Sometimes it isn't immediately obvious to me where I can find the add instructions I need to build numbers.  Can you provide any guidelines that will help me locate them? 

Yes.  Records containing add instructions often have one or more characteristics that indicate the presence of add notes.  Such notes are often found in records for number spans that are accompanied by captions including the word "specific" or beginning with the phrases "Subdivisions of" or "Subdivisions for."  The caption "Standard and Special Subdivisions," which often appears with a number followed by ellipses in hierarchy displays in WebDewey, also can lead you to information that is useful in number building. 

The hierarchy that appears at the record "641.3 Food" exemplifies several of these characteristics.  The first item in the downward hierarchy here is "641.30… Standard and Special Subdivisions."  Further down in the hierarchy the spans "641.33-641.35 Specific food from plant crops" and "641.36-641.39 Specific food from animals" appear. 

Clicking on the caption that accompanies the number span 641.33-641.35 takes you to the WebDewey record for that span.  The notes portion of that record provides instructions for building numbers for plant-derived foods.  The downward hierarchy for the record lists many built numbers for such foods.  Clicking on 641.36-641.39 displays the WebDewey record for that span.  The downward hierarchy includes "641.36 Meat," a record that gives add instructions for types of meat. 

Clicking on "Standard and Special Subdivisions" takes you to the Dewey Numbers Browse Index, which lists, in numerical order, every Dewey entry number found in the schedules, tables, and Relative Index (it does not include manual entries).  Browsing this list with an eye out for the characteristics mentioned above can help you look for records containing add instructions.  In addition, because this index shows you all the built numbers that already exist in WebDewey, you may find precisely the number that you were attempting to build. 

Last revised: 31 January 2004