Dewey Decimal Classification

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search "Dewey Decimal" redirects here. It is not to e confused with duodecimal. !he Dewey Decimal Classification "DD#$, or Dewey Decimal System, is a proprietary li rary classification system first pu lished y %elvil Dewey in &'().*&+ It has een revised and e,panded through -. ma/or editions, the latest issued in -0&&.*-+ !he classification was nota le in its time ecause it introduced the concepts of relative location and relative index.*.+ It makes use of three1digit 2ra ic numerals for main classes, with decimals as e,pansions for more detail. 2 li rary assigns a DD# num er that unam iguously locates a particular volume in a position relative to other ooks in the li rary. !his makes it easy to find any particular ook and return it to its proper place on the li rary shelves.*3+ !he system is used in -00,000 li raries in at least &.4 countries.*4+*)+

History
Early Development 1873-1885

Dewey was working at 2mherst #ollege li rary when he developed the ideas for his li rary classification system in &'(.. 5e applied the classification to the ooks in that li rary, until in &'() he had a first version of the classification. In &'() he pu lished the classification in pamphlet form with the title A Classification and Subject Index for Cataloguing and Arranging the Books and Pamphlets of a Library *(+ 5e used the pamphlet, pu lished in more than one version during the year, to solicit comments from other li rarians. DD# was mentioned in an article in the first num er of Library !ournal, and in an article y Dewey in the Department of 6ducation pu lication "7u lic 8i raries in 2merica", in &'().*'+ Dewey applied for and received copyright on the DD# in %arch &'(). !he second edition was pu lished in &''4, with the title "ecimal Classification and #elativ Index for arranging$ cataloging$ and indexing public and private libraries and for pamflets$ clippings$ notes$ scrap books$ index rerums$ etc 9ote that the title makes use of Dewey:s "reformed spelling" in some areas. 6ditions .1&3, pu lished etween &''' and &;3-, used a variant of this same title. !he second edition was considera ly modified and e,panded. In an introduction to that edition Dewey states that "nearly &00 persons hav *sic+ contri uted criticisms and suggestions...".*;+ !he first edition was 33 pages in length, with -,000 inde, entries, and was printed in -00 copies. !he second was .&3 pages, with &0,000 inde, entries< 400 copies were produced.*&0+

000 = #omputer science, information > general works &00 = 7hilosophy and psychology -00 = ?eligion .00 = @ocial sciences 300 = 8anguage 400 = @cience )00 = !echnology (00 = 2rts > recreation '00 = 8iterature

;00 = 5istory > geography