Dewey, Melvil (1851-1931), born Melville Dewey, was an American librarian who began the decimal library-classification system (see Dewey Decimal Classification). He founded the American Library Association and the Library Journal in 1876 (see American Library Association). He became chief librarian of Columbia University in 1883. He established the first library school there in 1887. He served as the director of the New York State Library from 1889 to 1906. In addition to library science, Dewey promoted the simplification of English spelling. It was for this reason that he changed the spelling of his first name. Dewey was born in Adams Center, New York, on Dec. 10, 1851. He died in Lake Placid, Florida, on Dec. 26, 1931.
