The Numbers in Nonfiction

818 PRE Recipe for making a nonfiction number: Numbers & Letters Numbers for subject area First 3 letters of author’s last name Numbers & Letters

Now let’s learn more about the NUMBERS in a nonfiction call number.

How do we know what number goes with each subject ? By using something cool called the Dewey Decimal System !

The Dewey Decimal System is a tool used to sort books into groups or categories

This system was invented by a man named Melvil Dewey. He was a librarian who lived long ago.

Sorting books by subject, what a brilliant idea! In Melvil’s day there was no set way for library books to be organized. This made it hard for people to find the books they wanted, so Melvil started thinking and came up with a brilliant idea!! 7

There are 10 general groups for sorting ALL of the subjects He decided it would make it easier to find books if they were grouped by subject, so first he came up with 10 general groups to use for sorting all subjects. General means broad, lots of subjects will fit into each group. 8

The 10 Groups: General Works Philosophy Religion Social Studies Language Science Technology Arts and Leisure Literature History/Geography

Books that fit in this group have many different subjects in them. General Works Books that fit in this group have many different subjects in them.

Here are some examples:

Books that fit in this group tell about how we think and feel. Philosophy Books that fit in this group tell about how we think and feel.

Here are some examples:

200s Religion Books in this group tell about different religions or stories from the bible.

Here are some examples:

F RIO Would this book be located in 200’s? The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson series (Book 1) by Rick Riordan

F RIO Would this book be located in the 200s ? The Lost Hero: The Heroes of Olympus series (Book 1) by Rick Riordan

Books in this group tell about how people live together. 300s Social Sciences Books in this group tell about how people live together.

320 Government 330 Careers 340 Court System 350 Military Equipment 300 Social Issues 320 Government 330 Careers 340 Court System 350 Military Equipment 360 Environmental Issues 370 Education 380 Transportation 390 Holidays & Scary Stories 300-such as immigration and world cultures 350-such as tanks, submarines, and weapons 360-such as 370-such as 380-such as 20

Fairy tales, folk tales, tall tales and myths are also placed (or grouped) in the 300s.

Here are some examples:

Here are some examples of holiday books:

Books about careers are found in the 300s. Books about our government are found in the 300s. Books about families are found in the 300s. Books about careers are found in the 300s.

Books about trains are found in the 300s. Scary stories are found in the 300s. Books about the history of transportation are found in the 300s.

Would this book be located in the 300s ? SHA It’s Christmas,David! by David Shannon

811 ANG Would this book be located in the 300s ? Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem by Maya Angelou

Books in this group are about different languages or grammar. 400s-Language Books in this group are about different languages or grammar.

Here are some examples:

Books in this group are about things from nature. 500s-Science & Math Books in this group are about things from nature.

500 Science Experiments 510 Mathematics  520 Stars, planets, astronomy 530 Physical Science - force & motion, electricity, magnetism 540 Chemistry, Atoms & Molecules 550 Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Weather 560 Dinosaurs, Prehistoric Animals 570 Forests, Deserts, Mountains, Oceans, Evolution 580 Plants & Trees 590 Animals & Insects 599 Mammals

Here are some examples:

Books about dinosaurs are ALWAYS found in the 500s and have this call number: 567.9 Books about snakes are ALWAYS found in the 500s and have this call number: 597.96 Snakes as pets: 639.3 Books about elephants are ALWAYS found in the 500s and have this call number: 599.67

This group has man-made things that make the world a better place. 600s-Technology 600 inventions 610 human body, disease, medicine 620 space ships, trains, cars, fire truck, airplanes 630 pets 640 cookbooks 650 careers, secret codes 670 paper making 680 wood working 690 building This group has man-made things that make the world a better place. 35

Inventions! Cooking! Human body! Tractors! Farm Animals! Paper Making! Fire Trucks! Dogs! Woodworking!

Books in this group are about things we do for fun. 700s-Arts and Leisure 710 art appreciation, history of art 720 architecture 730 origami 740 drawing, crafts, sewing 750 painting 760 print making 770 photography 780 music 790 sports, games, magic, camping, fishing, Olympics Books in this group are about things we do for fun. 37

Origami! Drawing! Art! Football! Camping! Cartoons! Baseball! Fishing! Crafts!

Can you think of other subjects that would be located in the 700s?

800s-Literature Books in this group are stories, plays, poetry, and joke & riddle books. 810 -811 poetry 818 jokes and riddles 40

Here are some examples:

This is the group fiction books were put in long ago when The Dewey Decimal System was first invented.

Today we have too many fiction books in our libraries to organize them in this way, so fiction books have their own way of being organized. Today we have too many fiction books in our libraries to organize them in this way, so fiction books have their own way of being organized. 43

order, by author’s last name ! In order, by author’s last name !

Books in this group tell about events and places. 900s-History/Geography 900 American history by decade and century 910 explorers, atlases 920 flags 930 archeology, ancient civilizations 940 knights, castles, WWI and WWII, Europe 950 Asia and Middle Eastern countries 960 African countries 970 North & Central American countries, Native American Tribes, American History, States 980 South American countries 990 Pacific Islands, Australia Books in this group tell about events and places. 45

977.7 977.739

Biography-920s This is the biography section that contains books about groups of people.

Here are some examples:

Knowing these 10 big groups will help make it easier to find the books you want in the nonfiction section.

REMEMBER, nonfiction call numbers are placed in number order first, so that means all of the books about the same subject end up near each other on the shelf.

Just like this!