The History of the Dewey Decimal                Classification System  

         Dewey the Library Cat

Melvil Dewey1851-1931        

Melvil Dewey 1851- 1913

       Facts about Dewey • He originated the DDC in 1873• It was published & patented in 1876• DDC identifies shelf space for a

specific book• DDC has been translated into over 30

languages• DDC is currently being used in 95%

regular and public libraries- 25% academic libraries- 20% special libraries

• He established the first library school• He helped establish the American

Library Association in 1876• He was the director of the NYS Library

 

       The DDC's Assets & FlawsAssets:  DDC adapts to the needs of the    communities it serves

 DDC is being maintained by the Library of Congress  DDC is available in both print & online,  full and abridged versions(Web-Dewey) Easily understandable from one language & culture to another Well structured and in order of disciplines, divisions, and sections

 DDC numbers can easily be determined    using MARC 21, OCLC, & LC DDC system is expandable 

Flaws: • There is a bias towards

Protestant/American aspects in both history & religion

• There is a potential for very large classification call numbers

 • DDC is constantly being revised 

• Within the DDC some works are closely related, but very separated numerically 

• Also, DDC has classes such as Technology in the 600s where call #s are crowded, and others sparse

 

 

Dewey Classification

   

200 Religion

210 Natural theology220 Bible230 Christian theology240 Christian moral & devotional theology250 Christian orders & local church 260 Christian social theology270 Christian church history280 Christian denominations & sects290 Other & comparative religions

Each new digit represents a new subdivision of knowledge, with increasing specificity.

For example, to find books about butterflies, you'd follow this organization scheme:

500 - Natural Science

590 - Zoological science

595 - Other vertebrates

595.7 - Insects

595.78 - Lepidoptera

595.789 - Butterflies*Remember that books are filed by digit, not by whole number!

 " WebDewey 2.0 - DDC 23 & Abridged (15) "

   Complete Online Dewey Decimal Classification System

WebDewey and Abridged WebDewey, the enhanced electronic versions of the full and abridged editions, respectively, and supplemental web postings are the chief sources of ongoing updates to the DDC 23 databases. 

On the Dewey web site, the bi-weekly and monthly changes include new Library of Congress Subject Heading mappings, plus Relative index terms and built numbers not available in the print edition, as well as, BISAC headings mapped to Dewey numbers.           

                     http://www.oclc.org/dewey/versions/webdewey/

OK, I know you're asking - Relative index? BISAC ?

       Relative index

An index to the DDC classification scheme that not only provides alphabetical references to the subjects and terms in the scheme but also shows some of the relationshipsbetween subjects and aspects of subjects.  

                   BISAC  (Book Industry Standards and Communications)    

The BISAC Subject Headings List, also known as the BISAC Subject Codes List, is a standard used by many companies throughout the supply chain to categorize books based on topical content. The Subject Heading applied to a book can determine where the work is shelved in a brick and mortar store or the genre(s) under which it can be searched for in an internal database.

            WebDewey Features

• Online searching & browsing• Maps DDC to LCSH and to corresponding LCSH authority records • Abridged version maps to Sears SH• Selected MeSH are mapped to DDC numbers• Work area for catalogers to build numbers• constantly saves work automatically• Local notes & comments can be added, then displayed in context

so that local classification practices are appropriately available

Beginners - easier to start with the printed volumes, then tutorial

Experienced researcher - great online - lots of bells and whistles:        Multi index searching, Boolean operators, proximity searches,       truncation, Relative Index, browse sequential indexes of DDC         numbers, hierarchical displays show relation to broader and        narrower classes...

   Webdewey(s) are by subscription... Publication of DDC 23 is here; in print a four-volume set in North America.  

Abridged Edition 15 is perfect for libraries with fewer than 20,000 titles, this condensed version of the DDC system covers all classes and key index terms.

                    Pricing: 4 Vol. DDC23 - $399  

                    WebDewey 23                         Abridged WD 15                             $260/yr   Single staff in library            $75/yr                    $575/yr      2-9 staff members            $175/yr                    $860/yr      10+ staff                          $235/yr                                                                                                                   

                               Web Resources

• WebDewey 23 Free Class Trial Until Nov. 5th!

• Name:   100394355        Password:   DEWEY4U•  • You may log on to WebDewey with this account at  

www.dewey.org/webdewey

• New Dewey numbers and LCSH mappings

• Classification research at OCLC

• Educational resources for new librarians and new users

http://www.oclc.org/dewey/resources/tutorial/default.htm

025.431: The Dewey blogEverything you always wanted to know about the 

Dewey Decimal Classification® system but were afraid

to ask ... http://ddc.typepad.com/025431/

Contact Info :Dewey Editorial Office Library of Congress 

Dewey Section 101 Independence Ave., S.E. 

Washington, DC 20540-4292        dewey@loc.gov

Legal information:All copyright rights in the Dewey Decimal Classification system are owned by OCLC.

Connexion, DDC, Dewey, Dewey Decimal Classification, OCLC, WebDewey, and WorldCat are registered trademarks of OCLC. All other

service names are registered with their respective companies.

An Abandoned Kitten Transforms the Spirit of an American Town.

Just wanted to share a story with you about Dewey, the library cat. Written by Vicki Myron & Bret Witter. It is the true story of an abandoned kitten, left in a library book return mailbox in Spencer Iowa. This cat actually brought this farming community together. This is a great story, I encourage all to read it.http://www.spencerlibrary.com/dewey.shtml

Fun Facts...

Dewey:  Beyond the Shelves...

Dewey Day at the Shrewsbury Public Library

activities and events based on DDC (i.e., balloon animal artist, 797.5)

Princeton Public Library's Amazing Race

children's programming to "race" through the nonfiction categories all summer

Dewey Decimal Day!

celebrated December 10th, Melvil Dewey's birthday

DeweyDigger.com

approaches internet searching from a DDC point of view

Dewey Browse

websites classified using DDC for grades k-12

Fun Facts...

The Library Hotel

--floors correspond to ten classes

--rooms on each floor are filled with books and art to represent a specific topic within that class

--lawsuit brought by OCLC

Library Hotel's DDC System

Not-so-fun facts...

Dewey: Rejected?

--libraries in Arizona, Colorado, and Chicago have replaced DDC with BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communication) Subject Headings

--some are taking "Dewey lite" approach

Dewey Resources

Let's Do Dewey!

http://frank.mtsu.edu/~vvesper/dewey2.htm#What

Fairly comprehensive overview of DDC for kids

Dewey Browse

http://www.deweybrowse.org/

Selection of websites organized by DDC for grades k-12

Do the Dewey

http://dracutlibrary.wordpress.com/tag/dewey-decimal-system/

Dewey Decimal Rap to introduce kids to DDC

DDC System

http://www.ipl.org/div/aplus/dewey1.htm

List of DDC classes and divisions from the IPL

Dewey Services

http://www.oclc.org/dewey/

They do own the copyright, after all

Quick Quizz

Name the subject of this DDC#

641.8654