The Badge Archive

Melvil Dewey was an American librarian and educator whose work changed the way information is organized and accessed. He is most recognized for creating a system to categorize books that is used globally. He also founded major professional organizations and invented common office equipment.

• Full Name: Melvil Dewey
• Alternate Names: Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey
• Vital Dates: 1851 – 1931
• Origin (Birthplace): Adams Center, New York
• Roots: Amherst, Massachusetts; Boston, Massachusetts; New York City; and Albany, New York
• Primary Association: Libraries in nearly 150 countries
• Notoriety: Inventing the a decimal classification system that is still used today and helping found the American Library Association

Brief History

The Early Years As a five-year-old, he alphabetized the spice jars in his mother’s pantry. During his adolescence, he became fascinated with the metric system because of its reliance on decimal scales.

Young Adult He graduated from Amherst College in 1874 and took a position as the school’s acting librarian. While at Amherst, he developed his classification system and published its first outline in 1876 when he was 24 years old.

Adult Life In 1883, he became the librarian at Columbia College, where he established the first professional training school for librarians in 1887. He later served as the director of the New York State Library for almost two decades, where he introduced innovations such as interlibrary loans and the first library specifically for children.

The Later Years He spent his later years managing the Lake Placid Club, a resort he established in the Adirondacks. He died at age 80 in Florida.

History Timeline

• 1851: Born on December 10 in New York.
• 1873: Conceived the library classification system.
• 1874: Graduated from college and became an acting librarian.
• 1876: Published the first version of his classification system and helped start the American Library Association.
• 1877: Moved to Boston and helped found the Library Journal.
• 1883: Appointed librarian of Columbia College.
• 1887: Founded the School of Library Economy.
• 1889: Became the director of the New York State Library.
• 1895: Established the Lake Placid Club.
• 1905: Forced to step down from the American Library Association following incidents on a trip to Alaska.
• 1931: Died on December 26 in Lake Placid, Florida.

Icon Profile

• Style: He was obsessed with the number 10, often writing 10-page letters and preferring to sleep for exactly 10 hours. He required club guests to turn off lights by 10 p.m. and was a strong advocate for simplified spelling.
• Reputation: He was known as a compulsive innovator with enormous energy. He was described as a tough taskmaster who was preoccupied with details, rules, and lists.
• Cultural Impact: He was responsible for the development of library science in the United States and provided equipment for public libraries built through Andrew Carnegie’s funding.

In Their Own Words

• “You cannot polish a pumpkin.”

Did You Know?

• He organized his mother’s spices alphabetically when he was five years old.
• He believed it was a meaningful sign that his birth date matched the day the French National Assembly adopted the platinum meter bar.
• The menus at his club used simplified spelling, which resulted in items like “stud prunes”.

Lasting Influence

• The decimal classification system is used by libraries around the world.
• He helped found the American Library Association and the Library Journal, both of which remain central to the library profession.
• He is credited with inventing the vertical office file still used in businesses and government offices worldwide.

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Disclaimer: The information published on The Badge Archive is built from the references listed below. These sources demonstrate that our content is grounded in facts and research, not opinion or speculation. Readers may consult them directly when looking for additional material.

• “Dewey, Melvil.” InfoPlease, 2026, http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/arts/publishing/books-bios/dewey-melvil. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
• “Melvil Dewey, Compulsive Innovator.” American Libraries Magazine, 24 Mar. 2014, americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2014/03/24/melvil-dewey-compulsive-innovator/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
• “Melvil Dewy papers, 1870-931” Columbia.edu, 2026, findingaids.library.columbia.edu/archives/cul-4078696. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.

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