What it is:
The Dewey Decimal System was created by Melvil Dewey in 1876 and was an immediate hit. It has consistently been the most widely used classification system around the world and has inspired the creation and been the foundation for other classification systems (Intner & Weihs, 2015). It is currently being developed and maintained by the Library of Congress ("A Brief Introduction...", 2016). The Dewey Decimal System is a popular choice for school libraries around the country, with about 95% of public and school libraries using the system (Humeston & Lesniaski, 2008).
How it Works:
The Dewey Decimal System is based upon a number of principles:
The Abridged Dewey Decimal Classification:
This abridged version of the DDC is intended for use with collections that have 20,000 or less titles. It can also be used for small public libraries and school libraries. It is based upon the full version of Dewey, but has fewer entries. The schedules, tables, and index make up one volume. If a library expands to more than 20,000 items, the abridged version can easily move to the full DDC.
Advantages of Dewey:
Disadvantages of Dewey:
The Dewey Decimal System was created by Melvil Dewey in 1876 and was an immediate hit. It has consistently been the most widely used classification system around the world and has inspired the creation and been the foundation for other classification systems (Intner & Weihs, 2015). It is currently being developed and maintained by the Library of Congress ("A Brief Introduction...", 2016). The Dewey Decimal System is a popular choice for school libraries around the country, with about 95% of public and school libraries using the system (Humeston & Lesniaski, 2008).
How it Works:
The Dewey Decimal System is based upon a number of principles:
- Subject categories created by decimal divisions of ten. Everything is divided into 10 main classes (Intner & Weihs, 2015).
- The decimal aspect of the system actually stands for the number as a whole, not the dot after the first three numbers. The dot is there to make the number easier to read (Humeston & Lesniaski, 2008).
- Subjects divided hierarchically
- Classified by discipline
- Uses a variety of numeric patterns
- Literary Warrant
- Subjects that require an assignment of a number so that resources can be added in contrast to subjects that might need assignments, but haven't been determined, yet.
- For example, the subject "computers" was not a subject for quite some time, but eventually needed an assigned number once resources became available (Intner & Weihs, 2015).
- Subjects that require an assignment of a number so that resources can be added in contrast to subjects that might need assignments, but haven't been determined, yet.
- Enumeration-subject categories are listed and associated with a number
- Subjects are arranged in relation to each other and kept together as much as possible
The Abridged Dewey Decimal Classification:
This abridged version of the DDC is intended for use with collections that have 20,000 or less titles. It can also be used for small public libraries and school libraries. It is based upon the full version of Dewey, but has fewer entries. The schedules, tables, and index make up one volume. If a library expands to more than 20,000 items, the abridged version can easily move to the full DDC.
Advantages of Dewey:
- Numbers are universally recognized
- Many libraries use this, creating a community that can share and learn from each other
- It is logical, and has roots in the principles used to classify plants and animals
- The sytem is flexible and conforms easily to small libraries
- Much more compact than the LC Classification System
Disadvantages of Dewey:
- The numbers can be way too specific
- Changes made can cause a lot of disruption in the sytem, which can take up a lot of time and resources to update
Additional Resources for the DDC
An Introduction to the Dewey Decimal System |
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An Introduction to the Dewey Decimal System for Students |
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