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The Dewey Decimal System arranges Books in the Library by subject
The Dewey Decimal System arranges Books in the Library by subject.
Melvil Dewey invented the Dewey Decimal Classification System. Melvil wanted a better way to arrange books in a library.
Why is Dewey a Good System? The Dewey Decimal Classification System allowed newly acquired books to be positioned in library collections based on their subjects. Formerly, books were positioned by date acquired. DDCS introduced the concepts of relative location and relative index.
How does DDCS work? Dewey divides all fields of knowledge into 10 main classes, each identified with three Arabic numerals. Fractional decimals allow expansion and refinement of topics. 500’s = Math and Science 510 = General principles of mathematics 511 = Sets and graphs 511.3 = Set Theory 511. 311 = Arithmetic / group theory
Begin with Fiction: The Letters S C A R Y P O E T H E R A V N Fiction books are arranged in alphabetical order by the first three letters of the authors last name. FIC = Fiction Poe = Edgar Poe FIC POE
Dewey by the Numbers Each subject begins with a number. How do we know which number goes with which subject?
The Dewey System organizes or arranges non-fiction books by subject 597.98 TRU 973.313 FRE 811.54 SID
What’s the Idea Behind the Dewey System? Melville sorted books by subject. Epistemology Chemistry
The First 10 Subjects Generalities Philosophy Religion Social Studies Language Math & Science Technology Arts & Leisure Literature History/Geography
Non-Fiction Numbers Non-fiction numbers are arranged lowest to highest. 001 is before 002 512 is before 513 796 is before 797 Numbers come before letters.
Non-Fiction Authors In the Dewey System books on the same subject can have the same number, but different authors. The first 3 letters of an authors last name help identify books. 811 811 544 544 BRO JAN SHE THO
Generalities- the 000’s This category includes books on the Internet, Encyclopedias, unexplained things and even Ripley’s Believe It or Not and The Guinness World Record Books. Books in Generalities begin with Zero (000)
Philosophy – the 100’s Books in Philosophy deal with right and wrong, and the boundaries of knowledge. Books in the Philosophy section begin with 1 (100)
Religion – the 200’s Books in the 200’s deal with religion. All religions are in this category Books in the Religion section begin with 2 (200)
Social Studies – the 300’s Social Studies books include careers, government, fairy tales and holidays Books in the Social Studies section begin with 3 (300)
Languages – the 400’s Books in the languages section deal with languages and grammar. Books in the Languages section begin with 4 (400)
Math & Science – the 500’s Math and Science includes books on chemistry, biology, physics and geology Books in Math and Science section begin with 5 (500)
Technology – the 600’s Technology deals with the application of science by humans to make things: cars, medicine and farming Books on technology Begin with 6 (600)
Art, Sports and Leisure – the 700’s Arts, sports and leisure includes painting, crafts, soccer, and magic. Arts, sport and leisure books begin with 7 (700)
Literature – the 800’s Literature includes poetry, plays and short stories. Fiction books were originally placed in “813” which was awkward Literature books Begin with 8 (800)
Geography & History – the 900’s Geography and history includes ancient and modern history Geography and History books begin with 9 (900)
Biography – the 92’s Biography is part of Geography and History. It is a big section, so it was shortened to “92” and placed on shelves separately. Biography books begin with 92