A GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING THE DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM IN THE LIBRARY

Just DEWEY It

SVHS/MS LIBRARY

IN 1876 , MELVIL DEWEY ESTABLISHED THE DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM, A

CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM USED BY MOST LIBRARIES TO ORGANIZE BOOKS AND

OTHER MATERIALS.

What—or, um—Who, is Dewey?

kaitaolibrary.wikispaces.com

The Dewey System

The Dewey Decimal System

000• General

Reference• Information• Computer

Science

100• Philosophy• Psychology

200• Religion

The Dewey Decimal System

300• Social

Sciences

500• Science• Mathematics

600

• Techonology

400• Language

s

The Dewey Decimal System

700• Arts• Recreation

800• Literature

900• History• Geography

What’s a Call Number?

A call numberis a group of numbers and/or

lettersput together to tell you

where in the libraryto find your book.

A Dewey call  number always has

three numbersto the left of the decimal.  So, even if it is in the 000's

(we call this the zero hundreds)

it would be written like this:

001.9

Dewey Call Numbers

To the right of the decimal, there is no limit on number.

The more numbers you add to the right of the decimal, the more

specific the subject is.

For example, the Dewey number for thecommercial processing of

kidney beans is 664.805652

Practicing Dewey

You’re looking for a guide to understanding Shakespeare. Where do you look?

You are being sued. In what section would books about your rights be?

You love Civil War history. What section would you most likely find books about this subject?

WITHIN THE 10 CATEGORIES, THERE ARE MULTITUDES OF SUB-CATEGORIES THAT REFINE

THE TOPIC.

FOR EXAMPLE, WITHIN 400 (LANGUAGE)YOU WILL FIND NUMBERS FOR OLD ENGLISH (420)

AND EVEN LATIN (470)

LET’S EXPLORE THEM FURTHER…

Let’s Get Specific

General Reference-000

000-Computers and knowledge systems010- Biography020-library science030-encyclopedias050-magazines, journals060-associations, museums, organizations070-news media, journalism080-quotations090-rare books

Philosophy & Psychology

100-Philosophy110-Metaphysics120-Epistemology130-Paraphyschology 140-Philosophical schools of thought150-Pyschology160-Logic170-Ethics180-Ancient, medieval, eastern philosophy190-Modern western philosophy

Religion-200

200-Religion210-Theory of religion220-The Bible230-Chrisitanity and Christian theology240-Christian practice and observance250-Christian religious orders260-Chrisitan organizations270-Christian History280-Christian denominationsOther religions

Language-400

400-Language410-Linguistics420-English, Old English languages430-German and related languages440-French and related languages450-Italian, Romanian and related languages460-Spanish, Portuguese languagesLatin and Italic languagesClassical and modern Greek languagesOther languages

Science-500

500-Science510-Mathematics520-Astronomy530-Physics540-Chemistry550-Earth sciences, geology560-Fossils and prehistoric life570-Life sciences, biology580-Plants and botany590-Animals and zoology

Technology-600

600-Technology610-Medicine and health620-Engineering630-Agriculture640-Home and family650-Management and public relations660-Chemical engineering670-Manufacturing680-Manufuacture for specific uses690-Building and construction

Arts & Recreation-700

700-Arts710-Landscaping and area planning720-Architecture730-Sculpture, ceramics, metalwork740-Drawing and decorative arts750-Painting760-Graphic arts770-Photography and computer art780-Music790-Sports, games, entertainment

Literature-800

800-Literature, rhetoric, criticism810-American literature 820-English literature830-German literature840-French literature850-Italian literature860-Spanish literature870-Latin literature880-Classical Greek literatureOther literature

History-900

900-History910-Geography and travel920-Biography and genealogy930-History of ancient worlds940-History of Europe950-History of Asia960-History of Africa970-History of North America980-History of South America990-History of other areas

YES—THAT’S A LOT OF INFORMATION TO REMEMBER. THAT’S WHY WE MAKE

IT EASY FOR YOU IN THE LIBRARY!

UNDERSTANDING THE MAIN CLASSIFICATIONS OF THE DEWEY

DECIMAL SYSTEM WILL HELP YOU FIND THE MATERIALS YOU’RE LOOKING FOR

FASTER AND EASIER.

Wow.

WHEN LOOKING FOR A BOOK IN THE NON-FICTION SECTION, YOU NEED TO

DECIDE WHETHER YOU WANT TO SEARCH FOR THE BOOK BY THE DEWEY

DECIMAL NUMBER, OR BY THE TOPIC OF THE BOOK.

Ask Yourself This…

AFTER YOU DETERMINE WHAT SORT OF BOOK/SUBJECT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR, FOLLOW THESE

STEPS TO HELP YOU FIND WHAT YOU NEED!

How to Be a Professional Searcher

Use common sense. Which of the Dewey subjects would your topic fall under?

Follow the visual signs in the library to help guide you to that particular section.

Use the labels on the shelves to see if your topic is mentioned.

Read the titles on each shelf. Do they match your topic?

WITH THE ABILITY TO USE THE DDS, YOU’RE EMPOWERING

YOURSELF WITH THE ABILITY TO SEARCH AND UTILIZE LIBRARY

RESOURCES IN A WAY YOU COULDN’T BEFORE.

BE CURIOUS, BE PATIENT, AND USE COMMON

SENSE!

Final Thoughts

References

kaitaolibrary.wikispaces.comhttp://www.thrall.org/dewey/dewbio.htmhttp://library.thinkquest.org/5002/Cataloging and Classification: An Introduction by

Lois Mai Chan