How Maynooth University Library is thinking beyond the Dewey Decimal System to help students

This guest post is by Ashley Burke who is a Library Assistant based in Engagement and Information Services in Maynooth University Library.

A staff member shelving books in Maynooth University Library. Picture credit: Alan Lawrence, 2020.

For many students, library shelves are just another backdrop to study sessions and essay marathons. But beneath the quiet hum of activity at Maynooth University Library, something quietly radical is happening. Maynooth’s librarians are finding creative, student-focused ways to work around its most outdated aspects - ensuring that knowledge is not only categorised but made genuinely accessible, inclusive, and relevant to today’s academic and cultural landscape.

The Dewey Decimal System, established in 1876, was never designed with today’s diverse student body in mind. Its Western, Christian-centric structure often marginalises non-dominant worldviews—tucking entire cultures, religions, and fields of study into oversimplified or inappropriate categories.

At Maynooth University Library, the response has been to strategically subvert its limitations. Librarians are implementing tools and practices that help students navigate beyond Dewey’s blind spots, offering a more equitable and intuitive user experience.

Curated Displays and Thematic Collections

One of Maynooth’s most visible interventions is its commitment to curated collections both online and displays within the Library that bring underrepresented voices to the fore. The library regularly features thematic displays on topics such as LGBTQ+, the Black and African diaspora, and the Traveller Communities - highlighting works that might otherwise be buried in Dewey’s less-than-intuitive categories.

Oftentimes books that I think should be together are shelved by Dewey number in separate areas which makes them hard to find by general browsing. Geography is one example of this. Geography is mainly kept in the 900s but if you wanted physical Geography e.g. Geomorphology you would need to look in the 500s, while human Geography is in the 300s. By pulling these materials together in dedicated displays and collections, Maynooth ensures that students encounter diverse perspectives without always needing to decipher a complex classification code.

Evolving Dewey and reshelving

Dewey isn’t as static as it may seem from the outside. We are constantly shifting and evolving our use of it. One example I was part of recently was the Musical Score reclassification where the scores were reclassified and relabelled to ensure composers' works were shelved together. This made browsing works by one composer easier for the user. This has been met with positive feedback. 

Another project the Library is undertaking soon will be the relabelling and classification of certain Irish law books to the base number 346. At the moment some of the Irish law books are shelved with the UK law books - this will mean a lot of shifting in the law section but will give a better user experience when browsing.

Maynooth University Library is also at the forefront of efforts to reclaim Irish identity within library catalogues. Where Dewey might lump Irish Travellers, Irish history, and literature into broader Nomad, British or Celtic categories, Maynooth University’s librarians are actively tagging and reclassifying content to reflect Irish political, linguistic, and cultural autonomy.

This academic year’s addition of the Faculty of Nursing has seen our Natural Sciences collection grow to accommodate these new Nursing books. For me as a reshelver, it has meant making room to add these books and ensure they are accessible to new students.

While reshelving I can see disparities in legacy cataloguing practices, for example the Anglo-Irish books. As we improve classification processes, as new books come in, these disparities are being ironed out and materials are made more accessible. This in turn means books are being grouped together in a better way ensuring that they can be more easily browsed by Library users.

Teaching Students to better use the System

Crucially, Maynooth isn’t just working around Dewey - it’s empowering students to understand it and leverage its positive aspects. The library offers workshops and orientation sessions that explore how classification systems like Dewey can be best used in their own academic work and how best to navigate the Library. Teaching and Learning Librarians use various LIST sessions to promote the Library and what it can do for students at the beginning of each semester. The Library also offers Finish Strong initiatives in the lead up to exams and semester deadlines.

Staff at the Information desk ensure that they are there to help students access the knowledge they need both online and physically. The front desk staff hours have recently been adjusted to better align with the students’ needs and presence on campus. Social media tools are being heavily utilised to better engage with the student population and help equip students with the knowledge they need to succeed. Covering the desk allows me to keep an ear to the ground to see what students are struggling with and positions me to curate content for social media to assist them. It is always a pleasure bringing students on their Library discovery journey and seeing them go from not knowing how to look up a book, to successfully navigating and using the Library’s many services.

While reshelving the books upstairs I often get questions from students. It is rewarding helping someone learn how the Library is laid out and where to find what they are looking for. It also helps me identify missing or lost books and get them back to the shelves as quickly as we can.

Conclusion: More Than Just Shelves

Maynooth University Library’s approach offers a powerful model for other institutions grappling with legacy systems. By layering inclusive practices, digital innovation, and critical engagement on top of Dewey’s existing framework, the library is building something much more valuable than a traditional classification system: a dynamic, student-first knowledge environment. 

At Maynooth University, the library isn’t just a place to find books—it’s a place to rethink how knowledge is organised, accessed, and valued. By finding creative ways around Dewey’s limitations, the library is helping students not just locate information, but understand the systems behind it, and challenge those systems when they fall short.

In doing so, Maynooth is showing that the future of libraries isn’t about rigid categories—it’s about curiosity, inclusivity, and empowerment.

Read More