What is the Dewey Decimal System

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What is the Dewey Decimal System?
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 man.  He asked himself questions he
thought such a man would have asked.
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• Dewey wanted to make the English language more
  effective, and everything he did he did to make
  things around him more efficient.
• The first thing that he cataloged was his
  mothers panty.
• At 13 he saved his money to buy the most
  essential book, an unabridged dictionary.
• By 15 he decided his life ambition was to be a
  reformer. He began by teaching school and earning
  1.50 per day. He chose to be an educational
  reformer.
• While at college, he began working in a library
  to earn much need money. He thought the books
  were shelved inefficiently. In one afternoon he
  developed the system.
• His idea was to use decimals to classify ALL
  human knowledge. Books would be arranged by
  subject matter. This method could be revised or
  expanded as needed.
• The first time the system was used was at Amherst
  College.
• He opened the first professional school for
  librarians. Because of him, there are more women
  librarians today. His class was one of the few
  classes that women could study in those days.
• Melvin Dewey had no patience and was outspoken.
  He could have accomplished more if he had control
  of these characteristics.

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000s

• GENERAL WORKS
• The numbers up to 100 are used for
  bibliographies, books about books, and for books
  such as encyclopedias which contain information
  on many subjects.

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000sGeneral Works

• Comptons Encyclopedia
• The Grolier Illustrated Encyclopedia
• Guinness Book of World Records
• The New Book of Knowledge
• New Standard Encyclopedia
• New York Public Library Reference Desk
• World Almanac
• World Book Encyclopedia

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100s

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

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100s --Philosophy

• Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul
• Courage
• Ethics Doing the Right Thing
• Respect
• Who am I? Who are You? Coping with Friends,
  Feelings, and Other Teenage Dilemmas

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200s

• Who made me?
• RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY
• (Man thinks about God.)

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200s--Religion

• Book of Greek Myths
• Born Today, Born Yesterday Reincarnation
• Great Religions of the World
• In the Beginning Creation Stories from around
  the World
• Judaism
• The King James Bible
• Spiritual Life

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300s

• Who is the man in the next cave?
• SOCIAL SCIENCE
• (Man thinks about other people.)

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300sSocial Science

• American Government at Work
• Constitutional Amendments
• The Electoral College
• Feed a Cold Starve a Fever
• Fashion
• Folk Tales and Fairy Tales
• Money
• Restoring Our Earth
• Your Rights

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400s

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

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400s--Language

• American Expressions
• American Sign Language Dictionary
• Beginners German Dictionary
• Complete Rhyming Dictionary
• Medical Desk Dictionary
• Oxford French Dictionary and Grammar
• Rogets Thesaurus of Words and Phrases
• Websters New Dictionary and Thesaurus

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500s

• How can I use what I know about nature?
• NATURAL SCIENCES
• (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.)

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500s--Natural Sciences

• Animals Around the World
• Discover Ocean Life
• Exploring the Origins of Space
• How to do a Science Fair Project
• The Invisible World
• Naming Living Things The Grouping of Plants and
  Animals
• Natures Weather Forecaster
• Science Games
• Science in Your Backyard

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600s

• How can I use what I know about nature?
• APPLIED SCIENCES AND USEFUL ARTS (TECHNOLOGY)
• (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.)

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600SApplied Science

• Cars, Trains, and Motor Cycling
• Classic American Cars
• DNA Fingerprinting
• Health and Medicine
• How Things Work
• Inventing the Telephone
• Living in Space
• Perfect Pets
• Robotics
• Stroke and Heart Disease
• Television

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700s

• 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 play games.)

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700SFINE ARTS AND RECREATION

• The Art of Cartooning
• The Artists Handbook
• Childrens Traditional Games
• Complete Alabama Fisherman
• Creative Design The Art of Sewing
• Electronic Games
• Famous Paintings An Introduction to Art
• History of Art
• Karate
• Picture Book of Musical Instruments
• Pictorial History of American Sports
• Softball Rules of the Game
• Winning Football Plays
• The Young Dancer

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800s

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

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800S--Literature

• Its Raining Pigs and Noodles
• Literature Structure, Sound, and Sense
• The Poetry of Flowers
• Princesses and Heroines
• Romeo and Juliet
• September to September Poems for All Year Round
• A Treasury of Christmas Plays

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900s

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

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900S-History and Geography, Biography

• Bo Jackson A Star for all Seasons
• The Childrens Atlas of Natural Wonders
• Exploring the American West
• The First Book of Ancient Bible Lands
• The Diary of Anne Frank
• Hiroshima
• Iraq
• Lands and Peoples
• Welcome to Mexico
• The Witchcraft of Salem Village

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