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Dewey
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Quiz 5
Answer 5

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Basic Dewey

How are resources arranged in your library?

Library Organization

     Once you know what type of resource you need and the topic, how do you locate the materials in the library? Is your library arranged by Dewey or another system?

     Familiarize yourself with the organization of materials in the library. This helps you locate a particular resource, but will also allow you to go quickly to the best area for browsing the shelves in the reference collection or throughout the library.

Dewey Decimal System

The 100 Divisions

     Most public libraries arrange the books on their shelves using the Dewey Decimal System. This is a numerical arrangement which puts books on the same subject together on the shelves. Individual libraries often add letters relating to the author's name after the Dewey numbers. You can take an animated tour of the DDC.

     Some libraries, especially larger ones and academic libraries, use a different system developed by the Library of Congress. It uses a combination of letters and numbers and you may see this used on books you borrow from other libraries.

Dewey on the Web

     OCLC WebDewey "offers easy-to-use, World Wide Web-based access to the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) and related information, with searching and browsing capabilities; Library of Congress Subject Headings; and links from the mapped LCSH to the corresponding LCSH authority records." A tutorial is available from OCLC.

     Library resources are classified so that they will be organized on shelves. Some libraries also organize online resources for users with the DDC. For example, the Webrary® is a service of the Morton Grove Public Library. "Webrary Links pages consist of links to the most useful reference and informational web sites, organized by subject according to Dewey Decimal System call numbers."

Dewey Major Subdivisions

For information about the History and Use of the Dewy Decimal System and the Expanded Dewey table, consult the OCLC web site:

http://www.oclc.org/dewey/about/hundreds.htm

Major Point: Understanding the Dewey arrangement in your library will help you find resources.

1. Locate the non-fiction areas in your library. Each area (reference, ready reference, children's, videos, adult non-fiction, etc.) may be organized by Dewey. How many places in your library can you locate resources in the 900s?.

2. What is the Dewey number for each of the resources on the List of Essential Resources?

Answers

Electronic Resources & OPLIN

Most public libraries arrange books on the shelf by the Dewey Decimal System. Understanding Dewey will help you locate materials quickly.

Do the math! Finding resources by Dewey number. London Public Library.

Join the "Adventures of Dewey the Sock Monkey!" in the KidsZone at  Preble County District Library.

Find out everything you ever wanted to know about Dewey from OCLC: History and Use of the DDC, and the Expanded Dewey table from OCLC. A WebDewey tutorial is available from OCLC. You can also take an animated tour of the DDC.

Explore an Internet site that explains Call Numbers with Dewey and Library of Congress, from Five Colleges of Ohio.

The Webrary® is a service of the Morton Grove Public Library. "Webrary Links pages consist of links to the most useful reference and informational web sites, organized by subject according to Dewey Decimal System call numbers."

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