Reading with Style discussion

10.2 - In honor of Memory Day, March 21st, read a memoir/autobiography. Books must be shelved in the "biography" section of BPL.

What if a book isn't shelved in BPL at all? Can we post a link to a library in our own country? E.g. Letters From Menabilly: Portrait Of A Friendship is not in the BPL system but is shelved under adult class B for biography in my local libary, which also uses the Dewey Decimal system:
https://www.libcat.oxfordshire.gov.uk...

Would The Story of My Life by Helen Keller work?

As far as I can tell it is shelved in the right section of BPL, but with all the confusion over different entries in the library's system I'd prefer somebody to double-check. I checked several entries but not all of them. One was the following: The Story of my Life

Isabell wrote: "Would The Story of My Life by Helen Keller work?

As far as I can tell it is shelved in the right section of BPL, but with all the confusion over different entries in the library's system I'd prefe..."

Yes, it is shelved as biography. I had a sinking feeling because it is also shelved YA. But never fear! It has a Lexile of 1150! You're good to go with that one!

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Isabell wrote: "Would The Story of My Life by Helen Keller work?

As far as I can tell it is shelved in the right section of BPL, but with all the confusion over different entries in the library's ..."

Thanks for checking, Elizabeth. There is a free LibriVox audiobook edition available, so I'm doubly pleased that this particular book works.

Ok, I have a question that's a little strange. I was planning Temple Grandin's book Thinking In Pictures, Expanded Edition: My Life With Autism but it is shelved in the 600s at BPL. I have another that is shelved Junior Biography at BPL and has a 950 Lexile, so it literally counts, but it is really pretty basic. Could I read both of them and just count the JB for points to make it really fit the spirit of a stretch in my reading? I hope to see Temple Grandin in Chicago this summer, so I'd like to read more about her.

I do have another book planned for the task, so I'm good either way.

I plan to read Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed.

I found it on the link for BPL.

I'm so excited because I bought this for my husband for Christmas!

I think I have found a couple that will work:

A Song Flung Up To Heaven by Maya Angelou
Loving and Leaving the Good Life by Helen Nearing

Another book that I don't find at BPL but is classified biography by my library Multnomah County Library.
Up the Capitol Steps: A Woman's March to the Governorship by Barbara Roberts
I can use it for 20.5.

Rosemary wrote: "What if a book isn't shelved in BPL at all?..."

I am going to be really cranky-pants and say that books read for THIS task must be shelved at the Brooklyn Public Library, in the biography section of at least one branch.

I know this might be unfair for many members, but the amount of data that needs to be verified & entered into the database is overwhelming as it is. Wherever possible, I want to minimize the number of libraries/websites/etc that need to be checked during the score-keeping process.

Liz M wrote: "Rosemary wrote: "What if a book isn't shelved in BPL at all?..."

I am going to be really cranky-pants and say that books read for THIS task must be shelved at the Brooklyn Public Library, in the b..."

I do understand and that's fine but it is tough on non-Americans so I hope it won't become a more general rule.

Also, if a limitation like that could be posted with the poll next time it would be great. I would have voted differently if I'd known this.

Thanks for all the work you do which is so appreciated :)

The book I plan to read for this task is Memoirs of an Egotist by Stendhal. It is catalogued at BPL, but under a name translated slightly differently, Memoirs of Egotism, and didn't come up under the title I input. I mention it so that you might be alerted if your title doesn't come up, that you check the author. Not all searches produce the same results.

One of my "daunting " books is Autobiography of Mark Twain: The Complete and Authoritative Edition, Volume 1 and Vol 2. I wonder if I'll bite this time. It was written in 1904 and was to be published 100 years after his death per his instructions and that was 2010. Which date would be considered?

Use the 2010 date for this. Memoirs and autobiographies can easily be published posthumously.

aha! So it works for 20.7 as well.

Yes, as does mine. ;-)

As I was searching for books that were shelved B at BPL, I realized that I had made an error in my understanding of the use of "assignment" as a label for where a book is shelved at BPL. I wanted to clear that up in an educational manner, not as an argument in any way for how this task is being assessed.

About a dozen years back, the Dewey Decimal system was changed in the area of biography. It was decided that all biographies would be a part of the regular nonfiction sections in which they were assigned with a 92 at the end and biography retained in the subject headings. Librarians made some choices when that happened. Some kept their B section and assigned all biographies and memoirs there and some went with the straight Dewey number decision. I was in a school district that decided to no longer have a B section in their libraries, so the entire section had to be redone. In my current district, I have a choice, so I maintain a B section. That is the way BPL is approaching their B section. They are "assigning" books to that section that the librarians think belong there and leaving books that they think will fit better in the Dewey classification system in those sections.

Example: the Temple Grandin book I was going to read which is also about autism(and once again, I am not lobbying to try to get to read it, just explaining for others who run into this) has a full Dewey number in the book itself of 616.89/82/0092 (the slashes indicate where librarians are allowed to "cut off" the Dewey number and make their own decision on assignments). In this case, the BPL librarians chose to keep it with other books about autism.

