025.431: Libraries & Dewey Decimal Classification This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License (http://www.creativecommons.org ) Presented by Matthew “Buzzy” Nielsen Assistant Library Director, North Bend Public Library
A staff/volunteer development class I delivered in 2005 at the Langlois & Port Orford Public Libraries in Oregon. Recently updated for a new session of the class. Feel free to adapt for use in your own trainings!
Text of 025.431: Libraries & Dewey Decimal Classification
1. 025.431: Libraries & Dewey Decimal Classification
Presented by Matthew Buzzy Nielsen This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United Assistant Library Director,
North Bend Public Library States License
(http://www.creativecommons.org)
2. Youve got some books Image source: quot;Pile of Books in the
Prague Library,quot; callumscott2 on Flickr
3. But lets not be biblio-centric Image sources: quot;All of my
DVDs,quot; nickstone333 on Flickr quot; A few CDs,quot; Spushnik on
Flickr
4. YOUR TASK: How do you organize these materials so people can
find them?
5. Color? Image source: bookshelf,quot; chotda on Flickr
11. How libraries are really organized (Presentations) Subject
(Reynolds, Garr) Author (Presentation zen) Title
12. How libraries are really organized (Presentations) Subject
(Reynolds, Garr) Author (Presentation zen) Title (Practical
sciences) General (Business) Specific (Presentations) Really
specific
13. A tale of two classifications Dewey Decimal Library of
Congress classification (DDC) classification (LC)
14. Okay, four Dewey Decimal Library of Congress classification
(DDC) classification (LC) Book Industry Standards Open Shelves
& Communication (BISAC) Classification (OSC)
15. The esteemed Mr. Dewey Invented the Dewey Decimal System
when he was 21 Helped found the American Library Association
Created the first library school at Columbia College
16. How Dewey Works Knowledge is divided into 10 subjects
17. How Dewey Works General History & Philosophy &
Geography Psychology Religion Literature Knowledge is divided into
10 Social Arts subjects Sciences Applied Languages Sciences Natural
Sciences
18. How Dewey Works 000s 900s 100s 200s 800s Those subjects are
assigned 300s 700s numbers 400s 600s 500s
19. How Dewey Works 020s Libraries 950s 170s African history
Ethics 880s And more specific 260s Greek Lit Theology subjects are
given 750s 330s more specific Economics Painting 610s numbers 440s
Medicine French languages 590s Zoology
20. Why numbers? 000 Generalities 1. Numbers have a 100
Philosophy & Psychology clear order. 200 Religion 300 Social
Sciences 400 Language Easy to 500 Natural Sciences organize 600
Technology 700 The Arts 800 Literature 900 Geography &
History
21. Why numbers? 000 Generalities 1. Numbers have a 100
Philosophy & Psychology clear order. 200 Religion 300 Social
Sciences 2. Numbers can reflect 400 Language 500 Natural Sciences
if a subject is more 600 Technology 700 The Arts general or
specific. 750 Painting 759 History of more specific painting even
more specific 800 Literature 900 Geography & History
22. Why numbers? 000 Generalities 1. Numbers have a 100
Philosophy & Psychology clear order. 200 Religion 300 Social
Sciences 2. Numbers can reflect 400 Language 500 Natural Sciences
if a subject is more 590 Zoology general or specific. 597 Fishes
598 Birds 3. Numbers reflect 599 Mammals 600 Technology groupings
700 The Arts effectively 800 Literature 900 Geography & History
animal groups
23. From general to specific 700 The Arts 000 Generalities 710
Landscaping & area 100 Philosophy & planning Psychology 720
Architecture 200 Religion 730 Sculpture 300 Social Sciences 740
Drawing & decorative arts 400 Language 750 Painting 500 Natural
Sciences 760 Graphic arts 600 Technology 770 Photography 700 The
Arts 780 Music 800 Literature 790 Sports, games & 900 Geography
& History entertainment
24. To even more specific 700 The Arts 780 Music 710
Landscaping & area planning 781 General principles 720
Architecture 782 Vocal music 730 Sculpture 783 Music for single
voices 740 Drawing & decorative arts 784 Instruments &
ensembles 750 Painting 785 Ensembles with one instrument per part
760 Graphic arts 786 Keyboards & percussion 770 Photography 787
Strings 780 Music 788 Wind instruments 790 Sports, games &
entertainment
25. Groupings 400 Languages Groupings can be by 420 English
Dewey area. 430 German 440 French
26. Groupings 400 Languages Groupings can be by 420 English
Dewey area. 430 German 440 French Groupings can be by Biography 921
General topic within several 979.5092 Oregon Dewey areas. 530.092
Physics Dictionaries 423 English 570.3 - Biological 610.3
Medical
27. Quick Dewey Test 1. In what order should 979.5/ORE these
books be 557.95/STE shelved? 349.795/HIT 2. Which books are in
667.7/YOU the same Dewey subject area? 551.302/ALT 3. Which books
are in 811/ANG different areas but 811/LON have the same focus?
