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Duke Libraries > Guide to Library Research | |
| Part 5: Searching for Information > Books | ||
See also the outline of the Dewey numbers.
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Dewey numbers divide humanity's knowledge, ideas, and artistic creations into ten major categories spanning a range from 000 to 999: |
| 000
Generalities
100 Philosophy & psychology 200 Religion 300 Social sciences 400 Language 500 Natural sciences &
math 600 Technology (Applied sciences) 700 The arts 800 Literature & rhetoric 900 Geography & history
520 Astronomy 521 Celestial mechanics 522 Techniques, equipment, etc. 523 Specific celestial
bodies 524 [Unassigned] 525 Earth (Astronomical geography) 526 Mathematical geography 527 Celestial navigation 528 Ephemerides 529 Chronology |
523.3 Moon 523.4 Planets 523.5 Meteors, solar wind, zodiacal light 523.6 Comets 523.7 Sun |
Take a look at the complete breakdown of Dewey.
Thus the Dewey Decimal System is a hierarchical
system,
in which the arrangement of books on the shelves
moves from the general to the specific.
| Some of the Duke Libraries use other classification systems. For example, the School of Law Library, Fuqua Business School Library, and the Medical Center Library use the Library of Congress Classification System; Public Documents and Maps use the Superintendent of Documents (SU Docs) Classification System and other systems. If you need help using one of these classification systems, ask at that library's reference desk. |
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Steve Cramer
Each sub-category is further divided into nine
specialized topics ranging from 1 to 9:
Each major category divides into nine
sub-categories spanning a range of 10 to 90. For example:
500 Natural science & mathematics
520 Astronomy & allied sciences
By adding decimals, the specialized
topics are broken down even further: