“Buddy’s Book” Library Theory

I’m technically a librarian, so of course I would love the episode set in the library. But what I really love about “Buddy’s Book” and Steven Universe in general is the loving attention to detail, so…

I present to you a breakdown of the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) numbers shown in the background in Buddy Budwick’s Library!

(I kinda went into some technical stuff in some parts, but I’ve bolded the important lines for tl;dr)

DDC numbers on the shelf on the far left: 570-578, 580-588

DDC numbers on the shelf on the right, near Steven: 870-879, 880-888

Okay, so I’d like to point out that the fact that these DDC numbers are in the background AT ALL is very deliberate and has to mean something, since the Crewniverse could have easily just left the shelf numbers blank and no one would bat an eye.

I would also like to point out that I find it unusual for a shelf to contain almost whole Divisions** and yet still be missing whole Sections** (like the missing 579 above). Normally the shelf numbers would have the Call Numbers (those little numbers taped at the spine of a book) of the first book and the last book in that side of the shelf, for ease of searching. Depending on how the library is shelved, the first number could be a bit general (like by Division, as in this image), but the last number is usually the exact Call Number of the last book on the shelf, which can get very specific (like 338.4767721 for a book about the Cotton Industry, for example).

**DDC is divided into Classes [hundreds], Divisions [tens], and Sections [ones].

Putting all those technical bits aside, the theory is that these numbers weren’t meant to show actual shelf numbers, but instead the Crewniverse chose these numbers specifically to reference certain subject matters.

Here are the subject matters those shelves contain (taken from Wikipedia, which is based on DDC 23rd Ed.):



570 Biology

571 Physiology & related subjects

572 Biochemistry

573 Specific physiological systems in animals, regional histology & physiology in animals

574 (Not assigned or no longer used)

575 Specific parts of & physiological systems in plants

576 Genetics and evolution

577 Ecology

578 Natural history of organisms & related subjects 580 Plants

581 Specific topics in natural history of plants

582 Plants noted for specific vegetative characteristics and flowers

583 Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledones)

584 Liliopsida (Monocotyledones)

585 Pinophyta (Gymnosperms)

586 Cryptogamia (Seedless plants)

587 Pteridophyta

588 Bryophyta**



** Mosses

Interesting. What have we seen in this show that relates to these subjects?

Rose’s Lions

Rose’s Moss, or Rose’s plant powers in general

For the next shelf, I’ll just state the Division they cover, but you could easily look up the sections on Wikipedia if you like.

870 Latin & Italic literatures 880 Classical & modern Greek literatures



I’m not well-versed in history or classical literature, but I find this interesting because these could be a reference to mythology (two popular examples of which are Roman and Greek myths) and how there are many theories floating around that the Crystal Gems and their fusions may be references to specific deities, such as Rose Quartz as Ishtar or Sugilite as Kali.

Now onto the more awesome stuff in the next two shelves!!

DDC Numbers on the shelf near Connie: 740-742, 750-753

Again with the missing Sections. But that’s not important right now…

740 Graphic arts

741 Drawing & drawings

742 Perspective in drawing 750 Painting & paintings

751 Techniques, procedures, apparatus, equipment, materials, forms

752 Color

753 Symbolism, allegory, mythology, legend

If I remember correctly, Cartoons fall somewhere in 740 or 741. But more importantly…

Color, as in color theory, which is one of the bases of why many believe Peridot, Lapis Lazuli, and Jasper will eventually become part of the team. There’s also this thing where Rebecca Sugar said that Connie would be a teal colored if ever she’s a gem because she can be diplomatic (blue) but also take action (green). I believe it’s safe to say that color is an important part of this show. But also…

Symbolism, allegory, mythology, legend in paintings, true, but also most probably in other forms of art such as animated shows. This popping up here, on the episode where we are briefly shown again the Pyramid Mural, the paintings on the wall of the Lunar Sea Spire, The Palanquin, Rose Quartz with Lions, etc. cannot possibly be some random coincidence.

Anyway, moving on…

DDC Numbers: 900-912, 920-930

Again with the missing Sections, probably deliberate for emphasis…

900 History, geography, & auxiliary disciplines

901 Philosophy & theory of history

902 Miscellany of history

903 Dictionaries, encyclopedias, concordances of history

904 Collected accounts of events

905 Serial publications of history

906 Organizations & management of history

907 Education, research, related topics of history

908 History with respect to groups of people

909 World history 910 Geography & travel

911 Historical geography

912 Graphic representations of surface of earth and of extraterrestrial worlds 920 Biography, genealogy, insignia

921-928 This range is reserved as an optional location for biographies, which are shelved alphabetically by subject’s last name.

929 Genealogy, names, insignia 930 History of ancient world (to ca. 499)

1. Steven found Buddy Budwick’s Journal in the right part of the library. It would most probably fall somewhere under Biography (where autobiographies will also fall under), or History, or Geography & Travel (because hey, he traveled a lot and documented every step), depending on how the cataloger classified the journal.

2. Graphic representations of surface of earth and of extraterrestrial worlds, such as Buddy’s map that Pearl marked. Also, SU’s world is kinda alien to us, so I guess it could count as an “extraterrestrial world” of the Alternate Universe kind (please don’t quote me on this, I did not type this sentence with my librarian hat on).

3. Another reference to Ancient History (as in the History of the Ancient World).





What are they trying to tell us something with all these references to mythology, and ancient history, and symbolism in art? Are these simply references to what happens in this episode, or are they clues into piecing out the puzzle of what is to come?