Quick overview of the meaning of Dewey Decimal call numbers and how to use them to find journals at Briggs Library.

1. So You Need to Find a Journal @
Briggs Library:
Understanding the Dewey Decimal System

2. Journals @ Briggs Library
• Journals are organized according to the
Dewey Decimal Classification system.
• Dewey Decimal call numbers are different
from Library of Congress call numbers.
– Ex.

3. First Line of the Call Number
• Indicates where this journal fits into the Dewey
Decimal Classification system’s classes and
subclasses.
• Assigned based on subject.
Ex. 500’s – Science
540’s – Chemistry
546’s – Inorganic
Chemistry

4. Main Classes of Dewey Decimal
000 Computer science, information & general works
100 Philosophy & psychology
200 Religion
300 Social sciences
400 Language
500 Science
600 Technology
700 Arts & recreation
800 Literature
900 History & geography
Online Computer Library Center. Introduction to the Dewey
Decimal Classification [PDF document]. Retrieved from
http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/oclc/dewey/versions/
print/intro.pdf

5. First Line of the Call Number
• Indicates where this journal fits into the Dewey
Decimal Classification system’s classes and
subclasses.
• Assigned based on subject.
Ex. 500’s – Science
540’s – Chemistry
546’s – Inorganic
Chemistry

6. More About the First Line of the
Call Number
• Each of the Main Classes in Dewey Decimal
has multiple subclasses, as seen in the
previous example.
• Journals are arranged numerically by the first
line of the call number.
– Ex. 546 comes before 546.05
546.05 comes before 547

7. Second Line of the Call Number
• Assigned based on the journal’s title.
– Ex. 546’s – Inorganic Chemistry
Russian Journal of
Inorganic Chemistry

8. More About the Second Line of the
Call Number
• Result  Journals with the same first line are
arranged alphabetically.
– Ex. Ad952 – Advances in Inorganic Chemistry
In71– Inorganica Chemica Acta
R92 – Russian Journal of Inorganic Chemistry

9. More About the Second Line of the
Call Number
• Journals with the same first line are organized
by the second line.
1. Alphabetically by letter(s)
2. By the remaining numbers
– Ex. Advances in Inorganic Chemistry (546.05 Ad952) comes
before Inorganica Chemica Acta (546.05 In71).
Both come before the Russian Journal of Inorganic
Chemistry (546.05 R92).

10. More About the Second Line of the
Call Number
• Result  Journals with the same first line are
arrange alphabetically.
– Ex. Ad952 – Advances in Inorganic Chemistry
In71– Inorganica Chemica Acta
R92 – Russian Journal of Inorganic Chemistry

11. Finding a Journal
1. Find the number from the first line of the call
number.
2. Locate the letter(s) in the second line
alphabetically.
3. Look for the numbers in the second line.
Each step helps you narrow in on that particular
journal.

12. Finding a Specific Article in a Journal
• What you need
– Journal’s call number.
– Volume/Year the article was published.
– Issue in which the article was published.
– Page numbers for the article.
• All volumes of a journal will have the same call
number.
• Once you find the journal, locate the correct
volume/year, issue, and pages.

13. Finding a Specific Article in a Journal
• Volume and Year are normally found above the
call number.
Call Number
Year
Volume

14. Finding a Specific Article in a Journal
• Volume and Year are normally found above the
call number, but may also appear below it.

15. Questions? Ask a Librarian!
http://sdstate.edu/hilton-m-briggs-library/ask-briggs