One of the most well-known names in library science is Melvil Dewey, the founder of the Dewey Decimal Classification System. This organizational system categorizes books by subject with a three-digit number, with decimals to indicate more detail. The Dewey system of classification has become standard practice for many libraries since its inception in 1876. However, the flawed character of Melvil Dewey presents ongoing problems for this system. As a known racist, misogynist, homophobe, and antisemite, Melvil Dewey’s belief system has bled into the library classification system that he created, and the effects are still visible today.
Racism: Discrepancy Between White and Non-white Politics
Originally, any content written by a Black author was filed under 326: “colonization." In the 1930s, librarian, Dorothy Porter, helped implement changes that would make black authors more accessible to library patrons. However, racism is still present in the system. While political books that focus on white men are filed in the 900s under “history," political books focusing on Black people are filed in the 300s under “social sciences." Politics relating to indigenous, immigrant, or women’s rights are also still not filed under “history” today.
Religion: The Christian Bias
In the Dewey Decimal System, the 200s are designated for all religions. However, 200-289 focus on subjects specific to Christianity. Only 290-300 is reserved for every other world religion. The diverse topics of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism are all crowded into 294. The 299.6 subdivision covers “religions originating among Black Africans and people of Black African descent," further pushing Black and African culture into smaller and smaller boxes.
Different Classifications of LGBTQ+ Content
Content related to LGBTQ+ topics was added to the Dewey Decimal Classification System in 1932, under 132: “mental derangements” and 159.9: “abnormal psychology." In 1989, this content was re-homed to 363.49: “social problems.” Currently, LBBTQ+ content is filed under 306.7: “sexual orientation.” Notably, LBBTQ+ content is still not filed under a 305 number which would indicate “types of people.”
Moving Forward
The need to reexamine Melvil Dewey’s legacy and classification system has become more and more urgent. Recently, the American Library Association stripped Melvil Dewey's name from their top honor, The Melvil Dewey Award, citing his problematic legacy. How will libraries continue to reinvent the Dewey Decimal System? On a logistical note, the Dewey Decimal System’s reliance on numbers can feel challenging and foreign to librarians who are used to seeing the world through words. A system referred to as Dewey-lite does away with the numbers and decimals entirely and categorizes them based on subject and author. This system is more user-friendly and makes content more accessible for all.
To learn more about the history and technical aspects of the Dewey Decimal System, order The Theory and Practice of the Dewey Decimal Classification System here.
To read more about the creator, Melvil Dewey, order the book The Efficient, Inventive (Often Annoying) Melvil Dewey here.