Introduction to the Dewey Decimal System Prepared by Patti Henderson, Media Specialist Sanford Middle School
Melvin Dewey Created the Dewey Decimal System Melvin Dewey was born in 1851. He worked in the library while attending Amherst College in 1870. At age 26, he created and published the first edition of the Dewey Decimal System, anonymously. It was titled “Classification and Subject Index for Cataloguing and Arranging the Books and Pamphlets of a Library”.
Dewey Decimal Classifications 000- Computers, Information and General Reference 100 – Philosophy and Psychology 200 - Religion 300 – Social Sciences 400 - Language 500 - Science 600 - Technology 700 – Arts & Recreation 800 - Literature 900 – History & Geography
000-099- Generalities The Generalities classification includes encyclopedias, almanacs, bibliographies, periodicals and journalism books. We often refer to some of these materials as reference books.
100-199 – Philosophy Philosophy is the study of thinking. Examples of some books in our library in this section are: - Psychology in Action – 150 -Mysterious Detectives: Psychics – 133 - The Left-Handed Book -152
200-299 – Religion The Bible was one of the first books to be printed on the printing press. This classification includes books about all religions. Fact – The Bible was one of the first books printed on the printing press, invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century.
300-300 – Social Sciences This category includes materials related to laws, politics, and customs. Some topics in this section are: Education Military Science Economics and Law
400-499 – Language The Language category includes books about all languages, not just ours. A few examples from our media center are: -In Other Words – 428 -Mad as a Wet Hen -428 -The Magic and Mystery of Words -422
500-599 - Science The Science classification includes books from all areas of science. You might be surprised to see books about mathematics, plants, and animals in this section, as well as books on chemistry, and physics.
600-699 – Technology In this category we place books about medicine, machines, vehicles, farming, and pets. - Traditional American Farming - Organic Farming - Dog Training - Car Care for Dummies These are a few examples of books that might be found in the Technology section.
700-799 – Arts & Recreation Information on famous painters such as Van Gogh, Picasso, El Greco, and Raphael are housed in this section. Additional topics would be: landscaping, sculpture, photography, music, football, soccer, and ballet.
800-899 – Literature Literature means writing that have permanent value. Includes nursery rhymes, riddles, and joke books, as well as works by Shakespeare.
900-999 – Geography & History In this section you could find books to answer questions like these: What countries fought in the Korean War? What is the smallest continent on earth? Why was the “Draft” started in the United States?
What Did We Learn? Who invented the DDS? How Many Main Categories are there in the DDS? Thinking Question - Is it possible for a topic to be shelved in more than one section?
Bibliographic Information Dewey Decimal Collection Tour http://www.oclc.org/dewey/about/ddctour/index.htm Some book titles were pulled from: www.Amazon.com