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How to find books using Dewey Decimal shelfmark
Find the book on the shelves!
How to find books using Dewey Decimal shelfmark
Introduction• When you look for books on the Library Catalogue you will be given a shelfmark, indicating where the
books are held in the Library collection. • You will notice that some books have number shelfmarks and others have alphabetical ones.
• We have two subject sequences in use in Birkbeck Library.
• The majority of the stock is arranged in number order known as Dewey Decimal: Example 1320 = politics320.941 = British politics320.973 = American politics
• Some books have been classified by a scheme that uses letters known as Bliss : Example 2YB = English LiteratureYD = English Literature in the 15th & 16th centuryYF = Shakespeare
• This Learning Object focuses on the number sequence also known as Dewey Decimal Classification and will provide a quick overview of this and how to find the books on the shelf.
What is Dewey Decimal• Dewey Decimal system is a hierarchical classification system used by libraries for organising items, from the
broadest to the most specific topics. It was created by Melville Dewey in 1876.
• The system is made up of 10 main classes or categories, each divided into 10 secondary classes or subcategories, etc.
• In Dewey, basic classes are organized by fields of study. At the broadest level, Dewey is divided into ten main classes:
000 - Computer Science, Information and general works100 - Philosophy and Psychology200 - Religion300 - Social Science400 - Languages500 - Science600 - Technology applied science700 - Arts and recreation800 - Literature (in-house rule applies to specific country literature)900 - History and Geography
How is it organised • When you move among the shelves looking for the shelfmark that you found on the
catalogue you will see that the books are arranged in numerical order and then alphabetically by the 3 letters at the end of the shelfmark.
• The letters that come after the numbers are also important, particularly when there are many books which have the same number. The three letters denotes the first three letters of the first named author's surname or if the book has been edited, the first three letters of the title of the book (excluding definite and indefinite articles).
• So always note down the full shelfmark given on the catalogue!
• For the purpose of this Learning Object when looking for books on the shelf read the shelfmark by looking at the first three digits and noting whether the digits are 100s, tens, or unit.
• The following screen shows the shelf pattern in the Library: across from left to right and from the top to bottom.
The shelf pattern is across (from left to right) and from top to bottom
Basic Example • When looking for books on the shelf read the shelfmark by looking at the first
three digits and noting whether it is 100s, tens, or a unit. Example One: 701 ACT and 700 BAC
• Having focused on the first three digits and put these in order (smaller to bigger number order) then look at the three letters and put that in alphabetical order.
• Thus the order on the shelf would be:700 BAC followed by 701 ACT {700 > 701}
701ACT
700BAC
700BAC
701ACT
700, no tens, 1 unit, ACT 700, no tens, no units, BAC
Your shelfmark – bigger or smaller• The shelfmarks are arranged on the shelves from smaller numbers (broad
and general) to bigger numbers (more specific) within the 10 main classes. Here is a collection of shelfmarks from the main classes mixed together.
• Look at the first 3 digits of each shelfmark (arrange them smaller to bigger). Then having done that, look at the next 3 digits of each shelfmark and (arrange them smaller to bigger) keeping them within the main classes (if letters – arrange alphabetically) and repeat with the next 3 digits and so on if necessary.
• Can you put them into the correct order – you have 20 seconds?
330.216AUB
287MCC
428.202407HIC
001.196
BAK/W
428.003 FOW
428DEW
428BAK
150GRO
150.1982
FRE
1 8 9765432
9
Your shelfmark – how did you do?
The Correct order is:
330.216AUB
287MCC
428.202407HIC
001.196
BAK/W
428.003 FOW
428DEW
428BAK
150GRO
150.1982
FRE
18 9 7 6 54 32
330.216AUB
287MCC
428.202407HIC
001.196
BAK/W
428.003 FOW
428DEW
428BAK
150GRO
150.1982
FRE
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Example 2
701.015BOA
700.001TAY
700.005PAC
A B C
First 3 digits Second 3 digits
Alphabetical order
Resulting order:Having put the first 3 digits in order the sequence would be: B, C, A or C, B, AThen within that having put the second 3 digits in order the sequence would be: B, C, AFollowing the alphabetical order of 3 letters the sequence is: B, C, A
First 3 digits Second 3 digits
Alphabetical order
Example 3
709.569941ACT
709.568941KWZ
711.570941ART
A B C
First 3 digits Second 3 digits
Alphabetical order
Resulting order:Having put the first 3 digits in order the sequence would be: A, B, C or B, A, CThen within that having put the second 3 digits in order the sequence would be: B, A, CThen within that having put the third 3 digits in order the sequence would be: B, A, CFollowing the alphabetical order of 3 letters the sequence is: B, A, C
First 3 digits Second 3 digits
Alphabetical order
Third 3 digits Third 3 digits
Learning outcome
You should now know or understand the following:-• Who created the Dewey Decimal classification
system.• The shelve pattern and how books are arranged
on the shelves.• How Dewey Decimal works and how to find the
shelfmark given on the Catalogue on the shelves.