A Brief Summary of the Dewey Decimal System

Melvil Dewey devised a system based on the number ten (decimal) in the 1870s which still used in many of the world's libraries. The library at Redwood High School uses the following numbers for its general and reference collections.
There are ten main categories which are then subdivided by tens and so on.

The Ten Main Classes

000    Computers, information & general reference
100    Philosophy & psychology
200    Religion
300    Social sciences
400    Language
500    Natural sciences & mathematics
600    Technology
700    Arts & recreation
800    Literature
900    History & geography


The Hundred Divisions (with some important Sections)

000 Computers, information & general reference

  • 000    Generalities

    •             001    Knowledge (inc. controversial knowledge, e.g., UFOs, Bermuda Triangle, etc.)
                004-6    Computer science
  • 010    Bibliography (lists of books)

    •             016    Subject bibliographies
  • 020    Libraries & information science
  • 030    General encyclopedias

    •             031    American encyclopedias
                032    British encyclopedias
  • 040    (not used)
  • 050    General periodicals
  • 060    General organizations & museums

    •             069    Museum science (for art museums see 708)
  • 070    News media, journalism, publishing
  • 080    General collections
  • 090    Manuscripts & rare books
    • 100 Philosophy & psychology
  • 100    Generalities of philosophy & psychology

    •             103    Dictionaries & encyclopedias
                109    Biography
  • 110    Metaphysics
  • 120    Epistemology, causation, humankind

    •             126    The self
                127    The conscious & the subconscious
                128    Humankind
  • 130    Paranormal phenomena

    •             133    Parapsychology & occultism (inc. witchcraft)
                135    Dreams & mysteries
  • 140    Philosophical schools
  • 150    Psychology

    •             152    Perception, movement, emotions, drives
                153    Mental processes & intelligence
                154    Subconscious & altered states
                155    Differential & development psychology
                156    Comparative psychology
                158    Applied psychology
  • 160    Logic
  • 170    Ethics
  • 180    Ancient (Greek & Roman), medieval, Asian philosophy
  • 190    Modern western philosophy
    • 200 Religion
  • 200    Generalities of religion
  • 210    Philosophy & theory of religion
  • 220    Bible

    •             221    Old Testament
                225    New Testament
  • 230    Christianity & Christian theology

    •             232    Jesus Christ & his family
  • 240    Christian moral & devotional theology

    •             246    Christian art & symbolism
                248    Christian experience, practice, life
  • 250    Christian orders & local church

    •             255    Religious congregations & orders
  • 260    Social & ecclesiastical theology

    •             261    Social theology
                264    Public worship
                266    Missions
  • 270    History of Christianity & Christian church

    •             271    Religious orders in church history
                272    Persecutions
                273    Heresies
  • 280    Christian denominations & sects

    •             281    Early church & Eastern churches
                282    Roman Catholic Church
                283    Anglican churches
                285    Presbyterians, Reformed, Congregational
                286    Baptist, Disciples of Christ, Adventist
                287    Methodist
  • 290    Comparative religion & other religions

    •             292    Classical (Greek & Roman) religion
                293    Germanic religions (Norse mythology)
                294    Indic religions (Hinduism, Buddhism)
                296    Judaism
                297    Islam
                299    Other religions and mythologies
    300 Social sciences
  • 300    Generalities

    •             301    Sociology & social anthropology
                302    Social interaction (Communication; within groups; between groups; individual and society)
                303    Social processes (Coordination & control; change; conflict)
                304    Factors influencing social behavior (Human ecology; genetics; population; movement of peoples
                305    Social groups (Age, gender, class, religious, language, ethnic and occupational and other
                306    Culture & institutions (Subcultures; political, economic and religious institutions; family, etc.)
                307    Communities (Planning; movement of peoples; structure; kinds of communities)
  • 310    Collections of statistics

    •             317.3    U.S. statistics
  • 320    Political science

    •             321    Systems of government
                323    Civil rights
                324    Political process
                325    International migration & colonization
                326    Slavery
                327    International relations
                328    Legislation
  • 330    Economics

    •             331    Labor
                332    Finance
                333    Natural resources
                335    Socialism
                338    Production
  • 340    Law

    •             341    Law of nations
                342    Constitutional law
                343    Military, tax, trade, industrial law
                344    Labor, social, education, cultural law
                345    Criminal law
                347    Civil procedure & courts (Trials)
  • 350    Public administration & military science

    •             353    Specific fields of public administration (Presidency)
                355    Military science
                356    Infantry forces & warfare
                358    Air forces & warfare
                359    Naval forces & warfare
  • 360    Social problems & services; association

    •             361    General (Social problems, action, work, community action)
                362    (Medical problems & services; services to poor, elderly, young people)
                363    (Public safety; police; public morals; housing; utilities; environment; food supply; population)
                364    Criminology
                365    Prisons
                368    Insurance
  • 370    Education

