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sponsible for its return on or before the 
Latest Date stamped below. 



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are reasons for disciplinary action and may 
result in dismissal from the University. 
University of Illinois Library 




222 



THE LIBRARY JOURNAL. 



{July- Aug., '82. 



ELEVEN NEWEST AND BEST JUVENILES BY AMERICAN AUTHORS. 

LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON. 



30,000 of the First Series Sold ! 
OUR LITTLE ONES. 

(Second Series.) 

Edited by OLIVER OPTIC. Elegantly illuminated Cover, 
1.75; cloth gilt, $250. With nearly 400 illustrations 
from original designs by the best American Artists. 
Everything in this volume story, poem, illustrations is 
original, and written, designed, and engraved for it. The 
volume of last year took the foremost rank among the 
quarto books for children, and was pronounced to be 
" the best specimen of bookmaking of the XlXth Cen- 
tury." This will be, if possible, an advance upon the 
first series. 

THE WONDERFUL CITY OF TOKIO ; 

Or, Further Adventures of the Jewett Family and their 
Friend Oto Nambo. By EDWARD GREKY, author of 
" Young Americans in Japan," " The Golden Lotus," 
etc. Large quarto, with 169 illustrations, bound in Jap- 
anesque gold and colors, {1.75 ; cloth, full gilt, $2.50. 
Uniform with 

The Great Success of Last Year, 
YOUNG AMERICANS IN JAPAN. 

By the same Author. Emblematic colored covers, $1-75; 

cloth, full gilt, $2.50. 

With these two books on Japan, either being complete in 
itself, the reader has gained wide information concerning 
that "wonderful land." Mr. Greey's Pen-pictures of 
Japanese Scenery and Customs are graphic, and by the 
introduction of spicy conversations are made dramatic. In 
the great city of Tokio our young friends find new cause 
for wouder at the marvellous sights and strange customs. 

OUR BOYS IN INDIA. 

The Wanderings of two Young Americans, with their Ad- 
ventures on the Sacred Rivers and Wild Mountains of 
India. By HARRY W. FRENCH, the celebrated Lecturer 
on India. With 145 illustrations. Superb typical covers 
in oriental gold and colors, $1.75 ; cloth, full gilt, $2.50. 
This work contains a most interesting description of ad- 
ventures in that mysterious country, told in so delightful 
a manner as to win the attention of old as well as young. 
Many of the illustrations are engraved from photographs 
taken for Mr. French while he was travelling in India. 

Uniform in Size and Style with " DRIFTING ROUND THE 
WORLD." 

A BOY'S ADVENTURES BY SEA AND 
LAND. 

By Capt. CHAS. W. HALL, author of " Adrift in the Ice 
Fields," " The Great Bonanza," etc. With 200 illustra- 
tions. Elegant cover, in many colors. Cloth, 1.75 ; full 
gilt, $2.50. 

An absorbing story of a boy who was shipwrecked, reach- 
es Iceland, then passes through Scotland, England, France, 
Holland, Russia, Asia, crosses Siberia, sails for Alaska, 
and finally reaches home via San Francisco. With his 
accidents, incidents, sights, and hair-breadth escapes. 

J. T. Trowbridge's New Book. 
THE JOLLY ROVER. 
By J. T. TROWBRIDGE. i6mo, illustrated, $1.25. 
The story of a boy who was led by the reading of Dime 
Novels to run away from home with the expectation of 
exterminating the Red Men of the Forest, and what became 
of him. A healthy, hearty book. Completing " THE 
SILVER MEDAL SERIES." 



Oliver Optic's New Book. 
ALL ADRIFT ; 



Or, The Gold Wing Club. 
illustrated, $1.25. 



By OLIVER OPTIC, i&mo, 



In this New Series, to be entitled " THE BOAT-BUILDER 
SERIES," "the most popular writer for the young" will 
combine the interest of a story with the fascination of learn- 
ing to build a Boat, a Boat-house, rig a Boat, sail it, etc., 
etc., thus making them the delight for all bright boys. 

Elijah Kellogg's New Book. 
THE LIVE OAK BOYS. 

The Adventures of Richard Constable Afloat and Ashore. 
i6mo, illustrated, $1.25. 

These boys were sailors during the Embargo of 1812, and 
this story is the graphic account of their Adventures by 
Sea and Land. It is true history and an exciting story. 
Being the fourth of the " GOOD OLD TIME SERIES. 

George Makepeace Towle's New Volume. 

DRAKE : 
The Sea-King of Devon. i6mo, illustrated, $1.25. 

Sir Francis Drake's career, startling, adventurous, and 
bold, from early youth to age, makes a remarkably interest- 
' ' ' ' 'cal record. 

IBS OF HlS- 



ing book for the young, on a strictly historical record. 
Completing the Series of " YOUNG FOLKS' HEROE 



Judge Cozzen's Series Completed. 
THE YOUNG SILVER-SEEKERS; 

Or, Hal and Phil in the Marvellous Country. i6mo, illus- 
trated, $i. Completing " THE YOUNG TRAIL HUNTER'S 
SERIES." 

An admirably told story, full of adventure in and knowl- 
edge of Arizona and the Far West. 

A Hundred Years and more Ago. 
PAUL AND PERSIS; 

Or, The Revolutionery Struggle in the Mohawk Valley. 
By MARY E. BRUSH. $1.25. 

A thrilling story of the early settlement in the Mohawk 
Valley. The fierce encounters of the Patriots with the Eng- 
lish and their wily confederates the Indians. 

New England Life of To-day. 

RUTH ELIOT'S DREAM. 

By MARY LAKKMAN. i vol., i6mo, cloth, f 1.25. 

A story for girls, in which, says aTritic who has read the 
manuscript, the descriptions and characterizations of 
New England life are nearly perfect." 



Sophie May's New Book. 
THE ODD ONE. 

i6mo, cloth, illustrated, $1.50. 

Sophie May is equally successful whether writing for the 
Little Folks or for the "Girls" of a larger growth. This 
is a companion volume to " The Asbury Twins," and the 
larger " Girls' " books. 



Sold by all booksellers and newsdealers, or sent by mail, postpaid^ on receipt of price. Catalogues mailed free. 

LEE AND SHEPARD, Publishers, 47 Franklin St., Boston. 



PAPERS AND PROCEEDINGS 



SIXTH GENERAL MEETING 



OF THE 



AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 



HfeLD AT 




BOSTON: 

PRESS OF ROCKWELL AND CHURCHILL, 39 ARCH STREET. 

1883. 



CONTENTS. 



Article. Author. Page 

Address of the President J. Wfnsor 1-3 

Report on cataloguing S. B. Noyes 4-10 

A modern Proteus J. L. Whitney 10-13 

List of books with changed titles J. L. Whitney 13-31 

Supplements to Poole's index W: F. Poole 32-36 

Libraries in Washington J: S. Billings 37~38 

Report on library architecture J: Edmonds 39-41 

The sheif-arrangement of books in the New York State library Homes 4'~43 

The arrangement of the parts of the United States in a historical and 

geographical system of classification C: A. Cutter 43~4 

Report on fiction in public libraries M. Chamberlain 46-48 

The Buffalo Public Library in 1983 C: A. Culler 49-55 

Report on the reading of the young Miss M, A. Bean ...... .55-65 

The usefulness of libraries in small towns . . . .^ Miss T. H. West. ...... .65-67 

Report on libraries and schools S; S. Green 67-71 

Report on aids and guides to readers W. E. Foster 71-83 

State Libraries : their management and support Guy A. Brown 83-85 

Work of the nineteenth-century librarian R. Jf. JSoivker 85-88 

Plan for numbering congressional documents J: Edmonds 88-39 

Condensed rules for an author and title catalog Cooperation Committee .... 89-92 



Proceedings 93 

First Session 93-102 

Address of President Smith 93 

Secretary's report 93 

Finance 94 

Treasurer's report 94 

Public documents 95 

A.L.A. catalog 98 

Cooperation 101 

Catalog rules 101 

Second Session 102-106 

Changed titles 103 

Index of essays 103 

Changed titles 106 

Finance 106 

Third Session 107-114 



Monthly periodical index 
Washington library . . . 
Library architecture . . . 

Duty on books 

Recreation 



107 

107 

'0? 

"3 

"3 

Fourth Session 114-117 

The library of the future 114 

The reading of the present 114 

Officers of the association 



Small libraries 114 

Essay index 114 

Library assistants 115 

Library architecture 116 

Duty on books 1 16 

Fifth Session 117-123 

Letters 117 

Fiction 118 

Libraries and schools 119 

Sixth Session 123-129 

School of library economy 123 

Seventh Session 129-134 



Public documents 

Library assistants 

The next meeting 

Votes of thanks 

Miscellaneous 

Rules for cataloging . . . 
School of library economy , 

Officers , 

Swedish libraries . . . . 

State libraries 

Final papers 

List of persons present . . . , 



129 
129 

129 
129 
130 
'3 
131 
132 

'33 
'33 
'34 
14! 



CONFERENCE OF LIBRARIANS. 



BUFFALO, AUGUST, 1883. 



ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT, 



INCLUDING A REPORT, FOR THE YEAR, ON GENERAL LIBRARY INTERESTS, BY JUSTIN 
WINSOR, LIBRARIAN OF HARVARD COLLEGE. 



OUR sixth annual meeting finds us for the 
first time on the frontiers of our country, 
whence we can easily extend a hand of welcome 
to our neighbors of the Dominion. We are 
glad to find that later in the session some of 
our Canadian brothers will accept it. However 
tariffs and fealty may separate us, there is 
nothing alien in libraries ; and why may not 
American, in a bibliothecal sense at least, in- 
clude the whole brotherhood of the New World ? 
We need attrition.. Nothing has so much 
improved the standard of library management 
as this very commingling of librarians every 
year. Those who are familiar with the history 
of libraries in this country know that the 
advance in all that makes our work a system, 
and gives our calling an influence, has been 
vastly greater since librarians have acquired a 
neighborly habit. 

The inquiry is sometimes made, "What do 
you find to do and say at these meetings of 
librarians? Don't you get talked out?" " Yes," 
we reply, ' ' but we can go home and recuperate for 
another bout ; and we take honie with us, too, a 
kindly interest in one another ; a tincture of other 
ideas than our own, wider sympathies, broader 
views, and deeper meanings than are deducible 
from the experiences of our little autonomies. 
Such are the uses, such the fruits of these 
annual gatherings." 

As I look over the topics of reports and 
papers in the programme before us, and recall 
the discussions which these topics have elicited 



at previous meetings, I am sensible of the varied 
points of view which our isolation from one 
another at home and the circle of our separate 
experiences have given us. It is an argument 
in itself for an occasional segregation. Nor 
must we expect that this social and mental 
contact is going to unify all our ways. It would 
be a pity if it did. Our national motto touches 
us as deeply as librarians as it does as patriots, 
for we are one in our diversities, none the less 
united because each finds his own way the best. 
We need to be taught that there is a multiplicity 
of bests. The ideal rule or system does not 
imply bondage to an idea. As long as mental 
action is various and experience is different, 
that system is best which we best assimilate. 
Time and locality, and more particularly that 
element which it is the fashion to term our 
personal equation, establish variety in our 
ideals. The folly of dogmatism is one that 
these meetings make us the better to under- 
stand. 

Custom has defined the scope of your presi- 
dent's address to be the recognition of what is 
important in the shaping of the general library 
interests of the year gone by. First in that 
respect is the established fact of your cooper- 
ative labor brought to a definite result. It was 
a favorite thought of the elder Agassiz that 
what our civilization most needed was a reserve 
of money, to be applied with wise discrimination 
to paying the cost of publication of contributions 
to knowledge which could not be expected to 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



pay for themselves. The sum of human knowl- 
edge is but as the transit of a minor planet 
across the illimitable disk of light ; no one 
knows that better than a librarian ; and, with 
the true scientific instinct, Agassiz recognized 
the duty of preserving, as well as studying, the 
knowledge which does not stand for money 
in the world's traffic. From the inability of 
the investigators to put in the costly shape of 
type the result of their observations, Agassiz 
reckoned that the loss to mankind was incal- 
culable ; and in the first instance as pure science, 
or what can be known, and secondly as applied 
science, or what embellishes or elevates our 
living, a loss which is incalculable in not 
only not preserving what has absolutely been 
found, but which also diminishes effort because 
of the absence of that incentive which makes 
us work the better under the promises of a 
permanent record. 

At our very first meeting in Philadelphia we 
were possessed of a similar thought. We had 
all felt the want which Mr. Poole thirty years 
ago had shown could be supplied by labor. 
Since that time the burden I use the word 
advisedly of periodical literature in a library 
had become well-nigh intolerable, as all wastes 
without finger-posts are. Years before, I had 
urged on the secretary of the Smithsonian In- 
stitution the undertaking of this work as pre- 
eminently one of the diffusion of knowledge. I 
got excuses of preoccupation. I had suggested 
to the librarian of Congress to take the lead in 
some movement ; but he was always overbur- 
dened, as I was in my own definite province. 

But at Philadelphia the work was done, and 
community of labor established the fund that 
Agassiz had dreamed of. 

Its first fruits is the great index, which prop- 
erly associates with it the name of our brother of 
Chicago ; and of the value of that first fruit I 
need not tell you. (Applause.) Important as it 
is, the principle which it has made manifest is 
more important still, namely, that it is with- 
in our power as a body of librarians to create, in 
our combined efforts, just such a fund as Ag- 
assiz longed for. Further consideration of 
other schemes of a like import are, I perceive, 
set down for us on the programme. 

We must still regret the failure of Congress to 



cancel the debt which it owes to good scholar- 
ship and the largest learning. The national 
library is still without adequate housing, and 
the prospect of Congressional attention is not 
encouraging. What Congress fails to do in its 
sphere, individuals and municipalities are not 
backward in accomplishing elsewhere. The 
Pratt library in Baltimore approaches comple- 
tion ; and a new building for the public library 
of Boston is assured by ample appropriations. 
These are conspicuous examples of the needs 
of our great municipal libraries being hand- 
somely met. Chicago, too, I believe, is in a 
commotion that we may hope " presages some 
joyful news at hand." 

The new building of Columbia College, and 
of the library of the University of Michigan, 
almost ready for its dedication, and the plan- 
ning of a new building to be erected by private 
munificence, fitly to hold the library of the 
University of Vermont, with its recent accession 
of the collection of the late George P. Marsh, 
that accomplished scholar in more than one 
department, are instances of the watchful 
interest bestowed upon what is more and more 
recognized as the central force of our college 
life, the college library. 

There is no phase of our recent library man- 
agement more striking and more suggestive 
than the growth of what may be called a prac- 
tical bibliography. This science, long the 
sign of recondite scholarship, is shown to be 
adaptable to the wants of the less erudite. It 
is becoming more and more recognized as an 
indispensable help in every department of 
intellectual activity. There are many reasons 
for this change. It arises in part from a 
clearing of the perception that it is a waste of 
time for one to attempt to thrid a subject by 
the first way which opens, when a full survey 
of the literature 'of it will point him out the 
better avenue. The student is otherwise in 
much the same position with the inventor who 
attempts the combination of mechanical 
movements to a given end, before he has 
examined the records of the patent office. 
The past year has seen some admirable helps 
in this respect in the little manuals which Mr. 
Leypoldt has published, and which indicate 
effectively the devoted labors of our brothers, 



ADDRESS OP THE PRESIDENT. 



Green, of Worcester, and Foster, of Provi- 
dence. 

Men now living may remember the beginning 
of what may be called the missionary career of 
libraries. It may be said to have begun in this 
country in the foundation of social, apprentices', 
and mercantile libraries. There was indeed a 
start as long ago as Benjamin Franklin founded 
the Philadelphia library, still doing its good 
work to-day ; but nothing like general interest 
was taken in the movement till the second 
quarter of the present century. 

Thereupon followed, in due time, what we 
now understand by the free library system, 
which, without any concert of action, also began 
in England about the same time ; but with us 
it moved more rapidly, and even here it is 
confined for the most part to narrow geograph- 
ical limits. 

At about even date with this development in 
its earlier stages, a. question of library purpose 
was brought to an issue in New York. Mr. 
Astor had left what was, in those days, a very 
large endowment for a library. He had not 
himself been disposed to that form of munifi- 
cence, and had rather preferred to signify his 
regard for his adopted country in a huge 
monument to Washington ; but Dr. Cogswell, 
who was his adviser, prevailed upon him to endow 
a library. The question to be decided was, 
whether that library should assist in the edu- 
cation of the people directly or indirectly, and 
this was a proposition on the decision of which 
there was no doubt in Dr. Cogswell's mind. 
He held some views regarding the public 
relations of libraries which were proper, and 
some which time has not justified. He argued 
that for the diffusion of knowledge the initiative 
might well be left to the people, who knew how 
to take care of themselves. In that he was 
right. He also expressed his confidence that 
a free public library could not be maintained and 
protected in a large city. In this he was wrong ; 
as the experiment tried in Boston and elsewhere 
has shown. With such views there was of 
course but one scheme for a library which 
he could accept, and so he made his argument 
thus : " There is no way so effectual to diffuse 
knowledge through a community as by elevating 
the standard and creating the greatest possible 



number of highly educated men . They become 
(he says) the living teachers, diffusing and 
disseminating knowledge much more widely 
and judiciously than is ever done by books." 

One hardly wishes to quarrel with such a 
conclusion, for, in some respects, it is a prudent 
one ; but in other respects it is a survival of a 
feeling which has its tap-root in the cloudy 
past. 

The truth is, no exclusive or vicarious system 
of library nourishment is sufficient. The student 
certainly needs the incitement of the personal 
contact of the teacher. The librarian in his 
office sees the effect he can have upon those 
who seek his counsel. Mr. Poole, in his oc- 
casional and friendly talks to his constituents 
at Chicago, and the same sort of work which 
has been done at the public library at Melbourne 
for some years, and which, under many different 
phases, is the mission of many other librarians, is 
certainly giving a new power to librarianship. 
But for all this the reader needs the personal 
contact of the books themselves quite as much. 
The two schemes are fitly reciprocal, as we are 
every day showing at Cambridge, and are by 
no means alone in doing so. 

The issue which Dr. Cogswell sought to make 
(and as he seemed to think in the interests of 
scholarship) was an Old-World issue, which 
had always, among old civilization, been de- 
cided one way. 

The argument was simply an excuse the 
traditionary excuse of a habit which had been 
accustomed to regard libraries simply as book- 
piles whence writers and scholars could 
replenish their intellectual fires, and not as 
agencies for the making of books useful to the 
many. The idea* of the missionary character 
of a library has a certain repulsiveness in the 
minds of those who have had charge of the 
great libraries of Europe up to a very recent 
period, for the break of a dawn has hardly yet 
mellowed into a universal light. In this ven- 
erable estimate libraries are institutions to be 
sought by those who have a definite search, 
and they do not stand, as they ought, for al- 
lurements and invitations. It is something 
that American librarians may well take a pride 
in, that they have signalized themselves as 
leaders in this new and healthy cause. 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



CATALOGUING. 



YEARLY REPORT BY S. B. NOYES, LIBRARIAN OF THE BROOKLYN LIBRARY, 

BROOKLYN, N. Y. 



A LIBRARY without a catalogue," says 
Thomas Carlyle, "is the most strange 
conceivable object ; the worst catalogue that was 
ever drawn up by the hand of man is preferable 
to no catalogue at all." If we are not all of us 
prepared to go quite so far as this, we can, at 
least, admit that a library is comparatively use- 
less without a proper equipment of good 
catalogues ; and I think that we are all glad to 
know that Carlyle's other dictum that the 
British Museum ought to print catalogues that 
the literary man can take home with him is 
now in process of realization. It is authorita- 
tively stated that the growing physical difficul- 
ties attendant on the use of two or three 
thousand elephant folio volumes of the cata- 
logue led to the final decision to print it. This 
may have been a sufficient reason, but it may 
well be doubted if it was the sole or even the 
controlling motive, when we recollect that even 
as late as the International Library Conference 
in London, in 1877, Mr. John Winter Jones, 
then the principal librarian, summed up the 
objections to printing a catalogue apart from 
the question of expense, and the small proba- 
bility that the outlay would ever be repaid as 
resting upon the impossibility of keeping the 
catalogue on a level with the actual state of the 
library, adding that this objection did not 
apply to printing catalogues of special classes 
of books where the collection in the library 
may be nearly complete, or the additions few 
and slow of acquisition, as in the case of 
Hebrew, Chinese, and Sanscrit books, and 
collections of MSS. Nevertheless, numerous 
detached sections of the main alphabet of 
authors, each embracing from one to two 
hundred pages, have already been printed; 
among the most recently issued being those 
devoted to Byron and to Virgil. The section 
devoted to Swedenborg literature is, I am 
informed, already out of print as an extra 
issue. It is to be regretted that in the cross- 



references to the main alphabet the place of 
publication (or its initial) , as well as the date 
and size, is not given, thus giving such entries a 
certain completeness. The accessions of new 
books are also being printed. Mr. Axon states 
that it is hoped that in the course of forty 
years the printed will have entirely superseded 
the written entries, and proposes that the 
present generation of scholars and readers 
apply a gentle pressure to the Treasury, and 
try to persuade the authorities that a catalogue 
of the national library is worth as much as an 
iron-clad, and should be printed at once, even 
if it does involve an expenditure of _ioo,ooo. 
If the Treasury can give the Trustees of the 
Library _8o,ooo in one sum for the purchase of 
one private collection of materials for history, 
surely a catalogue of the library in its existing 
state has at least as pressing claims for recog- 
nition. The accession lists, it is reported, are 
being stereotyped, and will thus be of use in 
any future issue of the general or of special 
catalogues. Special catalogues of MSS. with 
photographic fac-similes of papyri and volumes 
of a date earlier than the close of the gth 
century are promised. 

It is reported that the 723 volumes of the 
catalogue of the Bodleian Library are being 
paged, and an officer will be employed for some 
years to come in revising all headings and 
titles, and indexing all extensive articles. 

In the Monthly notes of the Association of 
the United Kingdom there is a notice of vol. 2 
of the " Catalogue of the Library of the Royal 
Institution, with indexes of authors and sub- 
jects. By Benjamin Vincent, librarian." To 
quote from the " Monthly notes," it is compiled 
upon the plan of the former volume, with the 
same loose transcription of titles, and the same 
elaborately unscientific classification. It in- 
cludes additions to the library between 1857 
and 1882, and numbers about 400 pages. 

Part 2, M-Z, of the supplement to the Cata- 



NOTES. 



logue of the Society of writers to H. M. Signet 
in Scotland makes a volume of more than 600 
pages. 

The Library Journal briefly notices the 
elaborate catalogue of the Aargauische Kantons- 
bibliothek, vol. I Archaeology, Art, History, 
Geography, and Ethnography. Aarau, 1881 ; 
1,000 pages, 1. 8. 

Volume 3, Chol-Dz, of Dr. Billings' monu- 
mental catalogue of the Library of the U.S. 
Surgeon-General's office has appeared during the 
year. It embraces about 46,000 entries, inclu- 
sive of articles in periodicals. About 4,335 
portraits are also indexed. 

In this country the catalogue work of the past 
year has been signalized by the completion of the 
first volume of the admirable catalogue of the 
valuable library of the Peabody Institute, of 
Baltimore, as was the work of last year by the 
completion of the last volume of the equally 
admirable and valuable catalogue of the Boston 
Athenaeum. The Peabody Institute catalogue 
promises to be of equal extent with that of its 
older brother. The library, as catalogued, num- 
bers 80,000 volumes ; the number of references 
in vol. I, as given in the preface, is 61,184, 
which would give over 300,000 for the com- 
pleted work ; varying not much, I believe, from 
the number recorded in the Athenaeum cata- 
logue. It is likewise a fine example of beauti- 
ful and correct typography. The page is about 
the size of that of the Athenaeum catalogue. 
Par nobile fratruml the two should stand on 
the same shelf in every library that shall be 
fortunate enough to possess them. 

Periodicals, the publications of the learned 
societies (except their scientific divisions), and 
historical, antiquarian, and other miscellaneous 
collections are all indexed, and the references 
distributed under their respective heads ; the 
number of pages in each article being given, 
the volume and the page, with author's name 
when known, and, if a periodical, the year in 
which it was printed. 

The contents of collective works are alpha- 
betized under the most distinct word of their 
specific parts, and, to use a printer's term, are 
mn in, thus saving much room ; though the 
practice is open to the objection of interfering 
with the bibliographical description of the work, 



volume by volume. As respects analysis, I notice 
under the head Burial, references to articles 
contained in Archasologia ; Journal of the Royal 
Asiatic Society, Bombay ; Gronovius, Thesaurus 
Gr. Antiq. ; Institute de France, Acad. inscript. 
Memoires ; Brussels Acad., Nouvelles mem. ; 
and numerous other periodicals. Under Calen- 
dar we find 6 principal entries occupying 13 
lines, while 70 analytical entries, each of from 
I to 200 pages in length, occupy 147 lines. In 
respect to title entries, one may perhaps justly 
complain that there are too many of .'them. 
Under Chemical analysis I find 4 title-entries of 
books, which are given again under Chemistry, 
along with others upon the same subject. A 
one-line cross-reference to Chemistry would have 
been better. Such title entries as "Classified 
mercantile directory for New York and Brook- 
lyn. Disturnell (J.)." "Celebration by the 
Pilgrim Society at Plymouth, Dec. 21, 1870," 
are not infrequently met with, entered under the 
first word of the title. The fault is simply one 
of surplusage ; but when such titles as I have 
instanced are numerous they are very much in 
the way, besides continually educating the pub- 
lic to most inaccurate and careless habits of in- 
quiry. To parody Spenser's lines we may say 
to the cataloguer : 

" Be full, be full, and everywhere be full, be not too full." 

One feature of this catalogue, and of Dr. 
Billings' Medical " Index Catalogue," seems to 
be well deserving of imitation in similar works. 
I mean the repetition in the same bold-faced 
type of the words indicating the class-heading 
before each subordinate heading, the latter 
being printed in Italic, so that the eye by 
running down the column can quickly take in 
the extent of subdivision, and strike the one 
wanted, e.g., Architecture : Brick, Stone, etc. ; 
Architecture: Building', Architecture: Cottages; 
Architecture : Decoration ; Architecture : Dic- 
tionaries, etc., the subordinate subdivisions 
being arranged in alphabetical order. 

Mr. Morison, provost and chief librarian, 
states in his preface that the catalogue is con- 
structed on the idea in my opinion the correct 
one that the best possible catalogue is that 
which makes known to the average reader the 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



entire contents of a library. " Books," he contin- 
ues, " belonging to broad classes of knowledge " 
(I quote from the preface), "are distributed 
under the various subordinate divisions, instead 
of being drawn together under general heads. 
While the scientific reader might prefer to have 
before him a conspectus of the whole class, the 
average reader will be likely to look for a book 
under the specific head to which it belongs 
for a book on birds under Ornithology, rather 
than under Natural History, or for a book on 
trees under Forestry, rather than under Botany." 
This I think will by no means command uni- 
versal assent. My own experience is that the 
average reader will look for a book on birds 
either under Birds or under Natural History, 
and for a work on trees will look under Trees, 
and not under Forestry. The contention is, 
however, that the average reader will be more 
likely to be helped by isolating particulars in 
the general alphabet than by aggregating them 
under comprehensive headings. This does not 
agree with my own experience, which is that 
the average reader learns the use of the word 
Botany before he knows aught of cryptogams 
and phanerogams ; the word Insect before he 
knows aught of articulates. 

Of course every child knows something about 
the more common flowers and insects, but it 
takes him some time to learn that whole vol- 
umes are devpted to a single class or species, 
and the best way to teach him what books your 
library has on all sorts of flowers and insects 
is to place them under the respective headings 
Botany and Insects, the individual flowers or 
insects constituting an alphabetical series, so 
that the average reader can readily see all that 
the library has, and not waste time in searching 
indefinitely in the general alphabet for headings 
which perhaps do not exist. 

When a reader or student requests permis- 
sion to go to the shelves of a library, what 
terms does he generally use? Usually those 
designating broad classes, such as Biography, 
History, Travels, Natural History, Medicine, 
etc., the highways of science and literature. I 
think that he likes to consult a catalogue in the 
same manner, and when he finds all the allied 
specials arrayed under a common heading, he 
is rejoiced. 



If the inquirer be a specialist in the proper 
sense of the word, he will be glad to learn that 
all the allied portions of his department are 
grouped together. If he is not a specialist he 
will be equally glad to find subjects and topics 
whose names would not readily have occurred 
to him, arranged in a simple alphabetical order 
under a more general and familiar class- 
heading. 

It seems to me a somewhat anomalous state 
of things that gentlemen who have displayed 
the utmost ingenuity in devising most elaborate 
and excellent systems for classifying books 
upon the shelves should nevertheless be content 
to have the disjecta membra of that classifica- 
tion scattered throughout four or five thousand 
pages of a printed catalogue. 

I cannot admit that the average reader will 
find the system of specific subject entries 
altogether simple and intelligible when I ob- 
serve striking instances of variation in two 
such representative catalogues as those of the 
Boston Athenaeum Library, and the Peabody 
Institute. Let me note a few of them. In the 
Athenaeum catalogue American biography is 
a subdivision of America ; in the Baltimore 
catalogue it is an independent heading. In the 
first volume of the Baltimore catalogue (letter 
A) I find such independent headings as Amer- 
ican ballads, American biography (collective 
works), American fiction (class-list), American 
literature (collective works), American poetry 
(class-list) ; all of which are to be looked for in 
the 5th vol. of Athenaeum catalogue under U. 
Ana and Anecdotes are distinct headings in the 
latter catalogue ; in the former they are con- 
solidated. Under American colonies in the 
Athenaeum catalogue there are 5 cross-refer- 
ences to ultimate sources of information ; in the 
Peabody Institute catalogue only one title entry. 
Under Anatomy in the former catalogue there 
are fifty cross-references to independent related 
headings including one to Comparative Anat- 
omy; in the latter there are but 5 cross- 
references, and Comparative Anatomy is a sub- 
division of Anatomy. On the other hand His- 
tology is a subdivision of Anatomy in the former 
catalogue ; an independent heading in the latter. 
Works on the bones are placed under Bones in 
the former catalogue ; under Osteology in the 



NOTES. 



latter. In the former catalogue are such sub- 
ject Headings as Ancient art, Ancient geog- 
raphy, Ancient history ; in the latter (the 
Baltimore) catalogue there are 2 title entries 
under Ancient art, but no cross-references, and 
under Ancient geography and Ancient history, 
there are cross-references only to Geography 
and History. In the Athenaeum catalogue not 
more than 10 title entries are found with the 
initial word Ancient; in the Baltimore cata- 
logue there are more than 70, among which, 
curiously enough, does not appear Ancient 
classics for English readers, which is entered 
in full elsewhere under the editor's name. In 
the Boston catalogue there is no title entry 
beginning with Anecdotes; in the Baltimore 
catalogue there are 16. In the one a cross- 
reference leads from Animal chemistry and 
Animals to Zoology ; in the other we have two 
title entries under Animal chemistry, but 
Animals and Animal heat are independent 
headings. In the one there are 17 entries under 
Annual registers ; in the other, only one. 
Apocryphal gospels is an independent heading 
in the one ; in the other a subdivision of 
Bible. In the one " Arabia and Arabs " covers 
the sub-headings Art, Description, History and 
Antiquities, Language, Literature and Science ; 
in the other we find " Arabia " covers the sub- 
headings History, Law, Numismatics, Religion, 
Science, Weights and Measures ; but afterwards 
we meet with Arabian antiquities of Spain, 
Arabic inscriptions see Inscriptions, Arabic 
language, Arabic literature, Arabic poetry, 
Arabic proverbs. In the one we have no such 
subdivisions of Architecture as Cottages 
Decoration Ecclesiastical Materials Me- 
diaeval Military School-houses, or Amer- 
ican Anglo-Saxon Byzantine Gothic 
Grecian Norman Romanesque, for which 
we must search other letters of the alphabet. 
In the one there is, under Art, a cross-reference 
to Arts, Fine ; in the other there is no cross- 
reference from Art to Arts, Fine, though there 
are tenfold the number of title entries ; but 
under Arts, Fine, we find a cross-reference to 
Fine Arts. In the one works on design are 
placed under Design ; in the other, under Arts 
of design. I could go on indefinitely with 
similar illustrations, but I think I have already 



demonstrated that neither the average reader 
nor the special- strident is sure of finding what 
he is in search of under identical headings in 
any two special-subject dictionary catalogues. 

The Fall River Public Library catalogue has 
been very favorably and fully noticed in the 
Library Journal, v. 8, p. 80. It gives the 
contents of collective works, essays, etc., is 
largely analytical, and numerous notes of a 
discursive character help to direct the reader in 
his choice of books, or to open up sources of 
information. In its treatment of certain de- 
partments of science and literature it more 
nearly resembles the Brooklyn Library cata- 
logue than any other I have met with, except- 
ing that of the Cleveland Public Library refer- 
ence department. Authors, titles, subjects, 
and classes are included in one general alpha- 
bet. Under Astronomy and Meteorology is 
gathered the entire literature of the subjects. 
Fine arts has some twelve subdivisions, but 
relegates various art topics to the general 
alphabet for reasons not obvious. The union 
of Natural Science and Natural Philosophy as 
a subject heading Zoology forming a separate 
heading does not appear to me so happy as 
the general treatment of subject matters, and, 
by a curious disruption, two-thirds of Devo- 
tional Theology are found under Devotional ; 
the other third forming a subdivision of 
Theology. Collective Biography, Drama, and 
Fiction form complete class-lists. In the 
endeavor to please everybody the entries in the 
class-lists of Drama and Fiction have also been 
distributed throughout the alphabet, a singular 
bit of liberality on the part of the library, as 
it adds a hundred pages to the book. Ency- 
clopaedias and Cyclopaedias are distinct head- 
ings. Both in this and the Indianapolis 
Public Library catalogue the heading "Dic- 
tionaries" has numerous subdivisions. The 
catalogue as a whole makes a handsome 
octavo volume of about 950 pages, printed in 
double columns on an excellent grade of paper. 
Mr. Vinton's subject-catalogue of the Library 
of Princeton, everywhere bears the marks of 
his scholarly and painstaking qualities. It is 
not a classed catalogue, but I think it shows a 
marked tendency to broader groupings, than 
older types of the dictionary catalogue. Archi- 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



lecture, for example, includes such sub-headings 
as France, Germany, Great Britain, Hindo- 
stan, Italy. Under Ballads are such divisions 
as Danish, English, French, German, etc., 
quite an advance in the right direction. Biog- 
raphy also has subdivisions of countries. 
Drama includes subdivisions by national 
distinctions. Essays is a class-heading. I 
note under Language such subdivisions as 
African, Celtic, Classic, Indian, Indo-ger manic, 
Semitic; but all other special languages are 
distributed through the alphabet under the 
qualifying adjective. Under Law, Admiralty 
is a subdivision, but we must look for Evi- 
dence, and other legal subjects in their respec- 
tive places in the general alphabet. Medicine 
has cross-references for all subdivisions. Like 
the Peabody Institute catalogue varieties of 
language and literature are sometimes placed 
under the country, sometimes under the 
qualifying adjective. Such inconsistencies are 
common, but the directions for the reader are 
everywhere abundant, and the system of cross- 
references is very complete. It is a matter for re- 
gret that the references to parts of books refer the 
reader to the shelf-number of the book, instead 
of the book itself, a custom inherited from the 
Boston Public Library, Bates Hall Index. The 
work will number when completed about 700 
pages, octavo, double columns. 

At Professor Young's instance, Mr. Vinton 
has printed in a pamphlet by itself a complete 
class-list of the astronomical portion of the 
library, including a number of tributary subjects 
that will form independent headings in the 
main subject-catalogue, and presenting an 
excellent illustration of what has been at- 
tempted in the Brooklyn Library catalogue. 

Mr. S. S. Green, librarian of the Worcester 
Free Library, is printing a catalogue of the 
circulating portion only of his library. It 
includes authors, titles, and special subjects ; 
gives contents and analysis of polygraphic 
works ; omits imprints, but records titles with 
considerable fulness. Will make about 1,000 
one-column pages, octavo. A feature peculiar 
to this catalogue is the printing in large (or 
brevier) type the first title, whether under the 
name of author, or under the subject-heading, 
and the remaining titles in a smaller (or non- 



pareil) type. Simple title entries are always 
printed in the larger type. The execution of 
the work, which is intelligent and painstaking, 
is credited to Miss Earle, the head of the 
cataloguing department of the library. 

Mr. Linderfelt, of the Milwaukee* Public Li- 
brary, has printed a systematic classed catalogue 
(112 octavo pages, double column) of the 
German portion of his library, with fourteen 
principal class-lists. Romances and novels 
(authors and titles) and plays (authors and 
titles) form sections of the class literature. 
The work is very well done, and a catalogue of 
the English portion of the library, constructed 
with the same scientific thoroughness, with 
such modifications as its intended use by 
English readers might suggest, would seem to 
be the next thing in order for Mr. Linderfelt to 
undertake. 

Mr. J. L. Beardsley, librarian of the Cleve- 
land Public Library, has completed the printing 
of a subject-catalogue of the books in the refer- 
ence department only of his library, alphabeti- 
cally arranged. It embraces about 10,000 
volumes; 136 pages royal octavo, double 
columns. The classification is in some measure 
based upon that of the Brooklyn Library 
catalogue. Both general works and special 
topics are included under such class-headings 
as " Agriculture and Horticulture ; " " Amuse- 
ments, Games, etc. ; " Architecture ; Arts (use- 
ful) and Manufactures ; Astronomy ; biblical, 
religious and ecclesiastical Literature ; Bibliog- 
raphy ; Biography (collective and individual) ; 
Language, etc. etc. Countries do not form a 
class-list, as in the Brooklyn catalogue, but are 
in their alphabetical place in the general alpha- 
bet. I was surprised not to find any index of 
special subjects, as in the class lists of Mr. 
Dewey's catalogues and those of the Chicago 
Public Library. Mr. Beardsley is of opinion 
that one might be of use, though, as experience 
has proved, not essential to the every-day use 
of the catalogue by the public. 

The first portion of a catalogue of the Indian- 
apolis Public Library, letters A to C, has been 
completed by the librarian, Mr. Tyler. It is 
made on the usual special subject dictionary 
plan. Cross-references are well cared for, and 
many works are analyzed. A very commend- 



NOTES. 



able feature in the direction of intelligent 
economy is the occasional reference to other 
catalogues for the contents of extensive collec- 
tive works. Synonymous subject-headings are 
generally consolidated. 

The Catalogue of the Harris Institute, of 
Woonsocket, R.I., is a very suggestive work, 
as indeed might be predicated of anything from 
Mr. Dewey. It is made on his well-known 
numerico-quadrilateral scheme. I am heartily 
in accord with Mr. Dewey in his preference for 
broad classification, but find it difficult to stretch 
all the innumerable and minute subjects of re- 
search upon the procrustean bed of ten general 
classes. It is highly important that every cata- 
loguer should have firmly grasped some general 
scheme of classification ; but ten classes are, in 
my opinion, too few. It seems to me also 
preferable to consolidate in one alphabet the 
author, title, and classed portions of the cata- 
logue. Is the numerical arrangement of classes 
indispensable to this system in a printed cata- 
logue ? 

Mr. W. E. Foster, of the Providence Public 
Library, has printed his "First Supplement" 
to the " Finding-List " of 1880. Like that, it is 
an arrangement of authors and titles in one 
alphabet. Biographies, however, are arranged 
under their subjects. No imprints are given. 
An interesting feature of the "Finding-List" 
is the " Index to Pseudonyms," which fills pp. 
53 to 61. 

Catalogues of English fiction have been issued 
by the Peoria Public Library and the Cleveland 
Public Library. 

Dr. Homes, of the New York State Library, 
has published, during the year, the " First Sup- 
plement to the Subject-index of the General Li- 
brary, 1872-1882." It is an octavo, numbering 
420 pages, and is an excellent catalogue of short 
titles entered, for the most part, under the special 
subject, with cross-references to related head- 
ings. Analysis of contents and classification 
has been carried very much further than in 
the main Subject-index, printed in 1872, and 
many subject-references are given to books 
previously in the library which treated of sub- 
jects not indicated upon their title-pages. It is 
of much value, especially for historical refer- 



Mr. Perkins, of the San Francisco Free 
Public Library, has printed a short title-cata- 
logue, including author's names, titles, and 
subjects of books in English (not including 
fiction and juveniles) added since November, 
1880. In addition there are complete class- 
lists of English novels in the library (authors 
and titles), and juvenile books (authors and 
titles), and (by authors) of all the books in 
the library in German, French, Spanish, 
Swedish, Latin, and other languages. In 
octavo, double columns, 341 pages. 

The Boston Public Library has issued a 
catalogue of books in the South End Branch 
Library, and the cataloguing of the Barton 
Library is nearly completed. The Bulletins of 
the Boston Public Library, Harvard University 
Library, Cornell University, continue to con- 
tribute valuable additions to our store of special 
bibliography. The annotated book-lists of the 
Boston Athenaeum Library, and the Buffalo, 
Worcester, Milwaukee, and various other 
libraries, are useful and popular guides for the 
general reader. 

There has been a new issue, with additions of 
the popular " Finding- Lists," of the Chicago 
Public Library. Mr. Poole expects shortly to 
print a new and consolidated edition. The 
"Finding-Lists" are short-title class-lists of 
the main departments, printed with primary 
reference to economy, and are not to be con- 
founded with the general unprinted catalogue 
of the library. Nothing can be more unlike the 
ordinary " author, title, and characteristic 
word" type of dictionary catalogue than this. 
Perhaps at some future time Mr. Poole may 
give us a useful combination of the two 
methods. 

The catalogue of the East Hampton Public 
Library Association numbers 218 pages, octavo, 
one column, very neatly and correctly printed. 
Its method is substantially that of the catalogue 
of the Library of the Linonian Society, Yale 
College, printed in New Haven, in 1846. 
Works are catalogued under the name of the 
author, under the characteristic word of the 
title, and, in the case of novels, under the first 
word of the title not an article. No notes, nor 
analysis, nor cross-references. One column 
and imprints. I suppose it is the fault of the 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



system that " Wonders of the Deep" does not 
appear under "Ocean" or "Sea." 

Miss Harriet H. Ames' Catalogue of the 
Ames Free Library, at North Easton, Mass., is 
a very handsome single-line volume of 883 
pages, octavo. It is a very perfect specimen 
of the special subject type of dictionary 
catalogue, including authors, titles, and sub- 
jects. Cross-references are very fully supplied, 
the contents of collective works are analyzed, 
and paper, print, and proof-reading are of the 
best. 

The First Supplement of the Catalogue of 
the Winchester Town Library, prepared by 
Mr. C. A. Cutter, includes a subject-index to 
the original catalogue as well as to itself. The 
classification of this catalogue has original 
features, and is worthy of careful study. 

In the field of special bibliography the place 
of honor should be given to two bibliographies 
of Petrarchan and Dantean literature, respect- 
ively, by Professor Willard Fiske, until recently 
librarian of Cornell University, and Julius 
Petzholdt, the eminent bibliographer. The 
title of Professor Fiske's bibliography is " A 



catalogue of Petrarch Books." Ithaca, N.Y., 
1882, 67 pages quarto. Full titles, collations, 
and bibliographical notes. Printed by the 
University press, of Ithaca. Edition 160 copies 
(80 on Whatman paper, 80 on American 
tinted paper). The work is well described in 
the Library Journal, as a credit to American 
bibliography, and fitted to remove the reproach 
sometimes made of a want of "antiquarian" 
interest in our work. The title of Dr. Petz- 
holdfs work is " Catalogus Bibliothecae Danteae 
Dresdensis. Edidit Julius Petzholdt," Lipsias, 
1882. 8vo. 

On the whole, the conviction seems to be in- 
creasing and deepening that libraries, if they 
are to fill their full measure of usefulness, must 
make their treasures accessible to the public. 
For if books are worth storing and preserving, 
with all the incidental expense of library main- 
tenance, is it not worth while to put a mere 
fraction of their whole cost into such a record 
of them as shall be permanently useful? or 
shall the great library be permitted to drift 
further and further from the standard of ideal 
usefulness. 



A MODERN PROTEUS. 



BY JAMES L. WHITNEY, PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN, BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY. 