551.31/BRO
28. Quick Dewey Answers 1. In what order should 349.795/HIT
these books be 551.302/ALT shelved? 551.31/BRO 2. Which books are
in 557.95/STE the same Dewey subject area? 667.7/YOU 3. Which books
are in 811/ANG different areas but 811/LON have the same focus?
979.5/ORE
29. Quick Dewey Answers 1. In what order should 349.795/HIT
these books be 551.302/ALT shelved? 551.31/BRO 2. Which books are
in 557.95/STE the same Dewey subject area? 667.7/YOU 3. Which books
are in 811/ANG different areas but 811/LON have the same focus?
979.5/ORE
30. Quick Dewey Answers 1. In what order should 349.795/HIT
these books be 551.302/ALT shelved? 551.31/BRO 2. Which books are
in 557.95/STE the same Dewey subject area? 667.7/YOU 3. Which books
are in 811/ANG different areas but 811/LON have the same focus?
979.5/ORE
31. Dewey Hierarchy Review Dewey numbers have a clear order.
300 Social Sciences 400s Languages 500s Natural Sciences
32. Dewey Hierarchy Review Dewey numbers have a clear order.
300 Social Sciences 400s Languages 500s Natural Sciences More
specific subjects get more specific numbers. 781.7 Sacred Music
781.71 Christian Sacred Music 781.7161 Baptist Sacred Music
33. Dewey Hierarchy Review Dewey numbers have a clear order.
300 Social Sciences 400s Languages 500s Natural Sciences More
specific subjects get more specific numbers. 781.7 Sacred Music
781.71 Christian Sacred Music 781.7161 Baptist Sacred Music Topics
are grouped using numbers. 160 Logic 349.795 Oregon Law 170 Ethics
557.95 Oregon Geology 180 Ancient Philosophy 979.5 Oregon
History
34. Dewey Areas 000s: General works 500s: Natural sciences
100s: Psychology & 600s: Technology, philosophy applied
sciences 200s: Religion 700s: Arts 300s: Social sciences 800s:
Literature 400s: Language 900s: History, geography &
biography
35. 000s: General works & info systems 050: Magazines, 000:
Generalities journals, & serials (Info systems) 060:
Organizations & 010: Bibliographies museums 020: Library &
070: Journalism information sciences 080: Quotations 030:
Encyclopedias, etc. 090: Manuscripts & rare 040: Not used
Books
36. 100s: Psychology & philosophy 100: Philosophy 150:
Psychology 110: Metaphysics 160: Logic 120: Epistemology 170:
Ethics 130: Occultism, 180: Ancient, medieval, parapsychology
Eastern philosophy 140: Philosophical 190: Modern western schools
of thought philosophy
37. 200s: Religion 200: Religion 250: Churches & Religious
orders 210: Philosophy & theory of religion 260: Social
theology 220: The Bible 270: History of Christianity 230: Christian
theology 280: Christian 240: Christian Practice denominations 290:
Other religions
38. 300s: Social sciences 300: Social Sciences, 350: Public
sociology & administration anthropology 360: Social problems
& 310: Statistics services 320: Political science 370:
Education 330: Economics 380: Commerce & Industry 340: Law 390:
Customs & Folklore
39. 400s: Language 400: Language 450: Italian & related
languages 410: Linguistics 460: Portuguese & 420: English &
Old Spanish languages English 470: Latin languages 430: German
& related languages 480: Classical Greek languages 440: French
& related languages 490: Other languages
41. 600s: Technology & applied sciences 600: Technology
650: Management 610: Medicine & health 660: Chemical 620:
Engineering engineering 630: Agriculture 670: Manufacturing 640:
