dewey decimal system
There are two commonly used library classification systems: the Dewey Decimal System and the Library of Congress System. A classification system is a logical arrangement of knowledge so that materials on the same subject sit next to each other on the library's shelves. Delview library, as do most school and public libraries in Canada, uses the Dewey Decimal System.
American librarian, Melvil Dewey (1851-1931) created the Dewey Decimal System in 1876 and is regarded as the father of modern librarianship.
The Dewey Decimal System organizes information into 10 broad areas, which are subsequently broken into smaller and smaller topics. Each class can be divided into 10 smaller related classes, each of which in turn can be divided into 10 smaller classes, and so on. Eventually, Dewey numbers are divided enough to require decimal points for further division. Dewey numbers always have three numerals to the left of the decimal point, but they can have as many as 25 or 30 to the right of the decimal point. The more specific the subject of the book becomes, the longer the Dewey Decimal number becomes. The shortest Dewey number possible is three digits.
Here are some examples of Dewey Decimal numbers:
Milk - 641.371 Cows - 636.2 Horror movies - 791.436164
Earthworms - 592.64 Easter - 263.93 Werewolves - 398.24
Earthquakes - 551.22 Computers - 004 Rock Music - 781.66
Different topics are assigned numbers, known as "call numbers." For example, "mammals" are given the number 599. To see what books the library currently has in on mammals, go to the non-fiction shelves and find the books that have a 599 as part of their call number.
The Ten Main Classes:
000 Computers, information and general reference
100 Philosophy and psychology
200 Religion
300 Social Sciences
400 Language
500 Science
600 Technology
700 Arts and recreation
800 Literature
900 History and geography
American librarian, Melvil Dewey (1851-1931) created the Dewey Decimal System in 1876 and is regarded as the father of modern librarianship.
The Dewey Decimal System organizes information into 10 broad areas, which are subsequently broken into smaller and smaller topics. Each class can be divided into 10 smaller related classes, each of which in turn can be divided into 10 smaller classes, and so on. Eventually, Dewey numbers are divided enough to require decimal points for further division. Dewey numbers always have three numerals to the left of the decimal point, but they can have as many as 25 or 30 to the right of the decimal point. The more specific the subject of the book becomes, the longer the Dewey Decimal number becomes. The shortest Dewey number possible is three digits.
Here are some examples of Dewey Decimal numbers:
Milk - 641.371 Cows - 636.2 Horror movies - 791.436164
Earthworms - 592.64 Easter - 263.93 Werewolves - 398.24
Earthquakes - 551.22 Computers - 004 Rock Music - 781.66
Different topics are assigned numbers, known as "call numbers." For example, "mammals" are given the number 599. To see what books the library currently has in on mammals, go to the non-fiction shelves and find the books that have a 599 as part of their call number.
The Ten Main Classes:
000 Computers, information and general reference
100 Philosophy and psychology
200 Religion
300 Social Sciences
400 Language
500 Science
600 Technology
700 Arts and recreation
800 Literature
900 History and geography
000-099
100-199 200-299 300-399 400-499 500-599 600-699 700-799 800-899 900-999 |
General Works
Philosophy 110-119 Metaphysics 120-129 Knowledge 130-139 Magic, horoscopes, etc. 140-149 Philosophical theories 150-159 Psychology 160-169 Logic 170-179 Ethics 180-189 Ancient Philosophy and Asia 190-199 Modern Western Philosophy Religion 210-219 Natural Religion 220-229 The Bible 230-239 Christian Teachings 240-249 Christian Morals 250-259 Churches and Religious Orders 260-269 Religious Thought 270-279 Church History 280-289 Christian Denominations 290-299 Other Religions Social Sciences 310-319 Statistics 320-329 Political Science 330-339 Economics 340-349 Law 350-359 Government 360-369 Social Services 370-379 Education 380-389 Business and Commerce 390-399 Customs and Folklore Languages 410-419 Linguistics 420-429 English 430-439 German 440-449 French 450-459 Italian 460-469 Spanish 470-479 Latin 480-489 Greek 490-499 Other Languages Pure Sciences 510-519 Mathematics 520-529 Astronomy 530-539 Physics 540-549 Chemistry 550-559 Earth Science 560-569 Paleontology 570-579 Life Sciences 580-589 Botany 590-599 Zoology Applied Sciences 610-619 Medical Science 620-629 Engineering 630-639 Agriculture 640-649 Home Economics 650-659 Management 660-669 Chemicals 670-679 Manufacturing 680-689 Manufacturing Goods 690-699 Buildings Arts and Recreation 710-719 Landscape Art 720-729 Architecture 730-739 Clothing, Sculpture, Poetry 740-749 Drawing 750-759 Painting 760-769 Graphic Art 770-779 Photography 780-789 Music 790-799 Performing Arts, Recreation, Sports Literature 810-819 American Literature 820-829 British Literature 830-839 Literature in German 840-849 Literature in French 850-859 Literature in Italian 860-869 Spanish and Portuguese Lit. 870-879 Latin Literature 880-889 Greek Literature 890-899 Literature in Other Languages History and Geography 910-919 General Geography & Travel 920-929 General Biography 930-939 Ancient History 940-949 European Hist. & Geo. 950-959 Asian Hist. & Geo. 960-969 African Hist. & Geo. 970-979 North American Hist. & Geo. 980-989 South American Hist. & Geo. 990-999 Hist. & Geo. of Other Areas |
Each "place" in the number refers to a progressively narrower subject range. For example, the Dewey call number for the geography of England is 914.2. Broken down as follows it shows:
900s History and Geography
910s Geography and Travel
914 Geography: Specific Areas
914.2 Geography of England
900s History and Geography
910s Geography and Travel
914 Geography: Specific Areas
914.2 Geography of England