INCO 48 Home > Section 1 Using the Library > Dewey Decimal Information

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Let's Do Dewey

What is a call number?

Every book in the library is given a unique call number to serve as an address for locating the book on the shelf. The call number itself is composed of two parts--Dewey Decimal Classification and the Cutter number or book number.

Dewey Decimal Classification

The dewey decimal system coordinates materials on the same subject and on related subjects to make items easier to find on the shelves by using a combination of letters and numbers.

The Dewey system has ten main classes, which are listed below.

 * 000 
          + 001 Computing 
          + 010 Bibliographies 
          + 030 General encyclopedias 
          + 050 General periodicals 
          + 070 Newspapers and journalism 
            
 * 100 PHILOSOPHY 
          + 150 Psychology 
          + 160 Logic 
          + 170 Ethics 
          + 180 Ancient, Medieval, Oriental philosophy 
          + 190 Modern Western philosophy 
            
 * 200 RELIGION 
          + 220 Bible 
          + 230 Christian doctrinal theology 
          + 270 Christian Church history 
          + 280 Christian denominations and sects 
          + 290 Other religions 
            
 * 300 SOCIAL SCIENCES 
          + 310 Statistics 
          + 320 Political science 
          + 330 Economics 
          + 340 Law 
          + 350 Public administration 
          + 360 Social welfare 
          + 370 Education 
          + 380 Commerce 
            
 * 400 LANGUAGES 
          + 410 Linguistics 
          + 420 English and Anglo-Saxon 
          + 430 German 
          + 440 French 
          + 450 Italian 
         + 460 Spanish 
            
* 500 PURE SCIENCES 
          + 510 Mathematics 
          + 520 Astronomy 
          + 530 Physics 
          + 540 Chemistry 
          + 550 Geology 
          + 570 Biological Sciences 
          + 580 Botany 
          + 590 Zoology 
            
* 600 TECHNOLOGY (Applied Sciences) 
          + 610 Medical Sciences 
          + 620 Engineering 
          + 630 Agriculture 
          + 650 Business and management 
          + 660 Chemical technology 
          + 690 Buildings 
            
* 700 THE ARTS 
          + 710 Town and landscape planning 
          + 720 Architecture 
          + 730 Sculpture 
          + 740 Drawing 
          + 750 Painting 
          + 760 Graphic arts 
          + 770 Photography 
          + 780 Music 
          + 790 Theatre and recreation, films 
            
* 800 LITERATURE 
          + 810 American 
          + 820 English and Anglo-Saxon 
          + A820 Australian 
          + 830 German 
          + 840 French 
          + 850 Italian 
          + 860 Spanish 
          + A860 Spanish American 
          + 869 Portuguese 
          + 890 Other literatures 
            
* 900 GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 
          + 910 Geography 
          + 920 General biography 
          + 930 Ancient history 
          + 940 History of modern Europe 
          + 950 History of modern Asia 
          + 960 History of modern Africa 
          + 970 History of North America 
          + 980 History of South America 
          + 990 History of Australia and Pacific regions

Each of the above classes each have ten divisions. These divisions are further divided--and then further divided. Each division becomes more specific. The more numbers, the more specific the subject. In this way, the Dewey classification system progresses from the general to the specific.  The decimal place is used to make the number even more specific.

Here's an example

Let's see if we can catch a butterfly.

To find the classification number for butterflies, we need to start with the class for natural sciences the 500's This means that the first number of the call number will be a 5
Let's look at the ten divisions of this 500 class.

Zoological Sciences

The Zoological Sciences, the 590's, are divided into ten divisions also.

Insects, including butterflies would be under 595. Now we have the first three numbers of the call number 595 The 595's are further divided by the use of decimals to specify what type of insects.---Beginning to get the picture.......

500--Natural Science  
         
590--Zoological Sciences  
       
595--Other invertebrates  
     
595.7--Insects  
   
595.78--Lepidoptera  
 
595.789--Butterflies   animated butterfly
REMEMBER: The more numbers, the more specific. 
REMEMBER: When filing in a decimal system, file digit by digit--not by whole number.

Look at this example:

Cutter Numbers

The cutter number for a book usually consists of the first letter of the author's last name and a series of numbers. This series of numbers comes from a table that is designed to help maintain an alphabetical arrangement of names.
Conley, Ellen
Conley, Robert
Cook, Robin
Cook, Thomas
 C767
C768
C77
C773
What if the library has several works by the same author? How do we keep the call number unique? To do that a work mark or work letter is used to distinguish the various works of a single author. The work mark is a lower case letter that is usually the first letter of the title of the book.
  
813.54
C77a 		Cook, Robin
A cceptable Risk
813.54
C77f 		Cook, Robin
F ever
813.54
C77fa 		Cook, Robin
Fa tal Cure

Literary Criticism

In order to keep books of literary criticism about an author and his/her works shelved together, a capital Z is placed at the end of the first cutter line. The capital Z the last letter in the alphabet, insures that all criticisms are shelved after the author's work. A second cutter line will begin with the first letter of the name of the author of the criticism. Let's look at an example of where a work of criticism would be shelved.
813.54
L52f 		Farthest shore
Ursula Le Guin
813.54
L52fo 		Four ways to forgiveness
Ursula Le Guin
813.54
L52p 		Planet of Exile
Ursula Le Guin
813.54
L52Z
B54 		Approaches to the Fiction of Ursula Le Guin
James Bittner
Look carefully at the call number 813.54 L52Z B54 for Approaches to the Fiction of Ursula Le Guin.
813.54 is the Dewey number for American Literature after 1945,
L52Z is the Cutter number for Ursula Le Guin, Z is for a work of criticism,
B54 is for James Bittner, the author of Approaches.....

Biographies

Biographies are written histories about a person's life. To keep all the biographies about a person shelved together, a cutter number is assigned for the biographee. For example, all the biographies about former President Clinton are shelved by the call number 973.929 C61 Since each book must have a unique call number, a second cutter number is assigned for the author's last name.

 
973.929
C61
AL5 		The Comeback Kid
by George Allen
973.929
C61
G13 		Bill Clinton as they know him
by David Gallen
973.929
C61
M83 		Partners in Power
by Roger Morris

Shelving with two cutter lines

When a call number has more than two cutter lines, this can be confusing for shelvers and library users. When shelving, it is important to remember that the second cutter line will come before the work marks on the first cutter line. Some students remember this by the saying Nothing before Something.

Multiple Copies

Multiple copies of the same book are shelved in order by the copy number.

833.912
M31 		833.912
M31
c.2 		833.912
M31
c.3

Various Editions

Various editions of a book are shelved in order by the year of publication.

 
378.242
M72h 		378.242
M72h
1984 		378.242
M72h
1988