Dewey Decimal

Classification
System

Murtaza Ashiq
Lecturer (LIS)
IMCB, H-9, Islamabad.
Who created the Dewey
Decimal Classification
System?
 Melvil Dewey was born on December 10, 1851
 Melvil Dewey created the number order system for library books
when he was 21 years old.
 Melvil Dewey started the first school for librarians.
Get to know the DDC
Mr. Dewey’s idea was so good that it
has lasted for 130 years so far and
it has spread to more than
200,000 libraries in 135
countries around the world!
Ten Main Classifications
in Dewey’s System
The world’s knowledge is
divided into 10 categories
or groups including 9
subject categories and
one general class.
Each group has a main
title.
 The Big Ten!

 Generalities  Science & Math

 Philosophy  Technology
 Religion  The Arts
 Social Science  Literature
 Language  Geography & History

Brings order to the massive

amount of world knowledge
This seems like
a lot to
remember, but
don’t worry
you’ll learn it all
quickly.
So let’s get going !!!!
Generalities - 000

Encyclopedias
News media
Rare Books

Encyclopedias, References
Philosophy - 100

Paranormal
phenomena
Psychology
Logic
Religion - 200

Bible
Historyof Christianity
Other Religions
Social Science - 300

Law
Education
Folklore

About man’s neighbors

Language - 400

 English
 Spanish
 Other Languages

Man talks with other men

 Natural Science
& Math - 500
Mathematics
Earth sciences
Plants
Animals

Man discovers
all that is
around him
Technology – 600

Medicine
Agriculture
Family living

Man makes useful

things
The Arts - 700

Drawing
Music
Recreational&
performing arts
Man makes
beautiful things
Literature - 800

American Literature
Old English Literature
Literatures of Other
Languages

Man writes
 Geography
& History - 900

Geography
Biographies
Ancient History

Man writes about

travel, people, and
events
You Can Judge A Book by Its Cover!

 The Dewey Decimal

Classification call
number can be found
on the spine label.
 Why?
 When the book is
shelved, the Dewey
Soci Psy Law Decimal Classification
al
Scie
nce call number can be
easily seen.
The topics in the DDC are
arranged into ten main classes:

• 000 Computer science, information & • 500 Science

general works
• 600 Technology
• 100 Philosophy & psychology
• 700 Arts & recreation
• 200 Religion
• 800 Literature
• 300 Social sciences
• 900 History & geography
• 400 Language

Ten Classes = Decimal basis

Hierarchical: From General to Specific
DDC Summaries

 1st Summary The Ten Main

Classes
 2nd Summary The Hundred
Divisions
 3rd Summary The Thousand
Sections
DDC 20th Edition
Components
 Volume 1 Tables (1-7)
 Volume 2 Schedule (000-500)
 Volume 3 Schedule (600-900)
 Volume 4 Relative Index
Volume 1 (Tables)

 Table 1 – Standard subdivisions

 Table 2 – Geographic areas, historical periods, persons
 Table 3 – Subdivisions for individual literatures, for
specific literary forms
 Table 3A – Subdivisions for works by or about individual
authors
 Table 3B – Subdivisions for works by or about more than
one author
 Table 3C – Notation to be added where instructed in Table
3B and in 808-809
 Table 4 – Subdivisions of individual languages
 Table 5 – Racial, ethnic, national groups
 Table 6 – Languages
 Table 7 – Groups of persons
Volume 2 (Schedule 000-500)
Volume 3 (Schedule 600-900)
Volume 4 (Relative Index)
Dewey’s Index
Steps to Follow Assigning
Call Number
 Use Index for subjects and possible build number
 Always look up index number in Schedules for
further direction / explanations
 Use Tables to add to number (if directed)
Now you all know about
DDC
You’ll see all of these numbers on
the LEFT side of the decimal point.
But what about the numbers on the
RIGHT side of the decimal point?

796.046
The numbers on the right side are used to divide a
specific subject into even more specific parts of a subject.

– For a book on making cookies at home,

look for 641.8654

– For a book on Golden Retrievers,

look for 636.7527

– For a book on stained glass, look for 748.5

It’s like sorting your socks by color, or music CDs by

performer or type of music.
Get to know the DDC
Let’s say you’re interested in
bicycles. What you want to
know about them will decide
what DDC numbers you’ll need
to find:
• The history of bicycles
• Taking care of your bicycle
• Bicycle safety
• Bicycle racing
Get to know the DDC• The history of
bicycles
Each of these topics is
about bicycles, but a book (796.6)
about each of these • Taking care of your
topics will have its very
bicycle
own DDC number.
(629.27)
• Bicycle safety

(388.12)
• Bicycle racing

(796.62)
Practice of DDC Index

 Relative Index (See and See also)

 Abrevations used in the Index
 Index is arranged Alpabeticallly (A-Z)
 Painting
 Bible
 Plant anatomy
 Human anatomy