Dewey Decimal System Day

Dewey Decimal System Day is celebrated on December 10th in the United States. The holiday is unique: it is dedicated to the most popular librarian in the world, who invented the decimal classification. He had a rich and interesting life! When, if not today, to learn a little more about her?

History

Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey was born in New York State in 1851. The boy had a sharp mind and easily mastered various sciences, but mathematics became the meaning of his life. After leaving school at the age of 15, he taught in elementary grades. In 1870 he entered college and became a librarian. One day, wandering among the shelves with books, he came up with a brilliant idea to classify the fund – he told the members of the library council about it and received support.

Decimal System published to the general public in 1876. Its principle is to distinguish ten different classifications, which in turn are also divided into 10 departments. It’s amazing that no one in the world managed to come up with it before Dewey – because it’s simple and logical! Today it is used in the largest libraries in the world.

Interesting facts

It is noteworthy that:

• even after receiving a master’s degree in mathematics, Melville remained in the position of librarian;
• many consider him the founding father of the library profession, because his approach to business was extremely professional. In 1887 he opened the first school where he taught his favorite activity;
• Dewey chose a wife to match – the girl was the responsible librarian at Amhert College.

How to celebrate

Head to the nearest library and see how book storage is organized. Talk to employees, find out what they think about the system. Share information about the holiday with others – as practice shows, not everyone knows about it.

When is Dewey Decimal System Day celebrated in 2022?

Dewey Decimal System Day is observed on December 10 each year.

Observations