The Caveman’s Guide to the Dewey Decimal System

The Story of Melvil Dewey In 1873 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.

Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey was born on December 10, 1851 to a poor family who lived in a small town in upper New York state. Dewey was keenly interested in simplified spelling, he shortened his first name to Melvil as a young adult, dropped his middle names and, for a short time, even spelled his last name as Dui. The Story of Melvil Dewey

Dewey invented the Dewey Decimal Classification system when he was 21 years old and working as a student assistant in the library of Amherst College. His work created a revolution in library science and set in motion a new era of librarianship. Melvil Dewey well deserves the title of “Father of Modern Librarianship.” The Story of the Numbers Dewey Used for Nonfiction Books

Dewey changed librarianship to a modern profession. He helped establish the American Library Association (ALA) in He also co- founded and edited Library Journal. The Story of the Numbers Used for Nonfiction Books In addition, Dewey promoted library standards and formed a company to sell library supplies.

A pioneer in library education, Dewey became the librarian of Columbia University in New York City in 1883, and founded the world’s first library school there in In 1889, he became director of the New York State Library in Albany, NY. The Story of the Numbers Used for Nonfiction Books

The Dewey Decimal System The Dewey Decimal Classification is the most widely used library organizational system in the world. The system groups books by topics by dividing them into 10 basic categories, and each of those categories is further split into 10 categories, and so on.

Dewey’s Plan He chose these subjects by imagining himself to be a Caveman. When time first began, what were the cave man’s thoughts? He asked himself questions he thought such a man would have asked. ???

000's Before I Begin Generalities Information I need to know before I begin any research in a library. These are books which contain information on many subjects such as encyclopedias and other reference books.

100's Who am I? PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY Man thinks about himself.

200's Who made me? RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY Man thinks about God.

300's Who is the man (or woman) in the next cave? SOCIAL SCIENCE Man thinks about other people.

400's How can I make that man understand me? Language Man learns to communicate with others through words.

500's How can I understand nature and the world about me? NATURAL SCIENCE Man learns to understand nature on the land, in the sea, and in the sky.

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

700's How can I enjoy my leisure time? FINE ART AND RECREATION or (Arts) 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 play games.

800's How can I give my children a record of man's heroic deeds? LITERATURE Man became a storyteller. He created fables, poetry, and plays about his ancestors and the people he knew. Later, man recorded these stories for all people to read.

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

Dewey Decimal System 000 General Knowledge Almanacs, Encyclopedias, Dictionaries 100 Psychology & Physiology Feelings, Emotions 200 Religion Bible stories 300 Social Sciences & Folklore Careers, Environment, Family, Fairy Tales 400 Languages & Grammar Grammar, Sign Language, English, Foreign Language

Dewey Decimal System 500 Math & Science Animals, Dinosaurs, Fish, Planets, Plants, Weather 600 Medicine & Technology Computers, Farming, Health, Nutrition 700 Arts & Recreation Drawing, Crafts, Jokes, Sports, Games 800 Literature Poetry, Plays 900 Geography & History Biographies, Countries, States, Travel, Native Americans, Wars

Works Cited  Complete Library Skills Activities Program by Arden Druce who cited it from School Library Journal, February Copyright R.R. Bowker Company/Cahners magazine Division.  ewey/deweystory.htm ewey/deweystory.htm  biography/