Dewey Decimal
Book sorting system
The Dewey Decimal system is a method of organizing library collections by assigning books numerical codes based on subject matter.
Developed in the 1870s, it divides knowledge into ten main classes (000–999), with subdivisions indicated by decimal points: The cookbook was shelved at 641.5.
Most public libraries still use it, though academic libraries often prefer the Library of Congress system.
- shelvingHorizontal storage surfaces
- book spineBound edge with title
- call numbersLibrary book locators
- card catalogIndexed library reference collection
- hierarchical structureLayered ranks of authority
number system · cataloging · ten · nonfiction · metadata · educational reformers · public libraries · intellectual legacy · indexing · cultural impact · data organization · library management · ISBN · call · categories · library card · stacks · look it up
- librarieslibrarians, public libraries, librarian, public library, library card
- EponymsDarwinian, Alzheimer's disease, Freudian slip, cardigan, Parkinson's disease
- reference toolsdictionary, encyclopedia, thesaurus, handbook, catalog
- classification systemstaxonomy, species, cladogram, dichotomous key, phylum
- library storagestacks, book stacks, shelves, storage vault, depository
- reference systemslibrary system, filing system, catalog, database, directory
Dewey Decimalchaos
Complete disorder and confusion
disorganization · unsorted · haphazard · unclassified · alphabetical order