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Understanding the Dewey Decimal System

Mrs. Paula McMullen

Library Teacher

Norwood Public Schools

Who was Melvil Dewey?

Developed the Dewey Decimal System in 1876.

Founded the American Library Association.

Set up the first professional library school.

8/12/2009 2Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

What Drove Dewey Crazy?

Not being able to find books easily on the library shelves,

So he developed a better way to find books and named it after himself!

8/12/2009 3Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

What is the Dewey System?

System developed by Melvil Dewey in 1876 to organize books.

Divides all knowledge into ten large categories.

Each category is divided into tendivisions and then into ten subdivisions.

Every book can be placed in a category, and then into a division and subdivision.

8/12/2009 4Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

Dewey Categories

Lets look at how Dewey divided all knowledge into ten large categories, each with 100 numbers assigned to it:

8/12/2009 5Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

(000-999)Ten Dewey Categories

000-099 Generalities

100-199 Philosophy & Psychology

200-299 Religion & Mythology

300-399 Social Sciences

400-499 Languages

500-599 Natural Sciences

600-699 Applied Sciences & Technology

700-799 Fine Arts

800-899 Literature

900-999 History, Geography & Biography

8/12/2009 6Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

(500-599)Natural Sciences Category

Lets see how Dewey divided the Natural Sciences Category into ten smaller divisions, each with ten numbers assigned to it:

8/12/2009 7Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

Divisions in Natural Sciences

510 - Mathematics

520 - Astronomy

530 - Physics

540 - Chemistry

550 - Earth Sciences

560 - Paleontology

& Paleozoology

570 - Biology

580 - Botany

590 - Zoology

8/12/2009 8Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

(550-559)Earth Sciences Division

Lets look at how Dewey divided the smaller Earth Sciences division of the Natural Sciences category into ten even smaller subdivisions, each with a single number assigned to it:

8/12/2009 9Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

Subdivisions in Earth Sciences

550 - Earth Sciences

551 - Geology, hydrology, meteorology

552 - Rocks & Minerals

553 - Economic geology

554 - Earth sciences of Europe

555 - Earth sciences of Asia

556 - Earth sciences of Africa

557 - Earth sciences of North America

558 - Earth sciences of South America

559 - Earth sciences of other areas

8/12/2009 10Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

Rocks & Minerals Subdivision

Lets see how Dewey assigns the same three-digit number to books about rocks:

8/12/2009 11Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

552 Rocks & Minerals

All books that are about rocks will have this Dewey number:

552

8/12/2009 12Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

How Does it Work?

Dewey uses a code of numbers.

Each book is put in a category, division, and subdivision according to its subject.

Each book is given a three-digit number.

5 Natural Sciences

5 EarthSciences

2 Rocks &Minerals

552 MCM

8/12/2009 13Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

Why is it called the Dewey Decimal System?

Additional digits after the decimal point further narrow the subject.

Books on a specific subject have the same number and are next to each other on the shelf.

567.95 natural sciences6 paleontology &

paleozoology

7 fossil cold-blooded vertebrates

.9 dinosaurs

8/12/2009 14Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

How does Dewey help us find books?

Books on the same subject are given the same Dewey number.

All books on the same subject are shelved together.

Books are arranged in number order from 000-999.

8/12/2009 15Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

Ten Dewey Categories

Lets look at the ten categories of the Dewey Decimal System and see the kinds of books we would find in them:

8/12/2009 16Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

000-099Generalities

8/12/2009 17Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

100-199Philosophy & Psychology

8/12/2009 18Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

200-299Religion & Mythology

8/12/2009 19Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

300-399Social Sciences

8/12/2009 20Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

http://www.barrysclipart.com/barrysclipart.com/showphoto.php?photo=14144&size=big&papass=&sort=1&thecat=998http://www.barrysclipart.com/barrysclipart.com/showphoto.php?photo=20247&papass=&sort=1&thecat=998http://www.barrysclipart.com/barrysclipart.com/showphoto.php?photo=23554&size=big&papass=&sort=1&thecat=998

400-499Languages

8/12/2009 21Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

500-599Natural Sciences

8/12/2009 22Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

http://www.barrysclipart.com/barrysclipart.com/showphoto.php?photo=24377&size=big&papass=&sort=1&thecat=194

600-699Applied Science & Technology

8/12/2009 23Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

700-799The Arts

8/12/2009 24Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

http://www.barrysclipart.com/barrysclipart.com/showphoto.php?photo=22211&size=big&papass=&sort=1&thecat=194http://www.barrysclipart.com/barrysclipart.com/showphoto.php?photo=16787&size=big&papass=&sort=1&thecat=194http://www.barrysclipart.com/barrysclipart.com/showphoto.php?photo=24378&size=big&papass=&sort=1&thecat=194http://www.barrysclipart.com/barrysclipart.com/showphoto.php?photo=18258&size=big&papass=&sort=1&thecat=998http://www.barrysclipart.com/barrysclipart.com/showphoto.php?photo=18972&size=big&papass=&sort=1&thecat=998

800-899Literature

8/12/2009 25Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

900-999Geography, History & Biography

8/12/2009 26Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

Lets Review Dewey!

Books on the same subject are given the same Dewey number.

All books on the same subject are shelved together.

Books are arranged in number orderfrom 000-999.

8/12/2009 27Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools

Dont Forget Fiction Books!

Fiction books have not been given Dewey numbers.

The call number for a fiction book is F and letters from the authors last name.

Fiction books are arranged alphabetically by the authors last name.

8/12/2009 28Mrs. Paula McMullen, library

teacher, Norwood Public Schools