“Sufferin’ Succotash!” Mel Blanc, Daffy Duck’s cartoon voice, must have splattered himself with saliva every time Daffy used this expletive. Since 1937, that duck family has been entertaining us in comic books, television shows, and even full-length movies. Due to the influence of the Disney machine, it appears that Donald Duck has survived as the most famous of them. But today, we are focusing on one of his nephews, Dewey in particular.
As kids, we sometimes get things wrong due to our limited base of knowledge. When we hear something, all we can do is assume that it is somehow related to something that we already know. Admittedly, when I first heard of that Dewey Decimal System, what was I to think? The only Dewey I ever heard of was included in one of Donald Duck’s three nephews. (No, when I first heard of Huey Lewis and the News, I did not think of these ducks because by then my frame of reference had increased.) Anyway, I was quite disappointed to find out that this “System” had nothing to do with cartoons.
In 1837, Melvil Dewey, no relation to Donald’s nephew, began the classification system to locate books in libraries that, though greatly expanded, is still used today throughout the world. Hmm? I wonder where I can find a book on Huey, Dewey, and Louie in my local library? Glad you asked. Go to 741.5 Comic Books and Graphic Novels which is a relatively new classification added to the System in 2006.
This time I threw the boomerang way out there, but here it comes back with the point of this blog: our wonderful public libraries. Perhaps a better name for them currently would be resource centers. “Liber” in Latin means “book.” Therefore, a library is a place of books. Today, however, a library is so much more. While presenting our book and movement to audiences at libraries across the Detroit metropolitan area, I have seen first hand the wonderful and helpful librarians and staff who are so knowledgeable about all the library’s resources.
I remember the first library that I ever attended as a child, the Mark Twain branch on Gratiot near Seminole. Certainly, back then in approximately 1955, it was a true library full of wondrous books. And, yes, the Dewey Decimal System was in full bloom back then. Fortunately, as I learned how to look up a book in the card catalog, the sweet librarian used a scrap of paper on which I wrote the magical numbers and letters to help her find the desired book. Don’t look for a card catalog today. Of course, everything is saved to the computer making choosing a resource very efficient.
So, if you want to know “What’s Up, Doc,” you can find anything you want in the public library with very little “sufferin.” Perhaps you are even wondering what succotash is. Just ask Dewey, not Huey or Louie.
