6 . Our Library uses the Dewey Decimal Classification system(Dewey for short) to arrange books and other resources on the shelves so you can locate them easily. We’re going to show you how to use Dewey to find a book at any Library site.
Once you’ve searched for your item on Library Search, you’ll see something like this:
The part in the brackets (括号) is the bit we’re interested in. What do these numbers next to the book’s location mean? The numbers shown are a “shelfmark”. You’ll find one of these on every book in the Library-a lot of customers find this confusing at first but if you break down the information into three sections, it’s easier to understand.
1. The numbers in front of the decimal point (小数点) indicate the subject area (in this case 370). Look for this number first.
2. Next, look for the number after the decimal point (in this case 193).
3. Now look for the letter(s) and number(s). Letters are usually the initial letter(s) of the author’s. name(in this case, Burbules).
Sometimes, you will see extra letters before the shelfmark. This shows that a book is part of a collection within the Library. For example: M. E.279.32R29 is part of the Middle Eastern collection. Find the collection first, before looking for the number.
1. What can help us find a book at the Library site easily on
Library Search?
| A．Its title. | B．Its shelfmark. | C．Its publication time. | D．Its author’s name. |
2. What does the letter “R” in “M. E. 279. 32R29” stand for?
| A．The book’s location area. | B．The name of a collection. |
| C．The author’s family name. | D．The shelf’s alphabetical order. |
3. How can “M. E. 279. 32R29” be broken down according to the passage?
| A．M.E./279/32R/29 | B．M./E./279.32/R29 | C．M.E./279.32/R/29 | D．M.E./279/32/R29 |
