Melvil Dewey

Melvil Dewey (1851-1931), American librarian and educator, who contributed probably more than any other single person to the development of library science in the United States. Born in Adams Center, New York, he was educated at Amherst College. While still in college he devised a decimal system for classifying and cataloging books, which is now used in libraries throughout the world. From 1883 to 1888 he was head librarian at Columbia College (now Columbia University), where he established (1887) and was appointed director of the School for Library Economy, the first institution to train librarians. He was the founder of Library Journal and Library Notes and one of the founders of the American Library Association.