The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), or Dewey Decimal System, is a proprietary library classification system created by Melvil Dewey in 1876. It has been revised and expanded through 23 major editions, the latest issued in 2011. Dewey was responsible for all revisions until his death in 1931. A designation number, such as Dewey 16 for the 16th edition, is given for each revision.
A library assigns a DDC number that unambiguously locates a particular volume to within a short length of shelving which makes it easy to find any particular book and return it to its proper place on the library shelves. The system is used in 200,000 libraries in at least 135 countries.
Read more about Dewey Decimal Classification: Design, Administration and Publication, Influence, Comparison With Library of Congress Classification
Famous quotes containing the words dewey and/or decimal:
“It is part of the educator’s responsibility to see equally to two things: First, that the problem grows out of the conditions of the experience being had in the present, and that it is within the range of the capacity of students; and, secondly, that it is such that it arouses in the learner an active quest for information and for production of new ideas. The new facts and new ideas thus obtained become the ground for further experiences in which new problems are presented.”
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