Melvil Dewey, whose full name is Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey, was born on December 10, 1851, in Adams Center, New York, U.S. He was the fifth and last child of Joel and Eliza Greene. Melvil Dewey died after suffering a stroke on December 26, 1931, in Lake Placid, Florida, at the age of 80. His legacy is complex, but nearly ninety years after his death, he is best known for creating the most widely used library classification scheme in the world: the Dewey Decimal Classification, devised by Melvil Dewey in 1873 and published in 1876. The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system is the world’s most widely used way to organize library collections. The DDC is constantly updated to enable better discovery across any topic in multiple languages. Due to its ease of use, the DDC allows for quick and efficient visibility of materials. The Dewey Decimal Classification system is a general knowledge organization tool that is continuously revised to keep pace with knowledge. The DDC is published by OCLC Online Computer Library Center and is overseen by a chief librarian at Columbia University. He was also a founding member of the American Library Association.
The other Dewey - a reformer, businessman, powerful state education officer, and resort-empire builder - has long been obscured, as has the darker side of Dewey's personality. Drawing from years of archival research, he was a founder of the Lake Placid Club.
Education and Personal Life
Melvil Dewey briefly attended Alfred University and then Amherst College, where he belonged to Delta Kappa Epsilon. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1874 and a master's in 1877. While still a student, he founded the Library Bureau, which sold high-quality index cards and filing cabinets, and established the standard dimensions for catalog cards. From 1883 to 1888, he was the chief librarian at the Columbia University Libraries. During his time as the director of the New York State Library (1888–1906), Dewey established a program of traveling libraries. From 1888 to 1900, he served as secretary and executive officer of the University of the State of New York. In 1895, Dewey founded the Lake Placid Club with his wife Annie. He and his son Godfrey had been active in arranging the Winter Olympics, which took place at Lake Placid. He chaired the New York State Winter Olympics Committee. In 1926, he went to Florida to establish a new branch of the Lake Placid Club.
Dewey married twice, first to Annie R. Godfrey, and then to Emily McKay Beal. He and his first wife had one child, Godfrey. Melvil Dewey also founded the Spelling Reform Association, which was devoted to simplified English spellings: "loj" to replace "lodge," for instance, or "but" for "butter."
He formulated a principle. Melvil Dewey's principle, "The best reading for the largest number at the least cost," states that the library should select, within the available financial resources, the best documents that can satisfy the information needs of the maximum number of readers.
In short biography of Melvil Dewey
December 10th 1851 – Born Place Of Birth: Adams Center, New York
1869 – Moved to Oneida
1872 – Started Library work
1874 – College Graduation
July 1 1876 - Renames Melvil Dui himself
1878 – Marriage
1888 – Dewey State Librarian
1888 to 1900 - Served as secretary and executive officer of the University of the State of New York
1924 – Second Marriage
December 26th 1931 - Death of Melvil Dewey by suffering from a stroke
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