Metrische System und eine 
Rechtschreibreform (!) auf den Weg zu bringen. Mit weniger Erfolg.
Daher ruehren aber manche noch heute vorkommenden abweichenden Schreibweisen des 
Amerikanischen, bis hin zu so schoenen Dingen wie "thru".
MfG B.E.

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent:      	Mon, 10 Dec 2001 16:21:02 -0600
Send reply to:  	AUTOCAT <AUTOCAT _at__ LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU>,
From:           	Harvey Hahn <hhahn _at__ AHML.LIB.IL.US>
Subject:        	Happy 150th, Melvil Dewey!
To:             	AUTOCAT _at__ LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU

Since no one seems to have posted anything yet, I thought I'd offer a 
celebratory salute to perhaps the primary "father" of modern American 
librarianship, Melvil Dewey, born 150 years ago today--December 10, 1851.  
As every cataloger knows, he invented the DDC (at age 21, no less!).  But 
he also helped establish ALA in 1876 (he was secretary 1876-1890 and 
president 1890-91 and 1892-93), co-founded and edited "Library Journal", 
formed a library supplies company which later became the Library Bureau, 
founded the first-ever library school (at Columbia University), and later 
was the director of the New York State Library at Albany.  Less known is 
the fact that he (like Col. Robert R. McCormick, former owner of the 
Chicago Tribune) was an advocate of spelling reform in the English 
language.  (That's why his name is "Melvil" rather than the original 
"Melville".  For a while he also spelled his last name as "Dui".)  Any 
library that has retained (for historical purposes, of course ;-) )  the 
18th edition of DDC or earlier has his original introduction written in 
reformed spelling.

Happy birthday, Melvil!


--
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Harvey E. Hahn, Manager, Technical Services Department
Arlington Heights (Illinois) Memorial Library
Desk: 847/506-2644 -- FAX: 847/506-2650 -- E mailto:hhahn _at__ ahml.lib.il.us
Personal web pages: http://users.anet.com/~packrat
------- End of forwarded message -------

Bernhard Eversberg
Universitaetsbibliothek, Postf. 3329, 
D-38023 Braunschweig, Germany
Tel.  +49 531 391-5026 , -5011 , FAX  -5836
e-mail  B.Eversberg _at__ tu-bs.de