Do You Know Dewey?

Media Specialist: Mrs.. StarrDBMS: Media Center

Dewey Decimal System The Dewey Decimal System is a system

we use to classify books by grouping them in 10 categories.

This system uses a decimal classification system to organize library books

I'll bet you're wondering who the brilliant person was who came up with this idea.

Who Invented this System? Melvil Dewey He was born in

Adams Center, New York, on

December 10, 1851 and died December 26, 1931.

He was a librarian

In 1876, he started the American Library Association

He published the first Library Journal, which included library trends and book reviews.

He opened the first library school in 1887 located @ Columbia University.

Dewey Basics

Not all books are nonfictionThere are sections that are

fiction!

Exampels are:Folk/Fairy tales & Riddles: 398

Poetry: 811Plays: 812

Fiction can actually be classifiedin 813

Most libraries put them in aseparate section like our library

Fiction or Non-FictionNumbers for all books

Fiction or Non-FictionFiction

Fiction - Books that are made up by the author, or are not true, are fiction.

Non-Fiction Books that are

nonfiction, or true, are about real

things, people, events, and places.

Fiction Fiction books are put on the shelf in

alphabetical order by the author's last name.

If you wrote a book and your last name was Cleary. If kids liked your book, they would want to read more of them, so by having your books in the same place it would make finding them a lot easier.

Non-Fiction Non-Fiction books are shelved by their

subject's category. For example, if you wanted a book

about cars, you would want them to be in the same area. You wouldn't worry about the author, you would just want the facts about cars.

Books Are Shelved by Call # left-to-right, top-to-bottom Start at the left on the top

shelf, move to the right until the shelf ends.

Then, you go to the next shelf beneath that and do the same, left to right, top to bottom.

What is a Call Number? A call number is a group of numbers

and/or letters put together to tell you where in the library to find your book.

A call number is located at the bottom of the book on the spine.

It helps you to find your books quicker. Once you've got your call number from

SavvyCat, it's time to go find your book!

Dewey Decimal Number A Dewey call

number always has 3 numbers to the left of the decimal.

To the right of the decimal, there is no limit on number.

The more numbers you add to the right of the decimal, the more specific the subject is.

664.805652

001.9

Dewey & the Alien We are going to tell you how to

remember what each of the Dewey hundreds groups represents.

One day, while Melvil Dewey was walking in Central Park, he saw a UFO.

They stood staring at each other, and then they got up enough nerve to ask:

We think about ourselves: 100s - Psychology and Philosophy

Melvil and the alien looked at each other with puzzled expressions and noticed how different they were from

each other. As they stood, they wondered to themselves…

Dewey realized that the alien's world must be very different from the United States. He decided to take

him to learn about our government. People learn to get along together: 300s - Social

Sciences

Dewey knew that the alien would need to learn how to communicate with people.

400s - Languages We communicate with each other.

Dewey and the alien began to stroll around, and Dewey explained life on

Planet Earth. We learn about Nature and the world

around us: 500s - Natural Science.

Dewey explained to the alien that humans have changed Nature to make life easier.

How we can make Nature useful? 600s - Applied Science

Dewey explained to the alien that technology has made life easier on Planet Earth. It gives us more

free time to do what we want. Dewey and the alien took a spare moment to shoot hoops. 700s - Fine Arts and Recreation

Dewey told the alien that over the years, with this spare time, people have written poems, stories, &

plays 800s - Literature

Dewey and the alien had a fabulous day. He invited the alien to visit the library where he worked. Dewey gave him a tour of the library and explained how his decimal classification system worked.

While there, they decided to make a memory of their day on Planet Earth by making a scrapbook. They wrote what will become history sooner or later - their day together!

900s - Geography and History

As the Alien prepared to leave, he told Dewey, "When I get back to my planet, I want to group all my books in this new awesome way. But, which hundred group should I put my scrapbook in?”

Dewey replied, "That's easy! You would put it in the 000s - General Works. That's where we put encyclopedias because they contain so much information that you can't describe them in one category!”

000s - General Works - Encyclopedias, books about libraries, museums, journalism, computers, controversial or unexplained topics.