The Library and the Dewey Decimal Classification System
The library is a place where you can find information aside from the ones readily available in your textbooks
and those that you can easily ask from elders and professionals. It can be a room, building or institution where
collection of books and other research materials are organized and stored for the use of both children and adult.
One of the famous ways to organize them is the Dewey Decimal Classification System (DDCS). It was
devised in 1986 by Melvil Dewey, an American Librarian, and has been used by 200, 000 libraries in at least 135
countries, including the Philippines.
The Dewey Decimal System organizes information in 10 broad areas, which are broken into smaller and
smaller topics. DDCS uses three-digit Arabic numerals for main classes, with decimals as expansions for more details.
A combination of the DDC number and the author number consist the so called call number.
Below is a list of Dewey Decimal classes:
000-009 – General works, Computer science and Information (Encyclopedia, magazines, newspapers, atlases)
100-199 – Philosophy and Psychology (Conduct of life)
200-299 – Religion (mythology, history of religion, the Bible)
300- 399 – Social Sciences (almanacs, politics, law, education, government, commerce, communication)
400- 499 – Language (word study, dictionaries, grammar)
500- 599 – Science (Pure Science) (astronomy, botany, biology, physics, chemistry, geology)
600- 699 – Technology (Applied Science) (medicine, engineering, agriculture, cooking, sewing, manufacturing)
700- 799 – Arts & Recreation (architecture, drawing, music, painting, sculpture, photography, amusement)
800-899 – literature (poetry, plays, essays, books of quotation)
900- 999 – History & Geography (biography, travel)
The Card Catalog
Card Catalog is an alphabetical file of subjects, authors and titles for material in the library. Each book has
three cards in the catalog --- an author, a title card, and a subject card which all contain similar information.
Here is a sample of subject card catalog:
400 LANGUAGE ARTS
S4
2010 English Communication Arts and Skills Through Filipino
Literature/Serrano, Josephine B./ Lapid, Milagros G, 6th
ed.
Phoenix Publishing House, Inc. c 2010, ---p. illus.
1. Language Textbook for First Year High School
GENERAL REFERENCES IN THE LIBRARY
There are actually various kinds of reference materials, including the following:
1. Dictionaries- give information about words. The main part of dictionary consists of pages listing from A to Z
vocabulary. Information about words include spelling, derivation, pronunciation, meaning, antonyms,
synonyms, examples of correct usage, history of the words, and other words derived from main word.
2. Thesaurus contains synonyms and antonyms of words. You use a thesaurus when you want to replace a
word that you already know or that you have already used several times in your writing.
3. Encyclopedias contain detailed articles on nearly every subject. Photos, illustration, maps, and diagrams are
also help the reader. The set usually comes in volumes of books, with each volume usually discussing topics
that begin with a specific letter or a group of letters.
4. Almanacs and yearbooks are published by year, and they list up-to-date facts, statistics, charts, and some
unusual information. You can refer to an almanac when you want to know the latest information on the
population of a particular country, when you need a listing, for example, of basketball coaches, or when you
want to compare things, such as the longest river or the highest mountain.
5. Atlases are a collection of detailed maps publishing as a book. In addition to geographical information,
atlases today will also give you social, economic, and historical information.
6. Biographical references give you information about the lives of well-known people. These books can come
in dictionary form.
THE GENRES OF VIEWING
1. Animated – these are the cartoons we see on TV.
2. Children – these shows are for children and are almost always educational. They can be animated or not.
3. Comedy – these shows are meant to entertain the viewers, through the use of jokes and pranks.
4. Drama – these shows are highly emotional, and the story always has a sad parts, like broken families,
betrayals, etc. however not all endings are sad. Usually, the protagonist prevails in the end.
5. Educational – these shows are highly informational and can be intended for children, teenagers, or adults. A
lot of these are in documentary format, with each episode focusing on a certain person or theme.
6. Fantasy – these shows use unrealistic characters and plots, usually including magic and supernatural
creatures. They can be animated or not, with a lot of visual effects.
7. Horror - these shows are intended to scare audiences, usually employing supernatural beings, like ghosts.
8. News - these shows are used to inform the public about the latest updates in the world, country, and
community.
9. Variety Show- these shows include games, song-and-dance performances, and other segments.
