Locating Non-Fiction Books with the Dewey Decimal System

Locating Non-Fiction Books with the Dewey Decimal System

What is the Dewey Decimal System? Nonfiction books, ie. those that are factual rather than imagined stories like novels, are organized in libraries by subject. Most public libraries use the Dewey Decimal System to arrange their nonfiction materials. This is an organization system that assigns numbers to subjects, so that materials can be shelved with other items on a similar topic and can still be found easily in a library. Once you have the call number for a book that you want, this guide will teach you to locate that book on the nonfiction shelves and will help you find more books on the same topic. [If you need help using the catalog or finding a call number for a book, please see a librarian]

How do the numbers work? Dewey Decimal numbers range from 000 to 999, and every nonfiction book is assigned a number in that range that indicates its specific subject. At the end of this guide is a list of Dewey categories to help you navigate the shelves. A book about England in WWII would be categorized like this: 900s ? History and Geography

940s ? History of Europe 942 ? England and Wales

After 942, the book would be assigned some additional digits after a decimal point in order to narrow the focus even more. If you want additional information about Dewey classification, please see a librarian or visit the Dewey Decimal website at However, you do not need to know what number corresponds to which category in order to find a book... all you need is the call number and an understanding of how items are shelved within the Dewey system.

How do I find a non-fiction book? Books in the Dewey Decimal system are arranged numerically, with shorter numbers coming first. Books with the same numerical call number are then shelved alphabetically by author, with a few exceptions.* A sample shelf would look like this:

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Some things to keep in mind: *An older version of the Dewey system used the first letter of the author's name followed by several more numbers; these should be shelved within their assigned number alphabetically, although occasionally they may be at the beginning or end of the books that share their number. If you cannot find one of these books, ask a librarian for help.

*The Reuben Hoar Library shelves all biographies separately. They are all assigned the number 92 and are then shelved alphabetically by last name of the person who is the subject of the book.

*All new nonfiction books (those added to the library within the last 6 months) still follow the Dewey Decimal system, but are shelved separately upstairs near the circulation desk.

*There may be a large number of books assigned to one number and just a few assigned to another, so the stacks in your library may seem somewhat "uneven." For example, one shelf may start at 101.4 and end at 210.05, where another may start at 914.2 and end at 914.75. Be aware of this and try not to let it disorient you.

Why use numbers instead of just the author's name? Once you have located the specific book you were trying to find, you can now use the Dewey system to easily find more books on the same topic without having to search the catalog. Since books are grouped by subject, you can simply look to the left and right of the book you have located to find other similar books. This technique is called "shelf browsing," and can be very helpful in finding a book that best suits your needs. Computer search engines are flawed and do not always easily give us the exact results we want. Shelf browsing allows us to see exactly what is immediately available to us in a particular subject area. Be aware that some books are difficult to classify, so there may be several spots in a library's nonfiction section that you want to shelf browse. For example: should a book about war horses be shelved in the livestock section or the history section? If you are researching this topic, you would want to check both sections.

How exactly can I use Shelf Browsing to find a book I want? Here's an example: You are looking for information on landscape fountains. You have found one book in the catalog that is in the "Water Features" subject section with the call number 714.2 Smi. On the same shelf there are also books on landscape architecture, landscape structures, and landscape design. By looking around at the items nearby, you can find many other books with information on fountains! (see illustration below)

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A final note: it is very easy for items to become mis-shelved within nonfiction sections. So if you cannot find an item that should be in a particular spot, look around above and below, and to the left and right. Very often you will find it close by. Likewise, nearly all libraries will ask that you do not reshelve materials yourself, and they will provide carts at the end of aisles for books that need to be reshelved.

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The Dewey Decimal System Subject Classes

The Ten Main Classes 000 Computer science, information & general works 100 Philosophy & psychology 200 Religion 300 Social sciences 400 Language 500 Science 600 Technology 700 Arts & recreation 800 Literature 900 History & geography

The Hundred Divisions

000 Computer science, knowledge & systems 010 Bibliographies 020 Library & information sciences 030 Encyclopedias & books of facts 040 [Unassigned] 050 Magazines, journals & serials 060 Associations, organizations & museums 070 News media, journalism & publishing 080 Quotations 090 Manuscripts & rare books 100 Philosophy 110 Metaphysics 120 Epistemology 130 Parapsychology & occultism 140 Philosophical schools of thought 150 Psychology 160 Logic 170 Ethics 180 Ancient, medieval & eastern philosophy 190 Modern western philosophy 200 Religion 210 Philosophy & theory of religion 220 The Bible 230 Christianity & Christian theology 240 Christian practice & observance 250 Christian pastoral practice & religious orders 260 Christian organization, social work & worship 270 History of Christianity 280 Christian denominations 290 Other religions 300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology 310 Statistics 320 Political science 330 Economics 340 Law 350 Public administration & military science 360 Social problems & social services 370 Education 380 Commerce, communications & transportation 390 Customs, etiquette & folklore 400 Language 410 Linguistics 420 English & Old English languages 430 German & related languages 440 French & related languages 450 Italian, Romanian & related languages 460 Spanish & Portuguese languages 470 Latin & Italic languages 480 Classical & modern Greek languages 490 Other languages

500 Science 510 Mathematics 520 Astronomy 530 Physics 540 Chemistry 550 Earth sciences & geology 560 Fossils & prehistoric life 570 Life sciences; biology 580 Plants (Botany) 590 Animals (Zoology) 600 Technology 610 Medicine & health 620 Engineering 630 Agriculture 640 Home & family management 650 Management & public relations 660 Chemical engineering 670 Manufacturing 680 Manufacture for specific uses 690 Building & construction 700 Arts 710 Landscaping & area planning 720 Architecture 730 Sculpture, ceramics & metalwork 740 Drawing & decorative arts 750 Painting 760 Graphic arts 770 Photography & computer art 780 Music 790 Sports, games & entertainment 800 Literature, rhetoric & criticism 810 American literature in English 820 English & Old English literatures 830 German & related literatures 840 French & related literatures 850 Italian, Romanian & related literatures 860 Spanish & Portuguese literatures 870 Latin & Italic literatures 880 Classical & modern Greek literatures 890 Other literatures 900 History 910 Geography & travel 920 Biography & genealogy 930 History of ancient world (to ca. 499) 940 History of Europe 950 History of Asia 960 History of Africa 970 History of North America 980 History of South America 990 History of other areas

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Catherine Sebastian LIS 407-01, Instruction Session Assignment December 7, 2015 Dewey Decimal System Guide This guide is intended for adult public library users of the Reuben Hoar Library in Littleton, MA who have minimal experience with locating nonfiction materials. Desired learning outcomes are: 1 ? Gain a basic understanding of the Dewey Decimal organization structure. 2 ? Be able to take a nonfiction call number and locate an item without assistance. 3 ? Locate additional relevant materials through shelf browsing.

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