1. Melville Dewey and his System
Dewey Decimal System
Melville Dewey and his System

2. Melville Dewey’s Childhood
Melville Louis Kossuth was born December 10, 1851 in New York.
As a child he was drawn to mathematics and enjoyed classification systems.
Melville’s family could not afford to send him to school, but at age 19 he went and attended Amherst College.
He worked in the library there to fund his education

3. Classification Before Dewey
Before Dewey, Classification systems used a fixed design.
Each book was given a specific spot on the shelf.
Books and shelves had to be reclassified with each addition to the collection.
No two libraries used the same system.

4. Father of Modern Librarianship
Dewey invented the Dewey Decimal System when he was only 21.
This system is based off of subjects and numbers, making it easy for one to categorize and shelve books.
Amherst College was the first to adopt his modernized system.

5. Computer Science, Information, and General Works:
The Classifications
Computer Science, Information, and General Works:
Encyclopedias
General Reference Works
Computer science
Magazines
Oddities

6. Philosophy, Parapsychology and Occultism, Psychology:
The Classifications
Philosophy, Parapsychology and Occultism, Psychology:
Schools of thought
Human nature
Witchcraft
Divinatory arts

7. The Classifications 200-299 Religion Theories Denominations
Religious ethics
Doctrines
Religious practices

8. The Classifications 300-399 Social Sciences Law Political Science
Customs
Folklore
Social problems and services

9. The Classifications 400-499 Language Bilingualism All spoken languages
All written languages

10. Natural Sciences and Mathematics
The Classifications
Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Mathematics
Astronomy
Earth sciences
Biology
Plants
Animals

11. Technology (Applied Sciences)
The Classifications
Technology (Applied Sciences)
Medicine
Health
Agriculture
Management
Chemical Engineering
Buildings

12. The Classifications
The Arts (Fine and Decorative) Landscape Sculpture Music Graphic arts Drawing Painting Photography

13. Literature and Rhetoric
The Classifications
Literature and Rhetoric
Drama
Poetry
Fiction
Speeches
Letters
Humor
Essays

14. The Classifications
History, Geography, and Auxiliary Disciplines Geography Travel Genealogy History of places

15. The Legacy
Dewey died at age 80 and 7 decades after his death, he is still known for the most widely used library classification system In the world.

16. References
Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (2008). How one library pioneer profoundly influenced modern librarianship. Retrieved March 29, 2009, from Patschke, Kristen. (2000, December 12). Melvil Dewey: the father of librarianship. Retrieved March 29, 2009, from