In a similar fashion, all fiction was originally assigned to the 800s like poetry and plays. When the number became huge (a long time ago) libraries developed the F section. Some have separate story collection sections and some do not. In the same way, they've created YA sections.

That brings me to my mistake. I was interpreting YA assignment to be books used for assignments in classrooms, but I no longer think that is the case. YA assignment is being used by BPL in a similar way. They are deciding that a book that was not originally written as YA, but maybe published that way now will be shelved in the YA section. Sometimes it is probably used in a classroom and this makes it easier for the students to find it, but I believe I was mistaken when I have stated in the past that the books were only assigned there when they were used in a classroom. This just means that we will have to be diligent at checking BPL for YA "assignment" because many books originally published a long time ago are now being published with a YA label so could easily be assigned there by a BPL librarian.

Sorry, I know that was long. I guess I'm just always wearing my teacher-librarian hat!

Interesting. The libraries I have been able to access all of my life used 92 for biographies. It is only since accessing BPL that I have seen the B designation.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Interesting. The libraries I have been able to access all of my life used 92 for biographies. It is only since accessing BPL that I have seen the B designation."

Yes, before the Dewey change biographies were in the 920s and some libraries put them all in a B section instead of the 920 area because it was right between travel and history Classifications. The biographies would have been all together either way. Now the 92 part goes at the end of the classification which means they are spread out around the library or pulled out to a B section depending on how strictly that library or library system follows Dewey classifications.

Ah, I see. I missed the thrust of your comment about the change.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Ah, I see. I missed the thrust of your comment about the change."

I also missed saying that they were all 920s before the change;)

That's interesting, and is likely part of it, but I do think at least part of the time it's due to being assigned at schools: http://www.bklynpubliclibrary.org/loc.... Under Young Adult Collection it says, "Popular "Assignment" section in which commonly assigned school titles are readily available.". But maybe it works both ways?

Cory (Bigler) '00-'05 wrote: "That's interesting, and is likely part of it, but I do think at least part of the time it's due to being assigned at schools: http://www.bklynpubliclibrary.org/loc.... Under Young..."

Thanks for the link, Cory. I worried that I had just totally made that up as a reason in other discussions. That makes me feel better.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Yes, as does mine. ;-)"

Elizabeth, I re-read the task and the Mark Twain's autobiography won't work for 20.7 as that task only calls for novels

Rebekah wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Yes, as does mine. ;-)"

Elizabeth, I re-read the task and the Mark Twain's autobiography won't work for 20.7 as that task only calls for novels"

Oops! Yes, I saw that when I was filling in my spreadsheet and forgot we'd had this conversation. Glad you saw that, although it would have been just combo points (for me anyway).

is 915 the call number for biographies?

Rebekah wrote: "is 915 the call number for biographies?"

No. Dewey Decimal 915 is Geography of and travel in Asia.

For BPL, biographies/memoirs usually will have the word "biography" under the Location heading & the call number will start with B, as in B Brittain.

So would any of these books work?
Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq by Kirsten Holmstedt
Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle by Mary J MacLeod
A Nurse's Story by Tilda Shalof

Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq is 956.70443 (Middle East: Iraq), not biography

The other two are not in the catalog & therefore don't qualify.

Ok. I assume an auto biography is admissible as long as it is in BPL?

Rebekah wrote: "Ok. I assume an auto biography is admissible as long as it is in BPL?"

Yes, the task is for a memoir/autobiography.

Would Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip work for this task?

It is listed as "B" section at BPL. Here's the link: https://catalog.brooklynpubliclibrary...

Camille wrote: "Would Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip work for this task?

It is listed as "B" section at BPL. Here's the link: https://catalog.brooklynpubliclibra..."

No, because that is not a memoir or autobiography. It certainly works for 20.9 Presidentially, though.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Camille wrote: "Would Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip work for this task?

It is listed as "B" section at BPL. Here's the link: https://catalog.bro..."

That's what I thought--I was looking for some combo pts!

THANKS!

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "Ok. I assume an auto biography is admissible as long as it is in BPL?"

Yes, the task is for a memoir/autobiography."

hmmmm now to pick which one!

Would The Education of Henry Adams work?

Rebekah wrote: "Would The Education of Henry Adams work?"

Yep!

Does The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy The Shocking Inside Story by Ann Rule work for this task? I looked but couldn't tell on the Brooklyn Library site. The call numbers were in the 300's but I don't know what that means really.

Rebekah wrote: "Does The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy The Shocking Inside Story by Ann Rule work for this task? I looked but couldn't tell on the Brooklyn Library site. The call numbers were in the 300's but I do..."

It must be shelved as biography, so, no, a book shelved in the 300s won't work.

Rebekah wrote: "Does The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy The Shocking Inside Story by Ann Rule work for this task? I looked but couldn't tell on the Brooklyn Library site. The call numbers were in the 300's but I do..."

For BPL, biographies/memoirs usually will have the word "biography" under the Location heading & the call number will start with B, as in the example linked: B Adams.

Ok