Develop columns in the spreadsheet or database and assign them specific values that include "International Standards Book Number" (ISBN), "Book Title," "Publishing Company," "Author First and Last Names," "Year Published," "Book Summary" and whether or not the book is fiction or non-fiction. For non-fiction books, add an additional field for the Dewey Decimal catalog number, which delineates the category the book falls within. Include a field for the type of software reader needed to access the book. Provide a key or legend to the Dewey Decimal system somewhere in the document as well.
Use the Dewey Decimal system and its general categories to develop a list of categories starting with the general to the more specific. Major categories are as follows: 100 for Philosophy and Psychology, 200 Religion, 300 Social Science, 400 Language, 500 Natural Science and Mathematics, 600 Technology or Applied Sciences, 700 Arts, 800 Literature and 900 Geography and History.
Classify additional categories within each general category. Nine sub-categories exist within each general category, totaling 10 categories. For instance, the 10 classifications of natural science are as follows: 500 Natural Science and Mathematics, 510 Mathematics, 520 Astronomy, 530 Physics, 540 Chemistry, 550 Earth Sciences, 560 Paleontology, 570 Life Sciences, 580 Botanical Sciences and 590 Zoological Sciences. Within each of these sub-categories, nine more divisions exist with decimals added for specific information. As an example, a book on butterflies would classify under 500 for Natural Sciences, then 590 for Zoological Sciences, 595 for Other Invertebrates, 595.7 for insects, 595.78 for Lepidoptera and finally 595.789 for butterflies (see Resources).
Input data from the ebooks into the spreadsheet and appropriate categories after the spreadsheet is set up. Remember to save the spreadsheet often and make a back-up in case the file becomes corrupted or damaged.