    •             371    Schools and their activities; special education
                372    Elementary
                373    Secondary
                378    Higher (Colleges & universities)
                379    Public policy
  • 380    Commerce, communications, transportation

    •             381    Domestic trade
                382    Foreign trade
                383    Postal service
                384    Communication; telecommunication
                385    Railroads
               388    Transportation; ground transportation (Roads)
  • 390    Customs, etiquette, folklore

    •             391    Costume and personal appearance
                392    Life cycle customs (Birth, home, courtship, wedding, etc.)
                394    General customs (Eating & drinking, special occasions, ceremonies, chivalry, cannibalism, etc.)
                395    Etiquette
                398    Folklore
    400 Language
  • 400    Generalities
  • 410    Linguistics
  • 420    English & Old English

    •             423    Dictionaries
                425    Grammar
                428    Standard usage
  • 430    Germanic languages; German
  • 440    Romance languages; French
  • 450    Italian, Romanian, Rhaeto-Romanic
  • 460    Spanish & Portuguese languages
  • 470    Italic languages; Latin
  • 480    Hellenic languages; Classical Greek
  • 490    Other languages
    • 500 Science
  • 500    Generalities of science (Physical science, space sciences)

    •             502    Techniques, procedures, apparatus, equipment, materials (Microscopy)
                508    Natural history (Works which combine life sciences and earth sciences)
  • 510    Mathematics

    •             512    Algebra, number theory
                513    Arithmetic
                515    Analysis (Differential and integral calculus, functional analysis, etc.)
                516    Geometry
                519    Probabilities and applied mathematics (Game theory, statistical mathematics, etc.)
  • 520    Astronomy

    •             522    Techniques, procedures, apparatus, equipment, materials (Telescopes, observatories, etc.)
                523    Celestial bodies and phenomena (Universe, stars, solar system, planets, etc.
                525    Earth (Dimensions, properties, orbit and motions, seasons, etc.)
                529    Chronology (Calendars)
  • 530    Physics

    •             531    Classical and solid mechanics
                532    Fluid mechanics
                533    Gas mechanics
                534    Sound
                535    Light
                536    Heat
                537    Electricity & electronics
                538    Magnetism
                539    Modern physics (Structure of matter, radiation, molecular physics, atomic and nuclear physics)
  • 540    Chemistry

    •             541    Physical and theoretical chemistry
                542    Techniques, procedures, apparatus, equipment, materials (Laboratories, testing, heating, etc.)
                544    Quantitative analysis
                545    Qualitative analysis
                546    Inorganic chemistry (Periodical table, chemical elements)
                547    Organic chemistry
                549    Mineralogy
  • 550    Earth sciences

    •             551    Geology, hydrology, meteorology
                552    Rocks
                553    Economic geology (Mining, water, gems, etc.)
                557    Geology of North America
  • 560    Paleontology

    •             561    Paleobotany
                562    Fossil invertebrates
                563    Fossil marine and seashore invertebrates
                567    Fossil cold-blooded vertebrates (Fish, amphibians, reptiles)
                569    Fossil mammals
  • 570    Life sciences; Biology

    •  
  • 580    Plants
  • 590    Animals
    • 600 Technology
  • 600    Generalities of technology
  • 610    Medical sciences
  • 620    Engineering
  • 630    Agriculture
  • 640    Home economics & family living
  • 650    Management
  • 660    Chemical engineering
  • 670    Manufacturing
  • 680    Specific manufacturing processes
  • 690    Buildings
    • 700 Arts & Recreation
  • 700    Generalities of the arts
  • 710    Civic & landscape art
  • 720    Architecture
  • 730    Sculpture
  • 740    Drawing & decorative arts and crafts
  • 750    Painting & paintings
  • 760    Graphic arts; Printmaking & prints
  • 770    Photography & photographs
  • 780    Music
  • 790    Recreational & performing arts
    • 800 Literature
  • 800    Generalities of literature
  • 810    American literature in English
  • 820    English literature
  • 830    Germanic literature
  • 840    Romance literatures (French)
  • 850    Italic literatures (Italian)
  • 860    Spanish & Portuguese literatures
  • 870    Latin literature
  • 880    Greek literature
  • 890    Literatures of other languages
    • 900 History & geography
  • 900    Generalities of geography & history
  • 910    Geography & travel
  • 920    Biography, genealogy, insignia, flags
  • 930    Ancient history
  • 940    History of Europe
  • 950    History of Asia
  • 960    History of Africa
  • 970    History of North America
  • 980    History of South America
  • 990    History of other areas
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    Updated by the Webspinner Sept. 15, 2003.
    ©2003 Tom Kaun, Library Media Teacher--Bessie Chin Library @ Redwood High School, 395 Doherty Drive, Larkspur, CA 94939 -- 415.945.3662