Understanding add table notation in WebDewey

In 2012 we posted a blog entry that began:

We were asked, "Why are there colons in some numbers in WebDewey?  Is that a glitch?"  No, those numbers represent add table notation; the part before the colon gives the DDC number or number span where the add table is located, and the part following the colon represents the notation in the add table.

The information in that earlier blog post is still valid. But because we are now hearing from teachers that beginning classifiers are having trouble understanding add table notation in WebDewey, we want to address the issue again with another example.

If you have a work on reserves or supply of geothermal energy, start with the record for 333.88 *Geothermal energy; that is the base number to which you will add notation to express the concept of reserves.  Here is the Hierarchy box with 333.88 as the focal point:

Here is the Notes box for 333.88 with the add note: *Add as instructed under 333.7-333.9:

If you click 333.7-333.9 in that add note, you go to the record for 333.7-333.9 Natural resources and energy. That record has an add table in the Notes box. The add table is long; here is the beginning:

The add table entry 11 Reserves has a note indicating that reserves in this context is a synonym for stock or supply. The notation that you want to add to base number 333.88 Geothermal energy is 11 Reserves. If you click 11 in the add table, you will see the individual record for that add table number as the focal point in the Hierarchy box:

In the expression 333.7-333.9:11, the part before the colon (333.7-333.9) is the DDC number span where the add table is located, and the part following the colon (11) represents the notation in the add table. If you are building the number by copying and pasting, be sure to copy and paste only the notation following the colon (11) to build 333.8811 Geothermal energy reserves.

To use the WebDewey number-building engine instead of copy-and-paste to build the number, go to the record for 333.88 *Geothermal energy, then click START in the Create built number box. You will be taken to the record for 333.7-333.9 Natural resources and energy. In the Notes box, click 11 Reserves. Then click ADD. The Create built number box will look like this:

You can then save the number that you have built: 333.8811.

The number-building engine has added only 11 to 333.88 to build 333.8811; but in the Create built number box it uses the expression 333.7-333.9:11 to show that 11 has come from the add table at the span 333.7-333.9.