Dewey Decimal Classification

INTRODUCTION Throughout the history of the world, there have continually been attempts made to record culture by people who saw the importance of preserving the knowledge of their own civilization. The degree and nature of this activity varied as did the peoples; and have ranged from simple cave paintings to more sophisticated systems of classification seen in ancient institutions, such as the Alexandrian Museum and Library. Cultural relevancies and temporal developments have always been deciding factors in determining the kinds of subjects that were compiled, primarily on tablets, scrolls, and books; how they were interpreted; and the fashion in which they were classified, but some things may be said in general about the historical development of knowledge and how two of its principle characteristics make classification quite easy under the Dewey Decimal system. The Dewey Decimal Classification System is the most widely used method for classifying books in the library. This system is a general knowledge organization tool that is continuously revised to keep pace with knowledge. It is named after Melvil Dewey, an American Librarian who developed it in 1876. This system is a numerical scheme for the arrangement of subjects of nonfiction books, and it classifies books by dividing them into 10 main subject groups that are called categories. Each category is represented by figures beginning with 000 and going on to 999. In other words, it is a system of numbers used to mark and arrange mostly non-fiction books. The Dewey Decimal Classification System is used in most Public School libraries. It is essential for students to understand why books are numbered and how to find the numbers on the shelves, so they can use the library effectively and in a friendly manner. Dewey is also used for other purposes, e.g., as a browsing mechanism for resources on the Web. One of Dewey's great strengths is that the system is developed and maintained in a national bibliographic