1. Introduction
Who is the audience?
• Grade Levels 3-5
• Library Classes
• This will serve as an introduction to the Dewey Decimal System
Objectives
• The learner will be able to understand the Dewey Decimal
System and how it applies to a library.
• The learner will be able to identify the various genres of books
and will be able to define them
• The learner will be able to understand how to organize and find
specific books located in a library
• The learner will be able to classify books by genre
• Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations

2. Understanding Our
School’s Library
(Click on a Picture Below to Find Out More)
Genres Dewey Decimal System Classification of
Books

3. What is This Dewey Decimal
System That You Speak Of?
• Melvil Dewey created the Dewey Decimal System in 1876
to help us find books in our library.
• The Dewey Decimal Classification System is a system that
classifies or categorizes nonfiction books into ten main
categories. These parts are divided into ten genres and
the use of decimals allows for additional categories.
• A book is assigned a Dewey number based on its subject or
genre.
• In most libraries the Dewey number and the first three
letters of the author's last name become the book's call
number. Nonfiction books are arranged numerically on the
shelves according to Dewey Decimal System, ranging from
001 to 999.
Next

4. Categories of the
Dewey Decimal System
Over the next 10 slides, we will take a look at
the 10 categories of the Dewey Decimal
System and what books you can find within
each category. Are you ready for some Dewey
Fun?
Pay close attention because you will have a fun
quiz to take at the end .
Next

5. 000’s Section–
General Subjects
• 000 Computers, Loch Ness, Bigfoot,
UFOs, Aliens
• 020 Libraries
• 030 Encyclopedias & World Record
Books
• 060 Museums
• 070 Newspapers
Next

6. 100’s Section-
PHILOSOPHY
• 130 Ghosts, Witches &
the Supernatural
• 150 Optical Illusions, Feelings
• 170 Emotions, Values, Animal
Rights
Next

7. 200’s Section-
RELIGION
• 220 Bible Stories
• 290 Mythology, World Religions
Next

8. 300’s Section-
SOCIAL SCIENCES
• 300 Social Issues - immigration, racism,
World Cultures
• 310 Almanacs
• 320 Government
• 330 Money, Working
• 340 Court System, Famous Trials
• 350 Armed Forces – Army, Navy, Air Force, etc.
• 360 Drugs, Environmental Issues, Titanic, Police,
Firefighters
• 370 Schools
• 380 Transportation
• 390 Holidays, Folktales, Fairy Tales
Next

9. 400’s Section-
LANGUAGES
• 410 Sign Language
• 420 Dictionaries, Grammar
• 430 German Language
• 440 French Language
• 450 Italian Language
• 460 Spanish Language
• 490 Hieroglyphics, Japanese
Language
Next

10. 500’s Section-
SCIENCE AND MATH
(This is a long section )
• 500 Science Experiments, Science Sets,
• 510 Mathematics
• 520 Stars, planets, astronomy, space
• 530 Physical Science - force & motion, electricity,
magnetism, light
• 540 Chemistry, Atoms & Molecules, Rocks and Minerals
• 550 Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Weather, Hurricanes, Tornadoes
• 560 Dinosaurs, Prehistoric Animals, Fossils
• 570 Forests, Rain Forests, Deserts, Mountains, Oceans, Evolution
• 580 Plants, Flowers & Trees
• 590 Animals & Insects
• 592 Worms, Invertebrates
• 593 Corals, Sea Invertebrates
• 594 Seashells, Snails, Octopus
• 595 Insects, Spiders
• 597 Fish, Frogs, Toads, Reptiles, Amphibians, Snakes
• 598 Birds Next
• 599 Mammals of the Land and Ocean, Whales

11. 600’s Section-
PEOPLE USING SCIENCE and
TECHNOLOGY
• 600 Inventions
• 610 Human body, Health
• 620 Rockets, Trains, Cars, Trucks
• 630 Farming, Farm Animals, Cats,
Dogs, Pets, Horses
• 640 Cookbooks, Sewing
• 650 Secret Codes
• 660 How Food is made
• 670 Paper Making
• 680 Woodworking
• 690 Building
Next

12. 700’s Section-
ARTS and RECREATION
• 710 Art Appreciation, History of Art
• 720 Houses, Buildings
• 730 Origami, Paper Crafts
• 740 Drawing, Crafts,
• 750 Painting
• 760 Printing
• 770 Photography
• 780 Music
• 790 Sports, Games, Magic, I Spy,
Camping, Fishing, Racing, Hunting
Next

13. 800’s Section-
LITERATURE
• 810 Poetry, Plays, Jokes & Riddles
• 820 Shakespeare
• 860 Poetry in Spanish
• 890 Japanese Poetry, Haiku
Next

14. 900’s Section-
GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY
• 910 Explorers, Atlases
• 920 Flags, People (Biography)
• 930 Archeology, Ancient Civilizations
• 940 Knights, Castles, World Wars,
European Countries
• 950 Asian & Middle Eastern Countries
• 960 African Countries
• 970 North & Central American Countries,
Native American Tribes, American History,
States
• 980 South American Countries
• 990 Pacific Islands, Australia, Hawaii, Arctic,
Antarctica
Quiz
Next

