The Dewey Decimal System

When Melvil Dewey was a young boy his mother sent him to their pantry to get some currants for a cake,

but it was so disorganised that he couldn’t find them! There were all kinds of foods mixed together – from vegetables and fruit to fresh herbs and spices.

Dewey was so frustrated that he decided to put everything in order…

When Dewey grew up he had a library in his house and, when he was ill one day, he decided to ask a servant to fetch him a particular book about photography. The library was so disorganised, however, that the servant couldn’t find the book. So…

The Dewey Decimal System Explained

Dewey decided to invent a new way of classifying (or organising) his books. Dewey gave every category of book a number, and every subcategory a decimal (point). Below are some examples.

200 - Religion

Poetry - 811Riddles – 398.6

400 - languages700 – Arts, Music, Sports

792.8 – ballet and modern dance

Fiction (F) or Non-Fiction (N) Quiz

1. ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’

2. ‘Charlotte’s Web’

3. ‘Encyclopaedia Britannica’

4. ‘My First Atlas’

5. ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’

6. ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’

7. ‘The History of Cricket’

8. ‘The Gruffalo’

9. ‘The Usborne Guide to Science’

10.‘The Night Before Christmas’

F

F

N

N

F

F

N

F

N

F