How to Organize Bookshelves in the Library

Master the Dewey Decimal System. Learning this system is not difficult as it is very logically organized and built on a decimal basis. Basically, each class of books will be assigned a number for classification (with full numbers, like 800) and numbers in the decimal part (numbers to the right of the decimal point). They are the numbers you see on the spines of every book at the library, and they are called numbers. That system consists of 10 classes, which are further divided into 10 categories, and each category will include 10 sub-branches. The 10 main classes of the Dewey Decimal System are:

• 000 – General Principles, Computer Science, and Information
• 100 – Philosophy and Psychology
• 200 – Religious Studies
• 300 – The Social Sciences
• 400 – Linguistics
• 500 – The natural sciences
• 600 – Technology and applied science
• 700 – Art and reproduction
• 800 – Literature
• 900 – Geography and history

Remember that the purpose of the numbers is to group books on the same topic together, and consist of at least two parts: Class numbers (000 to 900) and decimal numbers. The class number is the whole number, and the number(s) in the decimal part are placed after the decimal point.

Read and understand classifications. Here’s a brief example of how you might see or position a book about American fiction written between 1861 and 1900. (The overarching classification for literature is “800”).

• Take a look at the 2nd number after the number “8”. The number “1” indicates that the book is classified as “General American Literature”. The second number after the number “8” identifies the branch; 811 is American poetry, 812 is American drama, 813 is American fiction, 814 is American essays…
• Look at the leading number after the decimal point; This is a number that represents a deeper classification. So the book with the number called “813.4,” tells you that the book is American fiction written between 1861 and 1900. Obviously, the more numbers, the clearer the theme.