15. Classifying Books
in the Library
• In our library books are classified (or
arranged) on the shelves in the library
by the books call numbers.
• The call number is a group of numbers
and/or letters put together to tell you
where you can find a specific book in
the library.
Next

16. Call Numbers
• Call numbers can be found at the
bottom of the book on the book’s spine.
This will help you to find your books
quicker. Once you've looked up your call
number using OPAC, it's time to go find
your book! Hi! I am the
spine of a book.
My call number
is here.
479.2
Quiz CAL
Next

17. Nonfiction Books
Nonfiction books are arranged in the
library using the Dewey Decimal
System. A Dewey number always has 3
numbers to the left of the decimal. To
the right, there is no limit on the
amount of numbers. The more numbers
to the right of the decimal, the more
specific a subject is going to be.
Quiz
Next

18. Fiction Books
Fiction books are organized using call
numbers that are actually letters. They
are organized in ABC order by the first
2-3 letters of the author’s last name.
For Example, you would find a book
written by R.L. Stine in the S section
under the letters Sti.
Quiz
Next

19. Funky Fiction
There are actually 2 fiction sections in
our library. The Easy Reader Section
and the Fiction Section.
• The Easy Reader Section is made up
of fictional picture books (and no,
not all of them are easy to read).
• The Fiction Section is made up of
fictional chapter books.
Quiz
Next

20. • In the Easy Reader Section the call
numbers (which are the first 2-3
letters of the authors last name) will
have a capital “E” above the book’s call
number. The “E” stands for…
• Like This
E
Quiz SEU
Next

21. • In the Fiction Section the call numbers
(which are the first 2-3 letters of the
authors last name) will have a capital “F”
above the book’s call number. The “F”
stands for…
• Like This
F
Quiz Sti
Next

22. Biographies
A biography’s call numbers are a little bit
different. Sometimes you can find
biographies located in the 920’s section OR
(like our library) we have our own
biography section. Tell me
more…
Quiz
Next

23. What is a Biography???
• A biography is a factual book about
someone’s life. Usually the person
the book is written about is
someone famous.
Quiz
Next

24. • Biographies are arranged in the library
by the first 2-3 letters of the person
who the book is about’s last name. On
top of these call numbers you will find
a letter “B” for…
• Like this
B
Par
Quiz
Next

25. You can find every book in the
library the exact same way on the shelf.
They are all in order, by their
call numbers the same way on the
bookshelf as we read a book.
Confused? All books are in order
from the top shelf to the bottom shelf,
moving left to right.
Next
Quiz

26. Fiction vs. Nonfiction
• Fiction books and stories are made up by
the author and are not true. Again, these
books can be found in the Easy Reader or
Fiction section of our library in ABC order
by the author’s last name.
• Nonfiction books are books that are about
real people, things events or places. These
books can be found in our library using the
Dewey Decimal System.
Quiz
Next

27. OPAC
• At our school, we have a computer
program that will help you to locate
books in our library. This system is
called OPAC.
• OPAC stands for online public access
catalog.
• Click on the computer above to access
OPAC.
Quiz
Next

28. OPAC
You can use OPAC to search for books in our library by the book’s author,
Key words about the book, the books title, subject, series, call number or
category.
Quiz
Next

29. Try It!
• Click on the computer below and try
searching for a book by Barbara Park.
You will need to type in the authors
name like this; Park, Barbara.
• Make sure you click author after you
type in the author’s name .
Next

30. Try It!
• Look to the left, how many books
written by this author do we have in our
library?
a. 64
b. 2
c. 28
d. 14
Next

31. Click on the Author’s Name
• What are the call numbers of MOST of
the books by this author?
a. F Par
b. 579.21
c. E Par
d. What’s a call number?
Next

32. • What book series does this author
write?
a. Goosebumps
b. Junie B. Jones
c. My Weird School
d. Michigan Chillers
Next

33. Click on Is Not a Crook
• How many copies of this book do we own
in our library?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
Next

34. • Does our school have an Accelerated
Reader Test on this book?
a. Yes 
b. No 
Next

35. You Got It!!!
Back To Question

36. You Got It!!!
Back To Question

37. You Got It!!!
Back To Question

38. Sorry, Try
Again!
Back To Question

39. Sorry, Try
Again!
Back To Question

40. Sorry, Try
Again!
Back To Question

41. Are You Ready To
Test What You’ve
Learned???
HERE WE GO…
Next

42. Quiz
How many categories are in the Dewey
Decimal System?
a. 7
b. 10
c. 12
d. 15
Next

43. What Sections of the Library
Can You Find Fiction Books In?
a. The Dewey Decimal Section and The
Fiction Section
b. The Easy Reader Section and The
Fiction Section
c. The Non-Fiction and Fiction Section
Next

44. What Books Are Arranged in Our
Library Using the Dewey Decimal
System?
a. Fiction
b. Biographies
c. Non-Fiction
d. Both b and c
Next

45. What Does
OPAC Stand For?
a. Online Public Access Catalog
b. Online Public Agreement Cites
c. Online Processing And Citing
d. Online People Across the Country
Next

46. What Section in Our Library
Would I Look For
Cookbook?
a. 400’s
b. 500’s
c. 600’s
d. 700’s
Next

47. You Did It!!!
Let’s Do the Dewey Dance to
Celebrate!!!