T)ROTEUS, the story goes, could assume 
1 many shapes to escape the interviewer. 
His many sons and daughters, no doubt, in- 
herited his propensities and passed them on to 
succeeding generations. When members of 
the family first came to America is not clearly 
ascertained. Perhaps with the great naviga- 
tor, whom they may have granted to be now 
Colombo, and again Colon, or Columbus, 
and to lie buried at the same time in 
two different places, for a perplexity to the 
archaeologist. However that may be, here 
they have been found in increasing numbers 
ever since, assuming forms corporeal and in- 
corporeal, as multiform and elusive as their 
great original. 

According to all accounts, Proteus must have 



been a most exasperating person, and, certainly, 
his descendants have proved, like him, a per- 
plexity and a plague. That they should be 
such to the rest of mankind is not surprising ; 
for, like the dwellers in Plato's Cave, they are, 
for the most part, satisfied with the shadow, 
ignorant or indifferent if there be a reality be- 
side. But that the librarian, whose eye is 
single and whose calling apart, should find his 
way hedged in, is hard to understand. To him 
everything is supposed to be simple and with- 
in grasp, an author, for example, an author 
(surname and Christian name), and a title a 
title, these only, and no more. 

Those of us, however, who spend our days 
in the pursuit of pseudonyms, come at last to 
feel that everything is but a shadow, of which a 



WHITNE T. 



ii 



corresponding substance must be, far or near, 
to find ; that nothing comes in single shape, and 
nothing is what it appears upon the surface. 

Of pseudonyms, however, although Proteus 
may well have been the father of the race, it is 
not my intention here to speak. If they come 
as shadows, they may, to-day at least, so de- 
part. 

Strange to say, the foes which baffle the 
librarian are often of his own household, and 
among his closest friends, even the books in- 
trusted to his charge. And, although Richard 
de Bury tells him that, " If, investigating, you 
interrogate them they conceal nothing," as he 
reads their titles and turns over their pages he 
has a suspicion that all is not honest about them, 
and that they are but the shadows of something 
he has seen before ; and, going to the shelves, 
he finds often that under other titles they have 
for years, it may be, already done service. 

And this is the modern Proteus to whom I 
invite your attention. Let us all join hands and 
form a ring, and see if he escape us this time. 

I remember reading, some time ago, a let- 
ter in the Evening Post, of New York, from Mr. 
Brentano, the bookseller, in which he com- 
plained of the annoyance and loss to which he 
and others had been subjected by publishers giv- 
ing to a book more than one title. I had already 
detected such cases, and since that time have 
watched somewhat closely for them. It may 
be worth the while to give here a few examples, 
that they may serve to put librarians, and 
especially those forming new libraries, on their 
guard, and may perhaps induce publishers to 
give a more careful attention to the subject. 

Although Mr. Brentano calls this practice a 
"modern fraud" of the publisher, and others 
have denounced it equally unsparingly, it is to 
be borne in mind that these double publica- 
tions often occur through thoughtlessness rather 
than from any cunningly devised scheme of 
wrong. Cases are frequent, indeed, which 
would seem, to all intents and purposes, to be 
fraud ; as where a publisher, obtaining the 
stereotype plates of a book which has had its 
day, removes the certificate of copyright, and, 
making other changes to conceal its identity, 
gives it a new title and a new lease of life. 
Often, however, it would seem to be the result 



of inadvertence, the publisher, for instance, 
not realizing that, when he gives to a book a 
title to his mind more agreeable or appropriate 
than its original one, any harm can come 
of it. With the best of motives, however, he 
may well consider whether the gain resultant 
can compensate for the loss and confusion 
which are likely to arise. If it be added that 
changes in the titles of books are rarely im- 
provements, the argument is still stronger 
against them. The title given, it may be .said, 
has in many cases been adopted by the author 
himself, because it is a key to the char- 
acter of the book, or may point its moral, or 
be suggested by some of its incidents, For 
good and sufficient reasons he has chosen it, 
and why should it be changed without cause ? 
For like reasons, in translations of foreign 
books, the title should reproduce the original 
one as closely as possible. This is often not 
the case, and the title is generally weakened by 
the change. Apart from the question of truth- 
fulness, what gain, for example, can there be 
in rendering Victor Hugo's "L'homme qui 
rit" as "By order of the king"? Or, take 
the case of Du Boisgobey's " La main coupee," 
that is, " The severed hand," so called from 
a sensational incident at the opening of the 
story, why make the title read "The lost 
casket"? By such changes the reader is often 
hopelessly confused as to what an author may 
or may not have written. To connect, for ex- 
ample, some of the American translations of 
Dumas from their titles, and, for that matter, 
from anything to be found in the text, with 
their originals, is a difficult, not to say an im- 
possible, undertaking. 

Sometimes a change of title seems to be un- 
avoidable. George MacDonald, having given to 
a book of miscellaneous matter the title " Orts," 
after it had been printed and too late for a 
change, was horrified to find in the dictionary 
that one meaning of the word is " Worthless 
leavings, or refuse." Here one could hardly 
blame the American publisher for choosing 
another title ; or even the publisher of Charles 
Dudley Warner's " Mummies and Moslems," 
the tille of which, apparently, being found 
gloomy and forbidding, gave place in a second 
edition to one more agreeable. 



12 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



The author, or the publisher, occasionally 
frankly announces in the preface, as did " H. 
A. Page," of his " Vers de societe," that the 
present issue is a new edition of a book already 
published under another name ; and some 
reason is given for the change, as, in this case, 
that the new title is "more distinctive." 

New titles are often mere rearrangements of 
old ones, as in J. Drew Gay's "From Pall 
Mall to the Punjaub ; or, with the Prince in 
India," which, when reprinted, read " The 
Prince of Wales in India ; or, from Pall Mall to 
the Punjaub." Here the identity of the two 
would at once be detected but for the fact that 
the first half of a title is all that is usually 
found in publishers' announcements and in 
catalogues. When tKe original title is repeated 
as a part of the new one it is often so con- 
cealed that its detection is difficult. In John 
Habberton's "Just one day," which became, 
with a change of publishers, " Mrs. Mayburn's 
twins ; with her trials in the morning, after- 
noon and evening of just one day " ; or in Mrs. 
Fetherstonhaugh's story " Kilcorran," which, 
in the American edition, is enlarged to " Lil, 
fair, fair, with golden hair; or Kilcorran," it 
is too much to ask of the librarian to know at 
sight that they are the same. His time is too 
valuable to be wasted on such small game. 
Besides he cannot allow himself to look with 
suspicion upon the title of every new book, or 
sink the office of librarian in that of a detec- 
tive. He must take the advertisements of pub- 
lishers at their face value, and regard them as 
what they claim to be, the announcements of 
" new books" and not of mere rechauffes. 

Changes of title are at times so transparent 
as to deceive no one, as in the case of Dr. 
Nichols's "From whence, what, where?" 
which became in a later edition less mysterious 
and redundant as "Whence, what, where? A 
view of the origin, nature, and destiny of 
man"; and Aldrich's "Story of a bad boy," 
which the English publisher's announcement 
softened by adding, " Not a VERY bad boy." 
In all these cases, innocent or otherwise, 
with the exception of the last mentioned, and 
in others of a different kind, which might be 
added, the publisher and the author are the 
only ones to reap pecuniary gain. To the 



reader, the bookseller, and the librarian there 
is often a loss of money as well as of temper. 
The reader, as Mr. Brentano says, returns his 
book as already read under another title to the 
bookseller, who, conscious that his customer 
looks upon him as stupid or a cheat, adds it to 
his stock, already, it may be, superfluous from 
his double purchase. The library and its pat- 
rons are the greatest sufferers, it being impos- 
sible to sell a book without loss after it has 
once been labelled and sent out, and it may be- 
come necessary to go without some needed book, 
which might otherwise have been purchased. 

In large public libraries and in circulating 
libraries, so called, which buy several copies of 
a new book, the loss is sometimes no slight one. 
We can all remember when the Jules Verne 
fever was at its height, how translation followed 
translation in quick succession, each with a title 
more appetizing than its predecessor, and how 
each story as it appeared was served up in three- 
dollar volumes in endless repetitions and com- 
binations. It was no pleasure to call to mind 
the money spent at that time for duplicates, or 
to witness the wrecks which strewed our 
shelves after the Vernal equinox had passed. 

I ask your attention while I mention some of 
the books, for the most part of recent issue, 
which, although under two or more titles, are 
believed to be wholly or essentially the same. 1 

These titles, gathered as chance has brought 
them, might be indefinitely increased. Enough 
has been given to serve to call attention to a 
practice which is believed to be disastrous to 
good morals and to good letters. 

An examination of the several hundred titles 
here printed will show how greatly the custom 
of giving new titles to old books has increased of 
late, and how pressing is the need of a reform. 

I 1 wish to make an acknowledgment to Mr. Frank C. 
Blaisdell, of the Boston Public Library, and to others of 
my associates, for aid rendered in the preparation of this 
list. I am under great obligation to others, especially to 
Mr. William F. Poole, of the Chicago Public Library, to 
Mr. John Edmands.of the Mercantile Library of Philadel- 
phia, to Mr. David Hutcheson, of the Library of Con- 
gress, to Messrs. Triibner and co., of London, and to 
Mr. Emery Cleaves, of Boston. The work of collecting 
and examining these books in this country and, abroad 
has been a very laborious one, and it has not contributed 
to the peace of mind of those who have had to do 
with it. 



WHITNET. 



BOOKS, FOR THE MOST PART OF RECENT ISSUE, WHICH, ALTHOUGH 

UNDER TWO OR MORE TITLES, ARE BELIEVED TO BE 

WHOLLY OR ESSENTIALLY THE SAME. 



ABBOTT, Lyman. Laicus; or, the experiences of 
a layman in a country parish. N. Y., Dodd and 
Mead, 1872. 2d edition, same publishers, 1873, 
entitled "A layman's story; or, the experiences 
of John Laicus and his wife in a country parish." 

ABOUT, Edmond Fran$ois Valentin. The round 
of wrong. Trans, by Lascelles Wraxall. Lon- 
don, Ward and Lock, 1863. 
The American translation is entitled " Germaine," 

Boston, Tilton, 1860, which is the title of the original. 

ACLAND, Arthur Herbert Dyke, and RAN^WE, 
Cyril. A hand-book of English politics for the 
last half-century. London, Rivingtons, 1883. 
The larger part of this work is to be found in ' A hand- 
book in outline of the political history of England to 1881, 
chronologically arranged," by the same authors and pub- 
lishers, 1882. 

ADAMS, H: Cadwallader. College days at Ox- 
ford. N. Y., E. P. Dutton and co. [1882.] 
Printed from the same plates as " Wilton of Cuthberts; 

a tale of under-graduate life thirty years ago." London, 

Griffith and Farran, 1878. 

ADAMS, W: H: Davenport. Stories of the lives 
of noble women. London, T. Nelson and sons, 
1882. 

" Originally issued under the title of 'The sunshine of 
domestic life,' and passed through several editions." 
Preface. 

ALCOTT, Louisa May. Little women wedded. 

London, S. Low. Little women. Part second. 

Boston, Roberts bros., 1869. 
ALCOTT, W: Alexander. 

Two medical books by this author, of which many 
editions were published in Boston in 1855 and 1856, by John 
P. Jewett and co., were united by another publisher in 
1868, with a title differing from either. Dr. Alcott, who 
died in 1859, nine years before, appears to have returned to 
this sphere to sign the preface " The author, Boston, 1868." 

The use of tobacco, 1857. "Tobacco: its effects 
on the human system;" with notes and additions 
by N. Sizer, 1883. Both, N. Y., Fowler and Wells. 

ALDEN, Isabella Mayo. (Pansy.) Obeying the call. 
Glasgow, J. S. Marr and sons, 1878. The same, 
with trifling variations, as " The Chautauqua girls 
at home." Boston, D. Lothrop [1877]. 

ALDRICH, T: Bailey. The story of a bad boy. 

Boston, Houghton, Osgood and co., 1869. Tom 

Bailey's adventures; or, the story of a bad boy. 

Boston, J. R. Osgood and co., 1877. 
ALL for him. By****? N.Y., G. W. Carleton 

and co., 1877. Sweetheart and wife. Same 

pubs., 1882. D. H. 
ATLANTIC tales. Boston, Ticknor and Fields, 1865. 

Modern classics, Phila., Porter and Coates. 
AUERBACH, Berthold. Barfiissele. 

Has been translated in various editions, as " The bare- 
footed maiden," and " The little barefoot." 



AUERBACH, Berthold. Villa Eden: the country 
house on the Rhine. Boston, Roberts brothers, 
1869. 

Another translation is entitled " Villa on the Rhine." 
N. Y., Leypoldt and Holt, copyright, 1869. The original 
is entitled " Das Landhaus am Rhein." 

AYRES, J. H. Every man his own doctor, 1879. 
Carleton's household physician, 1882. Both, 
N. Y., G. W. Carleton- and co. D. H. 
AZEGLIO, Massimo. [Giuseppe Maria Girolamo 
RafFaele Massimo Taparelli, marchese d'Azeglio.] 
Florence betrayed; or, the last days of the re- 
public. Boston, W. V. Spencer, 1856. Niccolo 
dei Lapi; or the last days of the Florentine re- 
public. Phila., J. B. Lippincott and co., 1860. 
The original is " Niccolo de' Lapi." J. E. 
BALFOUR, J: Hutton. Systematic and economic 
botany. N. Y., G. P. Putnam's sons, 1874. Vege- 
table anatomy and physiology. American cata- 
logue. 

BARBER, J: W. The picture preacher. New Haven, 
Ct., H. Howe, 1880. Royal road to happiness; 
or, the picture preacher. Phila., Hubbard bros., 
1882. D. H., in Library journal, Aug., 1883. 
BAKING-GOULD, Sabine. Gabrielle Andre". An 
historical novel. N. Y., D. Appleton and co., 
1871. The same as " In exitu Israel." Lon- 
don, Macmillan, 1870. 

BELOT, Adolphe. The black Venus. A tale of the 
dark continent. Trans, and adapted from the 
French by George D. Cox. Phila., T. B. Peterson 
&bros. \%%i. D.H. 

Is a condensed and adapted translation of a connected 
series of three works : " La sultane parisienne," " La 
fievre de 1'inconnu," " La Ve'nus noire"; and these are 
published in this country as: I. " The Parisian sultana." 
From the French. N. Y., G. Munro, 1881. (Seaside Li- 
brary, No. 1021.) 2. "The thirst forthe unknown." (Sequel 
to "The Parisian sultana.") From the French. N. Y., 
G. Munro, iSSi. (Seaside Library, No. 1036.) 3. "The 
black Venus." (Sequel to "Thirst for the unknown."; 
From the French. N. Y., G. Munro, 1881. (Seaside 
library, No. 1078.) D. H. 

Fedora : or, the tragedy in the Rue de la Paix. 
Trans, from the French by A. D. H. Chicago, 
Rand, McNally & co., 1883. Men are what 
women make them; or, the drama of Rue de la 
Paix. From the French. By Julia Morton Fur- 
bish. Phila., H. N. McKinney and co. [1872.] 
The original title is " Le drame de la Rue de la 
Paix." D. H. 

BENEDICT, Frank Lee. Her friend Laurence. 
N. Y., G. W. Carleton and co., 1879. Do I 
loveher? [Author's name removed.] Same pubs., 
1882. D. H., in Library journal, June, 1883. 

Madame. 1877. A woman's requital. [No 
author mentioned in the second.] 1883. Both, 
N. Y., G. W. Carleton and co. D. If. 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



BENNETT, Emerson. The forged will; or, crime 
and retribution. Phila., T. B. Peterson and 
bros., copyright, 1853. The orphan's trials; or, 
alone in a great city. Same pubs., copyright, 
1874. The same. J. E. 

BOYS and girls' miscellany. Boston, Houghton 
Osgood and co., 1880. Our young folks. 1871. 
Trowbridge's " Jack Hazard and his fortunes " 
is published in this volume. 

BRABAZON, Elizabeth J. Tales from Spanish his- 
tory. 1853. Historical tales from the history of 
the Muslims in Spain, no date. Both, London, 
Jarrold and son. 

BRACKETT, Anna Callender, and ELIOT, Ida M., 
compilers. Poetry for home and school. N. Y., 
G. P. Putnam's sons, 1876. 

A second edition, same publisher, 1877, adding portraits 
and illustrations, and without other changes, is entitled 
" The silver treasury of poetry for home and school." 

BRADDON, Mary Elizabeth. Bound to John Com- 
pany; or, the adventures and misadventures of 
Robert Ainsleigh. N. Y., Harper and bros., 1869. 
The same, with variations, as " Robert Ainsleigh." 
London, Maxwell; Berlin, A. Asher and co., 

1872. J.E. 

Lucius Davoren ; or publicans and sinners. 
London, Maxwell, 1873; Leipzig, Tauchnitz. 
Publicans and sinners; or, Lucius Davoren. 
N. Y., Harper and bros., 1874. y. E. 

Milly Darrell and other tales. [Anon.] Lon- 
don, Maxwell, 1873; N. Y., G. W. Carleton and 
co. Meeting her fate, by the author of " Aurora 
Floyd." [Anon.'] N. Y., G. W. Carleton and co., 
1881. D. H. 

Run to earth. London, Ward and Lock, 1868; 
Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 1869. Daviola ; or, no- 
body's daughter. N. Y.,Dick and Fitzgerald, no 
date. (With changes in the text.) J. E. 

BRADLEY, Rev. Edward. The adventures of Ver- 
dant Green, an Oxford freshman. By Cuthbert 
Bede \_pseud.~], The Dude, or the adventures of 
Verdant Green. N. Y., G. W. Carleton and co., 
1883. D.H. 

One would as soon look to see a new title to " Robin- 
son Crusoe" or "The Vicar of Wakefield," as to this 
classic in its way, so well known to many generations of 
students Besides, it is hardly fair to Verdant Green to 
call him a Dude. 

BRAY, Anna Eliza. The borders of the Tamar and 
the Tavy. In a series of letters to the late Rob- 
ert Southey. New ed. London, W. Kent and 
co., 1879. 

First published by Murray, in 1836, with the title, " A 
description of the part of Devonshire bordering on the 
Tamar and the Tavy." The new edition contains altera- 
tions. 

BREMER, Fredrika. Hertha. London, 1856; N. Y., 
G. P. Putnam and co., 1856. The four sisters, a 
tale of social and domestic life in Sweden. 
Phila., T. B. Peterson and co., no date. Both 
translated by Mary Howitt, and the same. y. E. 



BRIDGMAN, T: Epitaphs from Copp's hill burial 
ground, Boston. With notes. Boston, J. Mun- 
roe, 1851. The same, with slight variations, as 
" Memorials of the dead in Boston: containing 
inscriptions, epitaphs, and records on the monu- 
ments and tombstones in Copp's Hill burying 
ground." Boston, Munroe and Francis, 1852. 

BUERSTENBINDER, E .. (E. Werner.} Am Altar. 
Leipzig, Keil, 1873. Translated as " At the 
altar." Phila., J. B. Lippincott and co , 1872, and 
" Bound by his vows; or, at the altar." Same 
pubs. [1874.] D. H. 

"Gliick auf." Translated, Boston, Osgood, 
1874, as " Good luck." The London translation 
is entitled " Success, and how he won it." Lon- 
don, R. Bentley and son, 1877. 

Riven bonds, a novel ; trans, by B. Ness. 
London, Remington, 1877. Broken chains. 
Transl. by F. A. Shaw. Boston, J. R. Osgood and 
co., 1871;; Boston, Estes and Lauriat, no date. 

-y.E. 

Um hohen Preis. Leipzig, Keil, 1879. 
Translated, "At a high price." Boston, Estes and 

Lauriat, 1879, and " No surrender." (Seaside library, No. 
1535.) N.Y., G. Munro [1883]. D. H. 

Vineta. Leipzig, Keil, 1877. 

Translated, " Vineta, the phantom city. From the 
German of E. Werner, by Francis A. Shaw." Boston, 
Estes and Lauriat, 1877. " Under a charm ; a novel from 
the German of E. Werner, by Christina Tyrrell." Lon- 
don, R. Bentley and son, 1878. 

BURDETT, C: The beautiful spy. Story of army and 
high life in New York in 1776. Phila., J. E. 
Potter, copyright, 1865. 
First published by the same with the title " Margaret 

Moncrieffe; the first love of Aaron Burr." 

BURNETT, Frances Hodgson. Vagabondia. A love 
story. Boston, J. R. Osgood and co., 1883. 
Originally published in a ladies' magazine under 
the name of " Dorothea," afterwards in book 
form as "Dolly." (Phila., Porter and Coates, 
[1877].) Author's note. 

CARLEN, Emilia Flygare Schmidt. One year; a 
tale of wedlock. N. Y., Scribner. Lavinia ; or, 
one year. A tale of wedlock. From the origi- 
nal Swedish by Alex. L. Krause and Elbert 
Perce. N.Y., J. Miller, 1873. 

CARLETON'S (G. W.) hand-book of popular quota- 
tions. Many thoughts of many minds. (Carle- 
ton.) Carleton's new hand-book of popular 
quotations. N. Y., 1877; 1882; 1883. D. H. 

CARLETON'S (G. W.) household encyclopaedia and 
hand-book of general information. N.Y., 1879. 
Carleton's hand-book of general information. 
1882. D. H. 

CARLYLE, T: On the choice of books. London, 
1866. 

This rather misleading title was given to an edition, 
prefaced with other matter, of Carlyle's Address on being 
installed as Rector of the University of Edinburgh, which 
had been published by authority (Edinburgh, Edmonston 
and Douglas, 1866), under its proper title. Carlyle, in a 
letter to Mr. Emerson, 4 June, 1871 (Correspondence, ii, 



WHITNEY. 



340), calls the publisher " A dirty little pirate, who snatches 
at everybody grown fat enough to yield him a bite (paltry, 
unhanged creature)." 

CARPENTER, Frank B. The inner life of Abraham 
Lincoln. Six months at the White House. Bos- 
ton, Houghton, Mifflin and co., 1883. Six months 
at the White House with Abraham Lincoln. 
N Y., Hurd and Houghton, 1866. 

CHAMPLIN, J: Denison,yr. The child's catechism 
of common things. N. Y., Holt, 1879. 
Was republished by the same firm in 1882, as " Young 

folks' catechism of common things," with some changes 

in the wording. 

The young folks' cyclopaedia of common 
things. By John D. Cham'plin, jr. With illus- 
trations. N.Y., Holt, 1880. Appeared, Lon- 
don, Kegan, Paul, Trench and co., 1882, as " The 
little cyclopaedia of common things. Edited by 
the Rev. Sir George W. Cox, bart, M.A. With 
illustrations." 

With the exception of some additions and omissions, 
this is the same as the preceding. An American edition 
is alluded to in the preface, but there is no mention of the 
author. The book was, at first, a welcome one in Ameri- 
ca, where the editor was favorably known from his con- 
nection with the " Dictionary of science, literature, and 
art, by Brande and Cox." Afterwards, the method of its 
publication was severely criticised. 

COCKTON, H: The fatal marriages. Phila., Peter- 
son. Is said to have been published under the 
title "The sisters; or, the fatal marriages." 

COFFIN, C: Carleton. Four years of fighting, from 
the battle of Bull Run to the fall of Richmond. 
Boston, Ticknor and Fields, 1866. This was 
reprinted from the same plates, Boston, Estes and 
Lauriat, 1882, as "The boys of '61; or, four years 
of fighting" [etc.]. 

COOKE, J: Esten. Henry St. John, gentleman, of 
Flower of Hundreds in the county of Prince 
George, Virginia. A tale of 1774-75. N. Y., 
Harper and bros., 1859. Bonny bel Vane; em- 
bracing the history of Henry St. John, gentle- 
man. Same publishers, 1883. With a new 
preface. 
If this author's other stories are to be republished it is 

hoped that the publishers will not rob them of their 

familiar titles. 

COOPER, James Fenimore. 

The titles of some of Cooper's novels have suffered 
a sea change in crossing the Atlantic. For example, 
in the English editions, "Miles Wallingford" becomes 
"Lucy Hardinge"; "The Wept of Wish-ton-Wish " 
becomes "The borderers; or, the Wept of Wish-ton- 
Wish"; "The wing-and-wing, or, Le feu-follet" be- 
comes "The Jack-o'Lantern "; while the French transla- 
tions of many of his novels bear titles curiously unlike 
the originals. 

CRUEL secret, A. N. Y., G. W. Carleton and co., 
1883. The same as " All for her; or, St. Jude's 
assistant." A novel. By * * * ? " Same 
publishers, 1877. 
The half-title and running-title read " St. Jude's assist- 



ant," under which name it has been advertised by the 
same firm, and possibly may have been published. 

Since the above was written Mr. John F. Butler, of 
New York, in a letter to the Literary -world, published 
Oct. 20, 1883, states that the author, a well-known lawyer 
in New York city, copyrighted this book in 1876, under 
the title " St. Jude's assistant." While being stereotyped 
the publishers failed. Another publisher bought the 
plates of the assignee, took out a new copyright, and 
issued the story anonymously, under the title " All for 
her," and sold over 50,000 copies. He states that it was 
also published in 1882 with the title " Little St. Jude's," 
and also, as already stated, in 1883, under the title " A 
cruel secret." 

CUPPLES, Ann Jane. (Mrs. George Cupples.) Tappy's 
chicks, and other links between nature and hu- 
man nature. London, Strahan and co., 1872. 
Republished, Boston, Lee and Shepard, 1872, with 
the title " Singular creatures, and how they were 
found; being stories and studies from the do- 
mestic zoology of a Scotch parish." 

DALTON, W: John Chinaman; or, adventures in 
Flowery land. Boston, copyrighted, James Mun- 
roe and co., 1858; later, Crosby and Nichols. 
The wolf boy of China. N. Y., World pub. house, 

i8 77 . -y.E. 

DARRINGTON-DESLONDE, Maria. John Maribel. 
N. Y., G. W. Carleton and co., 1877. My 
heart's content. [Author's name removed.] 
Same pubs., 1882. D. //., in Library journal, 
June, 1883. 

The miller of Silcott mill. N. Y., G. W. Carle- 
ton and co., 1877. Republished by the same 
firm in 1883, with the title " For love and honor." 
The author's name is given in the earlier, but not in the 

later, issue. 

DAUDET, Alphonse. Jack. From the French, by 

Mary Neal Sherwood, ist American edition. 

Boston, Estes and Lauriat, 1877. (Cobweb 

series ) 

The London translation, by L. Ford (S. Low, 1877), 
entitled " My brother Jack; or, the story of What-d'ye- 
call-'em," is not, as has been supposed, another transla- 
tion of the French book "Jack," but of Daudet's " Le 
petit chose, histoire d'un enfant." 

DAVIDSON, Harriet Miller. Christian Osborne's 
friends. Edinb., W. P. Nimmo, 1870. Right 
at last; or, Christian Osborne's friends." Boston, 
H. A. Young and co., 1873. 

DAVY'S school days; or, deeds speak louder than 
words. Boston Congregational pub. soc., no 
date. Davy's motto; or, deeds speak louder 
than words. Boston, A. F. Graves, no date. 

DAY, Lai Behari. Bengal peasant life. New 
edition. London, Macmillan, 1880. 
The first edition, same publishers, 1878, was entitled 

" Govinda Samanta ; or, the history of a Bengal raiyat." 

Publishers' notice. 

DEFOREST, J: William. The bloody chasm : a 
novel. 1881. The oddest of courtships; or, 
the bloody chasm. 1882. Both, N. Y., D. Apple 
ton and co. W. F. P. 



i6 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



DE LEON, Edwin. The Khedive's Egypt. Lon- 
don, S. Low, 1877. " Egypt under its Khedives; 
or, the old house of bondage under new mas- 
ters." N. Y., Harper, 1882. 
The latter has a new preliminary chapter. 

DODGE, R: Irving. The plains of the great West 
and their inhabitants. N. Y , Putnam, 1877. 
The hunting-grounds of the great West. Lon- 
don, Chatto and Windus, 1877. 

DONELAN, A. M. The value of Fostertown. Lon- 
don, Chapman and Hall, 1870. Previously pub- 
lished with the title " Sowing and reaping." 
Publishers' notice. J. E. 

DOUGLAS, Amanda Minnie. There's no place like 
home. Boston, W. F. Gill and co., 1874, and De 
Wolfe, Fiske and co., 1882. This becomes, 
Boston, Lee and Shepard, 1883, " The old woman 
who lived in a shoe; or, there's no place like 
home," printed from the same plates. 

DREW, B: Pens and types; or, hints and helps 
for those who write, print or read. Boston, Lee 
and Shepard, 1872. Hints and helps for those 
who write, print or read, same publishers, 1882. 

DROZ, Gustave. Bertha's baby. Phila., T. B. 
Peterson and bros. [1881.] Monsieur, Madame 
and the baby. A series of confessions. Trans, 
by Reavel Savage. Same publishers. [1881.] 
The first comprises part third of the other, beginning 

at p. 210. D. H. 

Du BOISGOBEY, Fortune". The lost casket. Trans, 
from " La main coupee," by S. Lee. N. Y., G. 
P. Putnam's sons, 1 88 1. Published with the 
correct title, " The severed hand," Seaside li- 
brary, 1881. J.E. 

DUMAS, Alexandre Davy. Captain Paul. Lon- 
don, C. H. Clarke, 1858; Routledge, no date. 
Paul Jones, the son of the sea. N. Y., Garrett 
and co., 1853. 
The original is " Le capitaine Paul." 

The chevalier d'Harmental; or, love and con- 
spiracy. Trans, from the French by P. F. 
Christin and E. Lies. N. Y., Harper, 1863. 
This title agrees with the original. In the English 

edition (Routledge) it is found "The conspirators; or, 
the chevalier d'Harmental." 

The half brothers; or, the head and the hand. 
Trans, by L. Lawford. London, Routledge, 
1859. The iron hand; or, the knight of Mau- 
leon. Phila., T. B. Peterson and bros., copy- 
right, 1875. 

The original is " Le batard de Mauleon." D. H. 

Joseph Balsamo. Phila., Peterson, 1878. The 
same as " Memoirs of a physician," same pub- 
lishers. 

The original is " Memoires d'un medecin. Joseph Bal- 
samo." 

Pauline; or, buried alive. London, Hodgson, 
1860. Buried alive. Phila., T. B. Peterson 
and bros., no date. 

The French original is entitled " Pauline." 



Taking the Bastile ; or, six years later. Lon- 
don, C. H. Clarke, 1860; Routledge, no date. 
Six years later; or, the taking of the Bastile. 
Phila., T. B. Peterson and bros., no date. -J. E. 

The original is " L'ange Pitou." 

The three guardsmen. Phila., Peterson. 
"The three musketeers." London, Routledge. 

Translations, it is said, of" Les trois mousquetaires." 
Besides the stories here mentioned the following, 
written by Dumas, or that pass under his name, have 
English titles unlike the original : Act6 (translated Actd 
of Corinth) ; Le capitaine Richard (The twin lieuten- 
ants) ; Catherine Blum (Catherine Blume; The for- 
esters) ; La comtesse. de Charny (The countess de 
Charny ; last part, Andree de Taverney) ; Conscience 
1'innocent (The conscript); La dame de Monsoreau 
(Diana of Meridor; or, the lady of Monsoreau; Chicot 
the jester) ; Gabriel Lambert (The galley slave) ; 
Gaule et France (The progress of democracy) ; La 
guerre des femmes (Nanon) ; Llle de feu (Doctor 
Basilius) ; Impressions de voyage: L'Arabie heureuse 
(Impressions of travel in Egypt and Arabia Petraea) ; 
Impressions de voyage : Midi de la France (Pictures of 
travel in the South of France) ; Impressions de voyage : 
Le veloce (Tales of Algeria) ; La maison de glace 
(The Russian gipsy) ; Les Mohicans de Paris (The 
Mohicans of Paris ; last part, The horrors of Paris ; 

Continuation and conclusion of The Mohicans, 
Salvator) ; Le page du due de Savoie (Emmanuel- 
Philibert; The page of the Duke of Savoy); Les 
quarante-cinq (The forty-five guardsmen) ; La reine 
Margot (Marguerite de Valois; Margaret of Navarre) ; 

Sylvandire (The young chevalier; The marriage 
verdict; Beau Tancred) ; Le vicomte de Bragelonne. 
(First part only becomes Bragelonne; the second part, 
The iron mask; the third part, Louise La Valliere.) 
D. H. 

Among the stories published in English, under the 
name of Dumas, to which it is difficult to find anything 
in French corresponding, is " EdmondDantes. A sequel 
to the Count of Monte-Cristo. By Alexandre Dumas." 
With Peterson's imprir.t, but copyrighted by George W. 
Noble, in 1878. Perhaps the period should be re- 
moved after Monte-Cristo, and the reading should 
be " A sequel to the Count of Monte-Cristo by Alex- 
andre Dumas." Found with the punctuation given on 
the title-page it is put in catalogues, of course, under 
the name of Dumas. On the reverse of the title-page, 
Edmord Dantes is mentioned as one of " Alexander 
Dumas' great works." What is the French original of 
" Love and liberty : a thrilling narrative of the French 
revolution. By Alexandre Dumas." Phila., Peterson 
[1869]? 

DUPUY, Eliza A. "How he did it." "Was he 
guilty?" Both, T. B. Peterson and bros., copy- 
right, 1871 and 1873. 

EBERS, G: Moritz. The daughter of an Egyptian 
king. Trans, by Henry Reed. Phila., Lippin- 
cott, 1 88 1. An Egyptian princess. Trans, by 
Eleanor Grove. Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 1870. 
Different translations of " Eine acgyptische Konigs- 

tochter." 



WHITNET, 



EDWARDES, Annie. A ballroom repentance. Lon- 
don, Bentley, 1882; Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 1882. 
At the eleventh hour. N. Y., Putnam, 1882. Li- 
bra ry journal. 

Where, as often happens, the titles of a book differ in 
the American and the Tauchnitz editions, many libraries 
in this country are likely to purchase both editions, which 
they might not care to do if aware that they differed only 
in their titles. 

Estelle. 'N. Y., Sheldon and co. Published in 
England under the title " Creeds." 

" The title of the American edition was changed at the 
suggestion of the author." Preface. 

The ordeal for wives. N. Y., Sheldon and co. 
[1873.] Delicate ground. N. Y., G. W. Carle- 
ton and co., 1883. 

" The first three pages of the old issue have been com- 
pressed into one in the new issue, but from the second 
line of the second page of the new issue, the books are 
printed from the same plates." The Nation, March 15, 
1883, p. 233. 

ELLIOT, S: H. Dreams and realities in the life of 
a pastor and teacher. By the author of " Rolling 
Ridge," "The parish side." N. Y., J. C. Derby, 
copyright, 1855. Lights and shadows of a pas- 
tor's life. N. Y., Derby and Jackson. The 
same (1}.J.E. 

EMERSON, W: A. Handbook of wood engraving. 

Illus. Newed. Boston, Lee and Shepard, 1 88 1. 

A new edition of " Practical instruction in the art of 

wood engraving." Kast Douglas, C. J. Batcheller, 1876. 

ENAULT, Louis. The pupil of the Legion of honor. 

Trans, by Mrs. Charles P. Tritt. Phila., Porter 

and Coates, 1871. The woman of honor; or, 

false friendships in society. A book for women. 

Phila., T. B. Peterson and bros., 1875. 
ENCHANTED keys, and other Oriental tales; with 

introd. by Miss Pardoe. Baltimore, Kelly, Piet, & 

co.; N. Y., Allen brothers, 1869. 

Formerly published under the titles of " One thousand 
and one days," and of " Hassan Abdallah ; or, the en- 
chanted keys, and other tales; with introd." [etc.]. Bal- 
timore, Kelly and Piet." American Catalogue. 

ERCKMANN, Emile, and Chatrian, Alexandre. The 
story of the plebiscite. London, Smith, Elder and 
co., 1872. A miller's story of the war; or, the 
plebiscite. N. Y., Scribner, Armstrong and co., 
1872. The plebiscite. N. Y., Scribner and 
co., no date. 
The original is " Histoire du plebiscite." 

ESSAYS and reviews. London, Longman. 1861. 
The title of the American edition is " Recent inquiries 

in theology, by eminent English churchmen," the English 

title being regarded by Dr. Hedge, the American editor, 

as "very insignificant." J. E. 

FARJEON, B- L. Solomon Isaacs. N. Y., G. W. 

Carleton and co , 1877. 

After the successful career of Crawford's " Mr. Isaacs," 
" Solomon Isaacs " was republished by the same, in 1883, 
as "Mrs. Isaacs." These two stories are of a totally 
different character. 



FARMAN, Ellen. The cooking club of Tu-Whit 
Hollow. (In Wide Awake, 1875.) Same title 
in book-form, Boston, D. Lothrop and co., 1876. 

The cooking club. Same publishers, 1883 (?). 

Good-for-nothing Polly. (/ Wide Awake, 1877.) 
Same title in book-form, Boston, D. Lothrop and 
co.; Glasgow, J. S. Marr and sons, 1877. Polly. 
Boston, D. Lothrop and co., 1883 (?). 

FAWCETT, Millicent Garrett. Janet Doncaster. Lon- 
don, Smith, Elder and co. Janet. N. Y., Carle- 
ton, 1878. Friend or lover. Same pub., 1881. 

D. H. in Library journal, June, 1883. 

FETHERSTONHAUGH, Hon. Mrs. Kilcorran. Lon- 
don, Bentley and S., 1877. " Lil, fair, fair, with 
golden hair; or, Kilcorran." Phila., Lippincott, 
1878. 

FEUILLET, Octave. The count de Camors. The 
man of the second empire. Phila., T. B. Peter- 
son and bros. [1879.] Camors; or, life under 
the new empire. N. Y., Blelock and co., 1868. 
(French title, Monsieur de Camors.) D. PI. 

The diary of a woman. N. Y., D. Appleton and 
co., 1879. A woman's journal. N. Y., G. 
Munro, 1878. (Seaside library, No. 428.) 
D. H. 

The history of a Parisienne. (Histoire d'une 
Parisienne.) From the French by Charles 
Ripley. Phila., T. B. Peterson and bros. [1881.] 

Jeanne; or, the history of a Parisienne. Trans, 
by Jacob Abarbanell. N. Y., G. Munro, 1881. 
(Seaside library, No. 1,040.) A Parisian ro- 
mance. (Un roman parisien.) Phila., T. B. 
Peterson and bros. [1883.] D. H. 

Led astray; or, " La petite comtesse." The 
sphinx; or, " Julia de Trecoeur." " Bellah." 
Translated from the latest Paris editions, by O. 
Vibeur. N. Y., G. W. Carleton & co., 1875. 
Published by the same in iSSi, omitting the author's 

name, and with the title " Led astray." The first part of 
this story (Led astray) has been published by the same 
firm, in 1880, as " The little countess. Trans, by Mary 
Neal Sherwood." D. H. 

FEVAL, Paul Henry Corentin. La fille du juif- er- 
rant. [Also, Le carnaval des enfants.] Paris, 
V. Palme", 1879. 
The first story is the same as " Le vicomte Paul," Paris, 

Levy, 1872; the last is the same, with changes, as "La 

reine Margot et le mousquetaire." 

Frere Tranquille. Paris, V. Palme", 1878. 

First published under the above title, which was after- 
terwards changed to " La duchesse de Nemours," which 
in turn in later editions gave place to the original title. 

FEYDEAU, Ernest Aime". Ballet dancer's husband. 
Translated from the French. Chicago, H. A. 
Sumner and co., 1 880. Barberine ; or, a woman's 
devotion. Same year, same publishers. The 
original is " Le mari de la danseuse." 

FITZSIMON, E. A. The joint venture. N. Y., J. 
Sheeny, 1878. Gerald Barry; or, the joint 
venture. Same pubs., 1881. D. H., in Library 
journal, Aug., 1883. 



i8 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE, 



FLAGG, Wilson. The birds and seasons of New 
England. With illus. The woods and by-ways 
of New England. With illus. Both, Boston, 
J. R. Osgood and co., 1875 and 1872. 
These two were made, Boston, Estes and Lauriat, iSSi, 

with but very little added, into three volumes, with the titles 

" Halcyon days," " A year among the trees," " A year 

with the birds." Preface. 

FLETCHER, Julia. Kismet. No name series. Bos- 
ton, Roberts bros., 1876. A Nile novel, by 
George Fleming \_pseud.\ London, Macmil- 
lan, 1883. 

FORSYTH, W: Hortensius : an historical essay on 
the office and duties of an advocate. London, J. 
Murray, 1849; 2d ed., 1874. Reprinted, N. Y., 
J. Cockcroft and co., 1875, as "The history of 
lawyers, ancient and modern." 

FOWLER, W: Worthington. Twenty years of in- 
side life in Wall street. N. Y., O. Judd co., 
1880. 

With the exception of a few alterations and the addi- 
tion of fifty pages at the end, identical with the author's 
"Ten years in Wall street." Hartford, Worthington, 
Dustin and co., 1870. 

Fox, Wilson. The diseases of the stomach. Being 
the third edition of the " Diagnosis and treatment 
of the varieties of dyspepsia." London, Mac- 
millan and co., 1872. 

FULLERTON, Lady Georgiana Charlotte (Leveson 
Gower). Rosemary; a tale of the fire of London. 
N. Y., P. O'Shea, 1874. The fire of London; 
or, Rosemary. Baltimore, Kelly, Piet and co., 
1875. 

GABORIAU, Emile. The clique of gold. Boston, 
Estes & Lauriat, 1874. The gilded clique. N. Y., 
J. W. Lovell company, 1883. C. Estabrook. 

Marriage at a venture. Trans, by Vincenzo 
Calfa. N. Y., G. Munro, 1879. (Seaside li- 
brary, No. 490.) A chance marriage. From 
the French, by Vincenzo Calfa. N. Y., for the 
translator, 1878. D. H. 

GAGE, W: Leonard. The land of sacred mystery. 
Hartford, Worthington, Dustin, and co., 1871. 
The home of God s people. Hartford, Dustin, 
Gilman and co., 1874. W. F. P. 

GAY, J. Drew. From Pall Mall to the Punjaub; 
or, with the Prince in India. London, Chatto and 
Windus, 1876. The Prince of Wales in India; 
or, from Pall Mall to the Punjaub. N. Y., R. 
Worthington, 1877. 

GHOST stories, collected to counteract the vulgar 
belief in them, with notes by Milman. Phila., 
Carey and Hart, 1846. 
From these plates two editions have been published by 

James Miller, of New York, one entitled " Curious stories 

collected" [etc.], and another " Ghost stories, collected" 

[etc.]T 

GOOD stories. Boston, Ticknor and Fields, 1867. 
Famous stories, by De Quincey, Hawthorne, 
Thackeray, . . . and others. N. Y., R. Worthing- 
ton, 1880. 



GRANT, James. The romance of war. London, Col- 
burn, 1848. The guerrilla chief; or, a romance 
of war. N. Y., H. Long and bro. [about 1855]. 
D. H. 

GRANT, Maria M. Bright morning. London, Warne, 
1875; N. Y. (Seaside library.) Once and for- 
ever. N. Y., G. W. Carleton & co., 1878. So 
dear a dream. N. Y., G. W. Carleton and co., 
1883. D. H. 

Victor Lescar. London, Warne, 1875; Leipzig, 
Tauchnitz, 1875. Sorry her lot who loves too 
well. N. Y., G. W. Carleton and co., 1879. 
D. If. 

GROSVENOR, Mrs. H. S. May Horton; or, life at 
Aunt Upton's. Boston, H. Hoyt [1874]. Ellen 
Dacre; or, life at Aunt Hester's; same publisher. 

Simon Martin ; or, the first glass. Boston, H. 
Hoyt [1860]. Amy Martin; same publisher. 

GUIDE to accomplishments in conversation, letter- 
writing, and oratory. Edited by Mrs. Jane Aster. 
N. Y., G. W. Carleton and co., 1879. Made up of 
two books, viz. : Edward W. Cox. " The arts of 
writing, reading, and speaking," 1864, and "The 
art of conversation " [Anon.], 1871 ; both by the 
same publisher as the edition of 1879 above. 
D. H. 

HABBERTON, J: Just one day. N. Y., G. R. Lock- 
wood, 1879. Becomes, Phila. [1882], "Mrs. 
Mayburn's twins ; with her trials in the morning, 
afternoon, and evening of just one day." 

