A Short Story About Dewey

Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey

• Born December 10, 1851

• His intense interest in simplified spelling caused him to once change his name to Melvil Dui

• Established the American Library Association in 1876

• Co-founded and edited Library Journal

Melvil Dewey

• Melvil Dewey died after suffering a stroke on December 26, 1931 at age 80

• Buried in New York, Essex County, state near Lake Placid

Some years ago, Melvil Dewey devised a system for classifying books. The system has come into use all around the world.

It has been explained that he devised the system by imagining himself as a prehistoric or primitive man and asked himself questions he believed such a man would ask.

This presentation demonstrates those questions in a manner designed to entertain as well as educate.

It has become known as the Dewey Decimal Classification System.

Who am I?

100

Philosophy and PsychologyMan thinks about himself.

Who made me?

200

ReligionMan thinks about his Creator.

Who is the man in the next cave?

300

Social SciencesMan thinks about other people.

How can I make that man understand me?

400

Philology – LanguageMan learns to communicate with others

through words and signs.

How can I understand nature and the world around me?

500

ScienceMan learns to understand thenature of air, land, and sea.

How can I use what I know about nature?

600

Applied Science/Useful ArtsPrimitive man learned about fire and how to

make weapons; over time, he also learned about the wheel, medicine, planting crops,

cooking food, building useful structures,and how to make things to ease our burdens.

How can I enjoy my leisure time?

700

Fine Arts and RecreationAs time passes, man learns about painting

pictures, creating music, as wellas dancing to music, playing games,

Sports, and hunting.

How can I pass on man’s heroic deeds?

800

LiteratureMan becomes a storyteller; he creates

sagas, fables, epics, poems, plays aboutrelatives, friends, and characters; he

writes for others to read, learn, and enjoy.

How can I leave a record for people of the future?

900

History, Geography,and Biography

Man writes about what happened, where ithappened, and who made it happen.

What else is there?

000

General WorksThe numbers up to 100 are used for books about

books, and for books that contain informationon many subjects such as encyclopedias,

dictionaries, atlases, and other reference books;– much of the sorts of books one would find in the

reference section of the library.

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