The Dewey Decimal System

Connie Poulsen-Hollin Erica Rorvik Valorie McKain The Dewey Decimal System

Melville Louis Kossuth Deweya.k.a. Melvil Dui Born December 10, 1851, to Joel and Eliza Greene Dewey in Adams Center, New York Fifth child, second son Marion(1833) Manfred (1839) Marietta (died in infancy, born 1842) Marissa (1844) Died December 26, 1931 (after a stroke)

Dewey and his parents Mother’s Church: Independent Seventh Day Baptist Church of Adams Father’s Church: Adams Center Baptist Church Dewey chose to attend both churches but was baptized in his father’s church at the age of 12

Dewey’s family life Parents favored education-- the goal to build “character” Sister took care of Dewey most of his growing up years Extended family was important to his parents -- “relatives were thick as blackberries” (Wiegand, 1996) according to Dewey

Dewey’s World Work begins Age 14 joins the Templars Age 15 Dewey starts diary -- entry indicates he is Five feet and a fourth inches tall, 120 pounds and worth $125. Settled on “reform” as his life’s work and purchased a pair of cufflinks with an “R” to remind him Age 17 -- talking about his destiny

Schooling 1868 Hunderford Collegiate Institute 1869 Oneida Institute 1870 Amherst College Dewey’s diary says he is now 6 feet tall, 160 pounds and worth $225

Dewey’s Reforms Metric System Spelling reform Provision of public libraries with good organization Shorthand Was “stuck” on simplicity and efficient use of time

Dewey’s Accomplishments Assistant Librarian Amherst College 1874-1876 Creation of the American Metric Bureau Charter Member and secretary of the Spelling Reform Association Creation of the Dewey Decimal System Helped establish American Library Association Secretary 1876-1890 President for 1890/1891 and 1892/1893

Dewey’s Accomplishments Co-founder and Editor for Library Journal Established first library training school at Columbia College 1887 Director New York State Library, Albany 1889-1906

Dewey Decimal System Dewey studied Cutter, Harris, Shurtleff, Jewett and Schwartz’s classification schemes and looked at each system’s strengths and weaknesses Solution came in the midst of a very long sermon one Sunday morning- decimals Submitted scheme May 8, 1873 to the Amherst College Library Committee-- finished in 1876

DDC - How it works Code of three digit numbers First digit the main DDC group Second digit is the subdivision of the main group Third digit allows more specific subject information Additional digits after the decimal point allow for further specificity

DDC Main Categories

Subdivisions Example 700 Arts (general) 710 Civic and landscape art 720 Architecture 730 Sculpture 740 Decorative arts 750 Painting 760 Graphic Arts 770 Photography 780 Music 790 Recreation

How students were taught to use DDC10 years ago

Benefits of DDC Helps find the book quickly Allows for browsing on the shelves Helps shelve the book in the appropriate place again Used worldwide (over 135 countries in 2004) Format is easy to understand & use Drop-Back Theory & other tricks can help one's search Can continually expand

Disadvantages to DDC • Categories are now overlapping or have shifted • Psychology vs. Philosophy • Architecture & Buildings • Wicca • Focuses on Western thoughts • Heirarchical Format • Other languages & cultures are provided minimal space or are thrown together under one category • Other cultures/patrons feel “conquered”

Disadvantages to DDC • Call numbers can get lengthy • “Bookstore format” allows greater access and use • Fiction is usually shelved separately from Dewey • Non-fiction separated from fiction • Cutting off access for males especially • Anthologies are set apart from single works by authors • Explaining non-fiction & Dewey in relation to fairy tales, and such

Updates to DDC Created in 1876 some things didn’t exist back then, OCLC updates it Official website www.oclc.org/dewey/ PDF download of information about the 22nd edition published mid-2003 http://www.oclc.org/dewey/versions/ddc22print/ Dewey Decimal Classification and Relative Index. Edition 22. Four volumes. 2003. Permanent paper. ISBN 0-910608-70-9 -- Cost from OCLC $375

Exceptions to DDC Fiction books are usually shelved in a different section alphabetically by author’s last names Oversize books or other media may be shelved elsewhere, where space is appropriate Not the only classification system: other main one is Library of Congress Catalog system

References Dewey Decimal Classification. (2007). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved July 9, 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9030189 “Drop back theory” (specific to general). Retrieved July 15, 2007, from "Do we" really know Dewey? Web site: http://www.columbia.k12.mo.us/dre/dewey/ Fowler, A. (1996). The Dewey Decimal System. New York: Childrens Press (pages 14, 15, and 25) General to specific. Retrieved July 15, 2007, from "Do we" really know Dewey? Web site: http://www.columbia.k12.mo.us/dre/dewey/ Hogsett, Nancy (2006).Teaching Dewey. Library Media Connection. 24, 28-31

References (cont.) • Hopkins, Sarah (2007).Decimating Dewey: Introducing a bookshop arrangement for shelving the nonfiction collection. Australasian Public Libraries and Information Services. 20, 8-13. • Kua, Eunice (2004).Non-Western languages and literatures in the Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme. Libri. 54, 256-265. • Melvil Dewey Biography. (2007) Retrieved July 10, 2007 from http://www.oclc.org/dewey/resources/biography/ • Tapper, Janet (2006).Dewey does a number on Wicca. Library Journal. 131, 16. • Wiegand, W.A. (1996) Irrepressible Reformer: A biography of Melvil Dewey. Chicago: ALA

Other sites to “check out” Melvil Dewey: Father of Librarianship by Kristen Patschke December 12, 2000 http://www.booktalking.net/books/dewey/ Dewey decimal classification and relativ index for libraries. [sic] http://www.spellingsociety.org/news/media/dewey.php August 29, 2006

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Questions or would that be Kweschuns?

The Dewey Decimal System