Dewey 000 - 400 Numbers

Bailey, S. (2010). Wordle 300 Our Society.pdf. Retrieved from

http://lmnet.wikispaces.com/Dewey+Decimal+System

We've learned a simple way to remember the 10 Main Dewey Classes, but they also have other titles. The first five could be called

000 General Stuff (or Generalities)
100 Feeling, Thinking, Believing
200 Religion
300 Our Society
400 Languages

You can see how these are just bigger words that mean the same things.

Some favorite topics in the 000-400 classes are

001.9 UFOs
004 Computer Science
031 Books of World Records
133.1 Ghosts
158.1 Chicken Soup for the Soul
292 Greek & Roman Mythology
333 Environment
394.26 Holidays
395 Manners
398 Fairy Tales
419 Sign Language


The 000 class was Dewey's room-to-grow category for things that didn't fit anywhere else, including mysteries and books that contain information from a variety of the major classes. Mr. Dewey lived before the age of computers and these have been added to the 000 class.

Encyclopedias and similar general works would be classified as 030. Many libraries, including ours at Southern Elementary School, keep encyclopedias in a special section marked Reference. Dictionaries, which would be numbered 423, are in the Reference section as well. Atlases (maps) are also kept there. Consult the Reference section when you need answers to a specific question or assistance in beginning to research a topic.


Fiction vs. Nonfiction

Do you know the difference between books that are fiction and nonfiction?
Nonfiction books are about real people, things, events and places and they are true.
Fiction books are made up by the author and are not true.

To put it simply:
Fiction books are not true
Nonfiction books are true

Books with Dewey numbers are generally considered to be nonfiction but the Dewey Decimal System does contain books that are fictional. For example, fairy tales in 398, theater plays in 792, and literature in the 800's were all made up by authors and would not be considered true. These are the major examples. There is a Dewey number (813) for fiction books but most libraries, including ours, put fiction books in a separate section. We'll discuss that section later.


Your assignment is to choose a book and post a comment about it, stating its call number, title, author and whether it is a fiction or nonfiction book. Do not choose a book someone has already commented on.

Example post:
398.2 Classic Fairy Tales by Scott Gustafson
GUS
This is a fiction book.