This might be examined more closely, as an example 
of the new methods of book-making under consideration. 
The new edition seems to be printed from the old plates, 
the only alteration apparent in .the text being in the last 
two lines, which, to correspond with the altered title, read, 
instead of " And thus it was that the thread of mamma's ex- 
istence . . . was woven through 'Just one day,' "stands 
"... was woven through the morning, noon, afternoon, 
and evening of one day." The paging in the new book be- 
gins with number 23, adding correspondingly to the 
figures of the last page. Unfortunately, the paging of 
the table of contents was not altered to correspond, and it 
is all wrong. 

HABITS, The, of gcod society, 1872. The ladies' 
and gentlemen's etiquette book of the best 
society. Edited by Mrs. Jane Aster, 1879. 
Sensible etiquette and good manners of the best 
society. Edited by Mrs. Jane Aster, 1882. All, 
N. Y., G. W. Carleton and co., and the same 
with some changes. 

The last adds 35 pages on the art of writing. D. H. 

HALE, E: Everett. The good time coming; or, our 
new crusade. Boston, Roberts, 1875. Pub- 
lished the same year, by the same, as " Our new 
crusade. A temperance story." 

HALL, B: F. The early history of the North-western 
states, embracing New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illi- 
nois, Michigan, Iowa, and Wisconsin, with their 
land laws, etc. Buffalo, G. H. Derby, 1879. 

" This is the Land-owner's manual, Auburn, Derby 
and Co., 1847, w ' tn a new title-page." Sabin. 



WHITNEY. 



HARRIS, Sir Wiliam Cornwallis. The highlands of 
Ethiopia. N. Y. , J. Winchester, no date. Ad- 
ventures in Africa during a tour of two years 
through that country. Phila., Peterson, no date. 

HAUFF, Wilhelm. Der kleine Muck. Trans, as 
" Longnose the dwarf, and other fairy tales." Lon- 
don, Sonnenschein ?nd Allen [1881], and " Little 
Mook, and other fairy tales." N.Y., Putnam, 1881. 

HAWTHORNE, Nathaniel. 

" The marble faun ; or, the romance of Monte Beni," as 
we all know, was published in London and Leipzig under 
the title of " Transformation ; or, the romance of Monte 
Beni." Several names had been proposed, Mr. George P. 
Lathrop says, 1 among- them " The transformation of the 
faun," which the English publisher shortened to "Trans- 
formation." Hawthorne complained of the title Trans, 
formation as giving the idea of " Harlequin in a panto- 
mime." On the other hand, Henry James, in his " Haw- 
thorne " objects to the title " Marble faun " as failing " to 
characterize the story, the subject of which is the living 
faun, the faun of flesh and blood, the unfortunate Dona- 
tello. His marble counterpart is mentioned only in the 
opening chapter." 

HEAD, Sir Francis Bond. Bubbles from the brun- 
nens of Nassau, by an old man. London, J. Mur- 
ray, 1833; N. Y., G. Dearborn, 1836. Bubbles 
from some brunnens of Germany, by an old ' 
Englishman, N. Y., G G. Lange, 1848. 

HEADLEY, Phineas Camp. 

The following were published by W. H. Appleton, 
N.Y., 1864 and 1865: I. The hero boy; or, the life and 
deeds of Lieut.-Gen. Grant. 2. Life and naval career of 
Vice-Admiral David Glascoe Farragut. 3. Life and 
military career of Major-General Philip Henry Sheridan. 

4. Life and military career of Major-General William 
Tecumseh Sherman. 5. The patriot boy; or, the life and 
career of Major-General Ormsby M. Mitchel. They 
have been republished by Lee and Shepard, Boston, 1883, 
as the " Heroes of the rebellion," with the titles : I. Fight 
it out on this line; the life and deeds of Gen. U. S. Grant. 

z. Old Salamander; the life and naval career of Admi- 
ral David Gl.iscoe Farragut. 3. Fighting Phil; the 
life and military career of Lieut. -Gen. Philip H. Sheri- 
dan. 4. Facing the enemy ; the life and military career 
of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. 5. Old Stars; the 
life and military career of Major-Gen. O. M. Mitchel. 

HENTZ, Caroline Lee. The victim of excitement; 

The bosom serpent, etc. Phila., A. Hart. 1853. 

Love after marriage, and other stories of the 

heart. Phila., T. B. Peterson, copyright, 1857. 

The same. The last story in the earlier book is 

made the first in the later. J. E. 
HILDRETH, R. The white slave; or, memoirs of a 

fugitive. \^AnonJ\ Boston, Tappan and Whitte- 

more, 1852. 

Through the first thirty-six chapters the same as " Me- 
moirs of Archy Moore." 2ded., Boston, J. Munroe and co., 
1839. Mr. Edmands states that this story was also pub- 
lished with the titles : " The slave; or, memoirs of Archy 
Moore," Boston, Whipple and Damrell, 1840, and " Archy 
Moore the white slave," Auburn, N. Y., Miller, Orton and 
Mulligan, 1855. 

i Notes to the Riverside edition of Hawthorne, vol. 6, p. 11. 



HiLLERN,Wilhelmine von. Ernestine. London, T. De 
La Rue and co.; N. Y., W. S. Gottsberger, 1881. 
(Translated by S. Baring-Gould.) Only a girl; 
or, a physician for the soul, translated by Mrs. A. 
L. Wister. Phila., Lippincott, 1870. 
These are different translations of" Ein Arzt der Seele." 

The vulture maiden. From the German, by C. 
Bell and E. F. Poynter. Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 1876; 
N.Y., G. Munro, 1879. (Seaside Library, no. 575.) 
Elsa, and her vulture ; a tale of the Tyrolean 
Alps, translated by Lady Wallace. London, Long- 
mans, Green and co., 1876. Geier-Wally. A tale 
of the Tyrol. N. Y., Appleton, 1876. 
Different translations of "Die Geier-Wally." 

HOLLOWAY, Laura Carter. The ladies of the White 

House. N. Y., U. S. pub. co., 1872. In the 

home of the presidents. N. Y., U. S. pub. co., 

1875. The same, with additions. 
HOWE, Fisher. Turkey, Greece and Palestine in 

1853. Glasgow, W. Collins [1854]. Oriental 

and sacred scenes, from notes of travel in Greece, 

Turkey, and Palestine. N. Y., M. W. Dodd, 

1854. Z). H. 
HUGHES, T: Tom Brown's school days. London, 

Macmillan; Leipzig, Tauchnitz; Phila., H. B. 

Ashmead. School days at Rugby. Boston, 

Ticknor and Fields. 
HUGO, Victor Marie, comte. By order of the king. 

Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 1870. The man who laughs. 
.N. Y., Appleton, 1873. Different translations of 

" L'homme qui rit." 
HUNT, Mrs. Alfred W. " Self-condemned." London, 

Chatto and Windus, 1883. 

The statement has been made that this story has been 
republished at Boston, without the author's name, as one of 
the " No name series," with the title " Barrington's fate." 
The two books open in the same words. I have not seen 
a copy of the London edition, to see what changes, if any, 
have been made in the American edition. 

INGRAHAM, Joseph Holt. The Sunny South; or, 
the Southerner at home. Phila., G. G. Evans, 
1860. Becomes, ^fter the publication of Tour- 
gee's book, " Not ' A fool's errand; ' life and ex- 
perience of a Northern governess in the sunny 
South." N. Y., Carleton, 1883. 

JAMES, George Payne Rainsford. Revenge. London, 
Newby, 1851. The man in black. An historical 
novel of the days of Queen Anne. Phila., T. B. 
Peterson and bros., copyright, 1860. J. E. 

JAPP, Alexander Hay. {H. A.. Page.} Vers de 
societe" and parody. With other essays. London, 
T. Fisher Unwin, 1883. 
" The first edition was published under the title 

' Literary bye-hours.' In issuing this new edition it has 

been considered advisable to give it a more distinctive 

title." Preface. 

JERROLD, W: Blanchard. The best of all good 
company. First series. Dickens, Lytton, Thack- 
eray, Scott, Disraeli, Douglas Jerrold. London, 
Houlston and sons, 1873. Republished, with 
omissions, by Shepard and Gill, Boston, 1874, 
with the title "The best of all good company. 



20 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



First series. Dickens, Scott, Thackeray, Jerrold;" 
also, in 1883, by R. Worthington, N. Y., with the 
title " Days with great authors, comprising choice 
selections from Dickens, Scott, Thackeray, and 
Douglas Jerrold." 

JONES, Cornelia. Heavenward led; or, the two 
bequests. By Jane R. Sommers [pseud.]. Phila., 
Porter and Coates, copyright, 1871. 
The running-title and the half-title read " Heavenward 
bound; or, the two bequests." Mr. Edmands states that 
this story was first published under the title " Heavenward 
bound, etc.," and that a change was made at the request of 
the Presbyterian board of publication, which had already 
published a book with the same title. 

JONES, J. B. The Spanglers and Tingles; or, the 
rival belles. Phila., A. Hart, 1852. The 
rival belles; or, life in Washington. Phila., T. 
B. Peterson and bros. [1878.] D. H. 

KIMBALL, R: Burleigh. Romance of student life 
abroad. N. Y., G. P. Putnam and co., 1853; 
Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 1854. Students abroad. 
N. Y., G. P. Putnam, 1862. 

To-day. N. Y., Carleton, 1870. To-day in 
New York. Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 1870. D. H. 
states, in the Library journal, that this was re- 
published in New York, in the year 1881, by 
Carleton, with the title " An artful widow." 

Was he successful? N. Y., G. W. Carleton, 
1864. His idol (author's name removed), same 
pubs., 1 880. D.H., in Library journal, June, 1883. 

KINGSTON, W: H. G. The missing ship; or, 
notes from the log of the Ouzel galley. 
London, Griffith and Farrar. Ouzel galley ; or 
notes from an old sea log. Same pubs.-, 1877. 

KINNS, S: Moses and geology; or, the harmony 
of the Bible with science. The harmony of the 
Bible with science; or, Moses and geology, [ad 
edition.] Both, Cassell, P. G., and co., 1882. 

KIRBY, Mary and Elizabeth. The world at home. 
London, T. Nelson and sons. 1880. The world 
by the fireside. Same pubs., 1883. 

KIRKLAND, Caroline Matilda. . Our new home in 
the West. By Mrs. Mary Clavers (Mrs. C. M. 
Kirkland). N. Y., J. Miller, 1872. Originally 
published in 1 839, with the title " A new home ; 
who'll follow? By Mary Clavers, an actual 
settler." N. Y., C. S. Francis. 

LACOMBE, Paul. The growth of a people : a short 
study in French history. A translation of the 
" Petite histoire du peuple francjais," by Lewis A. 
Stimson. N. Y:, H. Holt and co., 1883. 
An earlier translation (Boston, H. A. Young and co., 

1878) is entitled " A short history of the French people." 

LETTERS everywhere. London, Seeley, 1869; 

Boston, Lee and Shepard, 1871. Republished 

by the latter firm in 1881, with the title "Young 

folks' rhymes and stories." 
LEVER, C: James. The O'Donoghue ; a tale of 

Ireland fifty years ago. Leipzig, Tauchnitz; 

Various English editions, and Phila., Carey and 

Hart. Kate O'Donoghue. Phila., Peterson, no 

date. J. E. 



LIEFDE, J. B. de. The beggars. (Les gueux.) 
London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1873. 
Galama; or, the beggars. N. Y., Scribner, 
Armstrong and co. 
" Called Galama, that it may not be confounded with 

' The beggars," which appeared in this country several 

years ago." Publishers' note. 

LINDLEY, Augustus F. A cruise in Chinese 
waters, being the log of " The Fortuna." 4th 
edition. London, Cassell, P. G., and co. [1882.] 
An earlier edition was entitled " The log of the 
Fortuna." English catalogue. 

LOVER, S: He would be a gentleman. Various 
editions. 
First published with the title "Treasure trove." 

Preface. 

There are editions which have the old title on the cover 

and the new one on the title-page. Whenever there are 

such double entries confusion is apt to arise, as may be 

seen under the name Winser in this list. 

MACDONALD, G: Orts. London, S. Low, 1882. 
The American edition (Boston, D. Lothrop, 1883) 
is called " The imagination and other essays." 

MCKNIGHT, C: Captain Jack the scout; or, the 
Indian wars about old Fort Duquesne. Phila., 
Porter and Coates, copyright, 1873. Old Fort 
Duquesne; or, Captain Jack the scout. Leipzig, 
Tauchnitz. Captain Jack. A story of In- 
dian adventure. London, F. Warne and co. 
[1874]. 

MACLEOD,' Rev. Xavier, professor of rhetoric and 
belles-lettres in St. Mary's College, Cincinnati. 
History of the devotion to the blessed Virgin Mary 
in North America. With a memoir of the author 
by the most Rev. John B. Purcell. N. Y., Virtue 
and Yorston, 1866. The same as " History of 
Roman Catholicism in North America," same 
publishers. The notice of copyright is removed. 
The Dial, July, 1883, p. 72.' 

MACQUOID, Katharine S. A faithful lover. London, 
Hurst and Blackett, 1882, and Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 
1882. Esau Runswick. N. Y., Putnam, 1882. 
The same, with omissions and variations. 

MANZONI, Alessandro. The betrothed (I promessi 
sposi). Called in English editions "The be- 
trothed lovers." 

MARRYAT, Florence. A broken blossom. London, 
Tinsley bros., 1879; Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 1879. 
Ange. N. Y., G. W. Carleton, 1879. 

A harvest of wild oats. London, Tinsley bros., 
1877; Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 1877; N. Y., Carleton, 
1877. Republished, N. Y., Carleton, 1879, as 
" Heart to heart." The same publisher advertises 
in 1881 " Wild oats, by Florence Marryat," 
which may possibly be a third issue of the same. 

MARTINEAU DES CHESNEZ, Madame la baronne 
Elisabeth. Marquise and Rosette. London, 
Strahan, no date. Published, Phila., Porter and 
Coates, 1873, as " Lady Greensatin and her maid 
Rosette." The original is " La marquise de Satin- 
vert et sa femme de chambre Rosette." Paris, 
1868. 



WHITNET. 



21 



MATHEWS, Cornelius. The Indian fairy book. 
N. Y., Leavitt and Allen, 1868. The enchanted 
moccasins, and other legends of the American In- 
dians. N. Y., G. P. Putnam's sons, 1877. 

MAURER, Leberecht. Jesuiten oder Freimaurer? 
Roman. Leipzig, Kriiger und Roskoschny, 1876. 
This story has been previously printed in periodicals 

under the title " Die Geheimb'dndler " and also as " Neu- 

templer und Rosenkreuzer." Preface. 

MAY, T. P. A prince of Breffny. Phila., T. B. 
Peterson and bros. [1881.] Lady Edith. Same 
.pubs. [1882.] D.H. 

MELVILLE, G: J: Whyte. M. or N. London, Chap- 
man and Hall, 1869; Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 1869. 
Maud or Nina. Boston, Estes and L. [1875.] 

MERCER, C: Fenno. An exposition of the weak- 
ness and inefficiency of the government of 
the United States of North America. \_Anon.~\ 
n. p., printed for the author. 1845. The weak- 
ness and inefficiency of the government of the 
United States of North America. By a late 
American statesman. [Anon.~\ London, Houl- 
ston and Wright, 1863. 
These two works are the same, with the addition of a 

6-page introduction by the editor of the London edition, 

and a slight difference in the wording of the first para. 

graph of the work itself. C. A. C. 

MERY, Joseph. Through thick and thin. By 
Joseph Me"ry. N. Y., G. W. Carleton, 1874. Re- 
published by the same in 1879 as an anonymous 
work, with the title "Only caprice." 
This is a translation of "La guerre de Nizam." 

MODEL merchant, The, or memoirs of Samuel Budg- 
ett. [Anon.~\ Phila., Presb. board of publication 
[1858]. Abridged from "The successful mer- 
chant, by W. Arthur." London, 1852. D. H. 
MOUNTAIN, lake, and river. A series of twenty- 
five steel line engravings from designs by W. H. 
Bartlett and others. The descriptive text by N. 
P. Willis and others. Boston : Estes and Lauriat. 
1884 [1883]. 

The plates and text (with changes) are selected from 
" American scenery . . . from drawings by William 
H. Bartlett, the literary department by N. P. Willis, 
London, G. Virtue, 1838," a famous book in its day. 

MUNDT, Clara Mueller. The merchant of Berlin 
By L. Miihlbach \_pseud.~\. Trans, by Amory 
Coffin. N. Y., D. Appleton and co., 1867. 
Frederick the great and his merchant. From 
the German, by Lady Wallace. [Anon.~\ London, 
Bentley, 1858. Translations of the same. J. . 

"MYSTERIES of crime. Boston, S. Walker and co., 
1870. Celebrated murders. Chicago, Belfords, 
Clarke andco., 1879. D.H., in Library journal. 

NICHOLS, James Robinson. From whence, what, 
where? Boston, printed for the author, 1882. 
Whence, what, where? A view of the origin, 
nature, and destiny of man. 3d edition. Boston, 
A. Williams and co., 1883. 

NORTH, W: The slave of the lamp. N. Y., H. 
Long andbro. [1855.] The man of the world. 
Phila., T. B. Peterson and bros. [1877.] D.H. 

O'MEARA, Kathleen. ( Grace Ramsay.'} The bells of 



the sanctuary. A daughter of St. Dominick. 
London, R. Washbourne, 1873. First published 
in the Catholic world for February, 1873, under 
the title of "A daughter of St. Dominic." 

PANCOAST, S. Blue and red light, and its rays as 
medicine. Phila., J. M. Stoddard and co. [1877.] 
The same as "The Kabala; or, the true source 
of light" (same publishers and same date). 

PARDON, George F. Tales from the operas. N. Y., 
Carleton, 1865. Republished by the same in 
1883 as "Book of the operas," which might 
naturally be supposed to be a libretto. 

PARR, Louisa. The Prescotts of Pamphillon. Lon- 
don, Isbister, 1873; Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 1874. 
Hero Carthew, or the Prescotts of Pamphillon. 
N. Y., Holt, 1873. 

PAYN, James. Like father, like son. London, 
Tinsley, 1870; Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 1871. Bred 
in the bone; or, like father, like son. N. Y., 
Harper and bros., 1872. J. E. 

PEABODY, Elizabeth Palmer. Record of a school. 
[Anon.'} Boston, 1835. Record of Mr. Alcott's 
school. 3d edition. \_Anon.~\ Boston, Roberts 
bros., 1874. 

PEOPLE, The, of Turkey : twenty years' resi- 
dence among Bulgarians [etc.]. By a consul's 
daughter and wife. Ed. by Stanley Lane-Poole. 
London, J. Murray, 1878. Twenty years' resi- 
dence among the people of Turkey [etc.]. N. Y., 
Harper, 1878. 

PETERS, Devvitt C. The life and adventures of Kit 
Carson, the Nestor of the Rocky mountains. 
N.Y., W. R. C. Clark & co., 1858. Repub- 
lished, Hartford, Dustin, Gilman & co., copy- 
right, 1873, as " Kit Carson's life and adventures," 
and Boston, Estes and Lauriat, copyright, 1880, 
as " Pioneer life and frontier adventures. An 
authentic record of the romantic life and daring 
exploits of Kit Carson and his companions." 
W. E. F. 
There are alterations in the two later books. 

PETERSON, C: J. Kate Aylesford. A story of the 
refugees. By Charles J. Peterson, copyright, 
A. H. Simmons and co., 1855. The heiress of 
Sweetwater. By J. Thornton Randolph, author 
of "The cabin and parlor," copyright, 1873. 
Both published by T. B. Peterson and bros. 

y. E. 

Proteus has fairly outdone himself here, both title and 
author being different in the two, while the books are 
otherwise identical. It might be supposed that the latter 
name is a pseudonym adopted by Mr. C. J. Peterson. It 
appears as a real name in Allibone and many catalogues, 
and Mr. Edmands states that it is that of a real personage. 
He also states that "The cabin and the parlor; or, slaves 
and masters, by J. Thornton Randolph," Phila., T. B. 
Peterson, copyright, 1852, was also published by the same 
as "Courtenay hall; or, the hospitality and life in a 
planter's family," same publisher, no date. 

PETRUCELLI DELLA GATTINA, Ferdinando. Popery 
exposed. An exposition of popery as it is [etc.]. 
Trans, from the French by Robert E. Peterson. 
Phila., T. B. Peterson [1875]. Rome and the 
papacy [etc ], same publishers, copyright, 1872. 



22 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



PHELPS, Mrs. E.. Stuart. The sunny side; or, the 
country minister's wife. By the author of " Lit- 
tle Kitty and her Bible verses." Andover, 1851, 
and elsewhere. Manse of Sunnyside. Edinb., 
1855. The same. Allibone. 

PRATT, L. Maria (pseud. Laurie Loring). The 
holiday album for girls. Boston, D. Lothrop and 
Co., 1875. Identical with pp. 183-357 of the 
" Children's picture story-book," by the same 
author and publisher. 
The same author's " Holiday album for boys " consists 

of pp. 1-181 of the same book. 

RANDOLPH, J. Thornton. See Peterson, C: J. 

RAYMOND, Rossiter Worthington. 

The following works, written by the author as United 
States commissioner of mining statistics, were published 
by the U.S. government: i. Mineral resources of the 
states and territories west of the Rocky mountains. 1869 

a. Statistics of mines and mining in the states and ter- 
ritories west of the Roeky mountains. 1870. 3. Same 
title. 1871. 4. Same title. 4th annual report. 1873. 
5. 5th annual report. 1874. These were republished in 
N.Y. by J. B. Ford and Co., with the following titles: 
i. The mines of the West: a report to the Secretary of 
the treasury. 1869. 2. Mines and mining of the Rocky 
mountains, the inland basin and the Pacific slope. 1871. 

3. Mines, mills, and furnaces, of the Pacific states and 
territories. 1871. 4. Silver and gold [etc.]. 1873. 
Mining industry of the states and territories of the Rocky 
mountains. 1874. 

Libraries, as well as private individuals, have received 
the above books from the United States government, and 
have afterwards purchased these reissues of the same 
matter, at high prices ($3.50 to $4.50 each at retail), natu- 
rally supposing that they were different books. The mo- 
tive of the publishers was doubtless a good one, that these 
books might reach many persons who would not other- 
wise see them. It would have been better to have kept 
the original titles. 

REID, Mayne. Lost Lenore. N. Y., G. W. Carle- 
ton and co., no date. Heart and hand. Pub- 
lished anonymously, by the same, the author's 
name being removed. 1881. D. H., in Library 
journal, June, 1883. 

The maroon. By Captain Mayne Reid. Lon- 
don, Routledge; N. Y., R. M. Dewitt; N. Y., 
Carleton. 

This book, a familiar one at bookstores and libraries 
for more than twenty years, has been republished recently 
by G. \V. Carleton & co., with changes, and omitting 
the name of the author. The title is changed to "A 
love spell." If the practice of changing the titles of 
books is a bad one, to omit the author's name at the same 
time, as is sometimes the custom nowadays, is doubly evil. 1 

Apart from moral considerations, think how this and 
such practices as we have been considering tend to oblit- 
erate all definiteness and exactness in literarv records and 
statistics, and to rob them of all their significance. There 
but remains to alter the text of the original to suit one's 
fancy, as is done in several of the reprints mentioned in 
this list, to inaugurate chaos. 

i It would be interesting to know how the poor authors feel who 
are thus summarily robbed of their children. 



Odd people. Boston, Osgood, 1874. Re- 
published, N. Y., J. Miller, 1876, as "The man- 
eaters and other odd people." 

The quadroon. N.Y., R. M. Dewitt [1856]. 
Love's vengeance. (Author's name removed.) 
G. W. Carleton and co., 1880. D. H., in Li- 
brary journal, June, 1883. 

RICHARDSON, C. J. The Englishman's house from 
a cottage to a mansion. London, J. C. Hotten 
[1870], House-building, from a cottage to a 
mansion. N. Y., Putnam, 1873. 

Mr. Edmunds calls attention to the fact that both the 
above are the same, with trifling exceptions, as " Pictu- 
resque designs for mansions, villas, lodges, etc.," by the 
same author, London, Atchley and co., 1870, price 43 
shillings. The Mercantile Library of Philadelphia, and 
the Boston Public Library, and, doubtless, other institu- 
tions, have copies of all three of these expensive works, 
purchased on the supposition that they were different 
books, where one of them would serve the purpose. 

RITCHIE, Leitch. The British world in the East. 
London, Allen and co., 1847. History of the 
Oriental nations. London, 1848. W. F. P. 
ROBERTS, Margaret. The atelier du Lys. London, 
Longmans, 1876. Reprinted with the title 
"Noblesse oblige. By the author of Mile. 
Mori." N. Y., H. Holt, 1876. 

The author complains in the Literary world, July 14, 
1883, p. 225, that this story was republished under a change 
of title, without her knowledge. Moreover, she disap- 
proves of the change, especially from the fact that the 
new title is the same as one already given to a story by 
Sarah Tytler (Henrietta Keddie). 

ROBINSON, Phil. Under the sun. Boston, Roberts, 

1882. 

Made up of parts of the author's " Noah's ark," " In my 
Indian garden," "Under the punkah," with other matter. 
The title reads, " By the author of" these three mentioned 
books ; leaving the impression that it has no connection 
with them. 

ROE, AZEL Stevens. How could he help it ? N. Y., 
Derby and Jackson, 1860. Give me thine heart. 
(Author's name removed.) G. W. Carleton and 
co., 1880. D.H., in Library journal, June, 1883. 

James- Montjoy ; or, I've been thinking. N. Y., 
D. Appleton and co., copyright, 1849. 

G. W. Carleton and co. have advertised under Roe's 
name " I've been thinking," possibly a second issue. 

True to the last. N. Y., Derby and Jackson, 
1858. Faithful to the end. (Author's name 
removed.) G. W. Carleton and co., 1881. 
D. H., in Library journal, June, 1883. 

ROOD, Ogden N. Modern chromatics, with appli- 
cations to art and industry. Students' text-book 
of color; or, modern chromatics [etc.]. 
These, which are the same, were published in 1879 and 

iSSi by D. Appleton and co., in "The international 

scientific series." 

ROOFER, G. The fox at home; and other tales. 

London, Hardwicke and Bogue, 1877. 

First published in 1874, under the title " Tales and 
sketches," without a publisher's name. Preface. 



WHITNET. 



ROSSETTI, Daniel Gabriel. The early Italian poets 
from Ciullo d' Alcamo to Dante Alighieri (noo- 
1200-1300) in the original metres, together with 
Dante's Vita nuova. London, Smith, Elder and co., 
1 86 1. Republished, Boston, Roberts brothers, 
1876, in a rearranged form, with the title " Dante 
and his circle." 

RUFFINI, Giovanni. The Paragreens on a visit to 
the Paris universal exhibition. N. Y., Dix, Ed- 
wards and co., 1857. Dear experience. N. Y., 
Rudd and Carleton, 1861. J. . 

SAMUELS, E: A. The ornithology and oology of 
New England. Boston, Nichols and Noyes, 1867. 
Republished, Boston, Noyes, Holmes and co., 
with the title " The birds of New England and 
adjacent states; " and again, with some additional 
matter, N. Y., R. Worthington, 1883, as "Our 
northern and eastern birds." 

SAND, George. La petite Fadette. Translated, 
"Little Fadette." London, Slater, 1849; Lon- 
don, Weldon, 1878. "Fadette. From the 
French by Matilda M. Hays." N. Y., G. P. Put- 
nam, copyright, 1851. "Fanchon the cricket. 
Trans, by Matilda M. Hays." N. Y., F. Ley- 
poldt, 1863. "Fanchon the cricket; or, La 
petite Fadette." Phila., T. B. Peterson and bros., 
copyright, 1871. 

SAUNDERS, F: About woman, love, and marriage. 

1868. Love and marriage. 1879. Both, G. W. 

Carleton and co. D. H. 
SAVAGE, Mrs. W. T. Miramichi. [Anon.~\ Boston, 

Loring, copyright, 1865. " Adele Dubois: a 

story of the lovely Miramichi valley in New 

Brunswick," same publisher. 
SCHAEFFLE, Albert Eberhard Friedrich. Bau und 

Leben des socialen Korpers. Tubingen, H. 

Laupp, 1875-1878. 4 v. 

The third volume is published separately, with the title 
" Kapitalisraus und Socialismus," of which M. Kauf- 
mann's " Socialism," London, 1874, is a. condensed and 
altered translation. 

SEARS, Edmund Hamilton. Athanasia; or, fore- 
gleams of immortality. Boston, American uni- 
tarian association, 1858. The revised edition, 
Phila., Claxton, Remsen and Haffelfinger, I2th 
edition, 1873, is entitled " Foregleams and fore- 
shadows of immortality." 

SHEPPARD, E .. Sara. My first season. By Beatrice 
Reynolds \_pseud. ~\. London, Smith and Elder, 
1855; N. Y., W. P. Fetridge and co., 1856. 
The matchmaker. By Beatrice Reynolds. Phila., 
T. B. Peterson and bros., no date. The same. 

-?.. 

SIMMS, W: Gilmore. Life in America; or, the wig- 
wam and the cabin. Aberdeen, G. Clark and 
son, 1848. Wigwam and cabin. N. Y., J. S. 
Redfield, copyright, 1856; W. J. Widdleton, 
1864. J.E. 

Woodcraft; or, the hawks about the dovecote. 
N. Y., J. S. Redfield, copyright, 1854. The 
sword and the distaff; or, " fair, fat, and forty." 
Phila., Lippincott, Grambo and co., 1853. J. E. 



SOCIAL etiquette and home culture. The glass of 
fashion. By the Lounger in society. N. Y., Har- 
per [1878]. The glass of fashion. By the 
Lounger in society. London, J. Hogg, 1881. 

SOUTHWORTH, Mrs. Fallen pride. The curse of 
Clifton. Both published by Peterson. The 
same. J. E. 

The gipsy's prophecy ; or, the bride of an even- 
ing, 1 86 1. The bride of an evening. Both 
Phila., T. B. Peterson. J. E. 

The prince of darkness. Phila., Peterson, copy- 
right, 1869. Originally published with the title 
" Hickory hall; or the outcast. A romance of the 
Blue Ridge." Phila.,T. B. Peterson & bro. [1861.] 

Virginia and Magdalene. 1851. The two sisters; 
or, Virginia and Magdalene. 1858. Both, Phila., 
T. B. Peterson. J. E. 

SPEAKER'S garland, The, and literary bouquet. 
Phila., P. Garrett and co. 

The various numbers of " One hundred choice selec- 
tions," same publishers, united in one volume. 

SPENCER, Captain Edmund. The fall of the Crimea. 
London, Routledge, 1854. First published in Lon- 
don, 1840, with the title, ' The prophet of the 
Caucasus." Preface. 

SPURGEON, C: Haddon. The matchless mystery. 
N. Y., Sheldon and co., 1878. The same as the 
Tenth series of his Sermons. 

STABLER, Jennie Latham. Left to herself. By 
Jennie Woodville \_pseud^\. Phila., J. B. Lippin- 
cott and co., 1871. Edith's mistake; or left to 
herself. Snme pubs., copyright, 1874. 

STABLES, W. Gordon. Cats : their points and 
characteristics [etc.]. London, Dean and son 
[1874]. Friends in fur; true tales of cat life. 
Same pubs. [1877.] 

STIMSON, Alexander Lovett. Easy Nat; or, the 
three apprentices. New England boys; or, the 
three apprentices. Both, N. Y., J. C. Derby, 
1856. D. H. 

STOKES, F : Abbot. College tramps : a narrative of 
the adventures of a party of Yale students 
during a summer vacation in Europe. N. Y. , 
Carleton, 1880. A jolly summer. N. Y., White, 
Stokes and Allen, 1883. 

STOWE, Harriet E.. Beecher. Dred: a tale of the 
Great Dismal swamp. Boston, Phillips, Sampson 
and co., 1856. Nina Gordon: a tale of the 
Great Dismal swamp. Boston, Osgood, 1878. 

Men of our times. Hartford publishing co., 
1869. The lives and deeds of our self-made 
men. Hartford, Worthington, Dustin and co., 
1872. The life of B. Gratz Brown is added. 

Oldtown fireside stories. Boston, Osgood, 
1873. Sam Lawson's Oldtown fireside stories, 
same publishers and date. 

STRAUSS, Gerhard Friedrich Abraham. The glory 
of the house of Israel ; or, the Hebrew's pil- 
grimage to the Holy City. Phila., Lippincott, 1873. 
A translation of " Helens Wallfahrt nach Jerusalem." 
It had been published some years before in London and 
Boston with the title, " Helen's pilgrimage to Jerusalem." 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



STRETTON, Julia Cecilia. The valley of a hundred 
fires. By the author of " Margaret and her 
bridesmaids." London, Hurst and Blackett, 
1860. The rector's wife; or, the valley of a 
hundred fires. By the author [etc.]. Phila., 
T. B. Peterson and bros., no date. The same. 

-y.E. 

STUDENTS', The, encyclopaedia of universal knowl- 
edge (vol. I, London, Hodder and Stoughton, 
1883). 

" Merely a new issue of the Globe encyclopaedia 
(Edinb., Jack, 1876-79, 6 v.). The old plates have been 
used, but some changes have been made. Unluckily for 
the purchaser, in many cases in the statistics, though the 
year has been changed, the other figures have been left as 
they stood before." Library journal, May, 1883, p. 9. 
See also The Academy, March 31, 1883, p. 219. 

TERHUNE, M .. Virginia. Colonel Floyd's wards. 
By Marion Harland [psettd.~\. N. Y., Sheldon 
and co., 1863. Helen Gardner's wedding-day; 
or Colonel Floyd's wards. By Marion Harland. 
N. Y., Carleton, copyright, 1870. 

Husks. By Marion Harland \_pseud.~\. N. Y., 
Sheldon and co., 1863. The empty heart; or, 
husks. By Marion Harland. N. Y., Carleton, 
copyright, 1870. 

THIMM, Franz. Modern languages. N. Y., Dick 
and Fitzgerald [1872]. First published as four 
independent books, viz. : "French self-taught"; 
"German self-taught"; "Spanish self-taught"; 

. " Italian self-taught." 

THOMPSON, Clara Monica. The rectory of More- 
land; or, my duty. Boston, J. E. Tilton and co., 
1860. Republished by the same in 1864, as 
"Mary Evans; or, the rectory of Moreland." 

THOMPSON, Robert Ellis. Elements of political 
economy, with especial reference to the industrial 
history of nations. Phila., Porter and Coates, 
1882. A third edition of the author's " Social 
science and national economy," same publishers, 
I875- 
TOCQUEVILLE, Alexis C: H: Cle'rel de. 

An American translation of De Tocqueville's " De la 
democratic en Am^rique," N. Y., A. S. Barnes and co., 
1851, is entitled "The republic of the United States of 
America, and its political institutions, reviewed and ex- 
amined. Trans, by Henry Reeves [Reeve]. With pref- 
ace and notes by John C. Spencer." Prof. Bowen's re- 
vision of this translation, Cambridge, John Bartlett, 1862, 
following the original title, is called "Democracy in 
America," and this is the title of the edition published in 
England. 

The first volume of both translations has been issued 
at these two publishing houses, with the title " American 
institutions." 

TOPELIUS, Zacharias. Gustav Adolf and the thirty 
years' war. Trans by Selma Borg and Marie 
A. Brown. N. Y., Carleton, 1872. The sur- 
geon's stories. Times of Gustav Adolf. Chi- 
cago, Jansen, McClurg and co., 1883. 
Different translations of the same story. 



TOURGEE, Albion W. Toinette. A novel by Henry 
Churton [pseud.~\. N. Y., J. B. Ford and co., 
1 874. Republished, under the author's real name, 
by Fords, Howard and Hulbert, 1881, with the 
title " A royal gentleman." Preface. 

TOWNER, Ausburn. After long years; or, Che- 
dayne of Kotono. A story of the early days of 
the Republic. A reissue of " Chedayne of Ko- 
tono. A story of the early days of the Repub- 
lic." Publishers' preface. Both published by 
Dodd, Mead and co., N. Y., one in 1877, the 
other in 1882. D. H. 

TROLLOPE, Frances. The young countess; or, love 
and jealousy. London, Colburn, 1848. Love 
and jealousy. y. E. 

TROLLOPE, T: Adolphus. Giulio Malatesta; a novel. 
London, Chapman and Hall, 1863; Phila., T. B. 
Peterson and bros., 1869. The sealed packet. 
Phila., T. B. Peterson and bros., no date. J. E. 

TROWBRIDGE, J: Townsencl. The drummer boy. 
Boston, J. E. Tilton and co., 1863. Frank 
Manly, the drummer boy. A story of the war. 
Boston, W. F. Gill and co., 1876. 

Phil and his friends. Boston, Lee and Shepard, 
1884 [1883]. Doubtless the same as " Philip 
Farlow and his friends." London, F. Warne 
and co., 1883. y. E. 

Who won at last ? or, every-day progress. Lon- 
don, F. Warne, no date. The first English 
edition was entitled, " How to rise in the world." 
London [1875]. Publishers' 1 notice. 

Both contain the two stories, "Jack Hazard and his 
fortunes " and " Doing his best," which have been pub- 
lished independently. 

See Boys and girls' miscellany. 

TUCKER, St. George. Hansford. Richmond, Va., 
G. M. West, 1857. The devoted bride. Phila., 
T. B. Peterson and hros. [1878.] Z>. H. t in 
the Library journal, August, 1883. 

TUTHILL, L.. Caroline. Beautiful Bertha. N. Y., C. 
Scribner, 1855. Noble aims; or, beautiful 
Bertha and Edith. N. Y., World pub. co., 1876. 

Two ways to wedlock. N. Y., Rudd and Carleton, 
1859. False pride; or, two ways to matri- 
mony. Phila., T.B. Peterson and bros., 1866. 
Two ways to matrimony; or, false pride. Phila., 
T B. Peterson and bros. [1878.] D. H.,\n 
Library journal, hug., 1883 (with additions by 
J. L W.). 

UP DE GRAFF, Thad. S. Bodines; or, camping on 
the Lycoming. Phila., J. B. Lippincott and co., 
1879. Reprinted by the same, 1883, as " Camp- 
ing on the Alleghanies; or, Bodine's idea." 

VALENTINE, Mrs. . Kate Duncan; or, hidden 
wrong. London, F. Warne and co. [1877.] 
Published by the same in 1876 under the title 
" Maidenhood; or, the verge of the stream." 

VERNE, Jules. Adventures in the land of the 
behemoth. Boston, H. L. Shepard and co., 1874. 
Meridiana : the adventures of three English- 
men and three Russians in South Africa. N. Y., 
Scribner, 1874. (Published also as a part of 



WHITNET. 



2 5 



"Stories of adventure," same publishers, 1874.) 

The adventures of three Englishmen and three 
Russians in South Africa. Trans, by Ellen E. 
Frevver. London, S. Low, 1876. 

All these are translations of " Les aventures de trois 
Russes et de trois Anglais," Paris, 1872, which title 
differs from those of all the translations. 

Around the world in eighty days ; trans, by G. 
M. Towle. Phila., Porter and Coates, no date. 

Tour of the world in eighty days; trans, by 
G. M. Towle. Boston, J. R. Osgood, 1873. 

The child of the cavern; or, strange doings 
underground. Trans, by W. H. G. Kingston. 
London, S. Low, 1877. Underground city; or, 
the child of the cavern. Trans, by W. H. G. 
Kingston. Phila., Porter and Coates, no date. 

Dr. Ox, and other stories; trans, by G. M. 
Towle. Boston, J. R. Osgood, 1875. From the 
clouds to the mountains; trans, by A. L. Alger. 
Boston, W. F. Gill and co., 1874. 

The English at the North pole. A journey to 
the North pole. Voyages and adventures of 
Captain Hatteras, the English at the North pole. 

The adventures of Captain Hatteras. Part I. 

These four, published in England and America, are 
translations of " Les Anglais au pole nord." 

To the sun? A journey through planetary 
space. From the French, by Edward Roth. 
Phila., Claxton, Remsen and Haffelfinger, 1878. 

Constitutes Part I of " Hector Servadac," London, S. 
Low. 

For further changes in the stories of this author con- 
sult "The American catalogue." 

WARBURTON, Eliot Bartholomew George. The 
crescent and the cross; or, romance and realities 
of Eastern travel. By Eliot Warburton. Lon- 
don, 1844, later editions, Hurst and Blackett, 
and N. Y., Wiley and Putnam, 1845. Travels 
in Egypt and the Holy Land; or, the crescent 
and the cross. Comprising the romance and 
realities of Eastern travel. By Eliot Warburton. 
Phila., H. C. Peck and Theo. Bliss, 1859. There 
are some changes in the latter. 

WARE, William. Probus: or, Rome in the third 
century. N. Y., C. S. Francis, 1838. Aurelian; 
or, Rome in the third century. Same publishers, 
1849, and later dates. 

WARFIELD, Catharine Anne. The romance of 
Beauseincourt. An episode extracted from the 
retrospect of Miriam Montfort. N. Y., G. W. 
Carleton and co., 1867. Miriam's memoirs. A 
sequel to " Montfort Hall," being a romance of 
the house of Beauseincourt. Phila., T. B. Peter- 
son and bros^, copyright, 1876. y. E. 

W T ARNER, C: Dudley. Mummies and Moslems. 
Hartford, American pub. co., 1876. Repub- 
lished, same date, by the same, with the title 
" My winter on the Nile, among the mummies 
and Moslems." 



WATSON, H: C. The old bell of independence; 
or, Philadelphia in 1776. Phila., Lindsay and 
Blakiston, 1852. Republished, Boston, Lee and 
Shepard, no date, with the title " Noble deeds of 
our forefathers." 

WEBBER, C: Wilkins. The hunter naturalist; ro- 
mance of sporting; or, wild scenes and wild 
hunters. Phila., J. W. Bradley, 1851 ; and, with 
the same title, Phila., Lippincott, Grambo and 
co., 1854. Romance of natural history; or, 
wild scenes and wild hunters. Phila., Lippin- 
cott, Grambo and co., 1852. The same. y. E. 

WEBBER, S: jr. Manual of power for machines, 
shafts, and belts. With the history of cotton 
manufacture in the United States [to 1876. 2d 
ed.]. N. Y., D. Appleton and co., 1879. The 
first edition was published under the title of 
"Tests of power." Preface. 

WESTERN farmer's, The, new and universal hand- 
book. Chicago, Keen and Lee, 1856. Repub- 
lished, N. Y., G. W. Carleton and co., 1880, as 
" The American farmer. I3th ed. Ree'dited by 
F. W. O'Niell and H. L. Williams."/?. H. 

WESTMORELAND, Maria Jourdan. Clifford Troup. 
N. Y., G. W Carleton and co., 1873. Drifted 
together. [Anon.~\ Same pubs., 1880. D. H. 

WHITTAKER, F: Away westward; or, the cadet 
button. London, W. Mullan and son, 1879. 
The same as "The cadet button." N. Y., 
Sheldon and co. 
The headings of the chapters, and in some cases the 

wording, have been altered. 

WHITTY, E: Michael. Friends of Bohemia: or, 
phases of London life. London, Smith, Elder 
and co., 1857. Knaves and fools; or, friends 
of Bohemia. N. Y., Rudd and Carleton, 1857. 
The Bohemians of London. Phila., T. B. 
Peterson and bro., no date. jf. E. 
WHO wrote it? A dictionary of common poetical 
quotations in the English language. London, G. 
Bell and sons, 1878. A new and enlarged edition 
of " Where is it? " London, 1855. Preface. 
WHYMPER, E. Scrambles amongst the Alps in the 
years 1860-69. London, John Murray, 1871. 
Readers of this book, doubly interesting from its text 
and striking wood-cuts, VHS.ru eager to purchase what they 
supposed was to be its sequel in " The ascent of the Mat- 
terhorn," same publisher, i8So. They discovered, how- 
ever, that the new book uses the plates and text of the old 
one, with some omissions, and, apparently, few additions. 
If published as a second edition with the same title, few 
after a comparison of the two, having paid six dollars or 
thereabouts for the first, would have purchased the second ; 
whereas many copies of the book under its new title have 
been sold in this country to those who supposed it to be 
a description of new adventures. The compiler of this 
list has not been able to find any allusion in the later 
book to the earlier one. 

