How to find information books in the library
Have you noticed that in the library, the information books all have a number on the book spine? That’s the number we use to find information books with.
Information isn’t just for homework! You might need information on how to improve your football skills, or maybe you want to know how to help improve your environment.
The basics
We group together the information books that cover the same subject – so each subject has its very own number. We then use that number to put the books in order.
This number gets called a class number, Dewey number, or subject number. Once you know the number, you’ll then know where to find the books you are looking for, e.g. Sports books are in the 700s.
Who decided those numbers?
Melvil Dewey – that’s who! He worked out a plan over a 100 years ago, and we still follow it today.
| Subject | Numbers |
|---|---|
| General Knowledge (encyclopaedias, etc) | 0 to 099 |
| Philosophy (why we are here, how we should live our lives) | 100 to 199 |
| Religion (what people believe) | 200 to 299 |
| Social Studies (how we organise, e.g. politics, education) | 300 to 399 |
| Languages (how people talk and communicate) | 400 to 499 |
| Science (the natural world, e.g. plants and animals) | 500 to 599 |
| Technology (the uses of science, e.g. cars) | 600 to 699 |
| Art, Hobbies and Sport | 700 to 799 |
| Literature (e.g. poems and plays) | 800 to 899 |
| Geography (places), Biography (people) and History (the past) | 900 to 999 |
What’s in a subject (number)?
Each subject breaks down into smaller subjects. Remember that books on sports are all in the 700s? That number is also home for arts and hobbies. So, we separate out the smaller subjects and give them their own number. Sports becomes 796. To get to a specific sport, we break it down even further, and football becomes....796.334
How to find the right information book
You have an excellent memory or, even easier…
Use a subject index or the library catalogue. In the Children’s Library we have a printed “Children’s Subject Index” or you can use an Information Point to type in the subject you’re after.
Once you’ve found the subject and number you need - go to the shelf and find the books that have that number on the book spine.
If you need help, please ask a member of staff.
