How does the Dewey Decimal system work?
The Dewey Decimal System of Classification organizes the Lincoln Library’s book, video, DVD, and CD collections. Items are catalogued and classified first by topic and then secondly within a topic, and finally given a unique number. This enables you to find materials easily anywhere in the collection. For example, the book Equine Photographs and Drawings for Conformation and Anatomy is assigned call number 636.1 Eq57, which falls under the heading Applied Sciences/Agriculture. Additionally, you can browse that section of materials to find additional materials on the topic. Use the Library Catalog to search for a title, author, or subject. The call number will be given next to Location on the screen. Write down the call number (as in the above example: 636.1 Eq57), and go to the shelves for that item and similar items. For a breakdown of the system and its call number assignments, see this online Dewey Decimal chart.
