Essa Centennial Library - Tutorial - Dewey Decimal System

A Story about the Dewey Decimal System of Classification

The Story of the numbers used for nonfiction books Some years ago Mr. Melvil Dewey devised a system of classifying books which is used in many libraries. He chose certain main subjects and numbers, so that all nonfiction books on the same subject would be together on the shelf. He chose these subjects by imagining himself to be a prehistoric or primitive man. He asked himself questions he thought such a man would have asked. (This story is taken from a leaflet used in the Los Angeles County Public Library.)

000	GENERAL WORKS The numbers up to 100 are used for bibliographies, books about books, and for books which contain information on many subjects such as encyclopedias and other reference works. All reference books have a R before the number.

100	Who am I? PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY (Man thinks about himself)

200	Who made me? RELIGION (Man thinks about God)

300	Who is the man in the next cave? SOCIAL SCIENCES (Man thinks about other people)

400	How can I make that man understand me? PHILOLOGY (Language) (Man learns to communicate with others through words)

500	How can I understand nature and the world about me? SCIENCE (Man learns to understand nature on the land, in the sea, and in the sky)

600	How can I use what I know about nature? APPLIED SCIENCE AND USEFUL ARTS (Primitive man learned about fire and how to make weapons. Man through the ages learned about the wheel, about medicine, planting crops, cooking food, building bridges, and how to make all the things we use)

700	How can I enjoy my leisure time? FINE ARTS AND RECREATION (By this time, primitive man had more time to do the things he enjoyed. He learned how to paint pictures and to create music. He also learned how to dance and to play games)

800	How can I give to my children a record of man's heroic deeds? LITERATURE (Man became a storyteller. He creates sagas, fables, epics, poetry, and plays about his ancestors and the people he knew. Later, man put these into writing for all people to read)

900	How can I leave a record for men of the future? HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, BIOGRAPHY (So man began to write about events that had occurred everywhere, and about people who had participated in these events)

000

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900