Library school is making me dorkier and dorkier. Last night I fell head over heels in love with the Dewey Decimal system.
Let me explain, and let me see if I can not talk you into being in love with it as well. You might want to skip this entry if dorkiness and a slight bit of technicality are not your thing.
Numbers have meaning in the Dewey Decimal System. Take, for example, Mesa County. The Dewey Decimal Number for Mesa County is 78817. It willl always be 78817. The number for College Basketball is 796.32363. If you were cataloging a book about college basketball in Mesa County, You would take the number for college basketball and add on the number for Mesa County. Therefore you end up with 796.3236378817
Super fun, yes?
Lets go on. Sticking with the Mesa County theme, because you all have already memorized that number (right?), lets say you are cataloging a directory of engineers in Mesa County. Engineers are found in the Dewey Decimal System under 620. A directory adds 025 on. Mesa County is 78817.
Here we get to a slightly tricky part. When you are taking two things that are different and mushing them together into one thing (eg. Engineers and Directories - definately different), you add a 0. Therefore, we end up with 620.002578817.
SO COOL, yes?
I'm enjoying this so much.
I could go on, but I have a feeling y'all don't want me too.
8 comments:
I will love the Dewey decimal system, for it is fun to say and helps me find what I need!
What's the number for poets?
;-)
alright, I don't love the dewey decimal system. But you obviously do, and if it keeps you entertained, I'm cool with that.
Tabitha - I'm pretty sure that poetry is 811, but for books about poets (and to verify poetry), I'll need to look it up. Unfortunately I don't own any of the four volumes of the Dewey Decimal System, so I have to wait to be at the library!
mb - it does keep me entertained!
There are FOUR VOLUMES of the Dewey Decimal System???....
Woah.
How about that Chronicle of Narnia, eh!? ... I know you loved them books...
or, we could just type "mesa county" & "Basketball" into the computer. I guess that would work too.
Captain Obvious - but what would you do if you were CATALOGING a book on Mesa County and Basketball?
Well then you'd have to know my valuable and helpful information!
Plus, that will only give you what you want if the subject cataloger is doing a good job
I didn't quite get it right as a kid. See, I grew up in a town named Dewey, so I thought it made sense that our card catalogue was organized by the Dewey decimal system. *laughs*
Hi btw, you have a fun blog. (I linked over from teachat.)
that does make sence! I had all sorts of misconceptions like that as a kid.
And welcome from teachat!
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