Because nonfiction books are so useful in your research, it's important for you to understand how they are organized in a library. The Dewey Decimal System was created early in the 20th century to help public and school libraries organize their books, and to help library visitors find the books they need. Each number in the system (000, 100, 200, etc.) corresponds to a broad topic, and more narrow topics are given a higher number, with the most specific books labeled with a number containing a decimal, such as 516.3. For example, here is a list of topics related to math. Each time the number gets a little higher, the topic gets more specific.
D.D.# | Topic |
500 | Natural Sciences and Mathematics |
510 | Mathematics |
516 | Geometry |
516.3 | Analytic Geometries |
516.37 | Metric Differential Geometries |
516.375 | Finsler Geometry |
The shelves of most reference libraries are labeled with the numbers of the Dewey Decimal System. To find a book about Finsler geometry, you would look for a book with the number 516.375 on its cover. (The Dewey Decimal number usually appears on a book's spine, where you can see it as you stand in the aisle between shelves).
Click through the slideshow to see a general breakdown of topics in the Dewey Decimal System.
000 Generalities
100 Philosophy and Psychology
200 Religion
300 Social Sciences
400 Language
500 Natural Sciences and Math
600 Technology (Applied Sciences)
700 The Arts
800 Literature
900 Geography, History, and Biography
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Of course, no Dewey Decimal chart can contain all of the topics included in each set of hundreds. You have to draw conclusions based on which general topic is most like your specific one. Give it a try, using the activity below. Try matching each number where books about that topic would be found to the topic. Look back at the chart above to remind yourself of the numbers and their topics.
Question
Is the Dewey Decimal System the only method libraries use to categorize nonfiction?