How do I find a book on the library shelf?

About the Dewey system: Melvil Dewey divided all knowledge into 10 subject areas. Then he divided each of those areas into ten areas. It's easy to remember these numbers. The Dewey Decimal System.

Library books are arranged in sections to make them easier to find.

Non-fiction books:

Books about facts and subjects are "non-fiction" books. Many libraries use the Dewey Decimal System to organize non-fiction books on their shelves. This number system was invented by Melvil Dewey in 1876.

Each number, from 000 to 999, stands for a subject. These numbers keep all the books on a subject together on the library shelves.

Each non-fiction book has a Dewey Decimal number, known as a "call number". The call number is on the back of the book so that it can be seen on the shelf.

Dewey numbers are truly "numerical". This means that the Dewey number 500.19 comes before the number 500.9 on the library shelf!

Many books have the same call number because their subjects are the same. The author's name is then added. The books are shelved alphabetically by the authors' names.