Melvil Dewey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Melvil Dewey
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| President of the American Library Association | |
| In office May 1892 – 1893 |
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| Preceded by | William Isaac Fletcher |
| Succeeded by | Josephus Nelson Larned |
| In office 1890 – July 1891 |
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| Preceded by | Frederick Morgan Crunden |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Swett Green |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey
December 10, 1851 Adams Center, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 26, 1931 (aged 80) Lake Placid, Florida, U.S. |
| Spouses |
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| Children | Godfrey Dewey |
| Alma mater | Amherst College (AB, MA) |
| Occupation |
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| Known for | Dewey Decimal Classification |
| Signature |  |
Melville Louis Kossuth "Melvil" Dewey (born December 10, 1851 – died December 26, 1931) was an important American librarian and educator. He invented the Dewey Decimal System, which helps organize books in libraries. He also helped start the Lake Placid Club and was a main librarian at Columbia University. Melvil Dewey was a founding member of the American Library Association.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Melvil Dewey was born on December 10, 1851, in Adams Center, New York. He was the youngest of five children. From a young age, he wanted to improve how people learned.
He went to Alfred University for a short time in 1870. Then, he attended Amherst College, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1874 and a master's degree in 1877.
While still a student, he started the Library Bureau. This company sold good quality index cards and filing cabinets. It also set the standard size for library catalog cards.
As a young man, he believed in changing how words were spelled. He even changed his own name from "Melville" to "Melvil" to make it shorter. For a while, he even spelled his last name "Dui."
Career in Libraries
From 1883 to 1888, Melvil Dewey was the chief librarian at Columbia University Libraries. Later, as the director of the New York State Library (1888–1906), he started a program called "traveling libraries." These libraries sent collections of books to different communities.
From 1888 to 1900, he also worked as a secretary for the University of the State of New York.
Dewey married twice. First, to Annie R. Godfrey, and later to Emily McKay Beal. He had one child, Godfrey Dewey, with his first wife. In 1951, Melvil Dewey was honored by being added to the American Library Association's Hall of Fame.
He passed away from a stroke in Lake Placid, Florida.
Key Contributions
Melvil Dewey was a leader in American librarianship. He greatly influenced how libraries grew in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He is most famous for the Dewey Decimal System. This system uses numbers to organize books, and many public and school libraries still use it today.
He also had the idea that a state library should manage all the school and public library services in that state. In Boston, he started the Library Bureau. This company aimed to provide libraries with reliable equipment and supplies.
Dewey's Library Bureau also introduced hanging vertical files. These were first shown at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. In 1905, Dewey created the American Library Institute. This group focused on studying and discussing new ideas in library work.
Dewey Decimal Classification
Right after college, Dewey was hired to manage Amherst's library. His job was to reclassify all its books. He created a new system that used decimal numbers. This system was based on a way of organizing knowledge first thought of by Sir Francis Bacon.
Dewey got the idea for using a decimal system from other library systems. He mentioned an Italian publisher named Natale Battezzati as a big source of his ideas.
Dewey copyrighted his system in 1876. It became very popular. While some American libraries now use the Library of Congress Classification, Dewey's system is still widely used around the world.
American Library Association
In 1876, Dewey moved to Boston. There, he started and became the editor of The Library Journal. This magazine was very important for developing libraries in America.
He also helped create the American Library Association (ALA). He was the secretary of the ALA from 1876 to 1891. He also served as its president in 1891 and 1893.
School of Library Economy
In 1883, Dewey became the librarian at Columbia College. The next year, he founded the School of Library Economy there. This was the first school ever created to teach people how to be librarians.
The school officially opened on January 5, 1887, with 20 students. Most of them were women. Dewey insisted that women be allowed into the program, even though some college officials disagreed.
Because of disagreements with the university, especially about women students, the school moved. In 1889, it was transferred to Albany and became the New York State Library School. Dewey directed it there, and it became very successful. The school later returned to Columbia's campus in 1926.
While directing the New York State Library from 1888 to 1906, Dewey completely reorganized it. He made it one of the most effective libraries in America. He also set up the system of state traveling libraries and picture collections.
Traveling Libraries
In the early 1800s, community libraries began to grow. As people moved west in the United States, they wanted library services to move with them. Melvil Dewey started a program in New York that sent "traveling libraries." These were collections of 100 books sent to communities that did not have their own public libraries.
His efforts encouraged other states and people to create similar traveling libraries. This helped bring library services to small towns and rural areas. It also helped many people get an education and improve themselves.
Metric System Support
Melvil Dewey strongly supported the metric system of weights and measures. In 1876, he started the American Metric Bureau. He was also its secretary and edited its official magazine, the Metric Bulletin. Later in his life, he continued to promote the metric system.
Lake Placid Club and Other Interests
Later in his life, Dewey helped create the Lake Placid Club in New York. This was a health resort. He and his son Godfrey also helped organize the 1932 Winter Olympics that took place in Lake Placid. Dewey even led the New York State Winter Olympics Committee. In 1926, he went to Florida to open a new branch of the Lake Placid Club.
Dewey's ideas for spelling reform were used at Lake Placid. For example, a menu from 1927 showed "Simpler spelin" and listed dishes like "hadok" and "poted beef with noodls."
The Lake Placid Club also hosted meetings about reform movements. For example, in 1899, a conference on "home science" was held there.
Dewey was an early supporter of winter sports in Lake Placid. He also founded the Lake Placid Club Education Foundation in 1922. Under his leadership, the Northwood School in Lake Placid grew. He also helped start the Adirondack Music Festival in 1925.
Selected Publications
- 1876: Classification and subject index for cataloguing and arranging the books and pamphlets of a library
- 1885: Decimal classification and relativ [sic index for arranging, cataloguing, and indexing public and private libraries] (2nd edition)
- 1886: Librarianship as a profession for college-bred women
- 1887: Library notes: improved methods and labor-savers for librarians, readers and writers
- 1895: Abridged decimal classification and relative index for libraries
- 1898: Simplified library school rules
- 1889: Libraries as related to the educational work of the state
- 1890: Statistics of libraries in the state of New York numbering over 300 volumes.
- 1890: Library school rules: 1. Card catalog rules; 2. Accession book rules; 3. Shelf list rules.
- 1904: A.L.A. catalog
See also
In Spanish: Melvil Dewey para niños
- Public library advocacy