WIKOFF, H: The adventures of a roving diplo- 
matist. N. Y., W. P. Fetridge and co., 1857. 
A New Yorker in the foreign office, and his ad- 
ventures in Paris. London, Triibner and co., 
1858. W. F. P. 



26 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE, 



WILLARD, Clara A. Fifty years ago. N. Y., Ran- 
dolph, copyright, 1871. The Winthrop family; 
a story of New England life fifty years ago. Lon- 
don, Hodcler and Stoughton, 1880. 

WILLIAMSON, E. H. The Quaker partisans. A 
story of the revolution. \_Anon.~\ Phila., J. B. 
Lippincott and co., 1869. Republished by the 
same, 1876, as " Clayton's rangers; or the Quaker 
partisans." \_Anon.~\ D. //. 

WINSER, H: J. The great North-west. N. Y., 
Putnam's sons. 1883. 

Bears upon its side the title " Guide to the Northern 
Pacific railroad and its allied lines"; upon its back, 
"Northern Pacific railroad"; upon its title-page, "The 
great North-west, a guide-book and itinerary " [etc.] ; and 
in its publishers' advertisements, " The tourist's guide to 
the Northern Pacific railroad." Of course the book is 
quite likely to find its way into catalogues under each of 
the four titles, creating an irritating confusion. The Dial, 
Oct., 1883, p. 140. 

WITT, C. Myths of Hellas; or Greek tales. Told 
in German by Professor C. Witt. Translated into 
English by Frances Younghusband. With a 
preface by Arthur Sedgwick. London, Long- 
mans, Green and co., 1883. Republished, N. Y., 
H. Holt and co., 1883, with the title, " Classic 
mythology [etc.]. Supplemented with a glossary 
of etymologies and related myths." 

The original is entitled, " Griechische Gotter- und Hel- 
dengeschichten." 

WITT, Henriette de, formerly Mile. Guizot. 
Motherless; or a Parisian family. N. Y., Harper 
and bros., 1871; N. Y., G. Munro, 1879. 
(Seaside library, No. 628.) A Parisian family. 
London, S. Low, Son & Marston, 1871. 
Both translated by the author of " John Halifax, 
gentleman," and the same. D. H. 

WOOD, Ella Price. (Mrs. Henry Wood.) The 
earl's heirs. Phila., Peterson, copyright, 1862. 
Lord Oakburn's daughters. By the author 
of ... The earl's heirs. Same publishers, copy- 
right, 1865. 

The same story, in a somewhat different setting. 



Johnny Ludlow. [187-.] Under the rose. 
By the author of East Lynne. \_Anon.~\ 1878. 
Both, N. Y., G. W. Carleton and co.- D. H. 

Lady Adelaide's oath. London, new edition, 
Bentley, 1867. The castle's heir; or, Lady Ad- 
elaide's oath. Phila., T. B. Peterson and bros., 
no date. Out of the deep. Boston, W. F. Gill 
and co., 1876. 

The mystery. A love story. Phila., Peterson, 
no date. This appears to be "Anne Hereford" 
(London, Tinsley bros., 1868; Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 
1869), with variations. 

Park water; or, told in the twilight. Phila., T. 
B. Peterson, no date. A portion only of "Told 
in the twilight." London, R. Bentley, 1875, and 
Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 1875. 



Trevlyn Hood; or, Squire Trevlyn's heir. Lon- 
don, Tinsley, 1864; Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 1864 
Squire Trevlyn's heir. Phila., T. B. Peterson, 
no date. J. E. 

WOOD, G: Future life; or, scenes in another 
world. N. Y., Derby and Jackson, 1858. 
After the publication of " The gates ajar " by Miss 

Phelps, this reappeared, Boston, Lee and Shepard, 1871, 

as "The gates wide open." 

YATES, Edmund. Two, by tricks. London, Rout- 
ledge, 1875, and Leipzig, Tauchnitz, same date. 
Published, Boston, W. F. Gill and co., 1875, 
with the title, " Wages of sin." 

YONGE, C- Mary. Richard the fearless; or, the 
little duke. N. Y., D. Appleton and co. [1857, 
and often since.] The same as "The little 
duke; Richard the fearless." Leipzig, Tauchnitz, 
1860; Boston, D. Lothrop and co., 1881. 

ZOLA, Emile. The abbe's temptation. (La faute 
de 1'abbe Mouret.) Trans, by John Stirling. 
[1879.] Albine; or, the abba's temptation. 
(La faute de 1'abbe" Mouret.) [1882.] Both, 
Phila., T. B. Peterson and bros., and the same. 

D.H. 

The bonheur des dames; or, the shopgirls of 
Paris. Phila., Peterson [1883]. The ladies' 
paradise; or, the bonheur des dames, same pub- 
lisher [1883]. 

Claude's Confession. Trans, by George D. Cox. 
Phila., T. B. Peterson and bros. [1882.] A 
terrible confession; or, the sufferings of a lost 
soul in a garret. (La confession de Claude.) 
N. Y., F. Tousey, 1882. (Brookside library, No. 
214.) The same. D. H. 

The conquest of Plassans. A tale of provincial 
life. (La conquete de Plassans.) Trans, by 
John Stirling. A mad love; or, the abbe and 
his court. (La conquete de Plassans.) Trans, 
by John Stirling. Both, Phila., T. B. Peterson 
and bros. [1879 and 1882], and the same. D. H. 

The girl in scarlet ; or, the love of Silvere and 
Miette. (La fortune des Rougon.)' Trans, by 
John Stirling. Phila., T. B. Peterson and bros. 
[1882.] The Rougon-Macquart family. (La 
fortune des Rougon.) Trans, by John Stirling. 
Same pubs. [1879.] The same. D. H. 

Helene. A love episode. Trans, by Mary Neal 
Sherwood. Phila., T. B. Peterson and bros. 
[1878.] A woman's heart, or, a stray leaf from 
the book of love. (Une page d'amour.) N. Y , 
F. Tousey, 1883. (Brookside library, No. 286.) 
The same. D. H. 

The markets of Paris. (Le ventre de Paris.) 
Trans, by John Stirling, 1877. La belle Lisa; 
or, the Paris market girl. (Le ventre de Paris.) 
Trans, by John Stirling, 1883. Both, Phila., T. 
B. Peterson, and the same. Publishers' weekly. 

The'rese Raquin. A novel. Trans, by John 
Stirling. Phila., T. B. Peterson and bro. [1881.] 

Nemesis; or, haunted by the spectre of a 



WHITNET. 



27 



murdered man. N. Y., F. Tousey, 1883. (Brook- 
side library, No. 242.) The same. D. H. 
- Zola's court of Napoleon III. Clorinda; or, 
the rise of his excellency Eugene Rougon. The 
man of promise. Three times a minister. [1880.] 
The mysteries of the court of Louis Napoleon. 
[1882.] Both, Phila., T. B. Peterson and bros. 
D. H. 



ZSCHOKKE, J: Heinrich Daniel. Meditations on life, 
death, and eternity. Trans, from the German 
by Frederica Rowan. Boston, Houghton, Mifflin 
and co., 1883. 

The two parts of this work, here united, were pub- 
lished separately by Ticknor and Fields, under the titles 
" Meditations on death and eternity " and " Meditations 
on life and its religious duties." 



INDEX. 



Abbe's temptation, The. Zola, E\ 

About woman, love and marriage. Saunders, F: 

Acte. Dumas, A. D. 

Acte of Corinth. Dumas, A. D. 

Address on being installed as rector. Carlyle, T: 

Adele Dubois. Savage, Mrs. W. T. 

Adventures in Africa. Harris, Sir W. C. 

Adventures in the land of the behemoth. Verne, J. 

(Les aventures de trois Russes et de trois Anglais.) 
Adventures, The, of a roving diplomatist. Wikoff, H: 
Adventures, The, of three Englishmen [etc.]. Verne, J. 
Adventures, The, of Verdant Green. Bradley, E. 
Aegyptische Konigstochter. Ebers, G: M. 
After long years. ^ Towner, A. 
Albine. Zola, E. 
All for her. See Cruel seci et, A. 
Am Altar. Buerstenbinder, E .. 

American farmer, The. See Western farmer's [etc.]. 
American institutions. Tocqueville, A. C: II: C. de. 
American scenery. See Mountain, lake, and river. 
Amy Martin. Grosvenor, Mrs. H. S. 
Andree de Taverney. (La comtesse de Charny, last part.) 

Dumas, A. D. 
Ange. Marryat, Florence. 
Ange Pitou. Dumas, A. D. 
Anne Hereford. Wood, Ella P. 
Arabic heureuse. Dumas, A. D. 
Archy Moore. Hildreth, R. 
Around the world in eighty days. Verne, J. 
Art, The, of conversation. See Guide to accomplishments. 
Artful widow, An. Kimball, R: B. 
Arthur, W. The successful merchant. See Model mer- 

chiint. The. 

Arts, The, of writing. See Guide to accomplishments. 
Arzt, Ein, der Seele. Hillern, Wilhelmine von. 
Ascent, The, of the Matterhorn. W T hymper, E. 
Aster v Mrs. Jane. See Guide to accomplishments ; 

Habits of good society. 
At a high price. Buerstenbinder, E.. 
At the altar. Buerstenbinder, E.. 
At the eleventh hour. Edwardes, Annie. 
Atelier du Lys, The. Roberts, Margaret. 
Athanasia. Sears, E. H. 
Atlantic tales. (Anon.) 
Aurelian. Ware, W. 
Aventures, Les, de trois Russes et de trois Anglais. 

Verne, J. 
Away westward. Whittaker, F: 

Ballet dancer's husband. Feydeau, E. A. 

Ballroom repentance, A. Edwardes, Annie. 

Barberine. (Le mari de la danseuse.) Feydeau, E. A. 

Barefoot maiden, The. Auerbach, B. 

Barfiissele. Auerbach, B. 

Barrington's fate. Hunt, Mrs. A. W. 

Batard, Le, de Mauleon. Dumas, A. D. 

Bau und Leben des socialen Korpers. Schaeffle, A. E. F. 

Beau Tancred. (Sylvandire.) Dumas, A. D. 

Beautiful Bertha. Tuthill, L.. C. 

Beautiful spy, The. Burdett, C: 

Beggars, The. Liefde, J. B. de. 

Belle Lisa, La^ (Le ventre de Paris.) Zola, E. 

Bells, The, of the sanctuary. O'Meara, Kathleen. 

Bengal peasant life. Day, Ll Behari. 

Bertha's baby. Droz, G. 

Best, The, of all good company. Jerrold, W: Blanchard. 

Betrothed, The. Manzoni, A. 

Birds, The, and seasons of New England. Flagg, W. 

Birds, The, of New England. Samuels, E: A. 

Black Venus, The. (La Venus noire.) Belot, A. 



Bloody chasm, The. De Forest, J: W. 

Blue and red light. Pancoast, S. 

Bodines. Up de Graff, T. S. 

Bohemians, The, of London.^ Whitty, E: M. 

Bonheur des dames. Zola, E. 

Bonnybel Vane. Cooke, J: Esten. 

Book of the operas. Pardon, G. F. 

Borderers, The, Cooper, J. Fenimore. 

Borders, The, of the Tamar and the Tavy. Bray, Anna E. 

Bound by his vows. Buerstenbinder, E.. 

Bound to John Company. Braddon, Mary E.. 

Boys and girls' miscellany. (Anon.) 

Boys, The, of '61. Coffin, C: C. 

Bragelonne. (Le vicomtede Bragelonne.) Dumas, A. D. 

Bred in the bone. Payn, J. 

Bride, The, of an evening. Southworth, Mrs. 

Bright morning. Grant, Maria M. 

British world, The, in the East. Ritchie, L. 

Broken blosom, A. Marryat, Florence. 

Broken chains. Buerstenbinder, E.. 

Bubbles from the brunnens of Nassau; Bubbles from some 

brunnens of Germany. Head, Sir F. B. 
Buried alive. (Pauline.) Dumas, A. D. 
By order of the king. (L'homme qui rit.) Hugo, V. M. 

Cabin, The, and the parlor, by J. Thornton Randolph. 
See Peterson, C: J. 

Cadet button, The. Whittaker, F: 

Camors. Feuillet, O. 

Camping on the Alleghanies. Up de Graff, T. S. 

Capitaine Paul, Le. Dumas, A. D. 

Capitaine Richard, Le. Dumas, A. D. 

Captain Hatteras. Verne, J. 

Captain Jack the scout. McKnight, C: 

Captain Paul. Dumas, A. D. 

Carleton's household physician. Ayres, J. H. 

Carnaval, Le, des enfants. Feval, P. H. C. 

Castle's heir, The. Wood, Ella P. 

Catherine Blum. Dumas, A. D. 

Cats ; their points and characteristics. Stables, W. G. 

Celebrated murders. See Mysterigs of crime. 

Chance marriage, A. Gaboriau, E. 

Chautauqua girls, The, at home. Alden, Isabella M. 

Chedayne of Kotono. Towner, A. 

Chevalier, Le, d'Harmental. Dumas, A. D. 

Chicot the jester. (Ladamede Monsoreau.) Dumas, A. D. 

Child, The, of the cavern. Verne, J. 

Children's picture story-book. Pratt, L. Maria. 

Child's catechism of common things. Champlin, J: D. 

Choice of books, On the. Carlyle, T: 

Christian Osborne's friends. Davidson, Harriet M. 

Churton, Henry, pseudonym of Albion W. Tourgee. 

Classic mythology. Witt, C v 

Claude's confession. Zola, E. 

Clavers, Mary, pseudonym of Caroline M. Kirkland. 

Clavton's rangers. Williamson, E. H. 

Clifford Troup. Westmoreland, Maria J. 

Clique, The, of gqld. Gaboriau, E. 

Clorinda. Zola, E. 

College days at Oxford. Adams, H: C. 

College tramps. Stokes, F: A. 

Colonel Floyd's wards. Terhune, M.. Virginia. 

Comtesse de Charny, La. Dumas.,A. D. 

Confession, La, de Claude. Zola, E. 

Conquest, The, of Plassans. Zola.E. 

Conquete, La, de Plassans. Zola, E. 

Conscience 1'innocent. Dumas, A. D. 

Conscript, The. (Conscience 1'innocent.) Dumas, A. D. 

Conspirators, The. (Le chevalier d'Harmental.) Du- 
mas, A. D. 



28 



B UFFA L O CONFERENCE. 



Cooking club, The. Fartnan, Ella. 

Cooking club, The,"of Tu-whit Hollow. Farman, Ella. 

Copp's Hill burial-ground. Epitaphs. Bridgman, T: 

Count de Camors, The. Feuillet, O. 

Countess de Charny, The. Dumas, A. D. 

Courtenay hall, by J. Thornton Randolph. See Peterson, 

C: J. 

Cox, Edward W. The arts of writing [etc.]. See Guide. 
Cox, G. W. The little cyclopaedia of common things. 

See Champlin, T: D., jr. 
Creeds. Edwardes, Annie. 

Crescent, The, and the cross. Warburton, E. B. G. 
Cruel secret, A. (Anon.) 
Cruise in Chinese waters. Lindley, A. F. 
Cupples, Mrs. George. See Cupples, Ann J. 
Curious stories. See Ghost stories. 
Curse, The, of Clifton. Southworth, Mrs. 

Dame, La, de Monsoreau. Dumas, A. D. 

Dante and his circle. Rossetti, D. G. 

Daughter, The, of an Egyptian king. Ebers, G: M. 

Daughter, A, of St. Dominic. O'Meara, Kathleen. 

Daviola. Braddon, Mary E.. 

Davy's motto. See Davy's school days. 

Davy's school days. (Anon.) 

Days with great authors. Jerrold, W: Blanchard. 

De la democratic en Amerique. Tocqueville, A. C: H: 

C. de. 

Dear experience. Ruffini, G. 
Delicate ground. Edwardes, Annie. 
Democracy in America. Tocqueville, A. C: H: C. de. 
Description of the part of Devonshire bordering on the 

Tamar and the Tavy. Bray, Anna E. 
Devoted bride, The. Tucker, St. G. 
Diagnosis and treatment of the varieties of dyspepsia. 

Fox, W. 
Diana of Meridor. (La dame de Monsoreau.) Dumas, 

A. D. 

Diary, The, of a woman. Feuillet, O. 
Diseases of the stomach. Fox, W. 
Do I love her? Benedict, F. L. 
Doctor Basilius. (L'ile de feu.) Dumas, A. D. 
Dr. Ox. Verne, J. 
Doing his best. Trowbridge, J: T. 
Dolly. Burnett, Frances H. 
Dorothea. Burnett, Frances H. 
Dreams and realities in the life of a pastor and teacher. 

Elliot, S: H. 

Dred. Stowe, Harriet E.. Beecher. 
Drifted together. Westmoreland, Maria J. 
Drummer ooy, The. Trowbridge, J: T. 
Duchesse, La, de Nemours. Feval, P. H. C. 
Dude, The. Bradley, E. 

Earl's heirs, The. Wood, Ella P. 

Early history of the North-western states. Hall, B: F. 

Early Italian poets. Rossetti, D. G. 

Easy Nat. Stimson, A. L. 

Edith's mistake. Stabler, Jennie L. 

Edmond Dantes. Dumas, A. D. (?) 

Egypt under its Khedives. DeLeon, E. 

Egyptian princess. An. Ebers, G: M. 

Eine aegyptische KSnigstochter. Ebers, G: M. 

Ellen Dacre. Grosvenor, Mrs. H. S. 

Elsa. *Hillern, Wilhelmine von. 

Emmanuel-Philibert. (Le page du due de Savoie.) Du- 
mas, A. D. 

Empty heart, The. Terhune, M.. Virginia. 

Enchanted keys. (Anon.) 

Enchanted moccasins, The. Mathews, C. 

English, The, at the North pole. Verne, J. 

Englishman's house, The. Richardson, C. J. 

Epitaphs from Copp's hill burial-ground. Bridgman, T: 

Ernestine. Hillern, Wilhelmine von. 

Esau Runswick. Macquoid, Katharine S. 

Essays and reviews. 

Estelle. Edwardes, Annie. 

Every man his own doctor. Ayres, J. H. 

Exposition, An, of the weakness and inefficiency of the 
United States. Mercer, C: Fenno. 

Facing the enemy. Headley, P. C. 

Fadette. Sand, George. 

Faithful lover, A. Macquoid, Katharine S. 

Faithful to the end. Roe, A. S. 

Fall, The, of the Crimea. Spencer, E. 



Fallen pride. Southworth, Mrs. 

False pride. See Two ways to wedlock. 

Famous stories. See Good stones. 

Fanchon the cricket. Sand, George. 

Farragut, D. G. Life and naval career. Headley, P. C. 

Fatal marriages, The. Cockton, H: 

Faute, La, de 1'abbe Mouret. Zola, E. 

Fedora. (Le drame de la Rue de la Paix.) Belot, A. 

Feu-follet, Le. Cooper, J. Fenimore. 

Fievre, La, de 1'inconnu. Belot, A. 

Fifty years ago. Willard, Clara A. 

Fight it out on this line. Headley, P. C. 

Fighting Phil. Headley, P. C. 

Fille, La, du juif-errant. Feval, P. H. C. 

Fire, The, of London. Fullerton, Lady. 

Florence betrayed. Azeglio, Massimo. 

For love and honor. Darrington-Deslonde, Maria. 

Foregleams and foreshadows of immortality. Sears, E. H. 

Foresters, The. (Catherine Blum.) Dumas, A. D. 

Forged will, The. Bennett, E. 

Fortune, La, des Rougon. Zola, E. 

Forty-five guardsmen. Dumas, A. D. 

Four sisters, The. Bremer, Frederika. 

Four years of fighting. Coffin, C: C. 

Fox, The, at home. Rooper, G. 

Frank Manly. Trowbridge, J: T. 

Frederick the great and his merchant. Mundt, Clara M. 

Frfcre Tranquille. Feval, P. H. C. 

Friend or lover. Fawcett, Millicent G. 

Friends in fur. Stables, \V. G. 

Friends of Bohemia. Whitty, E: M. 

From Pall Mall to the Punjaub. Gay, J. D. 

From the clouds to the mountains. Verne, J. 

From whence, what, where? Nichols, J. R. 

Future life. Wood, G: 

Gabriel Lambert. Dumas, A. D. 

Gabrielle Andre. Baring-Gould, S. 

Galama. Liefde, J. B. de. 

Galley slave, The. (Gabriel Lambert.) Dumas, A. D. 

Gates, The, wide open. Wood, G: 

Gaule et France. Dumas, A. D. 

Geier-Wally. Hillern, Wilhelmine von. 

Geheimbiindler, Die. Maurer, L. 

Gerald Barry. Fitzsimon, E. A. 

Germaine. About, E. F. V. 

Ghost stories. (Anon.) 

Gilded clique, The. Gaboriau, E. 

Gipsy's prophecy, The. Southworth, Mrs. 

Girl.'The, in scarlet. (La fortune des Rougon.) Zola, E. 

Giulio Malatesta. Trollope, T: Adolphus. 

Give me thine heart. Roe, A. S. 

Glass, The, of fashion. See Social etiquette. 

Globe encyclopaedia. See Students' encyclopaedia. 

Glory, The, of the house of Israel. Strauss, G. F. A. 

Gliick auf. Buerstenbinder, E.. 

Good-tor-nothing Polly. Farman, Ella. 

Good luck. Buerstenbinder, E.. 

Good stories. 

Good time coming, The. Hale, E: E. 

Govinta Samanta. Day, Lai Behari. 

Great North-west, The. Winser, H: J. 

Griechische Gotter- und Heldengeschichten. Witt, C. 

Growth, The, of a people. Lacombe, P. 

Guerre, La, des femmes. (Nanon.) Dumas, A. D. 

Guerre, La, de Nizam. M^ry, J. 

Guerrilla chief, The. Grant, J. 

Guide to accomplishments. (Anon.) 

Gustav Adolf. Topelius, Z. 

Habits, The, of good society, (Anon.) 

Halcyon days. Flagg, W. 

Half-brothers, The. (Le batard de Mauleon.) Dumas, 
A. D. 

Hand-book, A, in outline of the political history of En- 
gland. Acland, A. H. D., and Ransome, C. 

Hand-book of English politics. Acland, A. H. D., and 
Ransome, C. 

Hand-book of popular quotations. See Carleton's. 

Hand-book of wood-engraving. Emerson, W: A. 

Hansford. Tucker, St. G. 

Harmony, The, of the Bible with science. Kinns, S: 

Harlandj Marion, pseudonym of M.. Virginia Terhune. 

Harvest, A, of wild oats. Marryat, Florence. 

Hassan Abdallah. See Enchanted keys. 

He would be a gentleman. Lover, S: 



WHITNEY. 



29 



Heart and hand. Reid, Mayne. 

Heart to heart. Marryat, Florence. 

Heavenward bound. Jones, Cornelia. 

Heavenward led. Jones, Cornelia. 

Hector Servadac. Verne, J. 

Heiress, The, ot Sweetwater, by J. Thornton Randolph. 
See Peterson, C: J. 

Helen Gardner's. wedding-day. Terhune, M.. Virginia. 

Helene. Zola, E. 

Helon's pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Strauss, G. F. A. 

Helons Wallfahrt nach Jerusalem. Strauss, G. F. A. 

Henry St. John, gentleman. Cooke, J: Ksten. 

Her friend Laurence. Benedict, F. L. 

Hero boy, The. Headley, P. C. 

Hero Carthew. Parr, Louisa. 

Heroes of the rebellion. Headley, P. C. 

Hertha. Bremer, Fredrika. 

Hickory hall. Southworth, Mrs. 

Highlands, The, of Ethiopia. Harris, Sir W. C. 

Hints and helps for those who write [etc.]. Drew, B: 

His idol. Kimball, R: B. 

Histoire du plebiscite. Erckmann, E\, and Chatrian, A. 

Histoire d'une Parisienne. Feuillet, O. 

Historical tales from the history of the Muslims in Spain. 
Brabazon, Elizabeth J. 

History, The, of a Parisienne. Feuillet, O. 

History, The, of lawyers. Forsyth, W: 

History of Roman Catholicism in North America. Mac- 
Leod, X. 

History of the devotion to the blessed Virgin Mary in 
North America. MacLeod, X. 

History of the Oriental nations. Ritchie, L. 

Holiday album for boys. Pratt, L. Maria. 

Holiday album, The, for girls. Pratt, L. Maria. 

Home, The, of God's people. Gage, W: L. 

Homme, L', qui rit. Hugo, Victor M. 

Horrors of Paris. (Les Mohicans de Paris). Dumas, A. D. 

Hortensius. Forsyth, W: 

House-building. Richardson, C. J. 

Household encyclopedia. See Carleton's. 

How could he help it? Roe, A. S. 

How he did it. Dupuy, Eliza A. 

How to rise in the world. Trowbridge, J: T. 

Hunter naturalist, The. Webber, C: W. 

Hunting-grounds, The, of the great West. Dodge, R: I. 

Husks. Terhune, M.. Virginia. 

fie, L', de feu. Dumas, A. D. 

Imagination, The. MacDonald, G: 

Impressions de voyage. Dumas, A. D. 

Impressions of travel. Dumas, A. D. 

In exitu Israel. Baring-Gould, S. 

In my Indian garden. Robinson, P. 

In the home oi the presidents. Holloway, Laura C. 

Indian fairy book. Mathews, C. 

Inner life of Abraham Lincoln. Carpenter, F. B. 

Iron hand, The. (Le batard de Mauleon.) Dumas, A. D. 

Iron mask. (Le vicomte de Bragelonne. Second part.) 

Dumas, A. D. 
I've been thinking. Roe, A. S. 

Jack. Daudet, A. 

Jack Hazard and his fortunes. Trowbridge, J: T. 

Jack-o'Lantern, The. Cooper, J. Fenimore. 

James Montjoy. Roe, A. S. 

Janet. Fawcett, Millicent G. 

lanet Doncaster. Fawcett, Millicent G. 

Seanne. (Histoire d'une Parisienne.) Feuillet, O. 
esuiten oder Freimaurer. Maurer, L. 
ohn Chinaman. Dalton, W: 
ohn Maribel. Darrington-Deslonde, Maria. 
ohnny Ludlow. Wood, Ella P. 
Joint venture, The. Fitzsimon, E: A. 
Jolly summer, A. Stokes, F: A. 
Joseph Balsamo. Dumas, A. D. 
Journey to the North pole. Verne, J. 
Just one day. Habberton, J: 

Kabala, The^ Pancoast, S. 

KapitalismuiTund Socialismus. Schaeffle, A. E. F. 

Kate Aylesford. Peterson, C: J. 

Kate Duncan. Valentine, Mrs. 

Kate O'Donoghue. Lever, C: J. 

Khedive's Egypt, The. DeLeon, E. 

Kilcorran. Fetherstonhaugh, Mrs. 

Kismet. Fletcher, Julia. 

Kit Carson's life and adventures. Peters, D. C. 



Kleine Muck, Der. Hauff, W. 
Knaves and fools. Whitty, E: M. 

Ladies' and gentlemen's etiquette book. See Habits, The, 

of good society. 

Ladies, The, of the White House. Holloway, Laura C. 
Ladies' paradise, The. Zola., E. 
Lady Adelaide's oath. Wood, Ella P. 
Lady Edith. May, T. P. 
Lady Greensatin and her maid Rosette. (La marquise 

de Satin-vert.) Martineau des Chesnez, Madame. 
Laicus. Abbott, L. 

Land, The, of sacred mystery. Gage, W: L. 
Landhaus, Das, am Rhein. Auerbach, B. 
Land-owner's manual, The. Hall, B: F. 
Lavinia. Carlen, E. F. S. 
Layman's story, A. Abbott, L. 
Led astray; or, " La petite comtesse." Feuillet, O. 
Left to herself. Stabler, Jennie L. 
Letters everywhere. (Anon.) 

Life, The, and adventures of Kit Carson. Peters, D. C. 
Life in America. Simms, W: G. 
Lights and shadows of a pastor's life. Elliot, S: H. 
Like father, like son. Payn, J. 
Lil, fair, fair. Fetherstonhaugh, Mrs. 
Literary bye-hours. Japp, A. H. 
Little Barefoot, The. Auerbach, B. 
Little countess, The. Feuillet, O. 

Little cyclopaedia of common things. Champlin, J: D. 
Little duke, The. Yonge, C . . M. 
Little Fadette. Sand, George. 
Little Mook. Hauff, W. 
Little St. Jude's. See Cruel secret, A. 
Little women. Alcott, Louisa M. 
Little women wedded. Alcott, Louisa M. 
Lives and deeds of our self-made men. Stowe, Harriet 

E..Beecher. 

Log, The, of the Fortuna. Lindley, A. F. 
Longnose the dwarf. (Der kleine Muck.) Hauff, W. 
Lord Oakburn's daughters. Wood, Ella P. 
Lost casket, The. (La main couple.) Du Boisgobey, F. 
Lost Lenore. Reid, Mayne. 
Louise La Valliere. (Le vicomte de Bragelonne. Third 

part.) Dumas, A. D. 
Love and jealousy. Trollope, Frances. 
Love and liberty. Dumas, A. D. (?) 
Love after marriage. Hentz, Caroline Lee. 
Love and marriage. Suunik-rs, F: 
Love spell, A. Reid, Mayne. 
Love's vengeance. Reid, Mayne. 
Lucius Davoren. Braddon, Mary E.." 
Lucy Hardinge. Cooper, J. Fenimore. 

M. or N. Melville, G: J: Whyte. 

Mad love, A. (La coriquete de Plassans.) Zola, E. 

Madame. Benedict, F. L. 

Maidenhood. Valentine, Mrs. 

Main, La, coupee. Du Boisgobey, F. 

Maison, La, de glace. Dumas, A. D. 

Man in black, The. James, G. P. R. 

Man, The, of the world. North, W: 

Man, The, who laughs. Hugo, Victor M. 

Man-eaters, The. Reid, Mayne. 

Manse of Sunnyside. Phelps, Mrs. E..S. 

Manual of power for machines. Webber, S: 

Many thoughts of many minds. See Carleton's hand-book 

of popular quotations. 
Marble faun, The. Hawthorne, N. 
Margaret Moncrieffe. Burdett, C: 

Margaret of Navarre. (La reine Margot.) Dumas, A. D. 
Marguerite de Valois. (La reine Margot.) Dumas, A. D. 
Markets, The, of Paris. (Le ventre de Paris.) Zola, E. 
Maroon, The. Reid, Mayne. 

Marquise and Rosette. Martineau des Chesnez, Madame. 
Marquise, La, de Satin-vert. Martineau des Chesnez, 

Madame. 

Marriage at a venture. Gaboriau, E. 
Marriage verdict, The. (Sylvandire.) Dumas, A. D. 
Mary Evans. Thompson, Clara M. 
Matchless mystery, The. Spurgeon, C: H. 
Matchmaker^ The. Sheppard, E..S. 
Maud or Nina. Melville, G: J: Whyte. 
May Horton. Grosvenor, Mrs. H. S. 
Meditations on death and eternity. Zschokke, J: Hein- 

rich Daniel. 
Meditations on life and its religious duties. Zschokke, 

J: Heinrich Daniel. ' 



3 o 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



Meditations on life, death, and eternity. Zschokke, J: 

Heinrich Daniel. 

Meeting her fate. Braddon, Mary E .. 
Memoires d'un medccin. Dumas, A. D. 
Memorials of the dead in Boston. Bridgman, T: 
Memoirs of a physician. Dumas, A. D. 
Memoirs of Archy Moore. Hildreth, R. 
Men are what women make them. (Le drame de la Rue 

de la Paix.) Belot, A. 

Men of our times. Stowe, Harriet E.. Beecher. 
Merchant, The, of Berlin. Mundt, Clara M. 
Meridiana. (Les aventures de trois Russes et de trois 

Anglais.) Verne.J. 

Miles Wallingford. Cooper, J. Fenimore. 
Miller, The, of Silcott mill. Darrington-Deslonde, Maria. 
Miller's, A, story of the war. (Histoire du plebiscite.) 

Erckmann, E., and Chatrian, A. 
Milly Darrell. Braddon, Mary E.. 
Mineral resources [etc.]. Raymond, R. W. 
Mines and mining of the Rocky Mountains. Raymond, 

R w 

Mines, mills, and furnaces of the Pacific States. Raymond, 
j^ ^y 

Mines, The, of the West. Raymond, R. W. 

Mining industry [etc.]. Raymond, R. W. 

Miramichi. Savage, Mrs. W. T. 

Miriam's memoirs. Warfield, Catharine A. 

Missing ship, The. Kingston, W: H. G. 

Mrs. Isaacs. Farjeon, B: L. 

Mrs. Mayburn's twins. Habberton, J: 

Model merchant, The. (Anon.) 

Modern chroihatics. Rood, O. N. 

Modern classics See Atlantic tales. 

Modern languages. Thimm, F. 

Mohicans of Paris. Dumas, A. D. 

Monsieur de Camors. Feuillet, O. 

Monsieur, Madame and the baby. Droz, G. 

Moses and geology. Kinns, S: 

Motherless. Witt, Henriette de. 

Mountain, lake, and river. (Anon.) 

Muehlhach, Louisa, pseudonym of Clara M. Mundt. 

Mummies and moslems. Warner, C: D. 

My brother Jack. (Le petit chose, histoire d'un enfant.) 

Daudet A 

My first season.. Sheppard, E .. S. 
My heart's content. Darrington-Deslonde, M. 
My winter on the Nile. Warner, C: D. 
Mysteries, The, of the court of Louis Napoleon. Zola, E. 
Mysteries of crime. (Anon.) 
Mystery, The. Wood, Ella P. 
Myths of Hellas. Witt, C. 

Nannn. Dumas. A. D. 

Nemesis. Zola, E. 

Neutempler und Rosenkreuzer. Maurer, L. 

New England boys. Stimson, A. L. 

New home, A. Kirkland, Caroline M. 

New Yorker, A, in the foreign office. Wikoff, H: 



|-e H E Beecher. 

r Buerstenhmder, E .. 

"" 



No 



Obeying the call. Alden, Isabella M. 

Odd people. Reid, Mayne. 

Oddest of courtships, The. De Forest, J: W. 

O'Donoghue, The. Lever, C: J. 

Old bell, The, of independence. Watson, H: C. 

Old Fort Duquesne. MacKnight, C: 

Old Salamander. Headley, P. C. 

Old Stars. Headley, P. C. 

Old woman, The, who lived in a shoe. Douglas, A. M. 

Oldtown fireside stories. Stowe, Harriet E .. Beecher. 

On the choice of books. Carlyle, T: 

Once and forever. Grant, Maria M. 

One hundred choice selections. See Speaker's garland. 

One thousand and one days. See Enchanted keys. 

One year. Carlen, E. F. S. 

Only a girl. Hillern, Wilhelmine von. 

Only caprice. (La guerre de Nizam.) Mery, J. 

Ordeal, The, for wives. . Edwardes, Annie. 

Oriental and sacred scenes. Howe, F. 



Ornithology and oology of N. England. Samuels, E: A 

Orphan's, trials, The. Bennett, E. 

Orts. MacDonald, G: 

Our new crusade. Hale, E: E. 

Our new home in the west. Kirkland, Caroline M. 

Our northern and eastern birds. Samuels, E: A. 

Our young folks, 1871. See Boys and girls' miscellany. 

Out of the deep. Wood, Ella P. 

Ouzel galley. Kingston, W: H. G. 

Pa S e > " A., pseudonym of Alexander H. Japp. 

pa K e ' J; e ' du due de Savoie. Dumas, A. D. 

Page, Une, d'amour Zola, . 

Pansy, pseudonym of Isabella M. Alden. 

Paragreens, The. Ruffini, G. 

Parisian family, A. \\itt, Henrietta de. 

Parisian romance, A. (Histoire d'une Pansienne.) 

Feuillet, O. 

Parisian sultana, The Belot, A. 
Parkwater. Wood, Ella P. 
Patriot boy, The. Headley, P. C. 
Paul Jones, the son of the sea. (Le capitaine Paul.) Du 

mas, A. D. 

Pauline. Dumas, A. D. 
Pens and types. Drew, B: 
People The, of Turkey. (Anon.) 
P e M e chose ' Le - Daudet, A 
Pet ! te comtesse, La. Feuillet, O. 
P et { te Fadette La. Sand, George. 
Petite histoire du peupte francais. Lacombe, P. 
5 1 ? . an h \ S fnen ? s -. Trowbridge, J: T. 
F ! llh P Farlo%y and his friends. F^ybridge, J: T. 
Picture preacher, The. Barber, J: \\ . 
Picturesque designs for mansions. Richardson, C. J. 
Pioneer life. Peters, D. C. 
Pains, The, of the great \\esl. Dodge, R: I. 
Plebiscite, The. Erckmann E., and Chatrian, A. 
Poetry for home and school. Brackett, Anna C., and 

Eliot, Ida M. 

Po httcal economy. Elements of. Thompson, R. E. 
Polly. Parman, KUa. 

Popery exposed. Petrucelh della Gattma, F. 
Practical instruction in the art of wood engraving. 

Emerson, \V: A. 

Prescotts, The of Pumphillon. Parr, Louisa. 
Prince, A, of Breffny. May, T. P. 
Prince, The, of darkness. Sputhworth Mrs. 
Prince of \Vales, The, in India. Gay.J. D. 
Probus. Ware, W 
Progress, The, of democracy. (Gaule et France.) Du- 

mas, A.D. 

Prophet, The, of the Caucasus. Spencer, E. 
Publicans and sinners. Braddon, Mary E.. 
Pupil, The, of the legion of honor. Knault, L. 

Quadroon, The. Reid, Mayne. 

Quaker partisans, The. Williamson, E. H. 

Quarante-cinq, Les. Dumas, A. D. 

Recent in 1 ui " es in theology. See Essays and reviews. 

tttSffSUKOt ^tl^Eiizabeth" P. 

Rector's wife, The. Stretton, Julia C. 

Rectory, The, of Moreland. Thompson, Clara M. 

Ea fc-!; Jt e^riU*,. ,,,, P . . c . 

Tcil 1 he> of the UniM<1 s """' T ~- ul!vn "' A - C: 

Revenge. James, G. P. R. 

Reynolds, Beatrice, pseudonym of E .. Sara Sheppard. 

Richard the fearless. Yonge, C.. M. 

Right at last. Davidson, Harriet M. 

Rival belles, The. Jones, J. B. 

Riven bonds. Buerstenbinder, E.. 

Robert Ainsleigh. Braddon, Mary E.. 

Romance, The, of Beausincourt. Warfield, Catharine A. 

Romance of natural history. Webber, C: VV. 

Romance of student life abroad. Kimball, R: B. 

Romance, The, of war. Grant, J. 

Rome and the papacy. Petrucelli della Gattina, F. 

Rosemary. Fullerton, Lady. 

Rougon-Macquart family. (La fortune des Rougon.) 

Round, The, of wrong. About, E. F. V. 

Royal gentleman, A. Tourgee, A. W. 

Royal road to happiness. Barber, J: W. 

Run to earth. Braddon, Mary E.. 

Russian gipsy. (La maison de glace.) Dumas, A. D. 



WHITNET. 



St. Jude's assistant. See Cruel secret, A. 

Salvator. (Les Mohicans de Paris. Continuation.) Du- 
mas, A. D. 

Sam Lawson's Oldtown fireside stories. Stowe, Harriet 
E-. Beecher. 

School days at Rugby. Hughes, T: 

Scrambles amongst the Alps. Whymper, E. 

Sealed packet, The. Trollope, T: Adolphus. 

Self-condemned. Hunt, Mrs. Alfred W. 

Sensible etiquette. See Habits, The, of good society. 

Severed hand, The. DuBoisgobey, F. 

Sheridan, P. H. Life and military career. Headley, P. C. 

Sherman, \V: T. Life and military career. Headley, P. C. 

Short history, A, of the French people. Lacombe, P. 

Silver and gold [etc.]. Raymond, R. W. 

Silver treasury, The, of poetry for home and school. 
Brackett, Anna C., and Eliot, Ida M. 

Simon Martin. Grosvenor, Mrs. H. S. 

Singular creatures. Cupples, Ann J. 

Sisters, The. Cockton, H: 

Six months at the White House. Carpenter, F. B. 

Six years later. (L'ange Pitou.) Dumas, A. D. 

Slave, The. Hildreth, R. 

Slave, The, of the lamp. North, W: 

So dear a dream. Grant, Maria M. 

Social etiquette and home culture. (Anon.) 

Social science. Thompson, R. E. 

Socialism. Schaeffle, A. E. F. 

Solomon Isaacs. Farjeon, B: L. 

Sommers, Jane R., pseudonym of Cornelia Jones. 

Sorry her lot who loves too well. Grant, Maria M. 

Sowing and reaping. Donelan, A. M. 

Spanglers and Tingles, The. Jones, J. B. 

Speaker's garland, The. (Anon.) 

Sphinx, The. <La petite comtesse.) Feuillet, O. 

Squire Trevlyn's heir. Wood, Ella P. 

Statistics of mines [etc.]. Raymond, R. W. 

Stories of adventures. Verne, J. 

Stories of the lives of noble women. Adams, W: H: D. 

Story, The, of a bad boy. Aldrich, T.' B. 

Story of the plebiscite. Erckmann, E., and Chatrian, A. 

Students abroad. Kimball, R: B. 

Students' encyclopaedia. (Anon.) 

Students' text-book of color. Rood, O. N. 

Success, and how he won it. Buerstenbinder, E.. 

Successful merchant, The. See Model merchant. 

Sultane parisienne, La. Belot, A. 

Sunny side, The. Phelps, Mrs. E .. S. 

Sunny South, The. Ingraham, J. H. 

Sunshine, The, of domestic life. Adams, W: H: D. 

Surgeon's stories, The. Topelius, Z. 

Sweetheart and wife. See All for him. 

Sword, The, and the distaff. Simms, W: G. 

Sylvandire. Dumas, A. D. 

Systematic and economic botany. Balfour, J: H. 

Taking the Bastile. (L'ange Pitou.) Dumas, A. D. 

Tales and sketches. Rooper, G. 

Tales from Spanish history. Brab;izon, Elizabeth J. 

Tales. from the operas. Pardon, G. F. 

Tales of Algeria. (Le ve'loce.) Dumas, A. D. 

Tappy's chicks. Cupples, Ann J. 

Ten years in Wall street. Fowler, W: W. 

Terrible confession, A. (La confession de Claude.) 

Zola, E. 

Tests of power. \Vebberv S: 
Therese Raquin. Zola, E. 

There's no place like home. Douglas, Amanda M. 
Thirst, The, for the unknown. Belot, A. 
Three guardsmen, The. Dumas, A. D. 
Three musketeers, The. Dumas, A. D. . 

Through thick and thin. (La guerre de Nizam.) 

Mery, J. 

To the sun. Verne, T. 
Tobacco. Alcott, W: A. 
To-day. Kimball, R: B. 
To-day in Nejv York. Kimball, R: B. 
Toinette. Tourgee, A. W. 
Told in the twilight. Wood, Ella P. 
Tom Bailey's adventures. Aldrich, T: B. 
Tom Brown's school days. Hughes, T: 
Tour of the world in eighty days. Verne, J. 
Transformation. Hawthorne, N. 
Travels in Egypt. Warburton, E. B. G. 
Treasure trove. Lover, S: 
Trevlyn Hood. Wood, Ella P. 



Trois mousquetaires, Les. Dumas, A. D. 

True to the last. Roe, A. S. 

Turkey, Greece, and Palestine, in 1883. Howe, F. 

Twenty years of inside life in Wall street. Fowler, W: 

Twenty years' residence among the people of Turkey. 

See People, The, of Turkey. 
Twin lieutenants, The. (Le capitaine Richard.) Dumas, 

A. D. 

Two by tricks. Yates, E. 
Two sisters, The. Southworth, Mrs. 
Two ways to matrimony. See Two ways to wedlock. 
Two ways to wedlock. (Anon.) 

Um hohen Preis. Buerstenbinder, E .. 
Under a charm. Buerstenbinder, E .. 
Under the punkah. Robinson, P. 
Under the rose. Wood, Ella P. 
Under the sun. Robinson, P. 
Underground city. Verne, J. 
Une page d'amour. Zola, E. 
Use, The, of tobacco. Alcott, W: A. 

