How to Use the Dewey Decimal System
The Dewey Decimal System organizes information into 10 broad areas, which are broken into smaller and smaller topics. Different topics are assigned numbers, known as "call numbers." For example, "Animals" are given the number 590. To see what books the library currently has in on animals, go to the nonfiction shelves and find the books that have a 590 as part of their call number. A list of some of the information you can find in the different Dewey Decimal areas, appears below.
You can learn more about the Dewey Decimal System and how it works in the book The Dewey Decimal System by Allan Fowler. The call number for this book is: J 025.431 Fo.
Dewey Decimal System
000 General Knowledge
Almanacs, Encyclopedias, Libraries, Museums, Newspapers ...-
100 Psychology and Philosophy
Death & Dying, Ethics, Feelings, Logic, Making Friends, Optical Illusions, Superstitions ... -
200 Religions and Mythology
Amish, Bible Stories, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Quakers, and other world religions; Greek, Roman and other myths... -
300 Social Sciences and Folklore
Careers, Customs, Environment, Families, Folktales, Government, Manners, Money, Recycling ... -
400 Languages and Grammar
Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Sign Language, Spanish. Includes dictionaries.i... -
500 Math and Science
Animals, Biology, Chemistry, Dinosaurs, Fish, Geology, Insects, Physics, Planets, Plants ... -
600 Medicine and Technology
Computers, Cookbooks, Engineering, Farming, Health, Human Body, Inventions, Manufacturing, Nutrition ... -
700 Arts & Recreation
Architecture, Crafts, Drawing, Games, Jokes, Music, Puppets, Songbooks, Sports ... -
800 Literature
Children's Literature, Plays, Poetry, Shakespeare, Writing ... -
900 Geography and History
Biographies, Countries, Native Americans, States, Travel, Wars ...
A few techniques that will help the elementary kids remember the main points.
- Philosophy/Psychology=thinking and feeling (touch your temple and your heart)
- Religion=G(g)od (point to heaven)
- Social Science=people together (clasp hands or make fighting motions)
- Natural science=everything God has made and man hasn't changed much (make a sun with your arms, make rain with your fingers, pantomime a tree growing)
- Technology=everything man has made or changed (drive a fast car, fly an airplane)
- Arts=what you do for fun in your spare time (kick a ball, hit a ball, throw a ball, sing a song)
- Literature=poetry since we've pulled fiction out and put it across the library (write a poem on your hand)
- History and geography=past and places (wave behind you and walk in place as your travel to new places)