Consider the effect of the Dewey Decimal System of classification upon libraries in the United States. Before Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey system of classification was adopted, libraries relied on such systems of classification as grouping books by size or color. Books were assigned to a fixed location in the library, which made adding new books quite difficult.
Melville Dewey, or Melvil Dui as he soon shortened his name, was born in 1851. Dewey was fascinated with classification and organization even as a child. When he was young, Dewey arranged his family's pantry to make it more efficient. This "father of modern librarianship" (Chapter 1: Introduction to the Dewey Decimal Classification) contributed "probably more than any other single person to the development of library science" (Encarta) in the United States.
In 1876, while working as an assistant in the library of Amherst College, Dewey published a pamphlet titled A Classification and Subject Index for Cataloging and Arranging the Books and Pamphlets of a Library. Dewey wanted to create a system of classification that was simple enough for even casual users to understand, but complex enough to meet libraries' expanding needs. His system of classification divided books into ten broad categories, which could be further subdivided in a hierarchical arrangement. In his system, books were arranged by subject in a location relative to other books of similar subjects. New books could be accommodated into this arrangement, because books were not assigned a fixed location, as was the case in previous attempts at classification.
That same year, Dewey encouraged all librarians to come together to form a professional organization. As a result, the American Library Association was formed. He was elected president of the ALA in 1890 and again in 1892.
In 1887, Dewey created the Columbia University School of Library Economy. This event established the discipline of library science in America.
A milestone in Dewey's career occurred in his appealing to Congressmen about the need to reorganize the Library of Congress. Dewey felt that the Library of Congress should be expanded to act as a true national library. He felt the Library of Congress should be a "center to which the libraries of the whole country could turn for inspiration, guidance, and practical help" (Cole).
Today, the Dewey Decimal Classification is in its 20th edition and is still used in many small public and school libraries. Dewey supervised the revisions of each new edition through the thirteenth until his death in 1931.
Other Interesting Dewey-esque Sites
Cyber Dewey--A Hotlist of Internet Sites Organized Using Dewey Decimal Classification codes
Library Bureau
Mr. Dui's Topic Finder
Let's Do Dewey!
Jefferson's Legacy
Introduction to the Dewey Decimal Classification
The Marginal Librarian
Material for this web page was collected from the following sources: