Why Dewey?

The Dewey Decimal System

By A. Karen Wilson
The Dewey Decimal Classification System
is a way of putting Non-fiction books
and other library resources (like videos)
in order so that they can be easily located.

What’s Non-fiction?
Non-fiction materials are not made
up. They are filled with facts or
real things about people, places,
animals, and events.

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Why is the Dewey Decimal Classification
System (DDC) Important?

• The DDC tells you

where to find books in
the library.

• The DDC tells you

about the general
subject of the book.
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 Meet Melvil Dewey
He Invented the
Dewey Decimal System

• Born December 10, 1851

• Melvil Dewey was an

educator at the age of 17
• Invented the Dewey
Decimal System at age
21

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 How are the books organized?
• The Dewey Decimal System is
composed of 10 categories,
which are broken into smaller
and smaller areas.
• ALL libraries have these same
10 categories!
• Each category is assigned
numbers known as
classification numbers or Dewey
Numbers.

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 000 - 099
General Reference
What is General Reference?

• Biographies
• Books about books
• Manuscripts
• Encyclopedias
• Reference Books

6
 100 - 199
Philosophy & Psychology
• Feelings
• Making Friends Man thinks about himself.

• Superstitions
• Ethics
• Logic
• Mortality

7
 200 - 299
Religion
• Bible Stories
• Buddhism Man thinks about God.
• Christianity
• Judaism
• Islam
• Other world religions

8
 300 - 399
Social Sciences
• Careers
• Customs
Man thinks about other people.
• Environment
• Families
• Folktales
• Government
• Manners
• Money
• Recycling

9
 400 - 499
Language
• Chinese
• English Man learns to communicate
with others through words.
• French
• German
• Spanish
• Sign Language
• Includes dictionaries

10
 500 - 599
Natural Sciences & Mathematics
• Animals
• Biology Man learns to understand nature on
the land, in the sea, and in the sky.
• Chemistry
• Dinosaurs
• Fish
• Geology
• Insects
• Planets
• Plants

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 600 - 699
Technology (Applied sciences)
• Computers Man learns to make all the things
people use such as: medicine,
• Cookbooks planting crops, cooking food,
and building structures.
• Engineering
• Farming
• Health
• Human Body
• Inventions
• Manufacturing
• Nutrition

12
 700 - 799
The Arts
• Architecture
• Crafts
Man learns to paint pictures, make
• Drawing music, dance, and play games.

• Games
• Jokes
• Music
• Puppets
• Songbooks
• Sports

13
 800 - 899
Literature & Rhetoric
• Children's Literature
• Plays Man puts thoughts into writing
for all people to read.
• Poetry
• Shakespeare
• Writing

14
 900 - 999
Geography & History
• Biographies
• Countries Man writes about people,
places and events.
• Native Americans
• States
• Travel
• Wars

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 And There You Have It!

Now you can search for any book

on any subject
in any library you visit!

Good READING!

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Website Classified by the Dewey
Decimal System on the Web
Need to find websites on particular subjects?
Go to www.deweybrowse.org
for a listing of websites
classified by the
Dewey Decimal System

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 References
• Melvil dewey image. Retrieved on March 17, 2008 from www.hdges.org/
Melvil%20Dewey.jpg
• A story about the dewey decimal system of classification. Retrieved on March 17,
2008 from http://www.mte.asd103.org/library/dewey/deweystory.htm
• Dewey decimal system. Retrieved on March 17, 2008 from
http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/childrens/ddchow.html
• “Do we” really know dewey? Retrieved on March 17, 2008 from
http://library.thinkquest.org/5002/Harder/genspec.htm
• Information literacy library media skills. Retrieved on March 17, 2008 from
http://www.edcollab.org/.../ DeweyDecimal/sld002.htm

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