Home & family 680: Misc. economics manufacturing 690: Building
& construction
42. 700s: Arts & recreation 700: Arts 750: Painting 710:
Landscaping 760: Graphic arts 720: Architecture 770: Photography
& computer art 730: Sculpture, ceramics, & metals 780:
Music 740: Drawing & 790: Sports, games, & decorative arts
entertainment
43. 800s: Literature 800: Literature, rhetoric, 850: Italian
literature & criticism 860: Spanish literature 810: American
literature 870: Latin literature 820: English literature 880:
Ancient Greek 830: German literature literature 840: French
literature 890: Other literature
44. 900s: History, geography, & biography 900: History 950:
Asian history 910: Geography & travel 960: African history 920:
Biography & 970: North American genealogy history 930: Ancient
history 980: South American 940: European history history 990:
History of other areas
45. Quick Dewey Test In which Dewey subject area do these
titles belong? Economics in plain English The plays and sonnets of
William Shakespeare The story of thought Keep your car running
practically forever The atlas of the solar system Teach yourself
visually Windows XP
46. Quick Dewey Test In which Dewey subject area do these
titles belong? 330s 820s 190s 620s 520s 000s
47. Dewey isnt perfect!? Dewey Decimal Problems 1. Subjects can
be found in multiple Dewey areas. 2. Dewey places fiction books in
the 800s, divided by country and date. 3. Dewey places biographies
in the area of the subjects profession.
48. Same subject . . . in three sections? Problem: The same
subject can be found in multiple Dewey subject areas Gardening 580
635 712.6 Botany Gardening Landscaping Solution: use the library
catalog or ask a librarian
49. Fiction . . . by when it was written? 813.3 Nathaniel
Hawthorne Problem: Dewey 813.54 Danielle Steel shelves fiction by
the 813.6 Alexander McCall Smith authors nationality 823.8 Charles
Dickens and time period. 820.92 J.K. Rowling 863.44 Isabel Allende
891.733 Fyodor Dostoevsky
50. Fiction books . . . by creation date? FIC/ALL Isabel
Allende Problem: Dewey FIC/DIC Charles Dickens shelves fiction by
the FIC/DOS Fyodor Dostoevsky authors nationality FIC/HAW Nathaniel
Hawthorne and time period. FIC/MCC Alexander McCall Smith FIC/ROW
J.K. Rowling FIC/STE Danielle Steel Solution: File all fiction by
Author, together in one section.
51. Biographies . . . by profession? 180 Socrates Problem:
Dewey 270.6 Martin Luther shelves bios by the 323 - Martin Luther
King, Jr. subjects profession. 530 Albert Einstein 759.13 Andy
Warhol 973.46 Thomas Jefferson
52. Biographies . . . by profession? 921/EIN Albert Einstein
Problem: Dewey 921/JEF Thomas Jefferson shelves bios by the 921/KIN
- Martin Luther King, Jr. subjects profession. 921/LUT Martin
Luther 921/SOC Socrates Solution: Shelve all 921/WAR Andy Warhol
bios by subject then by author, together in one section. Common
areas: 92, 921, B
53. The result? Image source: quot;seattle library stacks,quot;
oceandesetoiles on Flickr
54. But youre still needed.
55. You help connect people with the information they need
Image source: quot;IKBLC interior 8,quot; UBC Library Graphics on
Flickr
56. Hopefully, you can do it better now. Thank you. This
presentation is available on SlideShare:
http://www.slideshare.net/remnil/025431
