Libraries have many hundreds and thousands of great books covering a wide range of topics. Books all about the world! To keep them all organized, books about similar topics are grouped together. Nonfiction books are grouped together by subject to make it easier to find a book related to a specific topic.
The system that most libraries use to organize books was invented by Melvil Dewey and it is called the Dewey Decimal System. Each book is assigned a three-digit call number based on what the book is about. Think of it as a code or an address. The first digit of a three-digit Dewey number tells you what main Dewey group a book belongs in. There are 10 main categories.
The Dewey Categories are:
- 000 General Knowledge. Encyclopedias, general reference works, computers, newspapers, magazines
- 100 Philosophy and Psychology. Optical illusions, brain research, question and answer books
- 200 Religion and Mythology. Bible stories, religions of the world, Greek myths
- 300 Social Science and Folklore. Communication, education, law, sociology, transportation, etiquette, folklore and fairy tales
- 400 Language. Grammar books, sign language, dictionaries, and picture books in many languages
- 500 Math and Science. Experiments, mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, physics, geology, biology, dinosaurs, and books on specific animals
- 600 Medicine and Technology. Human body, medicine, airplanes, space travel, cookbooks & domesticated animals such as dogs, cats, horses
- 700 Arts and Recreation. Art, artists, how-to-draw books, crafts, origami, music, joke and riddle books, sports
- 800 Literature. Poetry, plays and classic literature
- 900 Geography and History. History, geography and travel, atlases, explorers, and biographies
As you can see, the main categories cover many different subject areas. The Dewey number keeps books on the same topic together. This makes it easy to look for and find books that you want to read. Watch the video below to help clarify how the Dewey Decimal System is organized.
The sheet below represents popular topics. In order to make students familiar with the Dewey Decimal System, students will identify a topic they would like to learn more about. Once the topic is identified, students will draw apicture to represent their favorite topic and write the correcsponding “Dewey” number.
T
he nonfiction pictures will be shared in order to reinforce the orginzation of the nonfiction section.
Engaging students in an authentic creation will reinforce the ten categories of the Dewey Decimal System and highlight where their favorite topics can be found!
Test your Dewey Decimal Knowledge. Can you identify the location of the books in the presentation below?
