Dewey Basics
This is the main purpose of the Dewey Decimal System in a library.
What is to organize nonfiction books by subject?
Books about animals, plants, and even dinosaurs belong in this 500s category.
What is Science?
In a call number, these are the first characters you look at to find the main subject area.
What are the numbers (or the numerical part)?
These are the characters in a call number that usually come below the numbers.
What are the letters?
What is Mr. George's favorite food?
The total number of main categories in the Dewey Decimal System.
What is ten (10)?
You would go to this 900s category to find books about history, geography, and true stories about people's lives.
What is History, Geography, and Biography?
The call number 500 tells you this main category.
What is Science?
The letters in a call number most often stand for the first few letters of this person's last name.
Who is the author?
EMS
Ms. Jesse's old school.
The special "address" found on the spine of a nonfiction book that tells you where it belongs.
What is a call number?
This 700s category holds books on drawing, music, sports, and crafts.
What is Arts and Recreation (or Arts and Sports)?
In the call number 973.7 LIN, this- ".7" part tells you the subject is getting more specific, like being about a certain part of U.S. history.
What are the numbers after the decimal point?
If you have two books about the same topic, like 599.735 BRO and 599.735 SMI, you would look at the letters to put them in this kind of order on the shelf.
What is alphabetical order?
Orange
Mr. George's favorite color.
The name of the librarian who invented this system for organizing books.
Who was Melvil Dewey?
Books about how things are made, cooking, health, and pets can be found in this 600s category.
What is Technology (or Applied Sciences)?
A book with the call number 636 is generally about caring for animals, while a book with call number 636.7 is specifically about this type of animal.
What are dogs?
In a call number like 921 LIN, these letters tell you the book is a biography about someone whose last name starts with "L."
What are the letters that stand for the person the book is about (or the subject of the biography)?
?????
What is Ms. Jesse's favorite drink?
This type of book is not organized using the Dewey Decimal System, but usually by the author's last name instead.
What is fiction?
This "general works" 000s category includes books about computers, mysteries, and amazing facts.
What is General Knowledge (or Computer Science, Information & General Works)?
When you are looking for a book on the shelf, you should look for books with this type of number first, before looking at the letters.
What are the whole numbers (or the numbers before the decimal)?
The first thing you check in a call number to find a book's exact spot, after matching all the numbers.
What are the letters (or the author's last name abbreviation)?
????
What is Ms. Jesse's favorite .....