GEO.- getting
started with the Dewey classified Virtual
Reality links
Basic help on
using the pagesAbout the organisation and selection of
the links
What are the numbers
and classes?
The Dewey classification system is divided into 10
main classes and subclasses which cover all knowledge. The basic
classes are organised by disciplines or fields of study.
At the top of each GEO. web page you will find those Dewey classes
and subclasses which are important to earth and planetary science.
Clicking on one of the numbers will take you to a more detailed
classification with selected information resources.
Have a look at this explanatory picture of the main
features of a typical GEO. web page.
If you want more information on the Dewey system, an
online
summary and further details are available from the copyright
holder.
How do I know which class is best to
choose?
For most classwork and projects this will not be a problem. The
classes and their heading names give you a good idea of what you will
find there. Thus when you choose "550 Earth
sciences ", you will find subclasses such as "volcanoes",
"earthquakes", "climatology and weather" and so on. If you are
looking for straightforward geological information resources on such
things, then you will find them here. However, you will also find
information in other classes. For example, the environmental effects
of volcanic eruptions may be included in "360 Social services,associations - 363.7
Environmental problems." In a similar way, you can expect
to find information resources dealing with the space probe flights
classified not only in "520 Astronomy and
allied sciences" but also in "600
Technology", "620 Engineering and
allied sciences" and in several other classes depending on
the nature of the research experiments on board (e.g. biology).
What if I don´t find anything of
use to me at the first try?
From anywhere within the classified links you can go back to the top
and choose a new class. You should do this anyway. You can also go
directly to alternate ways of finding resources from anywhere within
the classified links. These include "specialised
resources
", "search" and "library
resources".