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Dewey Decimal System Day
Date: December 10, 2025

Dewey Decimal System Day

We celebrate Dewey Decimal System Day! It's observed annually on December 10th to honor Melvil Dewey, the creator of the Dewey Decimal Classification system, which revolutionized library organization. This day is a tribute to his contributions and the enduring impact of his system on libraries worldwide. Libraries often mark the occasion with special events, such as tours, book displays, and activities that highlight the importance of library organization and classification. It's a great opportunity for people to learn more about how libraries work and the history behind the Dewey Decimal System.

Common in Public and School Libraries: The Dewey Decimal System is simpler and easier for the general public to use, making it ideal for public libraries, school libraries, and small academic libraries.

Numeric-Based: This system uses numerical classifications to organize books by subject, making it intuitive and accessible for most users.

The Dewey Decimal System (DDS) is used in over 200,000 libraries across at least 135 countries. It's particularly popular in public libraries, school libraries, and smaller academic libraries due to its simplicity and ease of use.

In addition to creating this ingenious system of organization, Melvil Dewey was also a big proponent of the metric system. He was the founder of the American Metric Bureau.

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