Introducing the Dewey Dare Challenge
Over in Information Services, we’ve noticed a historical trend of nonfiction checkouts ticking up in January. Whether it’s caused by New Year’s Resolution go-getters or the cold weather, we thought it might be a good month to launch our brand new reading challenge: The Dewey Dare Challenge!
The Dewey Dare Challenge is a month-long reading sprint that encourages readers to explore our nonfiction collection and start the 2026 reading year off on a strong foot. To complete the challenge, you must read a total of three nonfiction books, each from a different Dewey Decimal range. There are 10 Dewey Decimal ranges in total, starting with the 000s, then up through the 900s. For instance, a book with a call number of 398 would be from the 300 range. A book with a call number of 771.86 is from the 700 range. And so on!
The challenge will begin on January 1 and end on January 31. You can track your progress in Beanstack, opens a new window, or if you prefer to use a paper reading log, we’ll have copies available at the Ask Desk through the end of January. Be sure to log your reading in Beanstack or turn in your paper reading logs by February 9!
Patrons who complete the Dewey Dare Challenge will receive a coupon for a free book from the Lawrence Public Library Friends and Foundation, opens a new window and be entered into a raffle for one of four prizes:
- Self-Care Day, ft. a gift card to Cleo and Leo, opens a new window and a free workshop at Jungle House, opens a new window
- Seasonal Survival, ft. a SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) lamp, opens a new window
- Sweets and Sweeties, ft. an original painting made by Teacup the Opossum at Prairie Park Nature Center, opens a new window and a gift card to Squishington’s Candy, opens a new window
- Book Lover’s Essentials, ft. a book journal and journaling supplies
Prize winners will be notified by February 13.
If you’re looking for reading inspiration, we’ve got you covered! Feel free to jump to Part 2, opens a new window to check out our staff pick lists and to learn about our exclusive Double Dare book bundles. We’ve got lists for all ten Dewey ranges, and the book bundles are tailored to a wide variety of readers. But first….
What the heck is a Dewey Decimal?
The Dewey Decimal Classification System (DDS) is used to organize nonfiction collections. It’s the most widely used classification system in libraries across the world! The DDS assigns each book a call number ranging from 000 to 999.99, which indicates both where the book lives in the collection and its primary topic. This helps patrons find not only specific titles they’re looking for, but can also be used to browse related titles or topics of interest.
The Dewey Decimal system was invented in the early 20th century by Melvil Dewey. Dewey’s ideas about the classification of knowledge and the role of a library shaped American understandings of librarianship — for better or worse. Melvil Dewey was notoriously misogynistic, racist, and anti-Semitic, and these bigoted beliefs informed the DDS. Much has been written about this topic — I’d encourage you to read this American Libraries Magazine article about his behavior, this piece from Slate about the recent decision to remove his name from a prestigious library award, and this story from the School Library Journal about how certain libraries are updating their classification systems to be more inclusive.
LPL is one of many libraries that use an updated version of the Dewey Decimal system. The broad ranges remain the same as they were in the original DDS, but certain categories have been reorganized to reflect our community’s priorities and make things easier to find. Our catalogers and collections team work together to continually evaluate not only what is in our collection, but how and where it’s shelved. (For more information on the work of our catalogers and collection development team, read this recent Lawrence Times article!)
Although most libraries have changed the way books are classified, the core elements of the DDS remain the same. In addition to working as a navigational tool, the call number of a book also indicates what the book is about. The first digit of the call number indicates a broad subject such as science or history. Each number after that narrows the subject down even further, until you’re left with a very precise call number followed by the author’s last name.
Take the Book Mi Cocina by Rick Martinez, with a call number of 641.5972 MARTINEZ. The 6 lets us know what the broad topic is — all books in the 600s share a broad topic of technology — and the 41 refers to books about food and drink. The numbers after the decimal provide even more specific information — .5 is reserved for cookbooks, .59 for cookbooks about foods from a specific place or cultural tradition, and .72 for Mexican food.
If this sounds complicated, that’s because it is! Catalogers go through extensive training to learn all of the nuances of the Dewey Decimal System. The contemporary standard for the DDS is set by an organization called OCLC, and their most recent Introduction to the Dewey Decimal System tips the scale at 38 pages. Don’t worry though — for our purposes, you only need to worry about that first number.
Not just cookbooks!
Let’s think more closely about the 600s. What seems like four shelves dedicated to cookbooks actually covers topics ranging from hobby farming, medicine, fashion, home organization, mental health, yoga, time management, engineering, and so much more! I have found myself searching for a book about beginners’ woodworking and leaving the stacks with a dialectical behavioral therapy workbook.
What, you may ask, connects these topics? They’re all technologies! While the phrase may at first evoke cutting-edge devices or sprawling industrial complexes, all it really means is the practical application of scientific knowledge. Cooking applies our understanding of chemistry and nutrition to the practice of eating. Time management breaks down high-level knowledge about behavioral science into practical ways to cope with stressful demands. Sewing is 90% math and 10% making clothes to wear.
That’s kind of the magic of Information Services and our nonfiction collection. It’s expansive, and it’s niche; it’s theoretical and practical; it’s seemingly a bunch of random, unrelated books, and it also is a carefully considered bunch of books that have something in common. Human knowledge is a surprisingly tangled network of ideas and inventions and people and histories. Thinking more carefully about how and why we organize information reveals these unexpected connections and can even help us discover new ways of looking at the world.
Ready to get started?
If you're ready to take on the Dewey Dare, you can pre-register for the challenge on Beanstack now, opens a new window! We’ll have paper reading logs available at the Ask Desk starting on January 2nd. If you’re looking for reading inspiration, head to Part 2, opens a new window to check out our staff lists and learn more about Double Dare book bundles.
Questions about the challenge? Give our Info Services team a call at 785-843-3833x154 or email us at information-services@lplks.org.
—Gabby Boyle is the Community Resource Specialist at Lawrence Public Library.
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