Dewey 500-600 Numbers

Bailey, S. (2010). Wordle 500 Science & Math Template.pdf. Retrieved
from http://lmnet.wikispaces.com/Dewey+Decimal+System

The Dewey classes 500 and 600 both contain science and that can be confusing. But remember that the 500 numbers are about what we call natural science and the 600 numbers are about applied science. The 500's contain things as they are found in nature, unchanged by humans. The 600's show inventions and technology and how man uses nature.

Look at the following popular topics and see if you can tell the difference.

523 Stars and Planets
551 Weather
567 Dinosaurs
582 Plants
595 Insects
595.44 Spiders
597.3 Sharks
598 Birds
599.8 Monkeys
629 Airplanes
629.28 Cars
629.4 Space Flight
636 Domestic Animals
641.5 Cookbooks

Here's an example, horses are found in both the 500 and 600 numbers. Wild horses are 599.665 and horses for riding are 636.1.


More about Call Numbers

Have you ever wondered why some call numbers are longer than others? The reason is that, the more numbers you add, the more specific the topic gets.

If you were doing a report on dogs, you would first look in the 600s, Applied Science. But there are hundreds of books in 600, so you need to narrow your search. You can add a 3, making 630, to get to Agriculture, but there are still too many books there to look through. Add a 6, making 636, to get to Domesticated Animals (animals that are tamed, not wild). But you need to narrow your search even further.

All Call Numbers have three numbers to the left of the decimal point, so to narrow your search further you need to add a number to the right of the decimal. Add a 7 to get 636.7 which is the topic number for dogs.

You could quit there since your report is on dogs, but you could also get even more specific. Add a 5, making 636.75 to get Sporting Dogs, Hounds and Terriers. If you wanted to find dachshunds, you would add a 3 to make your number 636.753 and that is the number for dachshunds.

Most elementary school libraries limit their numbers to two beyond the decimal point. Our library at Southern Elementary has two major exceptions, holidays in 394 and wild mammals in 599.

Don't worry about memorizing all these specific numbers, use the search computer in the library to find the numbers you need and then look for the books on the shelf, first finding the major class number section, then "reading" the shelves, from left to right and top to bottom.



Your assignment is to find a book in the 500 or 600 sections of the library with two (or more) numbers to the right of the decimal point. Post a comment listing the call number, title, author and whether the book is natural or applied science. Do not comment on the same book someone else has used.

Example Comment:
599.665 Wild Horses I Have Known, by Hope Ryden
RYD
This is a natural science book.