Dewey Decimal Classification System
When you find the name of a book in the library
catalog, your next step is to locate the book in the library. Every book has a
call number to help you locate it on the shelves. Be sure to write down the call
number of the particular book you want.
The Chester High School Library uses the Dewey
Decimal Classification System. There are ten major divisions in the Dewey
system. Each division is broken down into ten categories, and decimals are used
within each category. (Example: The call number for Astronauts by Joanne Mattern
is 629.45 Mat. The number 600 tells us it is in the technology division; the 29
tells us it is in the engineering & allied operations category; and the Mat
represents the first three letters of the author's name.)
The following chart explains the ten major divisions and each major
category within those divisions.
000 Generalities
010 Bibliography
020 Library and information sciences
030 General encyclopedic works
040 Unassigned
050 General serials and their indexes
060 General organizations and museology
070 News media, journalism, publishing
080 General collections
090 Manuscripts and rare books
100 Philosophy and Psychology
110 Metaphysics
120 Epistemology, causation, humankind
130 Paranormal phenomena
140 Specific philosophical schools
150 Psychology
160 Logic
170 Ethics (moral philosophy)
180 Ancient, medieval, Oriental philosophy
190 Modern Western philosophy
200 Religion
210 Natural theology
220 Bible
230 Christian theology
240 Christian moral and devotional theology
250 Christian orders and local church
260 Christian social theology
270 Christian church history
280 Christian denominations and sects
290 Other and comparative religions
300 Social Sciences
300 Sociology and anthropology
310 General statistics
320 Political science
330 Economics
340 Law
350 Public administration
360 Social services; associations
370 Education
380 Commerce, communications, transport
390 Customs, etiquette, folklore
400 Language
410 Linguistics
420 English and Old English
430 Germanic languages, German
440 romance languages, French
450 Italian, Romanian languages
460 Spanish and Portuguese languages
470 Italic languages, Latin
480 Hellenic languages, Classical Greek
490 Other languages
500 Natural Sciences and Mathematics
510 Mathematics
520 Astronomy and allied sciences
530 Physics
540 Chemistry and allied sciences
550 Earth sciences
560 Paleontology, paleozoology
570 Life sciences
580 botanical sciences
590 Zoological sciences
600 Technology (Applied Sciences)
600 General technology
610 Medical sciences and medicine
620 Engineering and allied operations
630 Agriculture
640 Home economics and family living
650 Management and auxiliary services
660 Chemical engineering
670 Manufacturing
680 Manufacture for specific users
690 Buildings
700 The Arts
710 Civic and landscape art
720 Architecture
730 Plastic arts, sculpture
740 Drawing and decorative arts
750 Painting and paintings (museums)
760 Graphic arts, printmaking and prints, postage
770 Photography and photographs
780 Music
790 Recreational and performing arts
800 Literature and Rhetoric
810 American literature
820 English and Old English literatures
830 Literatures of Germanic languages
840 Literatures of Romance languages
850 Italian, Romanian literatures
860 Spanish and Portuguese literatures
870 Italic literatures, Latin
880 Hellenic literatures, Classical Greek
890 Literatures of other languages
900 Geography and History
900 World History
910 Geography and travel
920 Biography, genealogy, insignia
930 History of the ancient world
940 General history of Europe
950 General history of Asia, Far East
960 General history of Africa
970 General history of North America
980 General history of South America
990 General history of other areas