Vagabondia. Burnett, Frances H. 
Valley, The, of a hundred fires. Stretton, Julia C. 
Value, The, of Fostertown. Donelan, A. M. 
Vegetable anatomy and physiology. Balfour, J: H. 
V<*loce, Le. Dumas, A. D. 
Ventre, Le, de Paris. Zola, E. 
Venus noire, La. Belot, A. 
Verdant Green. Bradley, E. 
Vers de societe'. Japp, A. H. 
Vicointe de Bragelonne. Dumas, A. D. 
Vicomte Paul, Le. Feval, P. H. C. 
Victim of excitement, The. Hentz, Caroline Lee. 
Victor Lescar. Grant, Maria M. 
Villa Eden. Auerbach, B. 
Villa on the Rhine. Auerbach, B. 
Vineta. Buerstenbinder, E-. 
Vineta, the phantom city. Buerstenbinder, E.. 
Virginia and Magdalene. Southworth, Mrs. 
Voyages and adventures of Captain Hatteras. (Les An- 
glais au pole nord.) 
Vulture maiden, The. Hillern, Wilhelmine von. 

Wages of sin. Yates, E. 

Was he guilty? Dupuy, Eliza A. 

W T as he successful? Kimball, R: B. 

Weakness, The, and inefficiency of the United Stntes. 

Mercer, C: F. 

Wept of Wish-ton-wish. Cooper, J. Fenimore. 
Werner, E., pseudonym of E.. Buerstenbinder. 
Western farmer's new and universal hand-book. (Anon.) 
Whence, what, where? Nichols, J. R. 
Where is it? See Who wrote it? 
White slave, The. Hildreth, R. 
Who won at last? Trowbridge, J: T. 
Who wrote it? (Anon.) 
W T igwam and cabin. Simms, W: G. 
Wild oats. Marryat, Florence. 
Wilton of Cuthberts. Adams, H: C. 
Wing-and-Wing. Cooper, J. Fenimore. 
Winthrop family, The. Willard, Clara A. 
Wolf boy, The.'of China. Dalton, W: 
Woman's heart, A. (Une page d'amour.) Zola, E. 
Woman's journal, A. Feuillet, O. 
Woman's requital, A. Benedict, F. L. 
Woman of honor, The. Enault, L. 
Woodcraft. Simms, W: G. 

Wood engraving, Handbook of. Emerson, W: A. 
Wood engraving, Practical instruction in. Emerson.W: A. 
Woods, The, and bv-ways of New England. Flagg, W. 
Woodville, Jennie, pseudonym of Jennie L. Stabler. 
World, The, at home. Kirby, Mary and Elizabeth. 
World, The, by the fireside. Kirby, Mary and Elizabeth. 

Year, A, among the trees. Flagg, W. 

Year, A, with the birds. Flagg, W. 

Young chevalier, The. (Sylvandire.) Dumas, A. D. 

Young countess, The. Trollope, Frances. 

Young folks' catechism of common things. Champlin, J: 
D.,jr. 

Young folks' cyclopedia of common things. Champlin, 
J: IX, jr. 

Young folks' rhymes and stories. See Letters every- 
where. 

Zola's court of Napoleon III. Zola, E. 



3 2 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



SUPPLEMENTS TO POOLE'S INDEX. 



BV W. F. POOLE, LIBRARIAN OF CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY. 



TJEFORE making my report on the plans 
JJ which are in process of execution for keep- 
ing up "The Index to Periodical Literature" 
by means of supplements issued at stated 
periods, I desire in behalf of myself and Mr. 
Fletcher, at this first opportunity we have of 
meeting the members of this Association, to 
express our cordial thanks for the sympathy 
and cheerful cooperation you gave us in bring- 
ing that great undertaking to a prompt and 
successful completion. The kind and approv- 
ing words concerning our work which you have 
expressed to us by letter, and orally since we 
have come together, are especially gratifying, 
as it is the commendation of experts who know 
what such a work should be, and the labor and 
difficulties which are involved in it. In the 
supplements which we are proposing to issue it 
will be our endeavor to merit the continuance 
of your sympathy and cooperation. 

In the Library journal for January last we 
proposed, in addition to the five-year supple- 
ments promised in the preface of the index, to 
issue in April, 1884, a supplement covering the 
years 1882 and 1883, and thereafter annual 
indexes, which are to be condensed in the next 
five-year supplement. In the Library journal 
for March last, Mr. Fletcher brought out the 
first number of his Monthly cooperative index, 
and, through the liberality of Mr. Leypoldt, the 
publisher, the issues have been continued to the 
present time. These will be used as a part of 
the material for the annual indexes. It would 
seem that with these various forms of issue 
nothing further was needed to satisfy every 
one. 

The scheme which we proposed of issuing 
annual indexes has been very generally ap- 
proved and responded to by the members of 
this Association. Indeed, we have had more 



offers of help than we can accept, unless the 
contributors bring with them the titles of new 
serials which they propose to index. My 
present purpose is to report what has been 
done in carrying out this plan, to present the 
list of serials which are to be indexed, and also 
the allotment which has been made of the 
work. The list of serials, all of which have 
been assigned, numbers 103 titles, and 425 
volumes ; 33 of the titles (which are designated 
by a star) are new publications, or were omitted 
in the main work. The contributors are 34 in 
number. Among them the names of some 
of the most zealous of our former contributors 
do not appear, and for the reason that the 
allotments were all made before they applied 
for a share. The list is not offered as a finality, 
but with the expectation that we shall receive 
suggestions towards its enlargement, and pro- 
posals from our former contributors, whose 
names we miss, to index other serials. I hope 
no one will think that I have been greedy in 
taking so many of the serials as my share of 
the labor. I must confess that I like this sort 
of work, and I took, about a month ago, what 
others had left after they had made their selec- 
tions. . In a few instances where I did not 
have a periodical I readily placed it with the 
librarian who had it, and to whom it is credited. 
No publisher would be likely to assume, at 
his own risk, the expense of publishing the 
annual indexes. The plan of meeting the ex- 
pense of publication is this : The editors and 
contributors will make no charge for their work. 
The expense, therefore, will be only the cost of 
composition, press-work, paper, and binding. 
No more copies will be printed than will supply 
the contributors and the copies subscribed for 
in advance of publication. No copies will, 
therefore, be put into the trade. Subscription 



POOLE. 



33 



circulars will be sent to librarians and to indi- 
viduals who would be likely to desire the work. 
In case the subscribers are twice as many as 
the contributors, the subscribers will pay the 
whole cost of the edition. It is now ascertained 
that the subscribers will many times outnumber 
the contributors, and hence the contributors 
will receive their copies free. The actual price 
per copy will not be known until the work is 
ready for distribution. As the edition will be 
limited, and copies will be rare, it will be safe 
to subscribe for more than a single copy. 

The five-year issues, which will be regarded 
as the permanent supplements to the main 
work, will be printed in a style uniform in all 
respects with that work ; whereas the annual 
supplements, being regarded as temporary, will 
be issued on a smaller page. On the fifth year, 
when the permanent supplements are issued, 
no annual supplement will appear, as the ref- 
erences of the preceding year will be included 
in the former work. 

The same rules for indexing will be observed 
in the supplements as in the main work. Those 
rules may be found in the Library journal 
(i : 286, 324,), and in the " Proceedings of the 
London Conference," 1877, p. 199. In the 
matter of headings, as well as in all cases of 
doubt, it will be well to make frequent reference 
to the main work. I beg to emphasize a few 
minor points, the observance of which will 
secure the benediction of the editors : Use 
foolscap paper (ruled with lines about one cen- 
timeter apart, or five lines in two inches), and 
bring the reference into one line. Write in a 



neat and compact hand on every line, not on 
every other line, and so that the manuscript 
may be cut apart without injury. Write proper 
names correctly and very legibly ; make figures 
which cannot be questioned, and place the 
colon after the volume-figures, which distin- 
guishes them from the page-figures. Abbreviate 
the title of the serial accurately and uniformly ; 
and, as a convenience, insert it with a hand- 
stamp instead of writing it. When the names 
of persons are used in the headings, give at 
least the first Christian name in full, and not 
simply the initial. Don't try to invent a new 
mode of indexing; but follow ours, even if you 
have a better system of your own. It is a 
singular fact that the manuscripts of some ex- 
perienced cataloguers have given us the most 
trouble, because they followed their own ideas 
instead of ours. It was evident, in some in- 
stances, that they did not take the trouble to 
ascertain what ours were. 

In now laying before you our lists, I desire 
to say that we shall be glad to receive any sug- 
gestions here, or correspondence hereafter, 
towards enlarging them, and taking in other 
contributors. In the case of serials which are 
now for the first time included, the first issue of 
the annual indexes will include references only 
to the volumes for 1882 and 1883. The earlier 
volumes will be indexed in the first five-year 
supplement. It will be understood, when no 
date is given after the title, that the contribu- 
tor indexes the set, or the volumes needed to 
complete it. 



PERIODICALS TO BE INDEXED IN THE ANNUAL AND FIVE-YEAR SUPPLEMENTS. 

The [*] indicates that the serial was not included in the edition of 1882. 



*Academy. 

All the Year Round. 
* American, The. 
*American Antiquarian. 

American Architect. 

American Catholic Quarterly. 

American Church Review. 

American Journal of Science. 



American Law Review. 

American Naturalist. 

Anthropological Journal. 
*Antiquary, n. s. 

Argosy. 

Art Journal. 
*Athenaeum. 

Atlantic Monthly. 



34 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



Banker's Magazine (Lond.). 

Banker's Magazine (N.Y.). 

Belgravia. 
*Bibliographer. 

Bibliotheca Sacra. 

Blackwood's Magazine. 
*British & Foreign Evangelical Review. 
*British Almanac Companion. 

British Quarterly Review. 

Catholic World. 
"Century, The. 

Chambers's Journal. 
*Church Quarterly Review. 

Congregationalist . 

Contemporary Review. 

Cornhill Magazine. 
*Critic, The. 

Dial, The (Chicago). 

Dublin Review. 

Eclectic Engineering. 

Edinburgh Review. 

Education. 

Eclectic Magazine. 
* Field Naturalist. 

Fortnightly Review. 
"Foster's Monthly Reference Lists. 

Gentleman's Magazine, n. s. 

Good Words. 
"Granite Monthly. 

Harper's Magazine. 

International Review. 

Irish Monthly. 

"Iron and Steel Institute Journal. 
"Journal of Christian Philosophy. 

Journal of the Franklin Institute. 

Journal of Speculative Philosophy. 

Journal of the Statistical Society. 
"Kansas City Review. 
"Knowledge. 
"Leisure Hour. 

Library Journal. 

Lippincott's Magazine. 
"Literary World (Lond.). 
"Literary World (Boston). 



Living Age. 

London Quarterly Review. 

London Society. 
"Longman's Magazine. 

Lutheran Quarterly. 

Macmillan's Magazine. 

Magazine of American History. 
"Manhattan, The. 

Methodist Quarterly Review. 

Mind. 

Modern Review. 

Month, The. 
"Monthly Notes of the L.A.U.K. 

Nation. 
"National Review, n. s. 

Nature. 

New England Historic-Genealogical Register. 

New Englander. 

Nineteenth Century. 

North American Review. 
"Overland Monthly, n. s. 

Pennsylvania Magazine. 

Popular Science Monthly. 

Portfolio. 

Potter's American Monthly (to Sept., 1882, since 
dead). 

Presbyterian Review. 

Princeton Review, n. s. 

Quarterly Review. 

Reformed Quarterly Review. 

Reliquary. 
"Saturday Review. 
"Science. 
"Scottish Review. 
"Sidereal Messenger. 

Southern Historical Society Papers. 
"Spectator, The. 
"Sunday Magazine. 

Temple Bar. 

Tinslej's Magazine. 
"United Service Magazine. 

Unitarian Review. 

Universalist Quarterly. 

Westminster Review. 



CONTRIBUTORS TO THE FIRST SUPPLEMENT. 



AXON, Wm. E. A. Manchester, England. 
"British Almanac Companion. 
"Field Naturalist. 
"Sunday Magazine. 



BARBOUR, J. H. Trinity College, Hartford, Conn. 
"Church Quarterly Review. 
Edinburgh Review, 1883. 
Quarterly Review, 1883. 



POOLE. 



35 



BISCOE, W. S. Columbia College, New York. 
*Century, 1883. 

COWELL, Peter. Free Library, Liverpool, England. 
*British and Foreign Evangelical Review. 

CUTTER, C. A. Boston Athenaeum, Boston, Mass. 
British Quarterly Review. 
Westminster Review. 

CRUNDEN, F. M. Public School Library, St. Louis, 
*Literary World. 

EDMANDS, John. Mercantile Library, Philadel- 
phia, Pa. 
Banker's Magazine, New York. 

FLETCHER, W. I. Amherst College, Amherst, 

Mass. 

American Church Review. 
American Journal of Science. 
Atlantic Monthly, 1882. 
Bibliotheca Sacra. 
"Century, 1882. 

Contemporary Review, 1882. 
*Critic, The. 
Dublin Review, 1882. 
Edinburgh Review, 1882. 
Education. 

Fortnightly Review, 1882. 
Harper's Magazine, 1882. 
International Review, 1882. 
Journal of the Franklin Institute. 
Library Journal. 
Living Age, 1882. 
Macmillan's Magazine, 1882. 
New Englander, 1882. 
Nineteenth Century, 1882. 
North American Review, 1882. 
Popular Science Monthly, 1882. 
Quarterly Review. 

FOSTER, W. E. Public Library, Providence, R.I. 
International Review, 1883. 
Magazine of American History. 
N.E. Historical and Genealogical Register. 

GREEN, S. S. Public Library, Worcester, Mass. 
Popular Science Monthly, 1883. 

HAKRIS, Ggp. W. Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. 

*Bibliographer. 

*Scottish Review. 

HARBAUGH, Miss Mary C. State Library, Colum- 
bus, Ohio. 

*Antiquary. 



HASBROUCK, I. E. Rutgers College, New Bruns- 
wick, N.J. 
Nature. 
HEWINS, Miss C. M. Hartford Library, Hartford, 

Conn. 
Lippincott's Magazine. 

* Longman's Magazine. 

JAMES, Miss H. P. Public Library, Newton, Mass. 

Catholic World. 
KIERNAN, T. J. Harvard University, Cambridge, 

Mass. 

Universalist Quarterly. 
LARNED, J. A. Young Men's Association, Buffalo, 

N.Y. 

Macmillan's Magazine, 1883. 
LINDERFELT, K. A. Public Library, Milwaukee, 

Wis. 

Atlantic Monthly, 1883. 
Fortnightly Review, 1883. 
MERRILL, E. T. Wesleyan University, Middletown, 

Conn. 

*Athenseum. 

NELSON, C. A. Astor Library, New York City. 
Chambers' Journal. 
Eclectic Engineering Magazine. 
*Knowledge. 
*Overland Monthly, n. s. 
*United Service Magazine. 

NEUHAUS, Paul. Library of Congress, Washington , 

B.C. 
Reliquary. 

NOYES, S. B. Brooklyn Library, Brooklyn, N.Y. 
*National Review, n. s. 
Temple Bar. 

POOLE, W. F. Public Library, Chicago, 111. 
All the Year Round. 

* American, The. 
*American Antiquarian. 

American Catholic Quarterly. 

American Law Review. 

American Naturalist. 

Argosy. 

Banker's Magazine, London. 



Colburn ; s New Monthly Magazine. 
Congregationalist. 
Dial, Chicago. 
Eclectic Magazine. 
*Foster's Monthly Reference Lists. 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



POOLE, W. F., continued. 

Gentleman's Magazine, n. s. 

Good Words. 
*Granite Monthly. 

Irish Monthly. 

*Iron and Steel Institute Journal. 
"Journal of Christian Philosophy. 

Journal of Speculative Philosophy. 

Journal of the Statistical Society. 
*Kansas City Review. 
"Leisure Hour. 

London Quarterly Review. 

London Society. 

Lutheran Quarterly Review. 
"Manhattan, The. 

Methodist Quarterly Review. 

Mind. 

Modern Review. 

Month, The. 
"Monthly Notes of the L.A.U.K. 

Pennsylvania Magazine. 

Potter's American Monthly. 

Presbyterian Review. 

Reformed Quarterly Review. 
"Sidereal Messenger. 

Southern Historical Society Papers. 

Tinsley's Magazine. 

Unitarian Review. 

RICHARDSON, E. C. Hosmer Hall, Hartford. 

Conn. 

Contemporary Review, 1883. 
Dublin Review, 1883. 
New Englander, 1883. 
Nineteenth Century, 1883. 



ROGERS, T. P. W. Fletcher Library, Burlington, 

Vt. 

Cornhill. 
Portfolio. 

ROWELL, J. C. University of California, Berkeley, 

Cal. 

""Saturday Review. 
"Spectator. 
SAFFORD, T. H. Williams College, Williamstown, 

Mass. 

North American Review, 1883. 
Princeton Review, n. s. 
SARGENT, Miss M. E. Middlesex Mechanics' Inst., 

Lowell, Mass. 
Blackwood's Magazine. 
SICKLEY, J. C. Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 

Living Age, 1883. 
STAEBNER, F. W. Normal School, Westfield, Mass. 

"Science. 

STETSON, W. K. Wesleyan University, Middle- 
town, Conn. 
Nation, The. 

SOLDAN, F. J. Public Library, Peoria, 111. 
American Architect. 
Art Journal. 
STEVENS, Miss Lucy. Public Library, Toledo, O. 

Harper's Magazine, 1883. 
TAYLOR, Achilles. London, England. 
"Academy. 
"Literary World. 

UHLER, P. H. Peabody Institute, Baltimore, Md. 
Anthropological Journal. 



BILLINGS. 



37 



LIBRARIES IN WASHINGTON. 

BY DR. J. S. BILLINGS, U.S.A., LIBRARIAN OF THE SURGEON-GENERAL'S OFFICE. 



I AM very sorry that both Mr. Flint and Mr. 
Spofford are absent, as I had hoped to hear 
from them a discussion upon the relations of the 
various libraries in Washington to each other 
and to the proposed National Library. In their 
absence, however, I will endeavor to briefly 
sketch the characteristics of some of these 
libraries. They may be divided into three 
classes. The first is the large general collection, 
ordinarily known as the Library of Congress, 
but which should more properly be called the 
National Library ; the second comprises the li- 
braries of the various departments, which are 
in part devoted to special subjects, and in part 
to general literature, mostly fiction, travels, 
etc., for the benefit of the clerks and employes ; 
the third class includes the libraries of some of 
the bureaus, which are almost entirely scientific 
and technological, and devoted to special sub- 
jects. The library of the Department of State 
has been greatly improved within the last few 
years, and is now especially valuable for its col- 
lection of works on international law. The li- 
brary of the War Department has a fair collection 
of works pertaining to military matters, but the 
most complete library of this kind in this coun- 
try is the one at West Point. A large part of 
the War Department library is composed of 
general literature for the use of the clerks and 
their families. The library of the Treasury 
Department is also mainly for the benefit 
of the clerks. The library of the Patent Office 
is especially devoted to physics, chemistry and 
technology. 

There is a very good collection of works on 
astronomy and the mathematical sciences at 
the National Observatory, which has been cata- 
logued under the direction of Prof. Holden. 

The library of the Signal Service Office relates 
mostly to meteorology, and in connection with 
this a large and valuable bibliography of the 
subject has been prepared by Prof. Abbe, which 
it is hoped will soon be published. The 
library of the Geological Survey is increasing 
rapidly by exchanges and purchases, and is now 



a very valuable collection, being comparatively 
complete in reports and documents relating to 
the geology of the United States. The library 
of the Surgeon-General's office, of the War 
Department, is composed exclusively of works 
relating to medicine and the allied sciences, 
and now contains about sixty thousand volumes 
and about seventy thousand pamphlets. An 
interesting and important question is whether 
all these special libraries should be merged in 
one grand national library, or whether they 
should be. allowed to remain, as at present, in 
connection with the several bureaus and depart- 
ments. . On the one hand there is a feeling that 
this great country should have a correspond- 
ingly magnificent national library building, 
which should contain, as far as possible, every- 
thing that has been published in all depart- 
ments of literature, science, and art ; and that 
the quickest and easiest way to obtain this is to 
gather all these special libraries into one build- 
ing, which building should be so arranged as to 
contain them and allow their future develop- 
ment. On the other hand, it is considered by 
the bureaus, and also by scientific men and 
physicians generally throughout the country, 
that it is better that these special libraries should 
remain as they now are, and be allowed to 
develop in their own way. I shall consider the 
subject more especially in connection with the 
medical library, that being the one with which 
I am most familiar ; but I believe that my 
remarks will apply also to other special sci- 
entific and technological libraries. The follow- 
ing is quoted, with some condensation, from 
some remarks which I have recently had occa- 
sion to make on this subject : 

"From a comparison of the catalogue of 
the medical library of the Surgeon-General's 
Office with the fasciculi of the catalogue printed 
by the British Museum in 1881-2, I have 
found that on 1,140 pages containing about 
34,000 titles, exclusive of cross-references, 
there were the titles of 657 books and 880 in- 
augural theses relating to medicine. Taking 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



the corresponding portions of the Washington 
catalogue, it is found that the British Museum 
has 262 medical books, 372 medical theses, and 
118 different editions which are not in the 
Washington library, while, on the other hand, 
the Washington library has 285 books, 342 
theses, and 88 different editions which are not 
in the British Museum. There are common to 
both libraries 277 books and 508 theses. The 
two libraries, therefore, are nearly equal as re- 
gards medical books, exclusive of medical jour- 
nals, transactions, and reports, in which the 
Washington library is much the richer." 

" A similar comparison with the catalogue of 
the medical section of the Bibliotheque Nation- 
ale, in Paris, shows that the Washington library 
contains a greater amount of medical literature, 
and also covers a wider field, representing bet- 
ter the medical literature of the world. Each 
library is, as might be expected, richer than its 
rivals in the literature of its own country ; but 
the French Library is comparatively poor in 
English and German, has almost nothing in 
American medical literature, while the English 
library is also poor in American literature, and 
comparatively weak in German medicine of the 
present century." 

" The two great national libraries of London 
and Paris are supposed to be the largest collec- 
tions of printed books in existence. They have 
been collected during a period of over three 
hundred years, and have practically had almost 
unlimited funds and opportunities." 

" Why, then, is it that the medical library in 
Washington, which is only about twenty years 
old, and has never had, in any one year, funds 
sufficient to purchase more than two-thirds of the 
medical books printed in various parts of the 
world during that same year, should already be 
equal if not superior to them in practical value ? " 

" I believe it to be very largely due to 
the fact, that, while the Washington library is 
the national collection, it has been kept sepa- 
rate from the general national library. The 
result of this has been that the medical profes- 
sion has taken much more interest in it than they 
would have done, if, as is the case with the 
English and French medical collections, it had 
been merely a section of the national library." 

As a matter of fact, comparatively little 



use is made by medical writers of the collec- 
tions in the British Museum or the Bibliotheque 
Nationale. They consult, in preference, the 
special medical libraries in London and Paris, 
which are under the direction of medical bib- 
liographers, such as the libraries of the Royal 
College of Surgeons or of the Medico-Chirurgi- 
cal Society, or those of the Faculty of Medicine, 
or of the Academy of Medicine in Paris. It is 
to such special libraries that physicians give 
their books and pamphlets ; and the rapid 
growth of the Washington library is largely 
due to this cause. There is pouring into it a 
steady stream of literature, the sources of 
which are by no means confined to this country, 
although, of course, the largest part comes 
from the United States. 

So far as this medical library is concerned it 
is quite certain that the physicians of this 
country would greatly prefer to have it remain as 
it now is, connected with the Medical Museum, 
and under medical management, and would 
strongly object to its being merged into a great 
national collection, since, if this were done, they 
would, to a great extent, lose their interest in 
its progress and development. It may be 
reckoned as the medical section of the National 
Library, and the number of volumes which it 
contains may be counted as forming part of the 
national collection, and thus help to swell the 
numbers given in the reports of the latter ; but 
there seems to be no good reason why it 
should be removed from the Museum, with 
which it is especially connected, and placed in 
the same building with the general collection. 

The same may be said with regard to all the 
special libraries connected with special techno- 
logical work or with museums or collections. 
Those who study in these museums or collec- 
tions wish the corresponding library to be close 
at hand, that they may pass rapidly from one 
to the other. It is also probable that the best 
results for all these special libraries will be pro- 
duced by giving them a certain amount of in- 
dependence and responsibility, in order that the 
scientific men with whose pursuits they are spe- 
cially connected shall take a working interest 
in their condition and progress, and stimulate 
those in charge of them to the best exertions of 
which they are capable. 



EDMANDS. 



39 



REPORT ON LIBRARY ARCHITECTURE. 



BY JOHN EDMANDS, LIBRARIAN OF THE MERCANTILE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA. 



T)ERHAPS I should offer an apology for 
-- consenting to prepare this report, because 
of the limited means at my command for 
gathering information. As, however, apologies 
have not been in favor in our meetings, I will 
not incur the odium of setting the bad fashion. 

I am not able to bring forward any new 
discoveries or brilliant achievements in this 
field during the year, unless the illustration of 
" How not to do it," which our wise and patriotic 
Congress has furnished in the national library 
building, deserves to be placed in this category. 
One of the chief things to be noted in con- 
nection with the general subject is a deeper 
arid more wide-spread interest. The question 
of the proper arrangement and construction of 
buildings for public libraries is now occupying 
the thoughts of a larger number of people than 
ever before, and occupying them in a more 
intense and practical way. This is due in part 
to the circumstance that the building question 
is now being wrestled with vigorously by at 
least two libraries, in which a very deep interest 
is felt outside of the communities in which they 
are situated. People in all sections of the 
country are anxious to be assured that our two 
largest libraries are to be worthily housed. 
With so many intelligent people carefully scru- 
tinizing and offering suggestions, there is firm 
ground for hope that those having the matter 
immediately in charge will achieve a result that 
shall embody the best thought of the time. 

In September of last year a free public library 
building, which had just been completed, was 
opened to the public in Newcastle, England. 
It seems to have been planned with a good deal 
of care, and to embody some noteworthy features. 
In the basement, facilities are provided for the 
reception, unpacking, collating, and stamping 
of the books. Here is also the heating appa- 
ratus ; and, warned by the disastrous experiences 
at Birmingham, special precautions have been 
taken so that a fire occurring in this basement 
would not be communicated to the other parts 



of the building ; and, as an additional safeguard, 
it has been arranged that the library staff shall 
be regularly drilled in the fire-brigade practice. 
The main entrance is by a vestibule 43 by 21 
feet, which is described as spacious and lofty, 
and, we may add, useless. On the left of the 
vestibule is the lending-library, in two rooms, 
having accommodations for at least 60,000 
volumes. In a portion of this room the cases 
are carried up to the height of 13 feet, but in 
the most of the room to only 8 feet. 

The librarian's office is on this floor. It is 
near the entrance, and has speaking-tubes to all 
parts of the building. Special attention has 
been given to ventilating. From each of the 
clusters of gas-jets tubes are carried to the top 
of the building, and the lights on the counters 
are furnished with closed globes, on one side 
of which is a tube admitting cold air, and the 
other side one which carries the heated and foul 
air to the outside. The windows are so con- 
structed that they can be thrown fully open so 
as to flush the rooms with fresh air, or closed 
very tight with an arrangement for admitting 
fresh air without creating a current. With 
these precautions the air is pure, and the tem- 
perature does not rise above 65 after the gas 
has been lighted for several hours. 

The reference-library, measuring 132 feet by 
41 feet, is on the second floor, and the shelving 
is carried to a height of only 8 feet. The ta- 
bles in this room are covered with billiard-cloth. 
They are provided with bells, each having a 
different tone, so that the assistants will know 
at once the particular table requiring attention. 
If no one in that country reads an American 
book, it is mentioned as worthy of note that an 
American revolving bookcase has been pro- 
vided for this library, in which may be placed 
about 200 volumes for the convenient use of one 
who may be investigating a particular subject. 

The new building for the Birmingham library, 
erected to replace the one destroyed by fire in 
January, 1879, was formally opened in June, 



4 o 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



1882. The cost has been met by the insurance 
fond, with a small addition from the ordinary 
income, and the sum of $75,000, which was 
contributed soon after the fire, is still kept as a 
library fund. The entrance is through a portico 
32 feet by 12, a vestibule 29 feet by 20, and a 
hall "of noble proportions," 60 by 28 feet and 
45 feet high. Surely the temple to which we are 
thus conducted should be spacious and grand. 

On the right of the entrance-hall is the 
circulating-library, 100 by 64. The reference- 
library on the second floor is approached by a 
staircase winding up the side of the lofty en- 
trance hall ; and with it are connected a tem- 
porary art-gallery and the Shakespeare library. 
The reference-library proper must present quite 
a churchly appearance, being divided by gran- 
ite columns into nave and aisles. ' The nave 
reaches the height of 50 feet, and the aisles 23 
feet. The Shakespeare library seems to have 
been fitted up and decorated with a lavish ex- 
penditure of money. The cost of the building, 
including furnishings, has been $250,000. 

The absence, in the description, of any men- 
tion of rooms and appliances for administra- 
tion, and the prominence given to architectural 
and decorative features, seem to show that 
advanced ideas on library construction have 
received little attention. 

Colonel Charles G. Hammond, of Chicago, 
has contributed the funds for the erection of 
a library building for the Congregational Theo- 
logical Seminary of that city, which, though 
not of large size, contains some features of con- 
struction that are worthy of note. The building 
is 67 feet long by 46 wide, with two stories and 
basement. It is constructed of brick, with 
sandstone courses and terra-cotta ornaments. 

The basement contains a packing-room, 
water-closets, heating apparatus, and a fire- 
proof vault for the safe-keeping of manuscripts 
and other articles of special value. In the first 
story, which is 15 feet high, are the reference- 
library, 31 by 44 feet, and a reading-room 31 by 
34 feet. The main library-room occupies the 
whole of the second story, which is 23 feet 
high at the walls. This room is lighted by 
windows at both ends, and by a lantern ex- 
tending the entire length of the building. 
Special care has been taken to render the 



building fire-proof. The beams and columns 
are of iron, encased in porous terra-cotta. The 
spaces between the iron floor-beams are filled 
with hollow tile arches. The floors are of 
narrow strips of maple, nailed to sleepers im- 
bedded in Portland concrete cement. By this 
means the floors are thought to be made fire 
and vermin proof. The iron roof-trusses are 
encased in porous terra-cotta, and the roof it- 
self is formed of blocks of porous terra-cotta, 
laid between T irons, covered overhead with 
slate laid in cement, and on the under side 
finished in plaster. The soffits and strings of 
the stairs are covered with porous terra-cotta 
and plaster. The partitions are built of hollow 
tile, and there are iron shutters on all doors 
and windows facing or connecting with other 
buildings. 

The hollow tile arches, and the hollow tile 
partitions, have been utilized as conveyers and 
distributers of the hot-air, and by this means, 
and by the distribution of the air outlets over a 
great area, it is expected to secure an equalized, 
agreeable temperature throughout the build- 
ing, and to avoid disagreeable hot-air blasts. 

There seems to be in the building scant pro- 
vision for cataloguing and the various other 
kinds of library work. 

The trustees of the Boston Public Library 
and City Council are still manfully wrestling 
with the problem of a new building for their 
rich and rare collection of books, apparently 
aware that the eyes of the library world are 
upon them in expectation that they will rise to 
the magnitude of the task committed to them. 
Let us hope that wisdom will prevail, and that 
the advanced thought of the day on the subject 
of library architecture will have worthy em- 
bodiment. As the land given by the State 
seemed not sufficient for that purpose, the 
city has purchased an additional lot, giving 
them 66,000 square feet, equal to a lot 300 by 
220, or255 feet square. The trustees are about 
taking up the matter of definite plans, and when 
they have reached what seems to them the best 
result it is intended to construct a large model, 
so that the working capacity of the edifice may 
be more accurately determined. 

[A sketch of the new home of the Historical 
Society of Pennsylvania followed.] 



HOMES. 



Respecting the proposed and much-needed 
building for our national library, probably all 
that needs to be said is that the project which 
was reported to Congress by the joint commit- 
tee, and which was largely and earnestly debated 
both in and out of Congress, has been so thor- 
oughly killed that it will stay dead for a good 
length of time. 

It is obvious that the leading purpose for 
which any library is established will determine 
the precise plan and arrangement of the build- 
ing. If it is to be chiefly a lending library, 
more ample provision should be made for 
the rapid and accurate registry of books. If, 
on the other hand, it is designed chiefly for 
students, space and appliances of another kind 
must be provided. But few of our libraries 
belong exclusively to either of these classes ; 



they nearly all, in different degrees, partake of 
the features of both classes. And so it becomes 
a nice and difficult question to decide on the 
best adjustment of these conflicting claims. In 
this matter, as in that of the administration of 
libraries, the main stress has been laid upon the 
gathering together and the storing of books ; 
and there has been a lamentable lack of thought 
as to providing accommodations and facilities 
for the convenient and economic use of the 
gathered treasures. That more study is given 
to this matter at present is the hopeful sign of 
the future. 

[The paper closed with a suggestion that 
resolutions be adopted urging Congress to erect 
the National Library, and that a committee 
be appointed to advise with the architects re- 
garding the plans.] 



THE SHELF-ARRANGEMENT OF BOOKS 

STATE LIBRARY. 



IN THE NEW YORK 



BY HENRY A. HOMES, STATE LIBRARIAN. 



IN undertaking to describe to my fellow-li- 
brarians the method of arranging books on 
the shelves of the New York State Library, I 
do not do it for the purpose of commending 
the method, but because, from the description, 
the members would learn that there was at 
least one library in existence where the books 
are made accessible for a numerous public 
without the application of any of the usual 
modes of shelf-classification, or the application 
of a place-number. 

The briefest form in which at the outset, 
and in a single sentence, I can state this method 
is to say that the books are arranged oh the 
shelves in the same order of succession that 
they are mentioned in the printed catalogues 
of the library of 2,000 pages and in the MS. 
card catalogues, which, without classification, 
have but one alphabet for the whole library. 
Our catalogues are arranged alphabetically by 
authors' names, and the first word of anony- 
mous works which is not an article or prepo- 
sition. On the shelves the octavos, duodeci- 
mos, and smaller sizes, constitute one alpha- 



betical series ; the small quartos constitute 
another; the middling quartos another; and 
large quartos and folios a fourth alphabetical 
series, standing on the shelves under the octa- 
vos. Elephant folios, which lie flat on broad 
shelves, have their exceptional places indicated 
to the librarians on an exceptions-catalogue, 
intended to aid us in finding them. 

To enable the librarians to execute this plan 
of arranging the books, each book brought into 
the library is entered into the accessions-cata- 
logue of the daily additions, with a heading by 
which its future place in the alphabetical card- 
catalogue of the library becomes a fixed fact. 
The same heading should x be found stamped on 
the top of the back of the book. If the head- 
ing already on the book does not conform to 
the heading given in the catalogue, as, in con- 
sequence of the style of lettering books so gen- 
erally adopted by publishers, it rarely does 
conform, then the boo/c, before being placed 
upon the shelves, is given into the hands of a 
bookbinder to be relettered in part or in total- 
ity. If the authors name is not the first word 



4 2 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



it is stamped by him in gilt letters, over the 
title that the publisher has placed there ; and 
sometimes we treat it as a matter of indiffer- 
ence whether he shall efface with water and 
friction the authors name, so frequently found 
stamped two-thirds down the back. Most fre- 
quently, however, it is effaced by us, whether 
stamped upon leather or upon cloth, and the 
erasure leaves but slight trace that it has been 
effected. 

In conformity with this plan, the backs of 
anonymous books must be made to conform, as 
regards the heading, to that which has been 
adopted for them in the printed or manuscript 
catalogues of the library, and, therefore, the 
first word of that title, with the most important 
words following, will be stamped on the back 
as its title, and that lettering decides for the 
book its place on the shelves, to stand alpha- 
betically with the works having the authors' 
names in the same series. 

There are certain concomitant facts connected 
with our use of this somewhat primitive sys- 
tem, which will explain both the reasons for 
perpetuating its existence, and the convenience 
and disadvantages of it. Nearly thirty years 
since, when I first became connected with the 
library, it was the system which, in most re- 
spects, was already adopted. From that time 
to the present, during the greater part of the 
period, there has not been more than one per- 
son besides myself to attend to all the various 
claims of service in a department of the library 
of from 40,000 to 90,000 volumes, and growing 
at the rate of more than 2,000 volumes and 
3,000 pamphlets a year. This old system, 
therefore, has been retained perforce, because, 
if for no other reason, we have been at all 
times too busy to change it and introduce 
another. It has also been retained because 
that, in our circumstances, the system has op- 
erated quite successfully. Some of the circum- 
stances are, that all the cases are locked and 
only two persons have access to them to dis- 
place the books, so that mistakes can rarely 
occur. The books in their cases being all en- 
closed within locked doors, the titles of the 
books can be read through the wire netting, by 
visitors entering the alcoves. We have no 
alcove readers, as in the Astor and some other 



libraries, where the reader can take books down 
from the shelves ; nor is there any temptation 
for a student to desire the privilege, as the 
books of a class are so scattered throughout 
the library that he has no desire to take down 
books from the shelves. The librarians have 
rarely occasion to search for any book, which is 
asked for by its name, in any other place than 
its proper alphabetical place in the series on 
the shelves. 

It must be admitted that, since the shelves 
have become so excessively crowded as that 
books have been placed in double rows on the 
shelves, and that the alphabetical order has 
been further interrupted by the introduction of 
temporary cases, throwing the books in some 
measure out of their order, and for other rea- 
sons connected with an overcrowded space, this 
usage has brought some embarrassments ; but 
in the storage-rooms of the library of the new 
capitol, where there will be space for expansion 
for a hundred years to come at least, the new 
accessions will be placed in their strict alpha- 
betical order, and the system will work well 
for intelligent librarians, and above the grade 
of mere runners. 

During the later years of my service in the 
library, when the excess of books over the 
space provided on the regular shelving below 
became too large to be accommodated, addi- 
tional shelving was gradually provided in the 
galleries, and thither we would carry the books 
which we knew were least in demand, like 
books in foreign languages, long sets of vol- 
umes and other kinds, leaving their places 
below to be filled with the new accessions. 

Notwithstanding my declaration that the 
method which I have described is the prev- 
alent one applied to the larger part of the 
library, yet it must be admitted that there has 
gradually grown up a considerable number of 
exceptions to the rule. These exceptions, al- 
though they are in favor of works on particular 
topics, are not in the direction of a scientific 
classification. Thus, I recall that Directories of 
towns, Catalogues of colleges, Genealogies of 
families, Dictionaries of languages, Grammars, 
Biographical Dictionaries and Serials have been 
collected into groups by themselves. This is 
far from constituting a classification under gen- 



CUTTER. 



43 



eral subjects, like History, Theology, and.Sci- 
ence, with subordinate headings under them. 
It has been adopted from the fact that the 
classes of books mentioned were those which 
were most used in the library, and that, conse- 
quently, it facilitated to the librarian the means 
of rendering prompt service to the reader, by 
enabling him to find close at hand in one case 
the many books of a kind asked for. 

In spite of the best arrangement we can 



make, our shelves being overcrowded, and 
there being many books of elephant folios, and 
for other reasons, we keep up a separate card 
catalogue, which we call the exceptions-cata- 
logue, where the peculiar location of all those 
books in the library is described, which, from 
any cause, we have not been able to compel 
into the general alphabetical series on the ordi- 
nary shelves. 



THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES 

IN A HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAFICAL SYSTEM OF 

CLASSIFICATION. 



BY C: A. CUTTER, LIBRARIAN OF THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM. 



ONE of the difficulties of classification is 
choosing between the various possible 
methods of arrangement. One can almost 
always find two or three or four different orders 
which seem almost equally good. In this case 
one might have all States, counties, towns, 
rivers, lakes, mountains, in a single alfabet ; 
or one might arrange the States alfabetically 
and under each put its counties, towns, moun- 
tains, rivers, lakes, etc. ; or, finally, one might 
arrange States geografically, and put under 
each its towns, etc., alfabetically. I was 
inclined to the first method, which would have 
made our shelves a sort of gazetteer of the 
United States, where every single place could 
be found with very little trouble ; but the whole 
history and geografy of each State would not 
be brought together. But I found that all the 
students of American history whom I con- 
sulted preferred the last ; they were in favor of 
State rights ; that is, they preferred to have 
Massachusetts towns in a group by themselves, 
and Buffalo consorting with the other New 
York towns, and not sandwiched between 
Arkansas and California. I adopted this plan 
therefore ; but he who 's convinced against his 
will is of the same opinion still ; the end of 
it may be that I shall run all the local history 
into one alfabet on the shelves, leaving the 
marks as they are, just as I have done in 



the case of the Scotch and Irish and English 
biografy. 

The next question to be decided was how to 
mark the States, and how to group them. At 
first 1 thought of arranging them in the way 
familiar to us all from the school geografies, 
and adopted in Mr. Dewey's system : New 
England, Middle, Southern, and Western 
States ; but happening to see in the Nation the 
classification prepared by Mr. H: Gannett, the 
geografer of the Census Office, its superiority 
was so evident that I could not hesitate to 
adopt it. The old arrangement, he says, "was 
suited to the country when nearly all the popu- 
lation was upon the Atlantic slope. At pres- 
ent, however, it is evidently a very curious 
arrangement which places New York, New 
Jersey, and Pennsylvania among the ' Middle 
States,' and Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois in the 
' West.' The sections are vastly dispropor- 
tionate under this scheme. The West includes 
a much greater area than the sum of the other 
three sections, while it disregards, to a great 
extent, geographical, social, and climatic con- 
ditions." He therefore divides our country 
into three perpendicular bands, corresponding 
to the natural features of the country, the 
Atlantic, the Central, and the Western. The 
first two he further divides into halves by a 
horizontal line, which is Mason and Dixon's 



44 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



line for the Atlantic division, and the Ohio and 
Missouri for the Great Valley. So we have 
North Atlantic, stretching from Maine to Penn- 
sylvania; South Atlantic, from Delaware to 
Florida ; North Central, from Wisconsin to 
Kansas ; and South Central, from Kentucky to 
Texas ; and Western, from Montana to Cali- 
fornia. But Mr. Gannett's division, while 
sufficient for his purpose, is open to one of the 
objections which he makes to the previous 
scheme : the divisions are of disproportionate 
size ; the plan is well enough now, but it will 
hardly do fora not very distant future. Indeed, 
Mr. Gannett says, "On some accounts a sub- 
division of the West is advisable, separating it 
perhaps into what might be denominated the 
Rocky Mountain region, the Plateau region, 
the Great Basin region, and the region of the 
Pacific." I have accordingly still further di- 
vided both his Central and his Western divis- 
ions, the first of them by the Mississippi ; 
and I make six instead of three perpendicular 
bands, the Atlantic (numbered 6), 1 the East 
Central (7), the West Central (8), the Plains 
(9), the Rocky Mountains (A), the Pacific slope 
(B). The separate States are designated by 
adding another figure or letter. Thus 61 is 
Maine, 62 New Hampshire, 63 Vermont, 64 
Massachusetts, and so on. The northern and 
southern divisions are distinguished by using 
figures as the mark for the Northern States, 
and letters for the Southern. Of the figures I 
have already given examples ; for the letters 
we have 6 T Virginia, 6 vN. Carolina, 6 w S. 
Carolina. In the Atlantic division, where 
States are small and numerous, all the nine 
figures are used up ; but in the West I was 
able to provide for the future possible division 
of large States by using only odd numbers at 
present for Northern States, leaving the even 
numbers for new creations, and the vowels for 
Southern States, leaving consonants for future 
use. A glance at the table will show this. 

We have now provided a notation for perpen- 
dicular bands of our country and for separate 
States ; but there is no provision for horizontal 
sections. Yet the accounts of the early trans- 

1 In our notation for the Western Hemisphere, i stands 
for the Arctic Regions ; 2 is America, 3 is North America, 
4 is British America, 5 is the United States as a whole. 



continental explorations, such as those of 
Lewis and Clarke, or Long's expedition, and 
Parkman's Oregon trail, and the descriptions of 
the great Pacific railways, demand a place. You 
will notice that there is no southern division 
in the Pacific slope. This leaves a part of B 
unemployed, and at our service for our present 
want. The northern trans-continental zone 
(as far south as the 4ist parallel) is BA ; the 
zone between the 41 st and the 37th parallel, 
containing the Union Pacific R.R., is BE; all 
south of that is BI. 

