Help with the Dewey Decimal System
What is the Dewey Decimal Classification System?
A man named Melvil Dewey developed the Dewey Decimal Classification System in 1876. He thought that it would help libraries organize their books better if each book was given a number according to what it was about. That way, all books with the same subject would be close to each other on the shelf. That's what "classification" means.
How is it organized?
The word "decimal" refers to numbers that are based on 10 (ten). You will see that there are 10 basic categories in the Dewey Decimal system, and each of those categories is further split into 10 categories, and so on. The number 10 has always been a good number for people to use in counting things because we have 10 fingers!
How can I find things?
Each one of the 10 major categories in the Dewey Decimal system covers a different subject. For example, the 300 category includes everything about the Social Sciences, like Government or Law. The 800 category includes everything about Literature. Once you get used to how things are organized, you'll find it very easy to locate the information you're looking for.
Why is the Dewey system still used?
Melvil Dewey thought up this system just for organizing books, because there wasn't much else in libraries back in 1876. However, the Dewey Decimal system is also very good for organizing other kinds of information, like websites. Today, many libraries still use the Dewey Decimal system, even though they might have things like videotapes, compact discs (CDs), and computer files as well as books in their collections.
Should the Dewey system be reorganized?
You may notice that the Dewey Decimal system pays more attention to American and European subjects than to those of other cultures. Back in 1876, many people didn't understand the importance of a global perspective and learning about other cultures. The Dewey system still reflects that old outlook because it would be very hard for libraries to completely change how they are organized. Someday, though, we hope that the Dewey Decimal system will more fairly represent the diversity of our world.
Here are the ten main classes in the Dewey Decimal System:
000 Generalities
100 Philosophy
200 Religion
300 Social Sciences
400 Languages
500 Science
600 Applied science
700 Arts
800 Literature
900 History
000 Generalities
100 Philosophy
200 Religion
300 Social Sciences
400 Languages
500 Science
600 Applied science
700 Arts
800 Literature
900 History
Each of these 10 classes is subdivided into ten more divisions. If we use the 500 (Science) class as an example it is divided like this:
500 Natural sciences
510 Mathematics
520 Astronomy
530 Physics
540 Chemistry
550 Earth sciences
560 Palaeontology
570 Life sciences
580 Botany
590 Zoology
500 Natural sciences
510 Mathematics
520 Astronomy
530 Physics
540 Chemistry
550 Earth sciences
560 Palaeontology
570 Life sciences
580 Botany
590 Zoology
Now each of these divisions is divided again into ten more sections. If we use the 530 (Physics) section as an example it is divided like this:
530 Physics
531 Solid mechanics
532 Fluid mechanics
533 Gas mechanics
534 Sound
535 Light
536 Heat
537 Electricity
538 Magnetism
539 Modern physics
With the use of a decimal point, and extra digits after the point, each of these sections can be further subdivided to cover increasingly narrower subject areas. For example, for Electricity:
530 Physics
531 Solid mechanics
532 Fluid mechanics
533 Gas mechanics
534 Sound
535 Light
536 Heat
537 Electricity
538 Magnetism
539 Modern physics
With the use of a decimal point, and extra digits after the point, each of these sections can be further subdivided to cover increasingly narrower subject areas. For example, for Electricity:
537.534 Radio waves
537.5342 Long waves
537.5343 Short waves
The longer the classification number, the more specific the subject is. The shorter the number, the more general it is. So, on the shelves you will find that the more general books come first in the sequence, and as you move along the shelves you will find the books becoming more specialized.
Here is a complete general outline of the Dewey Decimal System.
010 Bibliography
020 Information Science & Librarianship
030 Encyclopedias
040 [Currently unassigned]
050 General serials
060 Organizations
070 Journalism, Publishing
080 General collections
090 Manuscripts, Rare books
100 Philosophy, Psychology
110 Metaphysics
120 Epistemology
130 Parapsychology, Occultism
140 Specific philosophical schools
150 Psychology
160 Logic
170 Ethics
180 Ancient, Medieval, Eastern Philosophy
190 Modern Western philosophy
200 Religion
210 Natural theology
220 Bible
230 Christian theology
240 Moral & devotional theology
250 Christian religious orders
260 Christian social theology
270 Church history
280 Church denominations & sects
290 Other & comparative religions
300 Social sciences
310 General statistics
320 Political science
330 Economics
340 Law
350 Public administration
360 Social services
370 Education
380 Commerce, communications
390 Customs, Folklore
400 Languages
410 Linguistics
420 English, & Old English
430 Germanic languages
440 French
450 Italian
460 Spanish
470 Latin
480 Classical Greek
490 Other languages (including Irish)
500 Natural sciences
510 Mathematics
520 Astronomy
530 Physics
540 Chemistry
550 Earth sciences
560 Paleontology
570 Life sciences
580 Botany
590 Zoology
560 Paleontology
570 Life sciences
600 Technology (Applied sciences)
610 Medical sciences
620 Engineering
630 Agriculture
640 Home economics & family living
650 Management
660 Chemical engineering
670 Manufacturing
680 Manufacturing for specific purposes
690 Buildings & Construction
700 The Arts
710 Civic & landscape art
720 Architecture
730 Sculpture
740 Drawing
750 Painting
760 Graphic arts
770 Photography
780 Music
790 Performing arts & Sports
800 Literature
810 American literature in English
820 English & Old English literature
830 Germanic literature
840 French literature
850 Italian literature
860 Spanish & Portuguese literatures
870 Latin literature
880 Classical Greek literature
890 Literatures of other languages
900 Geography & History
910 Geography & travel
920 Genealogy
930 Ancient history
940 History of Europe
950 History of Asia
960 History of Africa
970 History of North America
980 History of South America
990 History of other areas