lack of efficiency, and waste of time and money in constant recataloging and reclassifying made necessary by the almost universally used fixed system where a book was numbered according to the particular room, tier, and shelf where it chanced to stand on that day, instead of by class, division and section to which it belonged yesterday, today and forever. Then there was the extravagant duplication of work in examining a new book for classification and cataloging by each of a 1000 libraries instead of doing this once for all at some central point."
- Melvil Dewey, "Decimal Classification Beginnings," Library Journal, 45:151 (Feb. 15, 1920).
Melvil Dewey
1851-1931