Summaries and Schedules

The Summaries found in the DDC are made up of three progressively detailed lists. The first summary was shown earlier in the course.  Click here to review it, if you wish.   This summary lists the ten main classes that Dewey divided all knowledge into. The second summary divides each of those classes into ten sections of knowledge within the main class. This results in one hundred divisions of knowledge. The third summary divides each of those one hundred divisions of knowledge into ten sections. This even more detailed breakdown of each division results in one thousand sections, each made up of a notation 3-digits long, dividing knowledge even further. Many times catalogers will refer to these summaries to help in finding a likely area for a given subject. These summaries can be helpful in showing how knowledge is broken down by Dewey’s design, but they should not be used instead of the schedules themselves when determining a notation for a library item. They can be a starting point, but in addition the schedules should always be consulted.

The Schedules arrange knowledge in numerical order from the first class of 000 through the 900 class. These make up the main section of the DDC and are used to determine the notation to be assigned to any library item. The schedules contain definitions, explanations, and directions for creating notations in the many scope notes there. These scope notes are often found following the listings that correspond to the breakdowns in the summaries. For example, scope notes addressing science generally will be found under the listing for 500 in the schedules. Notes addressing mathematics specifically will be found under the listing for 510, and notes specifically addressing notations for algebra will be found under 512. Many sections of the schedules also include a summary list, so that the user can go directly to the needed notation in that section.

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