Towns, cities, counties, lakes, mountains, in 
short any places within a State, are designated 
by adding their initial and one or more figures 
to the State mark. Thus, New York being 67, 
Buffalo would be 6768. The 8 is to distinguish 
it from other towns beginning with B, as 
Brooklyn, which is 6767. In order to use 
enough figures, and not more than enough to 
distinguish each town from all the others begin- 
ning with the same initial, we took State 
gazetteers and assigned a mark to each place. 
If new towns are made they will be distinguished 
by the addition of more figures, as in the inter- 
calating plan of author-marks. 

I have been asked what I should do in the 
case of places which have changed their name. 
Let me say, first, that this difficulty is no worse 
in this way of arrangement than in any other. 
Changes are of three kinds : (i) when the name 
is altered but not the size, as when West 
Cambridge became Arlington ; (2) when a large 
place is split into two or more smaller ones, as 
when Eastham gave off Wellfleet and Orleans ; 
(3) when a town is absorbed in a larger one, as 
when Roxbury and Dorchester became part of 
Boston. In the first case, I should arrange 
the histories of the town under the present 
name, whatever may be the name on the 
title. In the second case, I should put the 
history of the mother town under its name, 
and the histories of the descendants each under 
its own name. In the third case, I should put 
the special histories of each of the absorbed 
towns under its own name (the history or de- 
scription of Islington under Islington, and not 
under London, for example). I believe that 
these rules will satisfy the majority of inquirers. 
But, if experience should show that it is neces- 



CUTTER.. 



45 



sary, I shall put on the shelf dummies referring 
from the abandoned name to the one chosen 
(e.g., West Cambridge. See Arlington). Of 
course there will be such references in the 
catalogue, but if we are trying to make the 
shelves their own catalogue, we shall have to 
borrow the reference system. 

Books on rivers, or river valleys, I have said, 
are put with the books on the towns of the 
State to which the river belongs. If the river 
passes through more than one State, I should 
put it with that in which its mouth is (the 
Savannah, in Georgia,) or in which is the 
greater part of its course ; or in the State which 
is named from it (Connecticut, Delaware). But 
the Mississippi and Missouri pass through so 



many States that I have given the former a 
place just between the two bands which it 
separates, the East Central (7) and the West 
Central (8) , with the mark as 7 Y ; the latter is 
89, coming close after the State. Perhaps the 
Colorado should be treated in the same way 
(A s?). Mountains are treated like rivers; but 
the Appalachians run through many States, and 
have a mark of their own (6 A) . The Rocky 
Mountains, of course, are A. Lakes, too, are 
treated like rivers ; but for the great lakes I have 
given the mark 72, distinguishing the single 
lakes by adding their initials ; thus, Lake On- 
tario is 720; Lake Erie is 7 2 E ; Lake Huron is 
7 2 H ; Lake Michigan is 7 2 M ; Lake Superior, 
725. 



ATLANTIC. 



GREAT VALLEY. 



CORDILLERAS. 



ATLANTIC. 


E. CENTRAL. 


W. CENTRAL. 


PLAINS 9. 


ROCKY M'TS A. 


PACIFIC B. 


N. Atlantic. 


N. E. Central. 


N. W. Central. 








New England 6 
Maine 61 
N. Hamp. 62 
Vermont 63 
Mass. 64 
Rhode Isl'd 65 
Conn. 66 


West 7 
Michigan 71 
G't Lakes 72 
Wisconsin 73 

Ohio 75 


N. West 8 
Minnesota 81 

Iowa 83 
Missouri 85 


Dakota 91 
Nebraska 93 
Kansas 95 


N.Roc.Mts. AO 
Montana AT 

Idaho A3 

Wyoming Af 


Extr. N. W. BO 
Alaska BI 

Washingt'n 83 
Oregon 85 


New York 67 
New Jersey 68 
Penn. 69 


Indiana 77 
Illinois 79 


Miss'ri river 89 




Colorado A7 
Utah A9 


California 67 
Nevada 69 


S. Atlantic. 


S. E. Central. 


S. W. Central. 






Horizontal Zones. 


Middle 6M 








Middle Min- 




Delaware 6p 
Maryland 6q_ 
Dist. of Col. 6R 
South C.S.A. 6s 


Kentucky 7A 
Tennessee 7E 


Old S. Wst 8 A 
Arkansas SE 


Ind. Ter. gE 


ing States AA 
New Mex. AE 


Northern BA 
Middle BE 


Virginia 6T 
W. Virginia y 6u 
N. Carolina 6v 
S. Carolina 6w 


Alabama 7 1 
Mississippi 7U 


Louisiana 81 


Texas 91 


Arizona Ai 


Southern BI 


Georgia 6x 
Florida 6v 


Missis, river 7Y 


Gy 'States 8v 




Extr.S.W. AY 





INDEX. 

Alabama 71 Arizona AI 

Alaska B! Arkansas SE 

Appalachian Mts.. 6A Atlantic States... 6 



California B7 Dakota 9! 

Chesapeake Bay .60,042 Delaware 6p 

Colorado A7 Delaware River .6PD37 

Connecticut 66 D. C 6n 

Conn. River 66076 Erie, Lake 720 



4 6 



B UFFA LO C ONFERENCE. 



Florida 


.. 6v 


Michigan, Lake.. 


72M 


New York 


67 


Southern zone .... 


BI 


Georgia 


.. 6x 


Middle States 


6M 


Northern zone, N. 




South Carolina . . 


6w 


Gulf States 


.. 8v 


Middle zone.Union 




Pacific R.R. ... 


BA 


South -West, ex- 




Hudson River .. 


67H86 


Pacific R.R. ... 


BE 


North Carolina . . 


6v 


treme 


AY 


Huron, Lake. 


72H 


Mining States, 




North-West States 


8 


South- West States 


8A 


Idaho 


A3 


Middle 


AA 


North-West States, 




Superior, Lake .. 


723 


Illinois 


79 


Minnesota 


81 


extreme 


BO 


Tennessee 


7E 


Indiana 


77 


Mississippi 


7U 


Ohio 


75 


Texas 


91 


Indian Territory 


.. 9 E 


Mississippi River. 


7Y 


Ontario, Lake .... 


720 


Union Pacific R.R. 


BE 


Iowa 


.. 83 


Missouri 


85 


Oregon 


BS 


Utah 


AQ 


Kansas 


95 


Missouri River... 


89 


Pacific Coast 


B 


U. S 


S 


Kentucky 


.. 7A 


Montana 


Al 


Pennsylvania .... 


69 


Virginia 


6T 


Lakes, Great. . . 


.. 72 




93 


Plains 


9 


Vermont 


6.3 


Louisiana 


.. Si 


Nevada 


B9 


Rhode Island .... 


65 


Washington Ter. . 


3 


Maine 


.. 61 


New Eng. States . 


6 


Rocky Mountains. 


A 


Western States. . . 


7 


Maryland 


.. 6q 


New Hampshire . . 


62 


Savannah River. 63 


CSa9 


West Virginia .... 


6u 


Massachusetts 


.. 64 


New Jersey 


68 


Southern States.. 


6s 




73 


Michigan 


.. 71 


New Mexico 


AE 


South Atlantic.. . 


6N 




AS 



REPORT ON FICTION IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES. 



BY MELLEN CHAMBERLAIN, LIBRARIAN OF THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY. 



1AM announced to report on Fiction in Public 
Libraries. The subject is well-worn, and, so 
far as I am aware, presents no new phase. 
Statistics are newly gathered, but they wear a 
familiar look. And so of opinions. Year after 
year we get up steam and invoke favoring winds 
and tides, but opinions remain nearly at the old 
mooring. And yet to many the subject re- 
tains its interest, and to some presents occasion 
for alarm. At Saratoga, or somewhere, there is 
now, or soon will be, a convention of doctors, 
guardians of the public health, whose action 
is generally regarded with some solicitude ; and 
here, in this interesting and beautiful city of 
Buffalo, are assembled the guardians of the 
public morals, the librarians, whose action 
on the subject of fiction in public libraries is 
also of public interest. The time was per- 
haps to some still is when the announcement 
that fiction reading was spreading through 
the community would excite alarm like the cry 
of cholera. But, with a better knowledge of 
these diseases, the old cries do not excite the 
old terror. 

I have to report, as matter of fact, that the 
reading of fiction still remains epidemic. Its 
presence may be detected in every town, in a 
normal condition as to boys and girls, which 
contains a librarian with a charge. All attempts 



to stamp out the evil have proved vain ; nor 
has its virulence been sensibly diminished. 
It is true that from the older libraries come to 
us reports of a slightly diminished percentage 
in the circulation of fiction, and a corresponding 
increase in other departments of literature ; 
but from this we are hardly justified in infer- ' 
ring any organic change in the constitution of 
the human mind. In some cases, doubtless, 
this state of things has been brought about in 
forcing the circulation of what are called the 
better class of books, by withholding the usual 
quantity of fiction, and in part also by the 
use of special aids to culture, such as class- 
lists, direction and assistance within the 
library, and by the formation of reading-clubs 
without. But we also find, as we might expect, 
in communities which have been left to regulate 
their own reading, a gradual improvement of 
the public taste. This improvement, however, 
is not confined to reading. It manifests itself 
in houses, furniture, and dress ; in the laying 
out and management of gardens ; in the qual- 
ity of music and poetry which the people 
demand, and in almost every department of 
their social life. There is advance all along 
the line. Special causes have something to do 
with this advance ; but the most efficient cause 
is the sum of those influences which carry 



CHAMBERLAIN. 



47 



civilization from one plane to a higher. These 
influences affect communities and individuals 
similarly, though not all in the same degree. 

The question of the uses of fiction as an in- 
strument of culture I do not propose to discuss. 
The theme is a trite one, and the arguments on 
both sides have been often repeated. Opinions 
on that subject are divided, and perhaps irrec- 
oncilably so. There are those who believe 
that fiction, taken as a whole, is enervating, 
and, if used at all, should be used sparingly in 
public education. There are those, on the 
other hand, who regard the love of fiction as 
ineradicable from the human mind, and in its 
use find one of the most important instruments 
in the culture of the imagination, the fancy, 
and the critical powers. I neither affirm nor 
controvert either of these opinions. 

Public libraries, with which alone I am 
concerned in these observations, are those 
which are supported wholly or in part at the 
public expense, and in respect to which they 
have the power, directly or indirectly, to make 
their wishes known and respected. And, so far 
as these libraries are concerned, I see no im- 
mediate prospect of any essential reduction in 
the amount of fiction they will require, nor of 
the adoption of any standard in respect to the 
quality of this fiction which will reach much 
above the average moral sense of the communi- 
ties in which such libraries are established. 

It may be fairly assumed that no community 
will demand or tolerate immoral fiction, or 
fiction in quantity disproportionate to other de- 
partments of literature ; and that on both of 
these questions, as on other questions sub- 
mitted to its judgment, it will listen to and be 
guided by valid reason. 

What are the relations of public libraries to 
the municipalities which maintain them ? Let 
us reach the answer by degrees. Theoretically, 
parents have sole and absolute power over the 
education of their children. If parents are intel- 
ligent as to the right use of books, and have 
practical as well as theoretical control of their 
children, they may so direct their reading as to 
promote the symmetrical development of the 
memory, the imagination, and the reasoning 
faculties. In an ideally perfect world this would 
be the case ; and the moral is, that we must 



make the world ideally perfect, and cause 
parents to be intelligent as to the right use of 
books, and in the practical as they are now in 
the theoretical control of their children. 

Some of this power, by nature and law vested 
in parents, has been delegated to teachers ; but, 
so far as this delegation of power and responsi- 
bility has become part of a system of education, 
the results are equal neither to cost nor to 
reasonable expectation. Yet it is a power bene- 
ficially exercised, upon the whole, and teachers 
undoubtedly influence in a considerable and 
healthy degree the reading of those under their 
charge in the public schools. 

And so may libraries, especially those in small 
and homogeneous communities, which are sup- 
ported by endowments independent of the 
public treasury, and whose public sentiment is 
formed and regulated by the best people. In such 
cases the trustees may impose their peculiar 
views upon the community, and, within certain 
limits, compel it to select its reading, not in 
accordance with its own wishes, but in accord- 
ance with the opinion of the governing board. 

But we have to adapt ourselves to an entirely 
different state of things in which a public library 
is chiefly maintained by a levy on the persons 
and estates of the citizens, and controlled by 
trustees, dependent for their election and con- 
tinuance in office upon the popular vote ; and, 
in respect to these libraries, the number of 
which will increase indefinitely, we may as well 
make up our minds now, as we shall be obliged 
to sooner or later, that the books purchased 
for them will be mainly such as the public 
demand. We may wish otherwise; but it will 
not be otherwise. We may believe that the 
trustees have no right to expend the public 
money for the mere amusement of the people ; 
but, if the people think differently, trustees must 
yield to their wishes, or leave. We may, per- 
chance, even come to think that public libraries 
circulating a large percentage of fiction are of 
doubtful utility ; but, unhappily, it may be, we 
shall not be permitted to carry our views in that 
regard into practical effect. The public claim 
the right to determine what they will read, and 
whether they will read it at individual or at 
municipal expense. 

Libraries, and those who manage them, must 



4 8 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



align themselves to other popular institutions, 
and share their fortunes. We must accept them, 
as we accept the church, the press, the school, 
and the ballot, with all their imperfections. 
It is too late to go back on our theory of govern- 
ment, the validity and potency of the voice of 
the people. This may not be agreeable to our 
feelings, nor in accordance with our judgment 
as to the fitness of things ; but until we accept it, 
and act upon it, we shall be at cross-purposes 
with the inevitable. 

Another fact is to be kept in mind : that no 
institution and no set of institutions are to re- 
form the world ; nor, on the other hand, is the 
world to make its institutions ideally perfect 
just yet. It is neither true that constitutions 
are precisely what the people make them, nor 
are the people just as their institutions should 
make them. With society as it is with us, if 
there were organized and set in operation in- 
stitutions and agencies ideally perfect, and each 
designed to work in some department of human 
welfare, we should probably observe this phe- 
nomenon as the result of action and counter- 
action, the gradual deterioration of these insti- 
tutions, and the gradual improvement of society. 
In time they would come to represent each 
other. Nor is this mere speculation. It finds 
verifications in the history of many communities. 
Consider all that system of institutions, such as 
the common school, the college, and the church, 
which, two centuries and a half ago, were planted 
in New England on a free soil, unencumbered 
with the depressing circumstances of European 
life. The result of these institutions has not 
been equal to the expectations of those who 
founded them. 

Neither libraries nor librarians will altogether 

O 

enlighten the world. Least of all will they 
succeed when they undertake to set themselves 
above it. It is only when they become part of 
it, and represent its wishes, that they will make 
what is good in them an influence for good. 
To my mind, therefore, the conclusion of the 



whole matter is this : consent that libraries, as 
other institutions, be fairly representative of 
the communities in which they exist, and from 
which they derive their support. Their influ- 
ence, in the nature of things, will be reciprocal ; 
but, if the train is to move, the engine must be 
attached. 

This seems to me not only wise, but indis- 
pensable. For no considerable time will the 
people support institutions with which they are 
not in full sympathy. They must have news- 
papers, and sermons, and books which they 
understand, and in which they take an interest, 
if they are to profit by them. This will be so, 
and should be so ; for by this close connection 
and sympathy alone can either do its work, 
and so justify its existence. 

Make the standard in the selection of books 
for the public library as high as the community 
will sustain. Of course the community -will 
demand no immoral and no absolutely worthless 
books. Books are of no value unless read ; 
and reading is of no public utility, and should 
not be provided at public expense, and will not 
in the long run, unless, upon the whole, it 
makes wiser and better communities. The 
uneasiness which so widely prevails with regard 
to the public schools proceeds in no small 
degree from a feeling that they are getting 
above the people. If there is any foundation 
for this feeling let the libraries avoid it by 
giving no occasion for its existence. When we 
have educated one generation of readers it 
won't do to throw away boys' and girls' books, 
and buy classics. There is another generation, 
and another, and indefinite others to the end 
of time, each of which will go through essen- 
tially the same process of reading as part of 
their education. We must not forget that the 
laws of seed-time and harvest are not only 
inexorable, but eternal. If we sow but once 
we shall reap but once. The plough, no less 
than the reaper, is essential to the harvest. 



CUTTER, 



49 



THE BUFFALO PUBLIC LIBRARY IN 1983. 

BY C. A. CUTTER, LIBRARIAN OF THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM. 



IN the year 1983 I had come to Buffalo from 
Niagara, where I had been admiring the 
magnificent canal works by which the enor- 
mous power of the Falls was collected to be 
transmitted by wire, not merely to the great 
manufacturing city that had grown up upon 
each bank of the river, but also to Buffalo, 
where every machine, from a hundred-ton trip- 
hammer to an egg-beater, was driven by the 
water that had formerly only furnished a liveli- 
hood to hack-drivers and toll-takers. The 
Falls were as beautiful as ever, though their 
volume was slightly diminished. Along the 
bank ran the park ; for all the factories, which 
were generally owned and managed in Buffalo, 
were kept at a distance from the water and 
hidden by trees. These great industrial towns, 
which furnished Buffalo its wealth, both 
directly and by nourishing its commerce, con- 
tained several well-used collections of books of 
moderate size, but no great library such as I 
was told I should see at Buffalo. 

That city was not then one of the largest of 
the United States, having about two millions 
of inhabitants ; but it yielded to none in the 
attention it gave to popular education, part of 
the remarkable commercial energy which dis- 
tinguished the first century of its existence, 
having naturally, with the acquisition of 
wealth, been turned into the channels of litera- 
ture, art, and science. The library, therefore, 
as being the very culmination of the educational 
system, had a high reputation both for its 
excellent management, for the extent to which 
it was used, and for the pride and affection 
with which it was regarded by the citizens. 
The library 'building was near the centre of the 
city. A whole block some 200 feet square had 
been secured for it. Part was already built 
upon, and part, reserved for the inevitable 
extension of a growing collection, was occu- 
pied by stores and houses, whose rents were 
allowed to accumulate for a building fund. 
Wide avenues gave it air and light, and pro- 



tected it against fire on three sides ; on the 
fourth there was space enough between the 
library and the shops. The situation, as I 
have said, was central, and yet it was a little 
retired from the noisiest streets. All the 
neighboring paving was of a kind to minimize 
the clatter of passing vehicles, and particular 
attention was paid to keeping the ways scrupu- 
lously clean, to prevent, as far as might be, the 
evil of dust. 

The building, when complete, was to consist 
of two parts, the first a central store, 150 feet 
square, a compact mass of shelves and passage- 
ways, lighted from the ends, but neither from 
sides nor top ; the second an outer rim of 
rooms 20 feet wide, lighted from the four 
streets. In front and rear the rim was to con- 
tain special libraries, reading-rooms, and work- 
rooms ; on the sides, the art-galleries. The 
central portion was a gridiron of stacks, run- 
ning from front to rear, each stack 2 feet wide, 
and separated from its neighbor by a passage 
of 3 feet. Horizontally, the stack was divided 
by floors into 8 stories, each 8 feet high, giving 
a little over 7 feet of shelf-room, the highest 
shelf being so low that no book was beyond the 
reach of the hand. Each reading-room, 16 
feet high, corresponded to two stories of the 
stack, from which it was separated in winter by 
glass doors. When I first entered a reading- 
room, which was in summer, when the doors 
were off, I was much amused by the appearance 
of the two tiers of passages running off from 
one side like so many bird holes in a sandy 
river-bank, sixty of them leading off into dark- 
ness. They were, in fact, sixty short tunnels, 
with floors for top and bottom and books for 
sides, 8 feet high, 3 feet wide, and now 75 
feet long. When the library should occupy 
the whole lot, they were to be 150 feet long. 
" Their length might equally well," said my 
guide, " be 300 feet, for they do not depend 
upon the sun for light. In the night, or in a 
dark day the runner, on going in, touches a 



5 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



knob, which lights an electric glow-lamp in the 
middle ; that shows him his way. There are 
other lamps in the tunnel at suitable distances. 
If his central lamp does not give him light 
enough to read the titles or the books them- 
selves at the shelf where he is, he has only to 
touch the button of the nearest lamp to get all 
the light he Wants. In the first experiments 
in stack-building, which were made a century 
ago, if the light came from the sides, either 
the stack could not exceed 20 feet in width, or 
the middle was dark ; if one wanted to use a 
wide lot of ground, it was necessary to have 
light-wells about as wide as the stack, which 
sacrificed valuable space and neutralized the 
sole advantage of a stack, which is compact 
storage of the books. If an attempt was made 
to let the light from the top filter down through 
perforated, or through glass floors, the lower 
passages were still dark, and in summer the 
upper floors under a glass roof were intolerably 
hot. With electric illumination we are both 
light and cool. We can store the greatest 
number of books in the closest proximity to 
the reading-room, and extend our storage-room 
indefinitely. There is no way in which books 
can be packed in closer nearness to the place 
where they are used. We have now room for 
over 500,000 volumes in connection with each 
of the four reading-rooms, or 4,000,000 for the 
whole building when completed. In the pres- 
ent reading-room there are 9,000 square feet 
on the front of the building, without counting 
the special rooms under the art-galleries on the 
side. We have, of course, book-lifts, noiseless 
and swift, to take the books from floor to floor. 
For horizontal transmission we tried various 
little railroads, but came to the conclusion that 
a smart boy was the best and the quickest 
railroad in a library. For carrying many 
books at a time, of course, we use trucks ; and, 
as the attendants in each room have two stories 
of shelves to go to, to save the fatigue of climb- 
ing even the small height of 8 feet, each room 
has several little lifts just large enough for one 
person, driven, like everything else in the 
library, by Falls-power." 

" The books," he told me, " are arranged in 
groups of subjects on the different stories, 
those most called for lowest. On the ground- 



floor is a selection from all classes of books 
that are in most active circulation, many of 
them duplicated 4n their proper places on 
higher floors. On the same floor is the class 
literature, because it is, on the whole, the most 
sought for. We have not yet escaped the pre- 
ponderant use of fiction though we have dimin- 
ished it since your day. It used to be 75 
per cent. Thanks to our training the school 
children in good ways it has fallen to forty. I 
doubt if it goes much lower. The next two 
stories are given to the historical, geografical, 
and social sciences ; the fourth to the natural 
sciences, the industrial arts, the fine arts and 
sports, and finally to filosofy and theology. 
When several classes correspond to a single 
reading-room, one of them is put on one side 
of the stack opposite one end of the reading- 
room, another opposite the middle, and a third, 
if there are three, opposite the other end. 
This arrangement greatly facilitates procuring 
books. Every one goes to that reading-room, 
and to that part of the room whose adjacent 
shelves contain the subject he is going to work 
on, if art, to the fourth story, middle; if 
European history, to the second story, west 
end. If he happens to need books from 
another class, of course he can have them sent 
up or down to him. 

" But the main advantage of this system of 
separate reading-rooms is that it compels the 
appointment of just as many competent libra- 
rians. There must be one for each floor, and in 
fact there is one for each great subject, a sci- 
entific man for the science, an art lover for the 
art, an antiquarian for the history, and a trav- 
eller for the geografy ; and even in their attend- 
ants the specialization of function has led to a 
special development of ability. In selecting 
them we take into account aptitude, so far as it 
can be discovered, but we find that a librarian 
who is himself interested will train even his 
runners into a very considerable degree of ca- 
pacity to assist readers. This we think an ex- 
tremely important matter. It is a more glori- 
ous thing to organize and administer a great 
library, but full as good results may be got 
even in- very small collections of books by a 
sort of spade husbandry. We boast of both 
here. Our chief librarian is not more success- 



CUTTER. 



fill in the conduct of the whole than his subor- 
dinates are in the thorough cultivation each of 
his own little plot. On the one hand their 
knowledge of the shelves, volume by volume, 
on the other, their personal intercourse with the 
students enable them to give every book to 
that reader to whom it will do most good, as 
a skilful bookseller suits the tastes of his 
patrons, and to answer every inquiry with the 
best work the library has on that matter, as 
the doctor prescribes the right medicines for 
his patient. No one man could do this for our 
half million volumes ; and our chief librarian's 
ability, for all his enormous acquaintance with 
literature, is best shown in his selection of the 
men who do it for him." 

The first room that I entered was the de- 
livery on the ground floor. It was divided 
into three parts, all having access to a central 
curved counter, the middle one for children, 
the right side for women, the left for men. 
There was nothing remarkable about it save 
the purity of the air. I remarked this to the 
friend who accompanied me, and he said that 
it was so in all parts of the building ; ventila- 
tion was their hobby ; nothing made the libra- 
rian come nearer scolding than any impurity in 
the air. 

" We do not have drafts," he said, " because 
we introduce and draw off our air at so many 
points ; but we do have a constant re- 
newal of the air, and the more borrow- 
ers or readers there are the faster we renew it. 
Formerly we had a young man, whose sole duty 
it was to attend to heat and ventilation ; and to 
ensure his attention there were several register- 
ing thermometers and hygrometers and atmos- 
ferometers in every room. If he let the heat 
get above 70 in the reading-room or above 60 
in the stack, or if the dryness or the impurity 
went beyond a certain point, there was the tell- 
tale record to accuse him, and that record was 
examined every day by the chief librarian. 
After a time one of these ventilators invented 
an arrangement by which the rooms regulated 
their own dryness and heat. The air is nearly 
as good as out-of-doors. Every one must be 
admitted into the delivery-room, but from the 
reading-rooms the great unwashed are shut out 
altogether or put in rooms by themselves. 



Luckily public opinion sustains us thoroughly 
in their exclusion or seclusion. 

" And our care is as useful to our dead as to 
our living wards. The bindings do not dry up 
as they would if the air were not filled with 
moisture to its proper capacity. The books we 
sometimes get at auction, bound in powder, 
shows what carelessness in this regard leads 
to." 

From the delivery-room my guide led me 
down into a basement running under the whole 
building, the newspaper-room. I found there 
an apparently full collection of the Buffalo 
press and the journals of the neighboring 
towns, but no other American papers. I ex- 
pressed my surprise. My guide said that 
half a century before the preservation of 
newspapers had become one of the most per- 
plexing problems of library economy. " For 
local history they are invaluable, but if kept 
with any completeness they occupy an enor- 
mous amount of room ; they soon fill up the 
largest building. The American libraries, 
therefore, made a league among themselves. 
Each large library agreed to provide a fire-proof 
depository, and to each was assigned a certain 
territory, its own city and the country around, 
on its promise to keep every paper published 
within those bounds that it could buy or beg. 
If it received any daily published outside of the 
limit, it was to send it to the proper depository 
for that paper. A few exceptions were made 
of newspapers which were to the United States 
what the ' Times ' is to England ; these any li- 
brary that chooses is allowed to keep for the 
use of its patrons." " For others," said he, 
" the plan works in this way : if I want a Cin- 
cinnati paper I telefone to the public library 
there to set a searcher at work to hunt up the 
matter in question. When she has found it she 
may either copy it or read it off to me through 
the telefone, or, better still, read it to a fono- 
graf and transmit on the foil. She sends 
the charge for her time, which is moderate, to 
the librarian here, and I pay him. This ex- 
change is going on all the time between the 
different libraries. Of course it is not exactly 
the same thing as having the newspapers at 
hand, but in some respects it is better. The 
searchers become very acute in their scent, and 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



will find things which the untrained inquirer 
would be sure to miss. The great advantage, 
however, is that it leads to a more thorough 
keeping of newspapers than would otherwise be 
possible." 

From the newspaper basement a lift took us 
to one of the reading-rooms. These rooms were 
narrow, to ensure perfect light at every desk. 
The windows ran to the very top of the room 
and occupied more than half the wall space. 
The desks had every convenience that could 
facilitate study ; but what most caught my eye 
was a little key-board at each, connected by a 
wire with the librarian's desk. The reader had 
only to find the mark of his book in the catalog, 
touch a few lettered or numbered keys, and 
on the instant a runner at the central desk 
started for the volume, and, appearing after an 
astonishingly short interval at the door nearest 
his desk, brought him his book and took his 
acknowledgment without disturbing any of the 
neighboring readers. 

" In the National Library," said my friend, 
" which has the treasury of a whole continent to 
draw from, and can afford any luxury, they have 
an arrangement that brings your book from the 
shelf to your desk. You have only to touch 
the keys that correspond to the letters of the 
book-mark, adding the number of your desk, 
and the book is taken off the shelf by a pair of 
nippers and laid in a little car, which immedi- 
ately finds its way to you. The whole thing is 
automatic and very ingenious ; but the machin- 
ery is complicated and too costly for us, and 
and for my part I much prefer our pages with 
their smart uniforms and noiseless steps. 
They wear slippers, the passages are all cov- 
ered with a noiseless and dustless covering, 
they go the length of the hall in a passage-way 
screened off from the desk-room so that they 
are seen only when they leave the stack to cross 
the hall towards any desk. As that is only 20 
feet wide, the interruption to study is nothing." 

I complained that the room was low for its 
length. " Why should it not be?" he replied. 
"There is nothing gained in collecting a 
quantity of bad air, and storing it in the upper 
part of a lofty room ; what is wanted is to re- 
move the used and contaminated air altogether, 
and this we do. As to appearance, the outside 



of the building is very effective ; inside every- 
thing is sacrificed to utility. The great stack, 
with its rows of shelves, each two feet wide, 
separated by alleys of three feet width and cut 
apart horizontally by seven floors, is entirely 
without beauty ; indeed it cannot be seen as a 
whole. But it stores a vast number of. books 
in a very small space, and close to where they 
are wanted. The reading-halls, 150 feet long, 
20 feet wide, only 16 feet high and cut up by 
desks, offer as little chance to the architect as 
any room you can imagine. But each of the 
four floors accommodates 100 readers with 
comfort." 

We now went up to the fifth floor. " This," 
said my guide, " is our cataloging and machine 
room. The books are classed and prepared 
for cataloging, each in its own department, 
under the eye of the librarian of that class. 
Difficult cases may be referred to the chief 
librarian, who will decide them or turn them 
over to the council, an advisory body com- 
posed of the several librarians, who meet 
every week, presided over by their chief, 
and deliberate on doubtful points of administra- 
tion. But in the department the book is only 
prepared, the heading is settled, notes are writ- 
ten, and the like ; the actual cataloging is done 
here by fotografy, instantaneous of course, as 
all fotografy now is. Here, you see, the new 
books are arranged, open at the title, against 
this upright board. These are duodecimos and 
octavos, the quartos are put on that stand farther 
off, and the folios farther off still, so that all the 
plates may be of about the same size. The 
standard catalogue card now is ten centimeters 
wide and fifteen high. Underneath each title 
you notice a slip, on which the cataloger has 
written those facts which the title does not 
show ; the number of volumes, various biblio- 
grafical particulars, and sometimes short 
criticisms. These are reproduced on the 
plate. Longer notes, which are sometimes 
needed, must have a separate card. When a 
sufficient number of boards are ready one is 
put upon this travelling-car which is moved 
forward by clock-work ; as each title comes in 
focus the slide of the instrument is drawn, and 
the title and its note are fotograft. The 
whole operation is very short, and, since the 



CUTTER. 



53 



late improvements, much cheaper than writing. 
The printing from the negative is done in this 
way. We want, of course, different numbers of 
the different titles according to the number of 
times which they will enter into the catalog. 
A few, for instance, will only appear in the 
author catalog ; others must be put under half 
a dozen different subjects. Multiplying the 
number of our catalogs by the number of 
appearances, and doubling this (for we always 
reserve the same number that we use) gives 
the required number. You see these round 
stands some with 6, some with 7, some with 8 
sides, and so on. The cards to be printed are put 
into these and revolved in focus before the in- 
strument. Different combinations give us the 
number of cards we want. If it is 25, two tens 
and a five are revolved; if it is 16, a ten and 
six are put on." But doesn't the mounting take 
a long time? " Oh, no ; nobody mounts now- 
days, we fotograf directly upon the card." The 
cards, by the way, were not kept in drawers, 
but ingeniously fastened together to make little 
books so contrived as to allow insertions with- 
out rebinding. " Experience has shown that 
they can be consulted more readily in this 
way than when kept in drawers." 

I asked my guide what precautions he took 
against fire. "What is there to burn? The 
walls, floors, shelving, are all of incombustible 
materials. Books burn slowly, and it would be 
almost impossible for the fire to spread. There 
was an idea twenty-five years ago of dipping 
the books in the solution which they use for 
actresses' dresses and scenery on the stage ; but 
it never took root. Librarians saw that they 
might as well spoil their books by fire as by 
water. It was a case of propter vitam vivendi 
perdere catisas. We are not likely to burn. 
Our electric lights are absolutely safe ; our 
elevator and other machinery are run by power 
from the Falls, brought in by wire, and all our 
heat is supplied from the outside by the City 
Heat Company. In the building there is noth- 
ing to start a fire and next to nothing to feed 
it." 

" Have you any branches?" I asked. "Yes, 
several ; in the outlying parts of the city are 
branch libraries, each containing a small store 
of books and a study-room, and connected by 



telefone to the central library, so that books 
can be ordered for delivery or use there, which 
is a considerable relief for the central reading- 
rooms, to say nothing of the accommodation to 
the distant suburbs." 

" But what," he continued, " will be a nov- 
elty to you, is the listening-room, where works, 
of which we have fonografic editions prepared 
by the best readers, are read by machines, of- 
ten to crowded audiences. The rooms are dis- 
tributed all over the city, fifty or more, and we 
are intending to increase the number. People 
go to them with their whole families, except to 
those where smoking is allowed, which are fre- 
quented for the most part by men alone. 
There they listen to the reading of a story or 
an entertaining history or biografy, or book of 
travels, or a work of popular science. Some- 
times one work occupies the whole evening, 
sometimes selections are read. The program 
for the whole city is advertised in the papers 
each day. The reading-machines have reached 
such a pitch of perfection that it is as if one 
were listening to an agreeable elocutionist. 1 
prefer to do my own reading, but there are 
many whose eyes are weak, or who do not read 
with ease, or have not comfortable homes, or 
do not own the book that is to be read, or pre- 
fer to listen in company. We are very partic- 
ular about the ventilation. We do not want 
any one to go to sleep." I asked him whether 
he thought these readings gave any real 
instruction, or only amusement. He admitted 
that an exciting novel would draw better than 
anything else, but said that they did not allow 
the selection to run too much to fiction. " In 
the circulation of books we have to follow the 
public taste, but in these listening-rooms we 
have the matter more in our control. Of 
course we must select bright books which the 
.people will come to hear. Dull books must be 
rigidly excluded ; but that is not difficult, be- 
cause no dull book is published in reading- 
machine editions. Yes, I think a great deal of 
information is spread that way, and at any 
rate they are a valuable rival to the dram-shops, 
and keep many a young man out of bad places. 
The readings are usually in the evening. Where 
a school-room is used for the purpose it must 
be so ; but, for our own branches, we have a 



54 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



rule that if ten people ask for a reading in the 
day-time it shall be granted, with any book 
they choose. When trade is dull there are 
readings going on all day." 

I omit many details in which their ways did 
not differ much from ours, the book-trucks, 
the fall-power lifts just large enough for one 
person, the means of communication between 
all parts of the building by telefone or pneu- 
matic tubes, or in any other way that the situa- 
tion required. Their intention was to make 
the work easy and quick, and to reduce time 
and space as nearly as possible to zero. I 
cannot stop to describe the arrangements for 
allowing the public access to the shelves. But 
I may mention that the library was open every 
day in the year, without any exception ; that 
one study-room was kept open as late at night 
as anybody wanted it, and on several occasions, 
when there was a special need, it had been kept 
open all night. 

" One other practical point : The fonograf," I 
was told," plays a great part in our library work. 
If. Boston or Philadelphia has a rare book 
from which we wish extracts, instead of 
having it sent on with the risk of loss, we 
have a fonografic foil made of the desired pas- 
sages, which are read off to us, or, if we pay a 
little more, are sent on. In the latter case, a 
duplicate, made by a new process, is kept 
at the library, so that librarians gradually 
accumulate fonografic reproductions of all their 
rarest books, and when they are called for have 
only to put the foil in the machine and have it 
read off through the wires to the end of the 
Union. All the libraries in the country, you 
see, are practically one library." 

As I was leaving the library by the side door 
a troop of children came flocking in in such 
numbers that one would have thought it to 
be a public school. " I thought your de- 
livery-room for boys and girls was on the front 
of the building," said I to my friend. " It is," 
said he. " These children are not going to 
borrow books but to learn how to use them. 
Public libraries are maintained here not more 
for the adult public than as a branch of the 
public schools. We have a reading-room de- 
voted solely to the use of scholars, and a libra- 
rian who gives all his time to the assistance of 



school-children. It was thought, when he was 
first appointed, that at many times in the day 
he would have nothing to do ; but it was soon 
found that this was a mistake. What with as- 
sisting scholars when they come, keeping their 
accounts of special loans, preparing reference- 
lists on subjects given out for compositions, 
meeting classes who come on every day from 
some one of the schools to receive what might 
be called an object lesson in bibliokresis, the 
use of books, not only is his time fully occu- 
pied, but he has to have assistants. 

" You must not be misled by my speaking of 
his preparing reference-lists for compositions. 
He does not lay these lists before the scholars. 
That would keep them too much in leading- 
strings. A main object of the system is to 
teach them to help themselves. So, although 
when, in their school course, they reach the time 
at which they first visit the library, he gives 
them such lists, he does it not so much to 
assist them in that particular case as to show 
them by an example what can be done. And 
he tries to lead them afterwards to do the same 
thing for themselves, only giving them hints 
from time to time, and by a Socratic question- 
ing leading them to discover for themselves. 

" There are great differences, of course, 
among the children. Some take to the exercise 
as ducks to water, some manifest the most per- 
fect indifference. There is the same variety 
throughout education. But, on the whole, no 
part of our library work is more effective. I do 
not hesitate to say that the useful reading is 
quadrupled in any city where such a course is 
pursued, for the children with whom the method 
takes grow up as real inquirers instead of being 
desultory amusement-seekers. The ordinary 
novel-reader is not done away with, though 
his tribe may be diminished. But novel- 
readers come from a different class, and read 
for a different object. We never can convert 
them, and often cannot intercept the taste in 
youth. Our chief work is to bring into the fold 
those who otherwise would not read books at 
all. It is not the novel but the newspaper 
reader that we aim to catch. 

" But there is more than this. You will think 
I am using great words, but I know our school 
librarian. In his best moments, and with his 



BEAN. 



55 



best pupils, it is not the mere love and habit 
of reading, nor the wise selection of books and 
their judicious use, nor even the desire of 
knowledge alone that he would like most to 
impart, but some culture of heart and soul. 
This, however, is a matter that does not con- 
sist with rules and methods, and does not ap- 
pear in reports. It comes from a word, a look, 
a tone, an influence. " I cannot show you this. 

" But I have shown you enough for you to 
see that our library is not a mere cemetery of 
dead books, but a living power, which supplies 
amusement for dull times, recreation for the 
tired, information for the curious, inspires the 
love of research fn youth, and furnishes the 
materials for it in mature age, enables and in- 



duces the scholar not to let his study end with 
his school days. When he leaves the gram- 
mar school, it receives him into the people's 
university, taking also those who graduate 
from the university and giving them too more 
work to do. Its mottoes are always ' plus ultra ' 
and ' excelsior." 1 There is not an institution in 
the country more democratic, not one which 
distributes its benefits more impartially to rich 
and poor, and not one, I believe, in which there 
is less taint of corruption and less self-seeking 
in those who administer it." 

With these words he left me, and I must 
leave you, thanking you for the kindness with 
which you have accompanied me in this little 
excursion in the land of dreams. 



REPORT ON THE READING OF THE YOUNG. 



BY MISS MARY A. BEAN, LIBRARIAN OF THE BROOKLINE PUBLIC LIBRARY. 



IN preparing what may be termed the Second 
Annual Report upon the "Reading of the 
Young," it seemed to me very desirable to 
preserve some sort of uniformity in the method 
of treatment, and I have therefore followed the 
admirable plan initiated by my predecessor in 
last year's report, and have gathered my infor- 
mation through postal inquiries, for the most 
part, not only sending to all the librarians 
quoted by Miss Hewins, on the supposition 
that they would have progress to report, but 
also pushing my inquiries beyond the pale of 
so-called leading libraries into twenty-five insti- 
tutions of lesser celebrity but of undoubted 
standing and usefulness, on the premise that 
we might find the leaven working in hidden 
places in a way which might profit us to know. 
The liberal harvest which the larger libraries 
yielded last season has failed to come to my 
garner, on the same principle as the " off years " 
in all standard fruit-bearing trees, I presume ; 
yet I am happy to report the possession of some 
choice fruits, of which I shall give you specimens, 
simply pausing long enough to return cordial 
thanks to each and all of my kind corre- 
spondents, as well as to those who have invol- 



untarily contributed material through the 
medium of their annual reports. 

The question of juvenile -reading is so closely 
allied to that of the cooperation of school and 
library that I must be pardoned if I trench 
somewhat upon that ground, since nearly all 
the work reported is, more or less, in that field, 
as the following extracts will show. 

The Report of the Chicago Public Library, 
June, 1883, gives an extended and interesting 
account of the movement in that city, quite too 
long to be quoted entire, but the cream of which 
is thus put by Mr. Poole : 

" The plan in brief is this : An appointment 
is made with a teacher to bring his class to the 
library on a Saturday morning at 10 o'clock. A 
subject for the day is selected, usually one 
which the class had been studying from text- 
books. The standard books and illustrated 
works in the library on that subject are laid out 
on the table in the directors' room, the teacher 
supervising the selection, and preparing himself 
to speak upon it, and especially with reference 
to the books before him, indicating such as are 
of the best authority, and describing the best 
method of using them. A preliminary talk is 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



made by the librarian, who welcomes the pupils, 
explains the purpose for which they were 
invited, which is that they may become better 
acquainted with the library, its resources, and 
the best way of using it. All these facilities of 
study are theirs, and they are invited to make 
the freest use of them. Hints and suggestions 
are given them how they can best acquire the 
habits of investigating subjects for themselves. 
The subject of the day is taken up and followed 
out as an illustration of the method by which a 
subject may be investigated, the purpose being 
to stimulate the pupils to a scholarly love of 
books, to know the tools they are to use, and 
how to use them. The teacher then makes his 
address, after which the pupils remain and 
examine the books. They are later taken 
through the library and shown its arrangement, 
appliances, and catalogues. 

"The results are already seen in the many 
pupils who frequent the reference-tables, and 
have applied for cards for drawing books. 

"Since January the 27th, when they began, 
there have been seventeen of these exercises, 
and the interest in them has been constantly in- 
creasing. . . . The success which has attended 
this experiment has been chiefly owing to the 
zeal and culture which the teachers have thrown 
into it. Their addresses to the pupils have 
been models of good taste and felicitous in- 
struction. If repeated to a general audience 
they would be a healthy substitute for the 
superficial talk which passes in our day for 
popular lectures." 

Miss Jenkins, assistant librarian of the Lower 
Hall, Boston Public Library, very kindly sent 
me a detailed account of their work, which is 
interesting enough to make a separate paper. 
I quote the following items : 

" I think our reading in this department is 
more profitable and not less entertaining than 
in former years. We are aided greatly by the 
excellence and variety of our juvenile litera- 
ture. I depend very much upon personal in- 
tercourse and influence with our boys and girls, 
using regularly the time at noon and night, and 
nearly all day on Saturday when they most 
frequent the library, and am fortunate in having 
the steady cooperation of many of the teachers 
in both public and private schools. I ex- 



amine with great care all our books as received, 
and strive for such an acquaintance with the 
young people as will enable me to suit taste and 
capability. 

" The books included in the many admirable 
lists for 'children are most of them old favorites 
here, and we are continually replacing new 
copies of the old good books, and adding the 
new publications. 

