So, I was talking with Friend #3 about how we had learned the facts of life, and I told her I had bugged Mom about it as much as she could stand (“Ellen! I have told you this how many times?”) so I decided to get my details from the “Minus Section” at the public library.
Our library very definitely had a Minus Section, but after some Googling I’m thinking it might have been a modification of the Dewey Decimal System our librarians invented.
Our library was of course on the Dewey Decimal system, with the categories:
* 000 — Computer science, information, and general works
* 100 — Philosophy and psychology
* 200– Religion
* 300 — Social sciences
* 400 — Languages
* 500 — Science
* 600 — Technology applied science
* 700 — Arts and recreation
* 800 — Literature
* 900 — History and geography and biography
I remember deciding the reason computers were in the 000s was they hadn’t been invented when the DD System was created. I wondered if Dewey started with the 100s, and the occult stuff was in the 000s too, because Dewey thought it was heretical. I don’t know. I spent a lot of time at the library.
At any rate, my library was equipped with one section that had books with minus signs in front of the Dewey Decimal numbers for “certain” books.
601.12: medical encyclopedia, lets say.
-601.12: The Medical Encyclopedia of Sex.
Negative numbers in a parallel Dewey Universe.
-100s? The Psychology ofSex.
-700s? Sexy Art.
-400? Nothing, because there’s no language about sex.
These books were kept out, but in the Minus Section, right by the check-out counter. The Minus Section only took up one shelf. The librarians watched closely to see who was browsing the Minus Section. Except for one librarian, Mr. K____, who ritually came in every day to work , picked up a random book out of the Minus Section, read a few pages, then got to work.
I know this because I later worked at the library, when I was 18. But that one summer when I was 13 I came in every day and picked up Hite or Kinsey from the Minus Section, and no one said boo to me.
When I was talking to Friend #3 today, it was as if she was unaware of the Minus Section. (“What, like antibooks? The antimatter of the library?”) I peeked into Wikipedia, Google, and the Straight Dope, and it looks like perhaps there isn’t a Minus Section in every library. I haven’t been in a library for years since I gave back my library card, so I don’t know. Then again, maybe if the Internet meets the Minus Section, the universe explodes. Could be. So, anybody else fall into the Minus Section?
9 responses to “Minus Section”
Speaking as a Professional Librarian, I have to say this is the first time I’ve ever heard of a Minus Section. That was definitely a local thing. Although it seems to go against the whole spirit of the public library, some people get really hung up about not allowing a selection of books to be seen – often sex books, but sometimes other things. Boo! Information wants to be free, and easily available! :)Plus, it is supposed to be a big deal in the library world that we strongly support intellectual freedom, never questioning a patron’s book choices and never informing on them to the cops (that has changed now that the Patriot Act has landed with big heavy feet on the country – your books selection and your computer could be checked by the cops and the staff are not allowed to say anything – really large boo!!!). However, there are a few nutjobs who work in libraries and get really hung up on the minutia of it all and freak out when people actually have The Gall to come in and Check Out Our Books!And, after reading your library card story I encourage you to go get another library card. We love people like you!! Checking out books and returning them late – great! Library budgets all over the country are being slashed and we can really use the fine money, so don’t worry that we are judging you – we are happy to see your cash. :)(Of course, you can feel free to just come use the cool stuff in your local public library – we don’t card at the door or anything, and we like to keep a high door count of people coming in each day. Plus, without cool patrons to talk with all day the job can get a little dull. Come by this week!)
I grew up here in St. Louis and I don’t remember a Minus section at our local library. I’ll have to ask mom if there’s one – she still goes. I do know that the books all had color coded tabs and you could only check out books in your age group. Since I read way above my age group, my mom or my aunt – depending on who I went with – checked out books for me. Looking back, I seem to remember that you could only check out so many at a time so it was pretty nice of them to reserve one or two of those slots for me.I can still remember the smell of the library. Weird how scents stick with you, huh?
I don’t think we had a minus section.I got all of my book learning of that sort by perusing the shelves of the people I babysat for. Kids in bed, me reading Anais Nin or Fear of Flying or The Story of O.
I spent the better part of my childhood at the library and I’m sorry to say this is the first time I’ve heard of the minus section. Pathetically, I filled it all the “details” by reading my mom’s Nancy Friday books.
I’ve always gone to the library and have been a school librarian and have never seen a minus section. Wonder what that minus signified?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOw3w-00Jqw This has nothing to do with library cards but it does have GBS and the Chieftains and lots of Alan. Ay yi yi.
Annie – Okay! That’s the authoritative answer I was looking for. Now I need to call the Florissant Missouri County Branch of the library and see what their deal was. Better yet, I’ll go by there this weekend, and if that intimidating Margaret woman is still in charge there I’ll ask her detailed questions.AmyinStL – Yep – and I don’t know why, but I always had to go to the bathroom as soon as I walked in the library. I pine to have one of the card catalogs, though.Magpie – Yeah, but I got bored with Anais Nin. The first thing I read in her “Diary” was something about children and sex. Turned me right off. But Dad had an entire record album devoted to the reading of Fanny Hill.Kathy – Who? Must go look up Nancy Friday!Heidi – It signified EVIL! Negative! Dirty dirty books. I thought every library had one.Becs – I did see that man a lot on the cruise. Nice crinkly eyes, you are right.
I was a page on a St Louis Co bookmobile, and we most certainly had a minus section. Not nearly as big as the HQ on Lindbergh, but we did have one. “The Minus Section…where the good books are, the the good girls don’t go.”
Mer (Hi Mer!) – Oh thank you – I had no idea Bookmobiles had them too. I thought Bookmobiles were wall to wall kids books – at least the ones I used were. How about an all-Minus bookmobile? That would be useful.