Religious Associations Decimal Classifications, by Jacob T. Bowne

Jacob T. Bowne worked on many classifications for the Dewey Decimal System including the YMCA classifications, Young Boys Work and Physical Education. Jacob Titus Bowne came to the School for Christian Workers (now Springfield College) in 1885 to head the YMCA Secretarial Department. Bowne was the first head of the department, which trained young men for work as executives at YMCAs in the United States and around the world. Bowne is known as the “father of professional education” in the YMCA and worked at Springfield College until his retirement in 1925. While at the college, Bowne played an integral role in the building of Marsh Memorial Library and became the school’s first librarian. Bowne was known for his modesty and whenever anyone tried to express their gratitude to him his response was always “pass it on.” An avid collector and the YMCA’s first archivist, Bowne’s YMCA materials form the basis for the YMCA archives housed at the University of Minnesota. Bowne died shortly after his retirement in 1925 at the age of 78.

This image is framed and hanging in the research room of the Springfield College Archives.

Sample pages from the fourth edition of the Dewey Decimal classification featuring the classification of publications of religious associations. The pages contains an introduction by J.T. Bowne, librarian of the Historical Library of the YMCA of the United States and Canada, explaining the value of the classification system for religious society publications.