" When a child seeks assistance, I always, if I 
cannot give just what is asked for, supply 
something like it, and, after two or three times, 
a friendly feeling grows between you, and your 
young friend is ready to take your selection 
without question when his has failed. . . The 
indefatigable reader of Adams and Alger is 
often diverted from these books, by a tempting 
display of some attractive, illustrated volumes, 
combining stories of history and travel, and 
when you assure him that these stories are true, 
he often goes to the other extreme and demands 
persistently ' true stories'. . . . To the seeker 
of stories of adventure I recommend a chapter 
or two of some bright book of travel (not in 
beaten paths) and intended for older readers ; 
my juvenile is often sufficiently interested to 
read the book, and to ask for ' something else 
as good.' In this way much is done to over- 
come the appetite for fictitious and extravagant 
adventure which has so long engrossed the 
young reader. 

" When the habit of seeking assistance, which 
we encourage, really becomes a habit, I often 
give a list of books for miscellaneous reading ; 
sometimes all the stories will be read and the 
rest left, others will try all. Then the one-idea 
juvenile such as the girl who wants only fairy 
stories, or the boy who wants street-life I 
coax to try something else alternately. . . . 
We endeavor to vary the reading for all who 
habitually apply for help, in order to form 
tastes for better books, and we discourage 
applications for stories of street-life, poor-house 
boys who become millionnaires, etc. 

" It has been a general complaint from teach- 
ers, that the excessive amount of books skimmed 
by the children weakened their mental power, 
and that they did nothing thoroughly. During 
the past year several teachers have, at my sug- 
gestion, taken to their school-rooms simple, 



BEAN. 



57 



pleasantly-written stories, books of natural 
history, stories of the youth of illustrious men 
and women, have read from them to the class, 
have loaned the book in the 'school-room, and 
have talked with the pupils about the book, and 
have tried to train and encourage thought and 
expression, to give the printed word meaning ; 
and in several classes good results appear. . . . 

"Just before the summer vacation a number 
of teachers applied for lists of books, mainly 
stories, to recommend to their pupils for sum- 
mer reading. I gladly furnished these lists 
with our numbers, and find that the steady 
circulation and constant inquiry for these books 
is obliging us to procure additional copies. 
Such is the work with the multitude of juveniles 
who frequent our halls, and who, while waiting 
for their books, read ' St. Nicholas, 1 ' Wide 
Awake,' and Harper's Young People.' 

" I have continued the work of supplementary 
reading, in connection with English and Amer- 
ican history and geography, in the Grammar 
schools, and the hearty cooperation of many of 
our teachers has given firmness and purpose to 
it. The graduating examinations of several of 
the classes gave ample proof of the usefulness 
of the work. . . . 

" The pupils read not only the popular 
histories, especially intended for them, but are 
assisted to select chapters or topics from the 
more solid books. The sets of books provided 
by the liberality of our chief librarian, Judge 
Chamberlain, for special supplementary read- 
ing for school use, have been in active service, 
and the pupils of the schools, where these sets 
of books have been used, give evidence that 
' skimming ' is no longer the order of the day, 
and that they at least are learning ' how to 
read a book.' . . . 

In view of these efforts and their apparent 
results, Miss Jenkins says: "We feel that 
some little, at least, is being done to prove 
that children are taken care of, and that a 
combination of teacher and librarian is the 
best assistance to give to a child. The libra- 
rian can provide and recommend the books, 
and induce the child to take them, but the 
teacher must do his or her part, and teach how 
to read and profit by the reading." 

The Report of the Trustees of the Fletcher 



Free Library, made to the City Council of Bur- 
lington, Vt., January, 1883, contains the fol- 
lowing : 

" This year we have a novelty to present, 
which we are sure will commend itself to you 
and the public. This is the beginning of a 
plan to make the library more useful in our 
schools. A wise old book says : ' The world is 
saved by the breath of school-children.' It is 
important, then, the public library should do 
its part to make this breath of life sane, and 
strong, and pure. And ours is seeking if it 
may not be more systematically and definitely 
useful to our public schools. The trustees have 
had little to do in arranging the plan. They 
have simply consented to it, and they will fos- 
ter it. The credit is due to our painstaking 
librarian, and the faithful teachers who have 
fallen in with it. It is only a beginning, and 
too much is not to be claimed for it or expected 
of it. But it promises well. 

" It is, really, a plan to make the schools 
branch libraries, or, if you please, to make the 
library an annex to the schools. Baskets of 
books are sent to the Primary and Intermediate 
schools, of the best reading for girls and boys, 
which the teachers then loan, keeping the 
proper account. These are circulated till they 
are read through, and then another basket is 
got together by the teachers and librarian. 
Thus, instead of choosing in a blind way from 
the catalogue, or by hearsay from their mates, 
the children are directed in a plain way to good 
reading. Already some of the teachers report 
a healthy readiness on the part of the scholars 
to read what is thus ready to hand, and set be- 
fore them with pleasant explanations as to what 
the books are all about. 

" He was prudent, who, in answer to the 
cant about ' not prejudicing a child's mind,' re- 
plied that he would prefer to ' prejudice ' his 
garden-plot in favor of strawberries than leave 
it to the chance of purslain and pig- weed.' 
This novelty in our library work promises to 
do something to plant ' herb of grace ' in the 
children's minds." 

The librarian himself kindly supplements 
this report by letter, under date of July 25, in 
the course of which he gives a similar outline 
of his work, and adds : 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



" Jt may occur to you that the librarian is 
becoming the Superintendent of schools ; but 
I can assure you that our experiments are both 
pleasant and profitable." 

The librarian of the Providence Public Li- 
brary, one of the indefatigable, and, therefore, 
one of the most successful, pioneers in this 
work, after referring me to his article in the 
" Library Journal," for February, 1883, for the 
most noteworthy of the methods relating to 
children's reading which fall within the last 
year, says : 

"In one of the Grammar schools the first 
assistant had noticed, at the beginning of the 
school year, that several of the girls in the 
highest class had a common interest of some 
kind, and on inquiry she found that they were 
in the habit of meeting once a week at their 
respective houses in turn, and talking over 
with each other what they had read, and also 
bringing with them books which they looked 
over together. 

" On hearing this the teacher asked whether 
they would not like to have her meet with them. 
And they at once said that they would be de- 
lighted to have her do this. So, once a week, 
with breaks now and then, of course, this 
teacher has met these interested pupils, under 
what are certainly among the most favorable 
circumstances possible, and her intelligent in- 
fluence has had an opportunity of weighing for 
much more than it otherwise would. 

" Both teacher and pupils speak enthusiasti- 
cally of this weekly ' conference.' I like this 
idea, because it is so thoroughly direct and 
personal." 

Alluding to a " list of suggestions," printed 
for the use of the pupils, mention of which was 
made in Miss Hewins 1 report, Mr. Foster says : 
" It is very evident, from the use which has been 
made of the library during the past year, that 
those suggestions are beginning to bear fruit. 
Particularly in the case of the reference-books 
I have noticed a very striking advance. The 
pupils come to the library either singly, or sev- 
eral at a time, more frequently the latter, 
and I very soon see them at some table, studi- 
ously threading their way through cyclopaedias, 
dictionaries, gazetteers, etc., with their refer- 
ences back and forth, until they have found the 



information desired. And it is noteworthy 
that I never have had occasion to correct any 
breaches of order in connection with this use 
of the library (unless it be somewhat too ani- 
mated and audible consultation on their part). 
Their real interest in the investigation has pre- 
served them from that. 

" Sometimes it is a teacher who comes with 
pupils, and takes pains to induct them into the 
principles of investigation. Sometimes, also, a 
teacher, coming to the library entirely on his or 
her own account, has found some pupil busy 
in the reference department, and has gladly 
stopped to enter into the spirit of the research, 
and give serviceable hints." 

Of his own connection with this invaluable 
practice on the part of the pupils, Mr. Foster 
says nothing, save that his aid has been ren- 
dered only so far as seemed " called for" ; that 
he " has in no way interfered, while all the time 
watching the process with intense interest." 
But he adds, " I think they all understand 
that they are at perfect liberty to appeal to the 
librarian, when they find it necessary, and that 
they will find me interested." 

He also mentions the gratifying fact that 
" there has been a very noticeable increase in 
the extent to which the parents of school- 
children interest themselves in the reading of 
their children, and the extent to which they per- 
sonally come to the library to consult the libra- 
rian and to inform themselves as to the matter." 

Mr. Foster sums up his communications by 
saying that " The other phases of the work, in 
Providence, touched upon by Miss Hewins, in 
her report last year, are still true of the situa- 
tion at present, only intensified and developed." 

Miss Hewins, librarian of the Hartford Li- 
brary Association, whose little book is so full 
of wisdom, original and selected, and whose 
heart is so thoroughly bound up in the best 
interests of children, makes this semi-humorous 
record of her experience : " My first impression 
when' your card came was to send you nothing 
but a short and pithy quotation from St. An- 
thony's sermon to the fishes : 

" ' The pikes went on stealing, 
The eels went on eeling, 
Much delighted were they, 
But preferred the old way.' 



BEAN. 



59 



" On second thoughts, however, I can report a 
little advance in public feeling and interest con- 
cerning the books which children read. Of 
course, ever so many kind things have been 
said to me about ' Books for the Young'; but 
the boys have not left off their Optic, Alger, 
and Castlemon, or the girls their' Elsie and 
Mrs. Holmes. However, there are a few fathers 
and mothers who ask me to give their children 
no books which I do not approve, and the 
children themselves are growing into the way 
of asking me for a book when they do not 
know what they want. Our policy is to buy 
all the children's books that are worth buying, 
and to keep the supply of the poor ones as low 
as possible. Of course a subscription library 
has not the freedom of a public one in that 
respect. 

" We are never too busy to help children, or 
anybody else, in looking for information on 
special subjects. For more than two years I 
have pulled the wires of a chapter of the Agassiz 
Association, which has from fifteen to twenty 
members, boys and girls, from nine to thirteen ; 
and I always recommend at our meetings, 
which are held in the reading-room, except in 
good weather for field-work, any new book on 
birds or insects, with occasional references to 
old ones. 

" The teachers in a girls' school here are good 
friends of mine, and send their literature classes 
to me for material. I have twice given talks to 
the girls on books. The first was a handful of 
very fragmentary suggestions as to good novels 
and other books a few years older than the 
generation now growing up. I left a list to be 
copied, and some of the girls have followed it 
conscientiously. 

" Not long ago I read them a paper on the 
origin and migration of fables, with references 
to folk-lore and collections of stories, some of 
which have been asked for. 

" Our bulletins have usually brief mention of, 
or marks against, the best new books for chil- 
dren. I have put Henry's books for boys into the 
library this year, and find that they are hardly 
ever on the shelves. I think the historical 
ones very good. ' Out on the Pampas ' is a 
little more sensational, like Kingston's books. 
I took Thomes and Pinkerton off the shelves 



long ago. They are asked for once in a while, 
but not very often. 

" I wish that I could tell you of great results, 
and that the children of Hartford had walked in 
procession to the Park, and there, Savonarola- 
like, burned their idols, Alger, Optic, Castle- 
mon, and Elsie ; but, unfortunately, my regard 
for truth prevents any such statement." 

In the absence of Miss James, librarian of 
the Newton Free Library, the assistant-librarian 
writes briefly : ' ' We are very particular about 
the books we place in the library, always hav- 
ing them first read by some competent person, 
and we are quite careful not to put before the 
children books of an exciting or injurious char- 
acter." 

Mr. Green, of the Free Public Library of 
Worcester, Mass., says in his note : " We have 
bought but few exciting books, and have tried 
to meet the demand for wholesome books pre- 
pared for boys and girls. The teachers of the 
public schools have rendered much aid in intro- 
ducing good books to children." 

In December, 1882, the Trustees of the 
Cambridge Public Library reported in this 
wise : 

"So far as we know there is not in the li- 
brary any immoral book. . . . The trustees feel 
it their duty to satisfy, so far as their means 
allow, the proper tastes of the different classes 
in the community ; but they cannot take the 
place of parents and teachers and reach indi- 
viduals. They can act only in a general way, 
by carefully selecting the books which they offer 
to the public, and by furnishing guides to the 
best and most profitable literature. 

" With the cooperation of the teachers and 
parents of the city it is undoubtedly possible to 
improve the reading of the young. We observe 
that the school committee has just passed an 
order instructing the superintendent of schools 
to prepare a list of books suitable for the pupils, 
both for general reading and in connection with 
their courses of study. We hope that this 
measure may prove successful in drawing the 
attention of our school children from stories of 
mere passing interest to works of biography, 
travels, history, and standard literature, not 
less entertaining, and of lasting benefit. We 
will gladly receive any suggestion which may 



6o 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 






be made to us, to assist in carrying out this 
purpose, so far as lies in our power." 

Miss Hayward, the librarian of this Cam- 
bridge library, writes to this effect : " Children 
whose parents are indifferent to their mental 
health read too much. Many of our infant 
patrons draw a book each day in the week, and 
no doubt a Sunday-school book on Sunday. 
We issue cards to none under fourteen ; but 
this rule is made a dead letter by children 
using their parents' cards. I have tried to per- 
suade my trustees to limit the issue of juvenile 
books to Saturdays and Wednesdays, but they 
say, ' We have no right to limit thus a free 
public library.' 

" After all, the responsibility falls back upon 
the parents, where it truly belongs. ... I often 
wish, since I cannot limit their days, that the 
children had a room to themselves, where the 
juvenile books should be issued and returned, 
and where an attendant might come into direct 
contact with the children and aid them to a 
wise choice of books. I think every conscien- 
tious librarian must wish to do this ; but in the 
rush and confusion of regular work this is often 
impossible. I always make it a point to give 
out a good book when I am asked to select for 
any one." 

Miss Chandler, librarian at Lancaster, Mass., 
thus responds : 

"I can think of nothing in which we differ 
from many other libraries in our treatment of 
children. We try to be especially careful in our 
purchases of juvenile works. We have bought 
none of Oliver Optic's books for eleven years, 
but the twenty-eight volumes which were in the 
library in 1872 have been allowed to remain, 
and they form 2 per cent, of the fiction cir- 
culated. ... A great deal of fault is to be 
found with parents in this connection. Intel- 
ligent people will complain that their children 
read too many stories, and yet they do not take 
any trouble to prevent it. 

" lam constantly called upon for assistance in 
the selection of reading for children, and of 
course use the utmost care in the selection, not 
only in books for their amusement, but in 
hunting up any school references for which they 
may come to me. . . . Miss Hewins' little 
book is of the greatest value, both to children 



directly, and indirectly through selections made 
from it by careful parents. I also use Mr. 
Larned's ' Books for young Readers,' though it 
does not agree with our catalogue as fre- 
quently as Miss Hewins'. 

' ' I have, in many cases, seen great improvement 
in reading, where I have been able to observe 
individuals for a number of years. For instance, 
the young man who studies Scott most eagerly 
now, I think must have read ' Through by 
Daylight ' a dozen times when he was in school. 
Another young fellow, who once asked me to 
select a good book for him, and specified that 
there ' must not be anything true in it,' now 
drives me almost into the last extremity with 
the odd questions which he frequently brings 
for settlement. 

" If the number of children who frequent the 
library is any evidence, then my efforts meet 
with popular approval, the room sometimes 
presenting the appearance of an infant school. 
' Do you want this book for yourself or your 
father ? ' I asked a little girl whose chin rested 
on the edge of my desk, and who had asked me 
to select something. ' I want it for myself,' 
she said ; ' but father reads 'em sometimes, so 
I guess it '11 have to be kind-er nice? 

"These little straws encourage me in feeling 
that I am somewhere near the right track, so I 
keep on, with what patience I may." 

Mr. Kite, librarian of the Friends' Free 
Library, Germantown, Pa., writes: 

"The first idea we would advance is, that 
little ones prefer true stories. Any one who 
has gathered a few children, of from three to 
six years old, round him or her, and undertaken 
to tell them stories, has soon been met, if the 
tale were marvellous, with the questions 'Is that 
true ? ' ' Did it really happen ? ' Now, in 
selecting books for little dots, if we were to bear 
this love of truth in mind, we would greatly 
more interest them in their first books, and give 
a moral bent to their minds that might be of a 
life-time blessing. . . . For very little ones 
we would select those books which tell simple, 
truthful, or, as in Abbott's Rollo works and 
Franconia series, truth-like little stories. And 
our experience runs with our theories. . . . 
We need not specify the works for these 
beginners. Their mothers ought to take hold of 



BEAN. 



61 



this idea of their love for truthful stories, select 
and read with them such works. . . . As soon 
as the habit of reading to themselves is estab- 
lished, children will be found to be drawn to 
Natural History, and early to take practical 
interest in its first lessons. Thence the step is 
an easy one to juvenile works of biography, 
Charlotte Yonge's juvenile histories, and kin- 
dred productions. . . . 

"With a well-selected library, chosen with 
the idea of truthful progress, we believe the love 
for the fiction, which is so demoralizing to the 
youthful mind, may be kept in abeyance, and 
the children grow up with a well-established 
appreciation of trained thought, ready early to 
take hold mentally of the truths of science, and 
in due time become men and women fitted for 
the duties of life ; educated to appreciate what 
they encounter, either in their studies or life's 
experiences, and to act understandingly in life's 
emergencies. 

"These are not mere untested generalities. 
Under our system of excluding from our readers 
the exciting literature commonly known as 
fiction we have had these problems to meet, and 
have found our views entirely practical and the 
results satisfactory." 

Mr. Houghton, of the Public Library at Lynn, 
Mass., writes: " In common with other public 
libraries we have given the matter especial 
attention during the year. Our rules require 
persons to be fourteen years of age before they 
can receive books from the library. They also 
limit the pupils of our schools to one book a 
week. This is, I think, a salutary check upon 
the tendency to choose unsuitable books, as 
well as upon the superficial reading of many 
unobjectionable ones in a short time. 

" Of course, all possible assistance is given to 
our young people in the selection of their 
reading. . . . We furnish a special book-list for 
the schools ; we discourage the reading of 
stories, and introduce works of science, travel, 
history, and biography into the homes of our 
people. We do not exclude novels, believing 
that there are many useful books in this class, 
and that we have many readers who will be 
benefited by them. In short, we try to take 
human nature as we find it, and then work 
upon it in the way which seems best, in view 



of the peculiar circumstances in each individual 
case. We aim to develop a taste for reading, 
and at the same time to raise the standard to 
the highest practicable point." 

Just here let me say that I believe the Lynn 
Library has hit a fundamental truth, and applied 
the sovereign remedy, so far as the question 
concerns public libraries, in its " one-book-a- 
week " rule. 

Mrs. Buncher, of the Manchester City 
Library, expresses her gratification at " the 
provision being made by writers and publish- 
ers for the interest and improvement of this 
large class of readers, especially in the increas- 
ing number of books of travel, history, and the 
like, written in a style adapted to their under- 
standing and illustrated in such a manner as to 
interest and instruct; " and adds, " I am par- 
ticularly pleased to see how ready our young 
people are to receive them." 

Mr. Wight, ex-librarian of the Morse Insti- 
tute Library, Natick, Mass., says : " Book- 
making, and especially of the juvenile and 
fictitious class, has become gigantic, if not 
alarming. Far better if we had one-fourth the 
amount, improved fourfold in quality. . . . Too 
many feel that they must write a book ; hence 
theyftW, doing more damage, I fear, than those 
of wind and water, which are physical and 
temporary."' As a protection against this 
flood, his advice is to " keep a small selection 
of the very best books for the young constantly 
before their eyes," and to " secure the cooper- 
ation of school-teachers and school committees 
with librarians and trustees," for the purpose 
of securing " \heptercAast, as well as the loan- 
ing, of only the best books for this class of 
readers." 

In the report of Mr. Whitney, librarian of 
the Watertown Free Public Library, I find the 
following : 

" Much is being done to help the young form 
good habits of reading and to direct them to 
helpful books. Mr. John T. Prince, who, 
besides fulfilling the duties of superintendent of 
schools, both in this town and in Waltham, 
serves on the board of trustees for the 
Free Public Library of Waltham, has been 
instrumental in preparing a catalogue of con- 
siderable extent for the children of Waltham. 



62 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



This catalogue contains the titles and numbers 
of such of the books of their library as in his 
opinion, and also in the opinion of several 
critics whom he has consulted, may be used 
with safety and with profit by the children of 
the public schools. This is an earnest and an 
honest attempt to meet the difficulties which 
beset this subject. We have an opportunity to 
try whether this mode of operation is helpful 
or not, and at small expense of money or labor. 
I have suggested that the teachers of our 
schools be furnished with these catalogues, also 
that several copies be furnished to the library, 
to be prepared for our use by writing opposite 
the titles the numbers which the corresponding 
books bear on our shelves, so that any book 
called for from this catalogue can at once be 
found. 

" It would be well, also, if parents were fur- 
nished with copies, which would help them to 
help their children in the choice of books. If 
all interested should unite their efforts to lead 
children to read books in which they would be 
greatly interested, and also greatly benefited, 
people would begin to see what a power for 
good a public library might be to the com- 
munity." 

Mr. Watson, of the Portland Public Library, 
writes : 

" I do not think I have anything to com- 
municate of especial interest ; however, I will 
mention the fact that we are dropping from our 
library all juvenile books of the ' Optic ' class, 
and are trying to replace them with books 
which leave better impressions of history, 
geography, travel, or science, after reading." 

The last report of the trustees of the Beebe 
Town Library, of Wakefield, Mass., asserts 
that "the selection of fiction and juvenile 
books is the most delicate of all the duties we 
are called upon to perform." And says, in 
substance, "We have to remember that 
students are not to be preferred above humble 
readers ; that every one has his preferences, and 
that the library is not designed for exclusive 
use, or the gratification of any one taste." 

That "it must be remembered that, under 
the guise of fiction, sometimes the finest 
pictures of life and manners are represented, 
and lessons of duty taught and conveyed to 



mind and heart"; that "almost invariably 
the young seek light works first, and, in after 
years, more solid mental diet. Milk for babes ; 
meat for strong men. It is, therefore, desirable 
to attract youth to our library, for he who 
commences reading young usually clings to 
the habit through life, finding therein a really 
inexhaustible fountain of pleasure." 

Mr. Beardsley, librarian of the Public 
School Library, at Cleveland, Ohio, writes : 

"When I took charge of the library there 
must have been on the shelves from three to 
four hundred volumes of Oliver Optic, which, 
of course, were read almost to the exclusion of 
all other juvenile books. 

"Receiving, in one instance, a complaint from 
a parent that his boy, twelve years old, was 
injuring himself from reading, I made examina- 
tion, and found that he had drawn thirty-nine 
volumes of Optic in a single month. I have 
never been in favor of that kind of reading, and 
for many years have bought none, and it is 
now nearly all worn out. . . . 

"I have tried for several years to get the 
teachers interested, and prescribe to some 
extent what should be read by the scholars 
under their charge ; but could not succeed in 
getting any concerted action. Where a 
teacher did interest herself in this respect, it 
could be seen at once in the drawings." 

The librarian of the Public Library at 
Somerville, Mass., Miss Adams, says: "Our 
magazines for the juveniles are first in demand, 
and though we have duplicates of many of them 
they are seldom allowed to remain on the shelves 
over night ; we are obliged to limit their 
circulation and only allow one copy to a family. 
. . . We have books by Abbott, Cooper, Bal- 
lantyne, Kellogg, Fosdick ; and these, with the 
Rollo books, furnish our juveniles an abundant 
supply to satisfy their natural love of adventure. 
We have never had one complaint from a 
parent that our books were otherwise than 
approved, and as our library is over ten years 
old, and has a circulation of over sixty thousand 
a year, there has certainly been time enough 
in which to complain. In my opinion parents 
are entirely responsible, and should know and 
examine every book read at home. ... In 
severe weather, when the alarm sounds for the 



BEAN. 



schools not to keep, I know that our small 
room will be filled with children, for, though 
we are on a hill, from half to three quarters of 
a mile from any school (except the High 
School) , no storm keeps them away, nor is the 
snow ever too deep, or the path up hill too 
slippery, to keep them from the library table, 
where they sit silent and absorbed. 

" Our regulations say that those of the age of 
fourteen may use the reading-room ; but, alas ! 
we have no reading-room, and the juveniles 
enjoy reading at the table so much that I have 
not the heart to send them away, and the only 
requirements that I make are clean hands and 
a quiet deportment. . . . These youngest of our 
readers take out a great many books, and 
perhaps do not read them all ; but they thus 
acquire the habit of reading, which sooner or 
later develops into a love of books, thus giving 
them one unfailing resource through life." 

Miss Whitney, librarian at Concord, Mass., 
avers that " the help given to children is so 
purely a matter of personal help, without any 
particular plan, that there seems nothing to tell. 
I do little in that line that any librarian who 
comes in contact with children, and who has 
the time and is interested in the work, would 
refuse to do ; consequently that would come 
under the head of qualifications of librarian 
rather than aids to juvenile readers, unless, 
indeed, the librarian is one of the more impor- 
tant aids." 

Miss Stevens, librarian of the Public Library 
of Toledo, Ohio, reiterates her belief in the 
"person who likes children" as the needful 
library factor in the solution of this vexed 
question. Her letter very kindly calls my 
attention to a newspaper article upon " Juvenile 
Reading and the Public Library," written last 
winter by Mrs. Jermain, the assistant librarian. 
This article, containing many sensible reflec- 
tions well worth perusal, aims mainly to empha- 
size the duty and responsibility which devolves 
upon communities in relation to this problem. 
A local application evidently attaches to some 
of her points, yet the paper, as a whole, has 
much general interest. A few citations will 
perhaps show its drift, although they fail to 
do it justice. Thus she says : " Our youth are, 
for the greater part, readers in some sort. Of 



good things if circumstances have gone aright. 
Of pernicious things if circumstances have gone 
amiss in this matter." Again: "Like the 
Afrite of Eastern story, which arose from the 
fisherman's casket, the genie of letters, released 
from its long imprisonment, has developed into 
such sudden and enormous proportions, has 
become in some respects so unmanageable a 
fact, it is not surprising that occasionally we 
find the thoughtful man and the ignorant man 
alike regarding this wonderful power with 
dismay. 

" Still, as letters are an acknowledged power, 
it is evident that, as communities and individuals, 
our responsibility is to adapt these means to 
their destined ends. And while those parents 
and guardians who have the selection of read- 
ing for their youthful charges under their own 
control are in such small minority, it seems all 
the more necessary that public sentiment should 
conspire to do the work which indifferent and 
injudicious parents and guardians do not at- 
tempt. 

" Every breeze that blows wafts to our door- 
steps the wildest extravagances in illustration 
and story. As the street Arab sits on the 
curb-stone, during the intervals of his daily 
traffic, he indulges in the adventures of ' Six- 
fingered Jack, the Border Ruffian,' and upon 
this model of life and character his ambitions 
of manliness and courage are formed. The 
school-boy takes his first initiative in insubor- 
dination to teachers and parents from the law- 
less career of ' Jack Harkaway, 1 or some one 
of the boy-heroes of the ' Wide Awake Boys of 
America 1 ; while the school-girl, who has not 
had her taste and sentiment directed aright, 
imbibes rank poison from the ' Fireside Com- 
panion, 1 as she follows the absurd freaks of a 
' Wilful Goldie. 1 Comments upon such a lit- 
erature are not necessary. Doubtless many 
boys pass through such intellectual indulgence 
and become good citizens. Healthy home in- 
fluence may serve to avert much of this harm. 
But that reading of this sort is bad for any boy, 
that it is doing an incalculable amount of mis- 
chief, and is especially harmful to boys who are 
not protected in a measure by healthy influ- 
ences, who shall deny? 

" Now, there is no need that our boys and 



6 4 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



girls should indulge in reading of this sort. A 
healthy press is supplying healthy books in 
sufficient abundance to satisfy the appetite of 
the most omniverous reader. The most brill- 
iant and best writers of our time are engaged 
in writing books for the young, which exceed 
in interest and excitement of narrative these 
nerveless and pernicious romances. 

" With all due recognition of the proneness 
of the human mind for evil, it may be safely as- 
serted that the average boy and girl enjoys 
books that are healthy and instructive quite as 
well as books that are unhealthy and uninstruc- 
tive, providing always that these are equally 
interesting. 

" Evidently if reading of this sort is to be had 
freely, and public sentiment unites in encour- 
aging our youth hitherward, half the battle is 
won. If it be the office of our public schools 
to create the scholar, to awaken an interest in 
literature, if it be the office of teacher, parent, 
and guardian, to direct this taste aright, it 
should certainly be the business of the commu- 
nity to see that a sufficient supply of good books 
and interesting books be freely accessible." 

Prof. Peck, of the Levi Parsons Library, 
Gloversville, N.Y., a new institution of but 
three years' standing, and containing less than 
6,000 volumes, says, in his third report: "I 
consider it of great importance to record here 
the fact that our library has been extensively 
used by the school children, under proper guid- 
ance of their teachers. Not only have the 
scholars of different grades been directed to 
find information with regard to topics selected 
by their teachers, but they come weekly in 
search of quotations from noted authors, and 
have made themselves familiar with the biog 
raphy of the same. Here they have found 
pieces for their weekly declamatory exercises, 
and aid in their composition work. . . . 
Classes of children from the Grammar depart- 
ment have visited our rooms, and have exam- 
ined, under my guidance and instruction, some 
of our engravings, and were required to write 
compositions on their observations. . . . The 
teachers of the lower grades have taken out 
books for the use of their scholars, and by 
reading aloud to their classes, as well as by 
placing good books in the hands of their schol- 



ars, have aided in forming and encouraging 
habits of good reading. In my double rela- 
tion of teacher and librarian I have, in my own 
classes, always called their attention to such 
books as would aid them. Frequently I have 
required my scholars to find out for themselves 
certain facts having connection with the lessons 
taught, in order to accustom them to acquire 
knowledge independently, and to cultivate in 
them the power of original investigation. 

" I have also visited every school-room, and 
invited the children to frequent the reading- 
room, and directed them in the proper use of 
books, and endeavored to discourage aimless 
reading, which I consider worse than no 
reading, as it is only a pastime." 

Mr. Larned, of the Young Men's Library of 
this city, writes: "We are taking pains to 
improve all the time our provision of reading 
for the young, in quality and extent ; but we 
have done nothing that can be noted." 

Mr. Perkins, of the San Francisco Free 
Public Library, sends a postal card, saying: 
" 1 can't furnish anything, I am sorry to say, on 
juvenile reading. 

"The young folks here (as elsewhere) want 
sensational books, and take all they can get. 
I have had no time thus far to take any 
measures towards guiding the choice of books." 

Miss Ames, whose work in organizing and 
cataloguing libraries, is so thoroughly practical 
and conscientious, says: "In making pur- 
chasing lists for the various departments of a 
library, I find that more time and thought are 
necessary for a good selection of juvenile 
reading than for any other department. But, as 
' prevention is better than cure,' it seems to 
me a much wiser and infinitely more satisfactory 
use of time to learn what to reject than to add 
questionable books to a library, and then break 
into lamentation and weeping because the 
children will read them." 

At the Brookline Public Library we have had 
occasion to realize the force of Miss Hewins 1 
application of the sermon to the fishes, with here 
and there a gleam of light. 

Early last autumn a little circular was sent to 
every teacher in our public schools, extending, 
and defining anew, certain special privileges 
for their school-work. It is somewhat dis- 



WEST. 



couraging to be compelled to report that, while 
several teachers availed themselves of these 
privileges in a measure, only one used them to 
their fullest extent. Yet our faith in the 
ultimate result of our good intent is not dead. 
Thus I have submitted the story of library 
experiences for the past year, showing, as I think 
you will all admit, a remarkable unanimity of 
purpose, and not infrequently of method in 
dealing with this vital question. If I read these 
returns aright, we are all agreed that children 
read too much, and that it is largely the fault of 
their elders. We are agreed that greater care 
ought to be exercised in the selection and 
purchase of books for their use, and the utmost 
pains taken in the guidance of their choice of 
reading matter. We are agreed that better 
books are being written for young people, and 
that our crusade shall be carried on by wisely 
substituting these for the sensational variety. 
We are agreed that a happy combination of 



school and library influences may do much to 
rectify the baleful tendency of aimless reading 
by teaching children what and how to read. 
We are agreed that children themselves are sus- 
ceptible to good advice in matters of reading, 
and may be easily influenced by persons whom 
they love and respect, be they parents, teachers, 
or librarians ; that parents awaken but slowly to 
the weight of responsibility which rests with 
them in this matter, and this missing element 
of parental influence is the one sad lack of the 
cause we plead ; that teachers, as a rule, have 
not yet developed the enthusiasm necessary for 
effectual work with their pupils in this direction, 
although the exceptional cases above quoted 
give rare promise of what may be done ; that 
librarians must therefore continue to carry the 
war into the enemy's camp, and by their very 
intrepidity enlist parents and teachers to their 
standard until the day is won. 



THE USEFULNESS OF LIBRARIES IN SMALL TOWNS. 



BY MISS THERESA H. WEST, MILWAUKEE PUBLIC LIBRARY. 



^PHERE is still, as in the days when the story 
i- of the " wicked and slothful servant," 
who contemptuously hid his one talent in a 
napkin, was told, something discouraging in 
the sight of incomparably greater opportunities 
than our own in the hands of another. 

The librarian of a small town or village may 
not cherish the envy of the man in the para- 
ble in his heart, and yet feel a certain depres- 
sion, a sense that the small things he is striving 
"perhaps with all his might to accomplish 
amount to very little, as he listens to plans for 
the construction of a building which will com- 
modiously and conveniently house two millions 
of books ; as he ponders over a printed scheme 
which will intelligently order upon the shelves 
a hundred thousand volumes, and is yet so 
flexible, so elastic, that this number may be 
indefinitely increased with no confusion, no 
necessity for re-arrangement ; as he sees a 
method of charging which has been slowly 
evolved to meet the ever-varying, ever-increas- 



ing needs of a circulation whose daily issues 
are counted by thousands. 

Possibly this feeling has something to do 
with the small representation in this Associa- 
tion of the hundreds of lesser libraries which 
are scattered through the land. Whether it 
has, or not, the fact of this meagre representa- 
tion remains, and remains to be regretted. 
That such a state of things is to be deprecated 
by the society goes without saying. Every 
new member, in one way or another, brings an 
added power and influence, which is by no 
means always to be measured by the size of the 
library which he represents, or the active part 
he bears in the deliberations. He may even be 
utterly silent, and yet an actual force ; for no 
speaker fails to feel the inspiration which radi- 
ates from an attentive and enthusiastic listener. 
In ordinary society the accomplishment of 
being " a good listener" is one of the most 
enduring of charms. It does not lose its 
power among librarians. The prosperity of a 



66 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



paper as truly as a jest's " lies in the ear of him 
that hears it, never in the tongue of him that 
makes it. 11 

To ask these unattached librarians, if perhaps 
an echo may reach them, to consider whether 
their isolation from their profession is not only 
a deprivation to themselves which they can illy 
afford, but a retarding of the progress of the true 
library spirit as well, and to suggest a thought 
which may possibly prove a stimulus to coun- 
teract the discouragement and depression before 
spoken of, is all that I have even hoped to 
accomplish in the few words which have, some- 
what too ambitiously, been called a paper on 
" The usefulness of libraries in small towns." 

In regard to the interest and profit of these 
meetings to the lesser libraries, I have heard it 
asserted, and it is, I think, true, that the papers 
and discussions were almost exclusively directed 
to the consideration of the aims, methods, and 
needs of great libraries. If the fact needs 
explanation, or justification, an ample one is 
found in the register of the names of the com- 
posing members, with their positions. That 
there would be a ready and cordial response to 
any general call for the discussion of topics 
specially pertinent to small libraries is not to be 
doubted. Over the editorial columns of one 
of our most-used periodicals runs the legend, 
"Every man is a debtor to his profession." 
It was a most wise choice of mottoes by our 
friend, the editor and publisher, for in no pro- 
fession is it more true than in our own. The 
constant missionary work which Boston and 
Chicago, and indeed every library of any repute 
in the country, has done and is doing, is proof 
enough that the obligation is appreciated. If 
the smaller libraries want the discussion of 
simpler, less technical methods, they have, 
probably, but to ask. 

It may be objected that the great obviously 
includes the small, and that plans and methods 
which are good and suitable for the former need 
but to be reproduced in miniature for the latter. 
It is true that, in many departments, the acci- 
dent of size makes little or no difference in 
library economy ; but in the administration of 
affairs, in the machinery of running, the director 
of a municipal library has many and accumu- 
lating cares, of which his less burdened rural 



brother need never feel the weight. Prof. John 
Fisk, some years ago, at the time when he was 
assistant librarian of Harvard University, very 
graphically described a portion of the perplex- 
ing duties which fall to the lot of even a univer- 
sity librarian, striving to correct the erroneous 
but too prevalent notion that such a position 
is a sinecure. He confined himself to an enu- 
meration and description of the duties which 
are essentially professional, the multiplicity of 
details of the ordering, classifying, and catalog- 
ing of books. In this direction there is a differ- 
ence only in amount between the greater and 
the less. But, in addition to all that Prof. Fisk 
described, a city librarian must needs oversee as 
well the thousand and one minutice which go 
to make up the sum of a day's work in a circu- 
lating library. He must provide for the accu- 
rate identification and registration of his 
borrowers, no light task when they number 
tens of thousands of the floating population of a 
western city, who has more active duties for her 
police than the following up of delinquent pat- 
rons of the public library. He must see to it 
that the thousands of books which flow over 
his counters are unerringly charged, and that 
tardy borrowers are warned of their remissness. 
These are but a few of the numberless details, 
many of which are trivial in the extreme, but 
which all go toward the making up of such a 
day's work as " none but he that feels it knows." 
As a machine increases in complications a con- 
stantly greater percentage of power is consumed 
in overcoming friction. This attention to the 
routine of daily work, which forms much of the 
severest, because least satisfying, work which a 
librarian does, may be compared to the friction 
of machinery ; and just in the proportion that 
the power of his mind and the strength of his 
body are taxed in this direction, by just so 
much are they reduced for other duties, the im- 
portance of which is specially prominent in the 
minds not only of the profession, but of the pub- 
lic as well, an actual knowledge of the books 
which the library buys, and the exertion of an 
active personal influence in raising the standard 
of literature which is drawn from the library. 

It is precisely in this line of personal influ- 
ence that there seem to me to be special en- 
couragements to the librarians of small towns, 



GREEN. 



67 



that here, notwithstanding their limited resour- 
ces, they have peculiar opportunities for attain- 
ing an almost ideal standard of excellence in 
the quality of their work. 

It would be unjust to say that a city librarian 
actually works harder than his country brother. 
The duties of the former are mainly those of 
guiding, overseeing, and correcting the work of 
others. The latter, with his own hands and 
brain, does most of the work himself. It is as if 
the one were architect solely, and the other not 
only architect, but mason and carpenter as well. 
One of the severest trials of the lot of a city 
librarian, at the West at least, is that he must 
work through many assistants who are not only 
utterly lacking in any real love or enthusiasm 
for their work, but who are many times illy-edu- 
cated as well. The remedy for this state of af- 
fairs is not likely to be found until our boards 
of trustees take for their careful consideration 
the reply of a certain irate domestic to her re- 
monstrating mistress: "You can't expect a 
good cook and all the Christian virtues for two 
dollars a week ! " If the necessities of the 
work do not require the employment of more 
than one, two, or, at most, three assistants, the 
subtle electric current of the librarian's own 
enthusiasm may suffer the subdivision without 
being utterly dissipated. He can actually do 
much of the work himself. He comes into con- 
tact with his clientage, which is not so large but 
that he may hope to become personally ac- 
quainted with many of them, and, learning their 
tastes and needs, easily become their trusted 
friend and guide. His catalog, too, is his own 
work, and it is perhaps safe to say -that no one 
ever properly appreciates a catalog but its 



maker. Certainly no one else ever handles it 
with equal ease and intelligence. 

I am afraid the catalog has never been made, 
and never will be, over which the ignorant and 
indolent will not be perplexed and deceived ; and, 
after all is said, it is to the ignorant to whom 
the gospel of the public library is specially sent. 
If the cataloger himself is constantly at hand to 
explain intricacies, to supplement deficiencies, 
with his own perfect knowledge of his library, 
to answer even foolish and stumbling question- 
ers patiently and intelligently, he may make the 
puzzling way of finding and getting a book so 
plain that " The wayfaring man, though a fool, 
need not err therein." 

That this personal influence, when exerted, 
bears fruit, and that right soon, has been proved 
again and again. The following is from the 
last report of one of the largest libraries in the 
country: "The increasing public interest in 
the more scholarly books of the Library, and 
the large accession of visitors to the reference 
tables, are to be attributed partly to the Satur- 
day-morning classes which have been conducted 
at the Library for the past four months." If 
such work makes so immediate and appreciable 
an impression upon a circulation which is num- 
bered by hundreds of thousands, is there not a 
hopeful outlook, indeed, for small workers? 

One has said that " A library is, after all, very 
much what its librarian makes it." There are 
too many conflicting individualities at work in 
a municipal library to make this, to any consid- 
erable extent, true ; but in a small town or vil- 
lage the personal equation of the librarian may 
easily become the exponent of the power of the 
library. 



REPORT ON LIBRARIES AND SCHOOLS. 



BY SAMUEL S. GREEN, LIBRARIAN OF. THE FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY, 

WORCESTER, MASS. 



r PHE writers of the papers on this subject, as 
1 I understand the wishes of the committee 
which has had the charge of making prepara- 
tions for the present meeting, are desired to 
describe briefly the work they have done as 



librarians, in connection with schools, and to 
make such general remarks as their experiences 
may suggest. 

It seems to me that the first thing which a 
librarian has to do in undertaking this kind of 



68 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



work is to make the acquaintance of the super- 
intendent of schools, and of the teachers, and 
offer freely to aid them in the furtherance of 
any of their projects. He needs to find out 
from them the ways in which they think he can 
help them, and to suggest to them for consid- 
eration such plans for cooperative work as it 
seems to him desirable and practicable to adopt. 

Hearty cooperation was brought about in 
Worcester, in a conference of the superintend- 
ent of schools, the principal of the Normal 
School (an institution which supplies the public 
schools with a large portion of their teachers) , 
and the librarian of the Public Library, and by 
one or two meetings of teachers at which the 
librarian was present. 

The teachers and scholars now understand 
that we consider it a very important part of our 
work to attend to their wants. 

In describing the work done in Worcester, I 
will use two headings, giving under one an ac- 
count of what has been accomplished by allow- 
ing books to be taken to school-houses, and 
under the other a record of work done by the 
use of books within the library building. 

Several phases of the former kind of work 
have been set forth in a paper which I read be- 
fore the American Social Science Association, 
at a meeting held in Saratoga, September 8, 
1880, which was printed afterwards in the 
Library journal, Vol. 5, Nos. 9-10, in the 
Journal of Social Science, December, 1880, 
and in a pamphlet ; and a considerable portion of 
the latter kind of work is described in the same 
paper and in a yearly report entitled, " Aids 
and Guides for Readers," presented at the last 
meeting of this Association, and printed in the 
Library journal, Vol. 7, Nos. 7-8. 

The first mentioned paper, the portion of the 
report which relates to the subject now under 
consideration, and several of the best papers 
which give the experiences of other educators, 
have been collected into a little volume entitled 
" Libraries and Schools," which I edited, at the 
request of Frederick Leypoldt, of New York, 
and which he published a few months since. 

In regard to the work done by means o^ 
books taken to school buildings, it must be prem- 
ised that every teacher is allowed to have a 
Teacher's card, on which six books needed for 



study or school-work may be taken out of the 
library, and a Pupil's card, on which twelve 
volumes may be taken out for the use of 
scholars. 

Many of the scholars, too, are old enough 
to have cards of their own, and have such 
cards. 

In general, it may be said that the books 
taken out are used by teachers in acquiring in- 
formation in regard to subjects which they 
have to teach and in making the studies of 
pupils more interesting and profitable than they 
would otherwise be. 

Books describing countries studied about in 
the geography lessons, for the use of both 
teachers and scholars, are in large demand. 

Many duplicates are needed in supplying this 
demand, and such as are needed are always 
bought. 

Books from the library are much used in 
reading at sight in the Grammar Schools. 
Many are used by scholars in this grade of 
schools who have learned their lessons quickly, 
and have time for reading to themselves. 
Children are allowed to take books home from 
school for a night, a day or two, or for several 
days. 

In the High School many books are used in 
connection with the study of English literature 
and history. 

If, to take an example, the scholars are to 
study Longfellow or Irving, the publisher of the 
works of the author selected gets out a special 
edition of some of the poems of the one, or of 
some of the sketches of the other, and every 
pupil buys a copy of the pamphlet at a low 
price. 

