Let's Do Dewey

To begin this library exercise, go to What is a call number? If you wish information on just one topic, choose from the list below.
 
 

• Melvil Dewey
• What is a call number?
• Dewey Decimal Classification System
• Exercise1
• Cutter numbers
• Exercise2
• Biographies
• Literary Criticism
• Exercise3
• Multiple Copies
• Editions
• Prefixes to call numbers

• Melvil Dewey
  born Dec. 10, 1851, Adams Center, NY., U.S.
  died Dec. 26, 1931, Lake Placid, NY.
  
  
  American librarian who devised the Dewey Decimal Classification for library cataloging and, probably more than any other individual, was responsible for the development of library science in the United States.
• Dewey graduated in 1874 from Amherst College and became acting librarian at that institution. In 1876 he published A Classification and Subject Index for Cataloguing and Arranging the Books and Pamphlets of a Library, in which he outlined what became known as the Dewey Decimal Classification. This system was gradually adopted by libraries throughout the English-speaking world. In 1877 Dewey moved to Boston, where, with R.R. Bowker and Frederick Leypoldt, he founded and edited the Library Journal. He was also one of the founders of the American LibraryAssociation. In 1883 he became librarian of Columbia College, New York City, and there set up the School of Library Economy, the first institution for training librarians in the United States. The school was moved to Albany, N.Y., as the State Library School under his direction.
• From 1889 to 1906 he was director of the New York State Library. He also served as secretary of the State University of New York (1889–1900) and as state director of libraries (1904–06). He completely reorganized the New York state library, making it one of the most efficient in the United States, and established the system of traveling libraries and picture collections.
• 
  "Melvil Dewey."  Encyclopædia Britannica. 2004.  Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

Psst.......over here for the real info on Mr. Dui

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. For a detailed summary for each number see theDewey Decimal Classification System The decimal place is used to make the number even more specific. Let's look for butterflies......

• 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. 

• 510 Mathematics
• 520 Astronomy
• 530 Physics
• 540 Chemistry
• 550 Earth Sciences
• 560 Paleontology
• 570 Life Sciences
• 580 Botanical Sciences
• 590 Zoological Sciences

  Butterflies will be classified under the Zoological Sciences 590. Now we know that the second number of the call number will be a 9. Let's look at the ten divisions of the 590's to find the next number.

• 591 Zoology
• 592 Invertebrates
• 593 Protozoa
• 594 Mollusa
• 595 Other Invertebrates (worms and insects)
• 596 Vertebrates
• 597 Fishes
• 598 Reptiles and Birds 
• 599 Mammals

  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......the more numbers, the more specific.

  500--Natural Science 590--Zoological Sciences 595--Other Invertebrates 595.7--Insects 595.78--Lepidoptera 595.789--Butterflies

Let's try putting some call numbers in correct shelving order.............

• Exercise1

  Which call number comes first?
   
   
• 311.0942
• 311.07
• 311.116
• 311.2
• 311.018
• 311.126

Exercise finished

But wait..................what happens when two books have the same number?

In large libraries, it is possible that many books will be classified with the same Dewey classification number.  The library must give each book a unique number that serves as the address for locating each book on the shelf.

To create this unique number, a Cutter number is added to the classification number.

 

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. Let’s look at the Harry Potter books.

Chamber of Secrets  823.914 J.K. Rowling             R797c Prisoner of Azkaban  823.914 J.K. Rowling              R797p Goblet of Fire            823.914 J. K. Rowling             R797g

Exercise2

REMEMBER: the cutter number is a decimal not a whole number and is also read digit by digit.

 

813.54	813.54	813.54	813.54	813.54
C767s	C768m	C77a	C77g	C773e

Now, which call number comes first on the shelf ?

813.54 C781d

813.54 C78a

813.54 C787h

 

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.

The call number for Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling is…

823.914

R797p 

 

The call number for J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels: a reader’s guide  by Philip Nel is….

823.914

R797Z
N32

A call number dissected................ not for the squeamish

8  Literature

2  English literatures

3  English fiction

.

   9  1900

    1   20th century

    4   after 1945

R Rowling

797 Cutter number

Z     Literary criticism

N32 is for Philip Nel, the author

 

Biographies

Biographies, the written histories about a person's life, are also cataloged and shelved a little differently. To keep all the biographies about a person shelved together, a cutter number is assigned for the biographee. For example, all the biographies about George W. Bush are shelved by the call number. 973.931 B62

 

A second cutter number is assigned for the author of the biography.  Bushworld : enter at your own risk / Maureen Dowd. 973.931    Administration of George Walker Bush B62       Cutter number for subject of biography(Bush) D85       Cutter number for author/editor, Maureen Dowd

 

Books of literary criticism and biographies both have two cutter numbers. When you have a large collection, this can become confusing for both the library shelvers and library users. Remember that cutter numbers are used to keep the titles on the same subject together. And, remember that we are still using decimals and not whole numbers.

Let's look at some examples of call numbers for titles in American Literature.

Line 1 is in order by the Dewey Classification Number.

Line 2 in is ordered by the Cutter number for the author and the title of his book.

Line three is the cutter number for the writer who is critiquing the author's book.

813.52 F26p M68f

813.52 F27a B45

813.52 F27a T33

813.52 F27as

813.52 F27as B61

813.52 F27c A82

813.52 F27c C26

813.52 F27c F62

813.52 F27c K18

813.52 F27Z D79

As you can see by the color coding, the cutter numbers
keep the same title and the works of criticism about this title together.

Exercise3

Which number would be shelved first?

833.912 M31br

833.912 M31Z B91

833.912 M31bu S42

Multiple Copies Mulitple 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

 

Prefixes

Call numbers sometimes have prefixes to identify a special location where the book or other material is shelved. Prefixes used in the MTSU Library include the following.

R for Reference R 001.3 R63h 1979

OS for Oversize books OS 736.4 C57b

 

Are you Ready to Shelve ?   Let's Do Dewey