Nonfiction books are…

…true! They contain real facts about real things or they explain the beliefs of a society.

Non-fiction books are…

…arranged in numerical (1, 2, 3) order according to the Dewey Decimal System.

The Dewey Decimal System places books that are about the same topic together in the same place.

The Dewey Decimal System divides EVERYTHING into 10 general areas or topics…

: General Works (Encyclopedias, The Guinness Book of Records)

: Philosophy & Psychology (Ghost Books, Stress, Responsibility, Self-Confidence)

: Religions (The Bible, Mythology)

: Social Sciences (The Environment, Crime, the Military, Mummies, Festivals, Fairy Tales )

: Language (Dictionaries, Sign Language Books, Foreign Language Books)

: Natural Sciences (Wild Animals, Weather, Volcanoes, Space, Math, Dinosaurs)

: Applied Sciences (The Human Body, Space Travel, Inventions, Cars, Pets, Cooking)

: Arts & Entertainment (Drawing, Graphic Novels, Crafts, Music, Movies, Sports)

: Literature (Poetry, Short Stories, Shakespeare)

: Geography & History (Countries, States, Ancient Worlds, Historic Events)

So…how do I find a book in these sections? General Works General Works Psychology Psychology Religion Religion Soc.Sciences Soc.Sciences Language Language Natural Sciences Natural Sciences Applied Sciences Arts & Entertainment Literature Geography & History

The call number tells us where the book belongs. The call number on books can be found on the book’s spine label. Spine Label

The call number contains the book’s Dewey decimal number plus the first 3 letters of the author’s last name WEX A book about Penguins By author John Wexo

Call Number Call number = address Call number = address Where does the book live? Where does the book live? 031 GUI FIC STI

Biographies are different. They have “B” plus the first 3 letters of the famous person’s last name. B LIN The letter for a biography… …about Abe Lincoln

Collective Biographies are books about more than one person. They have “920” plus the first 3 letters of the author’s last name. 920 FRE This is a book about the Wright Brothers by Russell Freedman.

How do I know if a nonfiction book has the information I need?

Look at the table of contents. Is there an entire chapter on your subject?

Look at the index. Can you find information on your subject there?

Always check the copyright date. Is your source up to date?

CONGRATULATIONS! You are now ready to begin finding the information you need! Use the online catalog to start searching for your book.