Synonyms
Dewey decimal classification
Definition
The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) System is a system primarily used in libraries to classify books. In general, the system claims to provide a set of categories for all human knowledge. The system consists of a hierarchy of classes. At the top level, there are ten main classes, that are divided into 100 divisions which are sub-divided into 1,000 sections. The system was conceived by Melvil Dewey in 1873 and published in 1876. DDC uses Arabic numerals to number the classes and explicates the semantics of a class and its relation to other classes.
Key Points
Since its first publication in 1876 by Melvil Dewey [2], the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) has been updated to accommodate changes to the body of human knowledge. The current version, DDC 22, was published in mid-2003 [3] (http://www.oclc.org/dewey/versions/ddc22print/). Currently, the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) (http://www.oclc.org) of Dublin Ohio owns the...
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Recommended Reading
Chan LM. Dewey decimal classification: a practical guide. Albany: Forest; 1994.
Dewey M. Dewey; decimal classification and relative index for libraries, clippings, notes. Boston: Library Bureau; 1891.
Mitchell JS. Summaries DDC 22: Dewey decimal classification. Dublin: OCLC; 2003.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Mitra, P. (2018). Dewey Decimal System. In: Liu, L., Özsu, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8265-9_877
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8265-9_877
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-8266-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-8265-9
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceReference Module Computer Science and Engineering