Dewey Decimal System Day 2023: On December 10, we celebrate Melvil Dewey and his creation of the library classification system that makes it easier to manage the book inventory in our libraries. With more than 1 billion annual visits to public libraries, it’s critical that we have an intuitive system in place to help us locate the precise location of the books we intend to read.
The Dewey Decimal System Day History
December 10, 1851, is Melvil Dewey’s birthday in New York. His renowned Dewey Decimal System, which primarily categorizes non-fiction library books and resources, bears his name. This date has been set aside each year as Dewey Decimal System Day in his honor.
In his twenty-first year, Dewey developed his own classified library resource system at Amherst College. More than 200,000 libraries across 135 countries use the Dewey Decimal System, first published in 1876. By the late 20th century, the system had been published in its twentieth edition.
We can search for resources by topic that is assigned to one of the ten classes using the system. General works (00-099), philosophy and psychology (100–199), religion (202-299), social sciences (301-399), language (404–499), natural sciences and mathematics (500–599), technology (600–699), the arts (701–799), literature and rhetoric (800–899), and history, biography, and geography (900–999) are the ten main groups.
Ten hierarchical divisions are created from each class, and these divisions are further divided into ten sections. The numerical classification of the Dewey system offers a convenient means of identification and location.
The constant repetition of a standard pattern—area arrangement, distinct numbers for specific languages—as well as the parallel subject developments and patterned repetition of standard subdivisions, like theory, history, geography, and so forth, make the notation easier to memorize.
It’s amazing to think that the Dewey Decimal System was first introduced more than a century ago. The need for order is still present because Americans check out seven items from their local libraries annually on average.
The exquisite card catalog cabinets that held index cards with the decimal classification listed have become outdated with the advent of digital technology. Remarkably, Dewey contributed to the creation of the index cards as well. In the year that he established the decimal system, Dewey established the Library Bureau, an organization that offered filing cabinets and index cards for sale.
Dewey Decimal System Day Celebrations
Go to the library in your community.
Check out the Dewey Decimal System at your neighborhood library. When assisting customers with book searches, ask a librarian about the effectiveness of the system and the volume of inquiries they receive regarding it on a daily basis.
Engage in the Dewey Decimal Task
Each of the ten Dewey Decimal categories should have one book read. This resembles a book club on an epic level! Encourage your friends or members of your book club to read the same.
Make reservations at the Library Hotel.
The Library Hotel is a boutique hotel with a Dewey Decimal System theme located in Midtown Manhattan, New York. There are between 50 and 150 books in each of the hotel’s ten guest floors, which correspond to one of the Dewey Decimal categories. The total number of books in the hotel is over 6,000. It is possible to request a specific category for your stay.
5 Outstanding Global Library Facts
The Ancient Library
Since 1732, Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland’s Long Room of the Old Library, one of the most exquisite libraries on earth, has been a functioning library.
collection of fragrances
The Osmotheque in Versailles, France is a library of perfumes with over 3,000 scents in place of old, musty-smelling books.
The Apostolic Archives of the Vatican
Pope Paul V established the Vatican Secret (now Apostolic) Archive in 1612 to house the private papal collection of records and correspondence, including account books and records.
Enchanting books
In 2003, Manhattan’s Conjuring Arts Research Center opened its doors to magic, tricks, and related subjects.
Bats coming to the rescue.
The Rococo Library in Portugal is home to a colony of bats that devour bugs that damage books during the night.
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Why we adore this day?
We adore being well organized.
Even people who have trouble alphabetizing would find it difficult to navigate a library without the aid of Dewey’s classification system. Of course, the OCD community is grateful to Dewey for helping us with our obsession with precision and order. Who doesn’t enjoy adding a little structure to disarray?
We adore an enjoyable treasure hunt.
If you don’t just want to order, maybe you enjoy the excitement of the hunt! If you want to keep kids or adults occupied for the day, have them pretend to be treasure hunters and see who can locate the books you need the quickest!
We adore regularity.
The Dewey Decimal System, in use in more than 135 nations, has improved library consistency worldwide. In all societies, it uses an Arabic number system.
DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | December 10 | Sunday |
| 2024 | December 10 | Tuesday |
| 2025 | December 10 | Wednesday |
| 2026 | December 10 | Thursday |
| 2027 | December 10 | Friday |
