Melvil Dewey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Melvil Dewey | |
|---|---|
| Born | Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey December 10, 1851 Adams Center, New York |
| Died | December 26, 1931 (aged 80) Lake Placid, Florida |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Amherst College |
| Occupation | Librarian-in-chief, New York State Librarian |
| Employer | Columbia College, New York State Library |
| Known for | Dewey Decimal Classification system for library classification |
| Title | librarian |
| Spouse(s) | Annie Godfrey (1st), Emily Beal (2nd), Michaela Butler (3rd) |
| Children | Godfrey Dewey |
| Parents | Joel Dewey, Eliza Greene |
Signature
 |
|
Melville Louis Kossuth (Melvil) Dewey (December 10, 1851 – December 26, 1931) was an American librarian and educator, and the inventor of the Dewey Decimal Classification system of library classification.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey was born in Adams Center, New York, the fifth and last child of Joel and Eliza Greene Dewey. He attended rural local schools and early in life determined that his destiny was to become a reformer in educating the masses. He attended Amherst College, where he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon (Sigma chapter). He graduated in 1874 with a bachelor's degree and received a master's degree from Amherst in 1877.
After he graduated in 1874, Amherst College hired Dewey to manage the library and reclassify the collections. For two years Dewey worked out a new scheme that superimposed a system of decimals on a structure of knowledge first outlined by Sir Francis Bacon and later modified by William Torrey Harris.
In 1876, Dewey copyrighted the "decimal classification," and moved to Boston. From 1883 to 1888 he was chief librarian at Columbia University, and from 1888 to 1906 director of the New York State Library. From 1888 to 1900 was also secretary and executive officer of the University of the State of New York. In 1895 Dewey founded with his wife Annie the Lake Placid Club at Lake Placid. He and his son Godfrey had been active in arranging the Winter Olympics - he was chairman of the New York State Winter Olympics Committee. In 1926 he came to Florida and established a southern branch of the Lake Placid Club. He died at Lake Placid, Florida.[1]
Dewey is a member of the American Library Association's Hall of Fame.
[edit] Publications
Dewey likewise wrote several books, which have been translated into many languages. A selection:
- 1876 Classification and subject index for cataloguing and arranging the books and pamphlets of a library. (Copy available at Gutenberg.org)
- 1885 Decimal classification and relative index for arranging, cataloguing, and indexing public and private libraries and for pamphlets, clippings, notes, scrap books, index rerums, etc.. Boston, Library bureau.
- 1886 Librarianship as a profession for college-bred women. An address delivered before the Association of collegiate alumnæ, on March 13, 1886, by Melvil Dewey. Boston, Library bureau.
- 1887 Library notes: improved methods and labor-savers for librarians, readers and writers. Boston : Library bureau.
- 1895 Abridged decimal classification and relative index for libraries. Boston, Library bureau.
- 1898 Simplified library school rules. Boston, London [etc.] Library bureau.
- 1889 Libraries as related to the educational work of the state. Albany.
- 1890 Statistics of libraries in the state of New York numbering over 300 volumes. Albany
- 1894 Library school rules: 1. Card catalog rules; 2. Accession book rules; 3. Shelf list rules, by Melvil Dewey.
- 1904 A.L.A. catalog. Washington, Government Printing Office.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- ^ The New York Times. "Melvil Dewey dead in Florida", December 27, 1931.
[edit] Further reading
- George Grosvenor Dawe (1932). Melvil Dewey, Seer: Inspirer: Doer, 1851–1931. Lake Placid Club, N.Y.: Melvil Dewey Biography.
- Wayne A. Wiegand (1996). Irrepressible Reformer: A Biography of Melvil Dewey. Chicago: American Library Association.
[edit] External links
- Works by Melvil Dewey at Project Gutenberg
- What's so great about the Dewey Decimal System?—contains biographical information
- "Melvil Dewey dead in Florida", The New York Times, December 27, 1931.
- Library Bureau founded by Dewey in 1876.
- Children of the Code - Dewey on Spelling Reform (including online video excerpts)
- Works by or about Melvil Dewey in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
|
|||||||||||
