In libraries all over the world non-fiction (factual) books are organised by the ‘Dewey Decimal System’ . This means that no matter if you walk into a library in Motherwell, Madrid or Mumbai, you will find all non-fiction books, for example books about “sharks”, under the same number grouping.
The Dewey Decimal System uses the following number groupings:
000 – General Subjects
(Libraries, Encyclopaedias, Museums, Newspapers, Journalism, Publishing)
100 – Philosophy
(Supernatural, Psychology, Ethics, Ancient and Modern Philosophy)
200 – Religion
(Theory of Religion, Bible, Christianity, Church History, Denominations and other World Religions)
300 – Social Sciences
(Politics and Government, Economics, Law, Public Administration, Social Problems and Services, Education, Trade, Customs and Folklore)
400 – Language
(English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, Latin, Greek, and Celtic/Indic/Arabix/Asian/African)
500 – Science
(Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Prehistoric Life/Fossils, Biology, Plants and Animals)
600 – Technology
(Medical Sciences, Engineering, Agriculture/Food Production, Home Economics/Family Living, Business and Management, Chemical Engineering/Biotechnology, Manufacturing and Building)
700 – The Arts
(Civic and Landscape Art, Architecture, Plastic Art/Sculpture, Drawing/Decorative Arts/Design, Painting, Graphic Art/Prints/Print Making, Photography, Music, and Sports/Hobbies/Performing Arts.
800 – Literature
(American, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, Latin, Greek and Celtic/Indic/Arabic/Asian/African)
900 – Geography/History/Biography
(Geography and Travel, Biography/Genealogy, Ancient History, History of Europe, History of Asia, History or Africa, History of North America, History of South America and History of Other Regions)
Please follow the below link to a short film which explains the Dewey Decimal System in fun, kid-friendly terms:
