A Handbook of History, Theory and Practice of the Dewey Decimal Classification System

The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), used in 200,000 libraries across 140 countries, has entered a new age, primarily maintained today as a continuously revised electronic system rather than an occasionally updated set of print volumes. Its editors have added newly emerging topics and made it an increasingly faceted, semantically rich, modern system. Simultaneously, the editorial process has become democratised and more responsive to global needs.

A Handbook of History, Theory and Practice of the Dewey Decimal Classification System is a comprehensive, practical guide to today's DDC. Coverage includes:
- a brief history of the system, its editors, and its development
- specialized examinations of specific parts of the classification
- extensive guidance on number building, with many examples
- a WebDewey-specific chapter, covering the system's benefits and features
- concise summaries of primary takeaways, a glossary, and extensive bibliography.

This book will be an indispensable guide to 21st-century DDC, an essential companion for DDC classifiers, and accessible for students and continuing learners as well.

Chapter 1. A Brief History of the Dewey Decimal Classification
Chapter 2. Governance and Revision of the DDC
Chapter 3. Introduction to the Text
Chapter 4. Basic Plan and Structure
Chapter 5. Subject Analysis and Locating Class Numbers
Chapter 6. Tables and Rules for Precedence and Citation Order
Chapter 7. Number Building
Chapter 8. Use of Table 1 Standard Subdivisions
Chapter 9. Use of Table 2 Geographic Areas, Historical Periods, Biography
Chapter 10. Use of Table 4 Subdivisions of Individual Languages, and Table 6 Languages
Chapter 11. Use of Table 3 Subdivisions for the Arts, for Individual Literatures, for Specific Literary Forms
Chapter 12. Use of Table 5 Ethnic and National Groups
Chapter 13. Multiple Synthesis: Deeper Subject Analysis
Chapter 14. Classification of General Statistics, Law, Geology, Geography, and History
Chapter 15. Using the Relative Index
Chapter 16. WebDewey
Chapter 17. Options and Local Adaptations
Chapter 18. Current Developments in the DDC and Future Trends

Appendix 1 A Broad Chronology of the DDC, 18511-–2022
Appendix 2 History of Other Versions of the DDC
Appendix 3 Table of DDC Editors
Appendix 4 Editors of the DDC
Appendix 5 Takeaways

Further resources