Guide to the Dewey Decimal Classification System

000 000 100 200 300 400 500 600

800
Created by Karen Morgenstern 2011

900

The Dewey Decimal Classification system is a way of organizing nonfiction books in libraries.

Melvil Dewey created this system in the early 1870s at the age of 21, when he first began working in a library.

The Dewey Decimal Classification system is used in nearly all schools and public libraries in the United States.

Dewey was an unusual guy. He craved organization and efficiencyusing less time to accomplish tasks. He shortened the spelling of his first name from Melville to Melvil to save time writing it. He would have loved texting.

He saw a huge need for libraries to organize their books in a sensible way, so he devised a system for all the worlds knowledge to fit into 10 main categories

The Ten Main Classes

000 Computer Science, Information 000 Computer Science, Information and General Works and General Works 100 Philosophy and Psychology 200 Religion 300 Social Sciences 400 Language

000 Computer Science, Information and General Works 500 Science

600 Technology 700 Arts and Recreation 800 Literature 900 History and Geography

Each class is further divided into 10 divisions. For example: 500 Science 510 Mathematics 520 Astronomy 530 Physics 540 Chemistry 550 Earth sciences & Geology 560 Fossils & Prehistoric life 570 Life sciences & Biology 580 Plants 590 Animals

Each division is further divided into 10 sections. For example:

590 591 592 593 594 595 596 597 598 599 Animals Topics in Natural History of Animals Invertebrates (worms, leeches) Marine and Seashore Invertebrates Mollusks and Molluscoids (clams, oysters) Crustaceans, Insects Extra credit for looking Chordates up chordates Cold-blooded Vertebrates (fish, reptiles, amphibians) Birds Mammals

That means there are 1,000 classes (or categories) to start with! 10 (main classes) x10 (divisions) 100 x10 (sections) 1,000 classes For now, lets get more familiar with the 10 main classes.

000

Computer Science, Information, General Works

Computers Fact and Record Books

REF 031 WOR

Unexplained Phenomena

General Encyclopedias

100

Philosophy and Psychology

100s include topics about magical powers, the supernatural, and other controversial beliefs

Ghosts Wizards Ethical Behavior

200
Judaism

Religion

All religions of the world and mythology from every culture are in the 200s.

Islam

Christianity

Mythology

300

Social Sciences
Government Education

Law Holidays
The 300s are all about people living in a community and the cultures they create. Folktales

and Fairy Tales

400

Language

Dictionaries

Parts of Speech

The 400s include dictionaries in all languages, parts of speech, and languages in all forms.

Sign Language

Hieroglyphics

500

Science
Weather Solar System
Sometimes thought of as natural science

Math

Insects Birds Mammals

600

Technology
Health & Medicine
Sometimes thought of as science combined with people

Transportation

Space Travel

Cookbooks

Pets

700

Arts and Recreation

Architecture Magic

Painting Music Dance Football Basketball Soccer Baseball

800

Literature
Fiction was originally cataloged in the 800s. Now fiction books are separate from nonfiction and the DDC system.

I am the only person to have my own Dewey number: 822.33

Poetry Riddles Shakespeare

900

History and Geography

Flags

Geography

Countries History

900

History and Geography

The 900s also include biographies in the original system. Most libraries, including public libraries, catalog biographies this wayin the 920s.

Our libraryand other school librariesuse a separate category known as B

B Biographies

Unique to Our Library J Judaica

Hebrew

Some libraries use other classification systems for special collections of books.

The End