But the library has to afford assistance, also. 
I shall speak presently of the aid afforded 
within the library building. Now, I am de- 
scribing work done by means of books sent to 
the school building. The principal of the 
school finds, for example, that he needs a half- 
dozen copies of some complete work of an 
author which scholars are studying. These are 
bought for him as soon as his wishes are made 
known, if copies enough do not belong to the 
library already. Last term we furnished two 
or three copies of each of three of Hawthorne's 
long stones. The Principal reports that the 



GREEN. 



69 



" House with Seven Gables " was read through 
by fourteen scholars, " Mosses from an Old 
Manse," by ten, and the "Marble Faun" by 
fifteen persons, in connection with the study of 
the special edition, which consisted of a selec- 
tion from the "Twice Told Tales." Some of the 
scholars also had access to some of Hawthorne's 
works in their homes and others used the 
copies in the circulating and reference depart- 
ments of the Public Library. 

An account was given in the report already 
referred to as having been made to this Asso- 
ciation a year ago last May of work which was 
being done in the High School by means of 
copies of translations of the " Iliad" and " Odys- 
sey," furnished by the library. The Principal 
reports that the results of this work were very 
satisfactory. 

It is a very common occurrence for a teacher 
to send a scholar to the library for a specified 
book, or more generally for a book to give in- 
formation on a certain subject in which interest 
has been excited in the school to be taken to 
the school-building, to be read to the interested 
scholars or to be used by them. 

Perhaps 25 books at a time will be se- 
lected by the librarian or a teacher and sent to 
the High School to illustrate the history of a 
country. 

I estimate that 550 books have been in use 
in the school buildings every day that the 
schools have been open during the year begin- 
ning July I, 1882, and ending June 30, 1883. 

During the months from February to June, 
1883, inclusive, over 700 volumes, it is esti- 
mated, were in daily use. 

These figures do not represent, of course, 
the whole number of volumes used for school 
purposes, outside the library building, or within 
the school buildings, for many of the older 
pupils, as stated before, have cards of their 
own, which they use in taking out books to give 
them aid in their studies. 

Incidentally, the teachers of the schools are 
doing very considerable service in showing 
children that there is an abundance of whole- 
some books which are at the same time inter- 
esting. 

In the Worcester Normal School there is in- 
cluded in the course of study an opportunity for 



a " systematic observation of schools and actual 
practice in teaching." While doing this work 
the pupils are called apprentices. 

" Each student serves in at least three grades 
of schools in the course of his term of service, 
the duration of which is six months, or half a 
school year," and " each apprentice keeps a 
diary of the occupation and experience of every 
day's service." 

From one of these diaries I make the follow- 
ing extracts : 

May 1 6, 1881. " Miss sent to the Pub- 
lic Library for a basket of books which she had 
selected. Sometimes, when scholars have 
learned their lessons, the teacher tells them to 
go to the bookcase and take these books to read ; 
and those who are not behindhand in their les- 
sons can have one charged, and take it home. 

" Had a little time during the drawing-lesson 
to read Harpers Magazine, which the teacher 
brought to me, so that I might see the pictures 
of the humming-birds that were in it." 

Wednesday, May 18, 1881. "Looked up 
several things that I wanted to know, among 
Emerson's poems, 'The Rhodora' and 'The 
Sphinx ' ; Longfellow's ' Tides ' ; in Edward 
Samuels's ' Birds of New England,' the habits 
of the barn-swallow and the chimney-swallow ; 
in The Young Folks' Encyclopedia, the account 
of the juniper-tree. 

" Read in JVew England Journal of Educa- 
tion. The most interesting articles were those 
about the ' Crowfoot Family,' and ' A Walk be- 
side a Stone Wall : A Study of the Rocks.' " 

May 19, 1881. " One of the boys brought a 
bouquet of blue and white violets, columbine, 
and polygala. None of the scholars knew the 
name of the little pink flower ; so the teacher 
told them. 

" A flower was brought to-day to illustrate the 
poem the pupils are learning, ' Jack in the 
Pulpit.' All examined it, or said they did ; the 
boys were most curious." 

May 20, 1 88 1. "The reading-lesion was 
from Higginson's ' History of the United 
States.' The pupils have read aloud as far as 
the American Revolution. 

"Miss brought to school the eggs and 

little shells of a winkle, with a copy of the 
Scientific American, having a picture and a 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



description of the fish in it, and called the 
attention of the scholars to them." 

Two of the teachers recently borrowed from 
the library a large work containing hundreds 
of heliotype illustrations of buildings, person- 
ages, and every-day life in China, and a collec- 
tion of photographs from scenes in India, in 
order to have slides made for use in a stere- 
opticon or some similar instrument, which can 
be used by daylight, which they employ in 
teaching geography. 

Proceeding to the second part of my subject, 
I will now describe some of the work done by 
teachers and scholars within the library building. 

Both classes of inquirers continually consult 
with the librarian in regard to books that will 
give answers to numberless questions that arise 
in connection with various school studies. 

Teachers frequently ask for lists of books that 
are suitable for the use of pupils, to illustrate 
studies they are pursuing. The attention of 
teachers is called to new books, as published, 
which it seems probable they or their pupils 
will find useful. Perhaps, at a season of the 
year when new books are appearing in large 
numbers, teachers may be invited to come to 
the library building between specified hours 
to look over a hundred or two new publications 
selected with reference to their needs. 

When a new professor comes to Worcester, 
or a teacher of some special subject is appointed 
to give instruction in the public schools, an in- 
terview is sought with the new-comer, and he is 
invited to examine our collection of books on 
the special subject he has to teach, and to sug- 
gest what additions, if any, he considers it de- 
sirable should be made to it. 

Printed lists of additions to the library, also, 
are sent as issued to heads of school buildings, 
and copies of our new catalogue, which is to be 
published at the end of the present year, will 
be placed in the different school-houses. 

A room in the library building is always at 
the service of teachers, to which they may bring 
classes for especial instruction by means of 
lectures or lessons, illustrated by costly works 
belonging to the library. This room is large 
and is much used. 

Squads of from ten to twenty scholars come 
from the High School during the forenoon of 



every day, excepting Saturday and Sunday, in 
school hours, to see books which will make the 
study of history more profitable and interesting 
than it would otherwise be. They examine 
pictorial representations of scenes, buildings, and 
persons, and delineations of the every-day life 
of the countries the history of which they are 
studying, and read in other books than their 
text-books about these countries ; taking notes 
of a portion of the matter read, and making 
verbal or written reports to teachers in regard 
to what they have found. 

In the report made last year I showed how 
Greek and Roman history is illustrated. I 
could have as well taken any other country, 
Egypt, England, France, the United States, for 
example, or a period in history, such, for in- 
stance, as the Middle Ages. 

When this kind of work is to be done, fifty 
or more volumes are selected from works in the 
library relating to the country to be illustrated, 
with especial reference to school-work, and put 
in some place where they can readily be handled 
when scholars come to the library. 

An attendant gives a volume to every 
scholar, and I go to the pupils one by one, to 
see whether they know how to use books so as 
to get information from them by availing them- 
selves of the aid afforded by indexes, tables of 
contents, page headings, etc., and to see 
whether they have found something in the 
books to interest them. 

Sometimes I change a scholar's book. Al- 
most invariably, however, I show him how to 
use the book he has, so as to find in it some- 
thing interesting, or so as to get from it some 
fact that he is searching for. 

In this exercise children not only acquire in- 
formation, and learn how to study rationally, 
but also how to use books, and get from them 
whatever information they need. 

It takes but little time to do this kind of work. 
Half of the pupils interest themselves, and a 
glance at them shows that they are using books 
profitably. A minute or so spent with each of 
the others suffices to excite interest, and soon 
all the scholars are at work, doing something 
that it is pleasant for them to do. They give no 
trouble, for the reason that they are interested 
in the work. 



FOSTER. 



During the last year the principal teacher of 
history in the High School has had every 
scholar under her charge (and she has had the 
care of about 1 50 pupils) write a story in which 
the characters and scenes were to be such as 
belong to a specified period in Roman history. 
Preparation for this work had to be made by 
the scholars in the library. 

It is her custom to have members of her 
classes describe, orally, life at certain periods 
of history, or in certain classes of society at a 
given time. Thus, once during the last term, 
they have been asked to state what the every- 
day life was of the dwellers in castles in the 
Middle Ages, or to give a description of their 
surroundings, or of some castle itself. The 
following are some of the subjects selected by 
pupils as given to me by their teacher : 
Tournaments ; The Art of becoming a Knight ; 
The Position of Woman ; Storming a Castle ; 
Furniture ; A Hunting Scene ; Secret Tribunals ; 
Education of the Sons of Nobles ; Currency of 
the Middle Ages ; A Farm Scene ; A Christmas 
Scene ; The Preparation of Food, etc. 

Some of the scholars read selections from 
" Marmion," "The Legend of the Rhine," 
" Ivanhoe," " The Abbot," etc. 

Descriptions were given of Kenilworth, Hei- 
delberg, Holyrood, and "vtindsor Castle. 

A pupil told her teacher, recently, that she 
was discouraged by her library work, for she 
found that historians make conflicting state- 
ments sometimes. The teacher encouraged 
her, of course, by telling her that one of the 



reasons for doing library work was that the 
scholars might find out that different historians 
view men and events from varying stand- 
points, and differ in their judgments regarding 
them. 

Another scholar said to the same teacher, 
not long since, that, in studying history as she 
was now studying it, she was learning to think. 

This teacher tells me that she notices great 
good and increasing profitableness as coming 
from the work which the library and school are 
doing together. 

In studying English Literature, as stated 
before, the teachers and scholars of the High 
School make great use of the library ; getting 
advantage not only from books taken to the 
school-house, but, also, from volumes used 
within the library building. 

If, for example, "Evangeline"isbeingstudied, 
they come to the library to find out what they 
can about Longfellow, and the circumstances 
under which he wrote the poem ; to learn about 
Acadia, and the exile of the Acadians, and their 
subsequent career ; for explanations, also, of 
incidents, allusions, and figures in the poem. 

In conclusion, it may be stated that we not 
infrequently wean schools in so far as every- 
day wants are concerned. Seeing the advan- 
tages that arise from the free use of books these 
institutions collect them, and form little 
libraries for themselves, and depend on the 
Public Library for such wants only as require 
the use of expensive or otherwise inaccessible 
works. 



REPORT ON AIDS AND GUIDES TO READERS. 1883.' 

BY W: E. FOSTER, LIBRARIAN OF THE PROVIDENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY. 



PART I. GUIDES. 

LET us consider first those which are most 
accurately described as "guides," and 
afterwards the more general "aids." 

We begin almost inevitably with bibliog- 
raphy. as our foundation-stone. Let me men- 

1 Owing to the insufficient time assigned for this paper, 
on the last day of the session, only a portion of it was 
read. 



tion first, therefore, the recently published 
little pamphlet, " Library aids " (New York, 
F. Leypoldt, i883), 2 which, on a very com- 
prehensive scale, points out what may be found 
under both of the heads mentioned above. 
This pamphlet is, in fact, the "report" of our 

2 Sent without charge to librarians, on application to 
Melvil Dewey, Chief Librarian, Columbia College, New 
York. 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



associate, Mr. Green, presented two years 
ago, with important additions and modifi- 
cations. 

In the same connection, also, must be men- 
tioned the Library journal, which forms a 
continuous and most directly serviceable guide 
to (i) the books to read, to purchase, and to 
avoid (in the "Library purchase-list" of new 
books in each number) ; (2) the facts con- 
nected with the authorship of books, in its de- 
partment of " Anonyms and pseudonyms" in 
each number) ; and (3) to miscellaneous in- 
formation, 1 on a most comprehensive scale. 

A brief mention of some of the bibliograph- 
ical guides which have not appeared in previous 
reports may be made at this point, the order 
being alphabetical. 

Adams, Henry Carter. An outline of lectures 
upon political economy. Baltimore, 1881. 
[Not a bibliography, but a carefully chosen 
series of references to authorities in connec- 
tion with that topic.] 

Bartlett, John. Catalogue of books on an- 
gling. Cambridge, 1882. [Prepared by 
the accomplished author of the dictionary of 
" Familiar quotations," and most admirably 
executed.] 

Bugbee, James M., editor. List of works on 
trials, session laws, statutes, and codes, etc. 
Boston, 1882. 

Clarke, Robert, editor. Bibliotheca Ameri- 
cana, 1883. Cincinnati, 1883. 

Davidson, Thomas. A bibliography of Ros- 
mini. [Prefixed to his volume "The 
philosophic system of Rosmini," pages 
li-lxxxviii.] 

Farrar, C. S. A history of sculpture, paint- 
ing, and architecture. Chicago, 1881. [Not 
a bibliography, but, as the title indicates, a 
series of topical references to the most ser- 
viceable authorities under each one of the 
subdivisions of these departments. The 
book is labelled on the outside, "Art 
topics."] 



1 For other periodicals, of which, to a greater or less 
extent, the above holds true, see Green's " Library aids," 
p. 14-15. 

3 This report comes only to July, 1883. 



Fiske, Willard. A catalogue of Petrarch 
books. Ithaca, N.Y., 1882. [With full 
titles, collations, and bibliographical notes.] 

Gill, T. Bibliography of the fishes of the 
Pacific coast, to the end of 1879. [In the 
" Bulletin of the United States National 
Museum." No. 11. 73 pages.] 

Griffin, A. P. C. The discovery of the Mis- 
sissippi ; a bibliographical account. New 
York, 1883. [A most conscientious and 
painstaking piece of bibliographical work. 
It was first printed in the Magazine of 
American history, March and April, 1883, 
and afterwards separately issued with a copy 
of Joliet's map, 1674.] 

Griswold, ]. A bibliography of assurance 
law. [In the Insurance times, April, 1883.] 

Hammett, Charles E., Jr. A bibliography 
of Newport, R.I. [On cards, unprinted. 
More than 400 titles.] 

Harrisse, H. A bibliography of the Cabots. 
[At pages 370-75 of his "Viede Jean et 
Sebastian Cabot." Paris, 1883.] 

Hildeburn, Charles R. List of the issues of 
the press in Pennsylvania, 1685-1734. [In 
the Bulletin of the Library Company of 
Philadelphia, Jan., 1882, pages 44-55, and 
afterwards separately issued.] 

The same. List Sf issues, 1735-59. [^ n 
Bulletin of the Library Company of Philadel- 
phia, January, 1883, pages 75-100.] 

Hurst, J. F. Bibliotheca theologica. New 
York, 1883. 417 pages. 

Mason., Otis T. A bibliography of anthro- 
pology. [In "Annual report of the Smith- 
sonian Institution," 1880, p. 403-39.] 

Munsell, F. A bibliography of Albany, N.Y. 
Albany, 1883. 73 pages. [The entries begin 
with the year 1771.] 

Nadaillac, Comte B. de. Catalogue d'une 
collection importante sur la revolution fran- 
9aise. Paris, 1883. [A catalogue of a col- 
lection for sale, but carefully prepared and 
very full. 2,082 titles.] 

Rhees, W. J. Catalogue of publications of the 
Smithsonian Institution (1846-1882), with 
an alphabetical index of articles. 

Sabin, Joseph. Dictionary of books relating 
to America. [Nos. 79 to 82 of this monu- 
mental bibliography have appeared during 



FOSTER. 



73 



the year, bringing it down to the end of the 
entry, " Pennsylvania."] 

Solberg, L. Thorvald. A bibliography of liter- 
ary property. [In Publishers' Weekly since 
Aprils, 1883. Not completed.] 
. A list of the text-editions and trans- 
lations of the Eddas. Edda Saemundar. 
Edda Snorra Sturlusonar. 10 pages. [In 
a forthcoming number of the Boston Public 
Library Bulletin, probably October, 1883.] 

Soule, C. C. The lawyer's reference manual 
of law-books and citations. Boston, 1883. 
[An indispensable key to every law library. 
Very comprehensively and skilfully exe- 
cuted.] 

Stone, F. D. Bi-centennial reading (on the 
founding of Philadelphia), p. 65-y6of Phila- 
delphia Library Bulletin, July, 1882. 

Sweet, Herbert C. A complete catalogue of 
modern law-books. London, 1882. 472 
pages. 

Vallee, Leon. Bibliographic des bibliog- 
raphies. Paris, 1883. 773 pages. [Re- 
viewed in the Library journal, June, 1883, 
viii, 104-5.] 

Some valuable special bibliographies have 
also appeared in periodicals. 

On Irving, in the Critic, March 31, 1883, 
iii., 143-45- 

In the Literary World, since March 31, 
1883, there have been the following: "A short 
Bibliography of Jesuitism" (April 21). xiv., 
132; "Oriental works of imagination" (May 
5), xiv., 149; "Editions of George Sand" 
(May 19), xiv., 161 ; " Bibliography of Philip 
SchaflF" (June 30), xiv., 208-9; "Literature of 
Georgia " (July 28), xiv., 241-42. 

Other periodical publications which, in their 
several lines of research, furnish invaluable bib- 
liographical guidance, are Psyche (published 
by the Cambridge Entomological Club) ; Soule 
and Bugbee's useful Legal Bibliography ; and 
the Index Medicus, a work which in the com- 
prehensiveness of its scale and the complete- 
ness of its entries is altogether unique. 

The Literary World, which, during the 
past few years, has contained a great number 
of very useful bibliographies, has done its 
readers the service of preparing "An index to 



the bibliographies in the Literary World," in 
the issue of that journal for March 24, 1883, 
xiv., 92. . 

In this connection may be mentioned the 
monthly publication entitled the Monthly Ref- 
erence Lists.' 1 The number last published is 
the 3ist in order from the beginning, and the 
31 numbers contain 80 separate lists. At the 
end of each year an alphabetical index 01 
the titles (and such other subject entries as 
would not appear in the titles) is furnished to 
accompany the completed volume. They are 
also indexed in the Q. P. Index Annual, 1882. 

Mr. H. J. Carr, one of our associate mem- 
bers, has performed the useful service of index- 
ing in one alphabet not only these, but such 
other reference lists, etc., as have recently ap- 
peared. This " Index to some recent refer- 
ence lists " appeared in the Library journal, 
February, 1883, viii., 27-32. 

Journals which, like those already named, 
occasionally contain bibliographical helps 
are the Critic, Good Literature, etc. The 
Literary News contains a regular department 
of " Cues for readers and students," in which 
are noted, from month to month, the bibliog- 
raphies, reference lists, and other helps, in 
connection with popular and current topics. 

Of course every librarian needs the Bibliog- 
rapher, which contains not merely valuable 
stores of bibliographical material, but presents 
it in a most genial and attractive form. 

Also several such publications as the Library 
News, published for a time by the Peoria Pub- 
lic Library. 

ANONYMS AND PSEUDONYMS. 

Reference has already been made to the de- 
partment under this heading in the successive 
numbers of the Library journal . 

Several extended lists of pseudonyms ap- 
peared in the Literary World, several years 
ago, in the numbers for November, 1877, and 
November and December, 1878 (viii., 102-3 ; 
ix., 96,97, 114-15)- 

Lists will also be found in several library 
catalogues. For instance, in the " Catalogue 
of the Newburgh Free Library," 1878, p. 423- 

1 Prepared by W: E. Foster. Published by F. Leypoldt. 



74 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



40, and in the " First supplement to the Find- 
ing list of the Providence Public Library," 
1882. 

A volume entitled " Pseudonyms of 
authors," 1 by J. E. Haynes, printed within 
a year, comprises 112 pages. 

A valuable work published in Spanish at 
Santiago, in Chile, is entitled " Notas para 
una bibliografia de obras anonimas i seudo- 
nimas sobre la historia, la jeografia, i la litera- 
tura, de America." By Diego Barros Arana. 
Santiago, 1882, 171 pages. 

The last two years have witnessed the put- 
ting in print of what will prove to be the most 
comprehensive work of this class in English, 
the "Dictionary of the anonymous and 
pseudonymous literature of Great Britain," 
by the late Samuel Halkett and the late Sam- 
uel Laing, of Edinburgh. 

The two volumes which have already ap- 
peared (volume i, 1882; volume 2, 1883) 
bring the work down to the end of the letter 
N. The work is of indispensable importance. 

PERIODICAL INDEXES. 

Mr. Griswold has continued his very helpful 
work, adding to his indexes, since the last re- 
port, the following : 

No. 8. Autoren- und Sachregister der Deutsc- 
hen Rundschau, volumes 1-29. Bangor, 
1882. 

No. ib. A general index to the North 
American Review, volumes 92-134. Ban- 
gor, 1882. 

No. ii. A general index to the Contempo- 
rary Review, the Fortnightly Review, and 
the Nineteenth Century. Bangor, 1882. 
Mr. Griswold has also issued two numbers 
of the Q. P. Index Annual, 1881 and 1882, 
an annual of great value and convenience in 



1 In the "Literary World," July 14, 1883, ' s a letter 
from Ralph Thomas (author of the " Handbook of ficti- 
tious names," by " Olphar Hamst "), examining Mr. 
Haynes's work with considerable severity. 

In French have recently been published, " Les pseudo- 
nymes du jour," by C. Joliet (in " L'lllustration," Sept. 
23, 1882) ; also a supplement to Barbier*s " Dictionnaire 
des ouvrages anonymes et pseudonymes publies en Fran- 
^ais ; " and also additions and corrections to Querard's 
" Supercheries litteraires devoilees." 



consulting such periodicals as are indexed in 
it. 

Besides Mr. Griswold's indexes, the follow- 
ing periodical indexes have appeared : 

Index to the Journal of Speculative Philos- 
ophy, volumes 1-15, 1867-82. 

Index to the Popular Science Monthly, 
volumes 1-20, and 3 volumes of the supple- 
ment. N.Y., 1883. 

A complete index to LitteWs Living Age. 
No. i. The first hundred volumes. Biog- 
raphy. Philadelphia, 1883. By E. Roth. 

There can, however, be but one voice in 
pronouncing the great event in this department 
of library work during the year to be the com- 
pletion of Poole's Index. It is certainly not as 
a matter of news that this report touches upon 
an enterprise so intimately interwoven with the 
work of this Association ; but it is a pleasure 
to acknowledge for the Association, and for 
librarians generally, our high appreciation of 
the distinguished service which has thereby 
been rendered by our eminent associate, whose 
name it bears, and his accomplished colleague, 
whose name he has placed on the title-page 
with his own. 

Merely as a matter of record it should here be 
stated that the work contains 1,442 pages, 
printed in double columns ; that it contains 
references to over 6,000 different volumes of 
periodicals, and that more than 200 separately 
entitled periodicals are included in its list. 

The completion of this work puts a new face 
on the whole question of the use of periodical 
literature. This is a key which renders at 
once available treasures which no doubt have 
stood in many a library unopened from one 
end of the year to the other. The effects of 
this may be seen in several ways : (i.) In the 
determined efforts now making in many libra- 
ries to complete such imperfect sets of peri- 
odicals as had accidentally accumulated. A 
circular was sent out by one library, calling 
upon the public-spirited citizens who could 
furnish the numbers, to help to complete its 
set, and a most encouraging response was the 
result. (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) 

(2.) In the increased attention directed to 
this department of a library by the prepara- 
tion of special lists. For instance, the Chi- 



FOSTER. 



75 



cago Public Library has appended to its 
"Finding lists, 1882" (p. 84-86), a list of 
" Periodicals in the Chicago Public Library, 
which are indexed in Poole's index to periodi- 
cal literature, 3d ed., 1882." 

Also two libraries of Providence have united 
to publish "An alphabetical list of the peri- 
odicals currently taken in the libraries and 
reading-rooms of Providence." (Providence, 
1883-) 

The very valuable work of Professor H. 
Carrington Bolton, also ("A catalogue of 
scientific and technical publications"), is now 
passing through the press of the Smithsonian 
Institution. 

Many librarians have found it necessary to 
supply their libraries with two copies of Poole's 
Index, and those libraries which have not yet 
procured two copies may be considered as 
wanting two, if they could afford them. 

Certainly there is no question more frequently 
asked in my own library than " Who has 
Poole's Index? " If we had two copies, they 
would be constantly in use. 

OTHER INDEXES. 

In German has appeared the " Theologischer 
Jahresbericht, 1881." Leipzig, 1882. 

And in French, " Table generale, alpha- 
betique, analytique, et par noms d'auteurs, de 
la Bibliotheque des predicateurs, 1870-81." 
Paris, 1882. 55 pages. 

The annual alphabetical list accompanying 
the Publishers Trade-list Annnal is, of course, 
of constant service. 

Among other works of general reference may 
be mentioned : 
Benton, Joel. Concordance to Emerson's 

poetry, p. 91-129 of " Emerson as a 

poet." 
Bornmuller, F. Biographisches Schriftsteller 

Lexikon der Gegenwart. Leipzig, 1882. 
Bornhak, C. Lexikon der allgemeinen Littera- 

turgeschichte. Leipzig, 1882. 
Cushing, W. Century of authors, v. i. 
Kennedy, W. S. Emerson concordance. 

[Eight and a half columns in the Literary 
World. July 15, 1882.] 

Of the publications of libraries which are 
issued at regular intervals (monthly, quarterly, 



etc.), as "bulletins," etc., 1 those of the Bos- 
ton Public Library have been issued quarterly 
as heretofore, and have been serviceable to 
librarians everywhere. The Harvard Univer- 
sity Library Bulletin is now included in the 
Harvard University Bulletin. 

The Library of Cornell University has 
reached its sixth number. 

The Brookline Public Library publishes 
monthly bulletins of accessions. 

The Hartford Library Bulletin appears 
quarterly, and always with notes and biblio- 
graphical help. 

The St. Louis Public School Library Bulle- 
tin has continued to bring up the arrearages 
of its catalogue, with numerous useful annota- 
tions. 

In the New York Mercantile Library there 
have been two bulletins of accessions issued 
during the year. 

The "Lists of Additions" to the Boston 
Athenaeum, Worcester Free Public Library, 
Buffalo Young Men's Library, and Milwaukee 
Public Library, with their useful notes and cita- 
tions of reviews, have been continued. 

The New York State Library publishes at 
intervals " condensed indexes " of the addi- 
tions. 

The Providence Athenaeum issues a yearly 
supplement to its catalogue, which is printed 
with its annual report. 

The Philadelphia Library issues a bulletin 
of great value. 

The Philadelphia Mercantile Library has 
more recently begun a similar bulletin. 

The Cincinnati Public Library publishes 
monthly supplements. 

The San Francisco Public Library issues 
occasional supplements. 

USE OF NEWSPAPERS. 

Among the libraries which make more or 
less regular use of some newspaper for an- 
nouncing additions are the Springfield City 
Library and the Lowell City Library. 

The same is true of the Hartford Library, 
and the Providence Public Library, which, 



1 The consideration of library catalogues proper is 
here omitted, being considered in Mr. Noyes's report. 



7 6 



B UFFA LO C ONFERENCE. 



however, use the newspapers not so much for 
lists of additions to the library, as for mention 
of works on some current topic. In the case 
of the latter library this has been an unbroken 
practice weekly, in one morning paper and one 
evening paper. 

Mr. Kite, of the Friends' Library at German- 
town, Penn., furnishes to a weekly religious 
newspaper in Philadelphia (the National 
Baptist) a similar list of references on current 
topics. 

SPECIAL LIBRARY LISTS AND MISCELLANEOUS 
LISTS. 

There are several specially prepared lists 
which deserve notice. The New York 
Apprentices' Library has published several 
lists of works in special departments which 
it recommends to its readers. 

The New York Mercantile Library has ap- 
pended to one of its bulletins " a list of books 
recommended as suitable for young readers." 
" More than 10,000 of these bulletins were sent 
by mail to residences throughout the city." 

The San Francisco Public Library has pub- 
lished "a short reading-list," made up of a 
selection of works in different departments, 
which it recommends. 

" Courses of reading on special subjects " 
are to be found in the Critic, February 24, 
March 3, 1883 ("American history"), iii., 
77-78, 89-90; Jan. 20, 27, Feb. 3, 10, 17 
(Theology); March 10, 17 (Political econ- 
omy); (The drama) May 12, 215-16. (See 
also the "Hints for those who know how to 
read," March "i 7, 1883, 113-14.) 

In the " Monthly Notes of the Library As- 
sociation of the United Kingdom," July, 1882, 
is a " List of selected books on political 
economy," prepared by the late Professor Wil- 
liam Stanly Jevons. 

In the Journal of Education (London), 
March, 1882, is a selected list of " Historical 
novels and tales," prepared by Mr. H. Court- 
hope Bo wen. 

See also Mr. Leypoldt's pamphlet, " Books 
of all time." 

" The book-lover's enchiridion," published 
(without the author's name) over the signature 
of " Philobiblos." London, 1882. 



" Historical reference lists," by John T. 
Short, Columbus, O., 1882. 

The method of correct teaching, as connected 
with the literature of a subject, is treated in a 
volume now in press, edited by G. Stanley Hall. 

PART II. AIDS. 

A. THOSE RELATING TO LOCATION AND AR- 
RANGEMENT OF SPACE. 

Archer, William. Essential features of a li- 
brary building. [In Monthly Notes, March 
15, 1883, p. 46-48.] [Reading-rooms shelved 
for books of reference.] 

Boston Athenaeum. " How to get books," with 
an explanation of the new way of marking 
books. By C. A. Cutter, Librarian. Boston, 
1882. 36 pages. 

Dziatzko, Karl. Die Bibliothek und der Lese- 
saal des Britischen Museum. Berlin, 1881. 
[Reprinted from Preussische Jahrb'iicher, 
v.48. Extracts, in English, in the "Monthly 
Notes of the Library Association of the 
United Kingdom," Feb., 1882 ; and in the 
Library journal, May, 1882, v. 7, p. 79- 
80.] He touches slightly upon the matter 
of arrangement of space. 

Poole, W. F. Yearly report on library archi- 
tecture, at Cincinnati meeting. In Library 
journal, vii., 130-36. 

Stevens, H. Review of Prof. Dziatzko's criti- 
cism of the British Museum. [In part pub- 
lished in the " Monthly Notes of the Library 
Association of the United Kingdom," March, 
1882 ; and also in the Library journal 
May, 1882, v. 7, p. 80-82.] [" A supple- 
mental reading-room for newspapers, peri- 
odicals, etc., is intended to be built, and a 
new select library of some 40,000 volumes 
brought together in the galleries of the read- 
ing-room."] 

In various libraries in this country (for in- 
stance, the Philadelphia Library, the Brooklyn 
Library, the Newburyport Public Library, and 
others) special provision is made for the ladies 
among the readers, a separate room, appropri- 
ately furnished, being provided for them. 

Of the last-named library the remark is 
made : " There are few superior to it, even in 



FOSTER. 



77 



our large cities, and none equal to it in any 
city of our population." [Report, 1882-83, 

P-9-] 

When the question is one of meeting the 
wants of a collection created for special pur- 
poses of study and research, different consid- 
erations are involved, which do not enter into 
the case of libraries collected on general prin- 
ciples. 

Nowhere does the application of careful study 
and intelligent planning to such a problem as 
this seem to have been brought to so high a 
point as in the case of one of the department 
libraries of Johns Hopkins University, at Balti- 
more. This is the department of historical and 
political science, under the charge of Dr. H. 
B. Adams, whose ideal of arrangement, in 
fact, the plan represents. 

There is a space of about fifty feet square, 
with windows on three sides ; the entrance on 
the fourth. A partition runs along the western 
side of the room, reducing the main room to 
dimensions of about fifty by thirty-eight feet. 
The centre of all is occupied by tables for 
the periodicals and for the examination of new 
books. At the right, as one enters, are the 
bookcases, standing so that the light from the 
windows shines between them, and lights a 
desk placed in each of these bays for the use 
of readers. On the left the space partitioned 
off is divided into five sub-bureaus, and a 
sixth room, outside the space of fifty feet 
square, is used as a lecture-room. On the same 
wall with the door communicating with the 
entrance, and on either side of this door, are 
the card-catalogue and the bulletin-board. 
Against the wall, at the farther end, is the 
valuable Bluntschli collection recently obtained 
in Germany. 

At Columbia College, also, the new library 
building has been arranged with careful refer- 
ence to special uses. 

In Chicago, where a very noteworthy in- 
crease in the use of the public library for pur- 
poses of reference has been developed within 
the year, the report states (p. 20) : " The tables, 
much of the time, have been so crowded that 
it was difficult to find a seat, or sufficient space 
to work in comfortably. Four times the space 
we now have is needed for our present wants, 



and ten times the space ought to be provided 
for the use of reference students in. the new 
library building." 

B. THOSE RELATING TO VARIOUS LIBRARY 
APPLIANCES. 

A bulletin-board is a feature, apparently, of 
most of the libraries, either for posting the 
titles of books newly added, or for furnishing 
references on current topics. 

A messenger delivery, which has been in 
practical operation in connection with several 
New York and Boston libraries, is now re- 
tained only in the New York Mercantile 
Library. In the latter case, where there is 
a daily distribution by express, the remark is 
made that " This increased expense, however, 
has been fully justified by the increased facilities 
afforded." [Report, 1883, p. 14.] 

In connection with the San Francisco Mer- 
cantile Library, a feature is found which, so 
far as is known, is quite . unique. Once a 
month a list of some forty or fifty one- 
line titles, representing recent additions, is 
printed across the narrow dimensions of a 
postal card and mailed to readers. The libra- 
rian writes that it furnishes as it naturally 
would a handy method of asking for books. 
The readers come to the library with these 
postals in their hands, checking what they 
want. 

[It may be added, in this connection, that 
the same result follows from the practice of 
printing similar selections in the newspapers, 
as in the case of the Providence Public 
Library. The readers cut these from the 
newspapers and come to the library with them 
in their hands, calling for the books therein 
mentioned.] 

C. THOSE RELATING TO CATALOGUING, 
ETC. 

In the Boston Public Library " an initial 
bibliographical card " precedes the arrange- 
ment of catalogue-cards under any given title. 
Thus : 

Browning, Robert. List of his writings. Lit- 
erary World, March 14, 1882. 5341.3. 



7 8 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



" One wants the literatureof a subject," says 
a writer in the Library journal, viii, 112, 
" Botany, Evolution, Scotch Metaphysics, 
National Banks, and one has a general 
recollection that it is found in the Provi- 
dence Monthly Lists, or Harvard, or some- 
where, and this somewhere involves much 
search." 

" Practically the same thing has been done, 
though in slightly different methods, at the 
Libraries of Harvard College, the Boston 
Athenaeum, and Rochester University." [In 
Library journal, viii. 112, (1883).] 

In more than one library 1 contents-cata- 
loguing is practised. 

The method in the Providence Public 
Library is to use the ordinary white standard 
catalogue-card for all entries based on the 
title-page, and a brown card for all cases 
where the cataloguer "goes behind the title- 
page, so to speak, and catalogues the actual 
contents of the book.'" 

The practice varies, it is found, in the 
matter of allowing the public to have access 
to the card-catalogue. While, undoubtedly 
this would be wholly impracticable in the 
case of some constituencies, the withdrawal 
of the privilege is always to be regretted. 
Even should the number of users be com- 
paratively small, the satisfaction derived by 
those who do use it intelligently is so great 
that its withdrawal would be seriously felt. 

Probably, while the Title-slip Registry was 
in existence, most libraries cut out the entries 
standing for books in their own collection 
mounting these entries on the cards in their 
own catalogue. 

Since the discontinuance of the Title-slip 
Registry some libraries 2 have preferred to spoil 
their copy of the Publishers'' Weekly by cut- 
ting out these entries. 

In the Providence Public Library, also, 
annotated entries are given when possible, by 
availing of the opportunity furnished by 
printed information of various descriptions, 

1 Among those which may be mentioned, are the Bos- 
ton*Public Library, Fall River Public Library, New York 
Free Circulating Library, etc. 

2 For instance the Providence Public Library and the 
Springfield City Library. 



reviews, publishers, announcements, etc; and 
a file of the Literary News, and a file of the 
Monthly Reference Lists, annotated, are kept 
at the reading-room for reference. 

Most of us are familiar with the scrap-book 
begun at the Boston Public Library, a con- 
siderable number of years ago, into which the 
entries of the successive bulletins, cut apart, 
were pasted, with other illustrative material. 
Somewhat similar scrap-books are in use in 
the Lancaster Town Library. In this are in- 
serted book-notices, and other information not 
placed on the bulletin-board. [The Lowell 
City Library also makes use of a scrap-book, 
but it is for entering short poems, verses for 
declamation, etc.] 

The use of annotated catalogues has been 
the occasion of some difference of opinion 
among librarians. One of our most esteemed 
associates remarks, concerning a form of con- 
densed, unannotated catalogue, that " Very 
few readers, if they have access to such in- 
dexes, seek for any catalogue more full." 

Undoubtedly, and if he will allow me to 
differ from him as to the fact of this state of 
things being a desirable one, let me say that this 
is precisely the reason why a librarian should 
bring to bear all resources at his command 
to awaken the feeling in the reader which will 
seek for one more full. 

"The tendency," says a writer in the Li- 
brary Journal, v. 7, p. 5, "the tendency of 
all cataloguing is in the direction of fulness." 

It is a significant fact that in one of the 
large libraries of the country, the Cincin- 
nati Public Library, " Extra copies for the 
use of the public," are supplied, of the [Bos- 
ton] Athenaeum and Brooklyn catalogues. 

The tendency is in fact to a degree of fulness 
which is not likely to be found practicable in 
libraries generally. Even the degree of fulness 
just cited as practised at the Boston Public 
Library is beyond the reach of most libraries, 
by reason of limited time, help, and financial 
resources. If the writer may be permitted to 
quote from another publication in which he 
has discussed this matter, 1 " It is not unlikely 
that, in the bibliographical economy of the 

1 5th annual report of the librarian of the Providence 
Public Library, 1882, p. 10. 



FOSTER. 



79 



future, these two lines of work will advance 
side by side with each other, the catalogu- 
ing of the library as a whole, within a pre- 
scribed limit as to fulness, and the minute and 
comprehensive exhibition of resources on par- 
ticular topics as occasion arises." 

D. THOSE CONNECTED WITH THE CIRCU- 
LATION AND USE OF THE BOOKS, ETC. 

A postal is used in San Francisco 1 to notify 
all readers (i.e., shareholders) of the new 
books purchased ; and in Providence to notify 
individual readers of specific books added, and 
also to notify such readers as request it, of the 
return of a particular book to the library. 

The current numbers of periodicals are, in 
most libraries, consulted at the reading-room 
only. In some few libraries, however, these 
circulate as books. Two libraries, 2 it appears, 
find it desirable to continue this plan. One 
other (the Peabody Institute, Peabody, Mass.) 
has discontinued it within the year. 3 

The practice of taking more than one copy 
of the most widely read of the current periodi- 
cals is, perhaps, more generally prevalent. 

The practice of leaving these numbers on 
the tables in the reading-room, or somewhere 
outside of the desk, accessible to readers 
without formal application for them, is very 
general in all excepting public libraries. 

It may be said, with regard to each one of 
these points, that, with conditions varying 
widely in different places, all librarians are 
desirous of meeting the convenience of the 
public to the farthest extent practicable. 

D. REFERENCE DEPARTMENT. 

The field which offers most encouragement 
to aids of this kind is, of course, connected 
with the use made of the library for specific 
purposes. 

Nearly every library has now come to real- 

1 San Francisco Mercantile Library. 

2 Brookline Public Library and New York Free Circu- 
lating- Library. 

3 In one library (the Brookline Public Library) there 
are available for circulation and home use, like ordinary 
books, " duplicate sets of the more important general 
cyclopasdias and gazetteers." This privilege, the librarian 
states, has been found " very acceptable." 



ize that, unless built on a comprehensive and 
carefully-selected collection of "reference 
books" (dictionaries, cyclopaedias, etc.), its 
work loses much of its effectiveness. These, 
says the published utterance of the representa- 
tive of one of these libraries, constitute "the 
strength and real usefulness of a library." 1 

But, using the words "reference depart- 
ment" to stand for the intelligent use of the 
library's resources for specific purposes, it is 
exceedingly gratifying to find that, year by 
year, an increasingly larger number of in- 
stances are noted, in all our libraries. For 
instance, in a Massachusetts city, 2 the report 
notes the " increasing demand for good indexes 
and guides to the best sources of information." 
In a Rhode Island town, 3 the report notes " a 
marked increase in the use made of the library 
for the purposes of reference." In the Brook- 
lyn Library, as is to be expected, with its ad- 
mirable catalogue, "The use of the library 
for purposes of reference has steadily grown, 
year by year, until it has become a large ele- 
ment in our work." Nowhere, however, has 
this use been attended by a more striking de- 
velopment than at the Worcester Free Public 
Library. "It may be safely said," says the 
accomplished librarian, "that, in amount and 
variety, the work done here in the reference 
department of the library is unique." Twelve 
years ago it was not used at all.. The figures 
which represent its use during the last twelve 
years are as follows : 



7,321 
12,408 
15,672 



20,550 
22,833 
27,694 



27,694 
30,079 



40,866 

43.4H 
48,846 



" These books," he states, " have been de- 
sired almost exclusively for serious purposes, 
and represent a large amount of investigation 
by persons of all ages." 

It scarcely needs to be stated that this sort 
of use of the library can be most effectively 
stimulated by taking advantage of interest in 
current or standard topics to lead the reader's 
attention on to higher planes of reading. 

1 Monson, Mass. 

2 Lynn. 

3 Bristol. 



8o 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



The number of libraries which post bulletins 
on current topics has not been ascertained. 
This, however, has been done with more or 
less regularity, at Boston, Providence, Paw- 
tucket, Hartford, New York (Free Circulating 
Library), Philadelphia, and Baltimore (Johns 
Hopkins University). 

It may be remarked, in passing, that the 
placing of Poole's Index within the reach of all 
libraries makes it now possible for any library 
to find material for a daily reference note on 
some question of interest. 

A suggestion may be made also as to making 
available the aids and guides elsewhere pub- 
lished by marking the library's own book-num- 
bers on the margin. 

Thus, in the Brookl3 T n Library, and the 
Providence Public Library, this is done with 
Miss Hewins's " Books for the young." In Cin- 
cinnati, with Mr. Larned's. In the Rochester 
University Library and the Peabody Institute 
Library (Peabody, Mass.) this is done with 
the Monthly Reference Lists. In the Boston 
Public Library, these latter are cut apart 
and mounted on catalogue-cards, to be placed 
in the card-catalogue. 

In Chicago, the use of the library during the 
past year has largely increased, and there has 
been a marked development of a higher and 
more serious use of books for the purposes of 
study and improvement. The best and more 
scholarly works have come more into requisi- 
tion, and the library is becoming a larger 
factor in the public educational system which is 
so liberally furnished by the city to all its resi- 
dents. There has been an increase of .o/i in 
the number of books drawn for home use ; .43 
in the number of visitors to the reference-tables ; 
and .48 in the visitors to the reading-room ; .24 
in the number of books used ; .48 in the use 
of the American patent publications. 

In Milwaukee "a school department of the 
public library was created as an experiment, in 
January, 1883. The teachers have, without 
exception, expressed themselves as highly 
pleased with the result in their schools." 

E. IN CONNECTION WITH COURSES OF STUDY. 

Not only in connection with such educa- 
tional plans as those of the Society to En- 



courage Studies at Home (Worcester), the 
Chautauqua courses (Bristol, R. I.), and other 
courses of study (Lynn), and with college 
essay themes (at Harvard, Amherst, Brown, 
Trinity, Smith College, Rochester University, 
Johns Hopkins University, and elsewhere). 

Should this report touch on the matter of 
aid in connection with school courses, it would 
enter, of course, a field which has been assigned 
to another member for a report, and I shall 
therefore pass over these details. 

Every one of us knows perfectly well that, 
valuable as may be the aid and guidance ren- 
dered by the various species of inanimate con- 
trivances which we have been reviewing, noth- 
ing, after all, can take the place of the personal, 
individual, direct aid of the librarian himself. 

And it is certainly one of the most gratify- 
ing evidences of the gradual lifting of the level 
of library work that never before has there 
been anything like the degree of personal 
assistance reported from the various libraries 
all over the country. 

The key-note of it may perhaps be found in 
the following notice on the part of the librarian 
of the Philadelphia Mercantile Library : 

" It is, however, one of the most important 
parts of the librarian's duty to assist members 
in their search for books, and for information 
in connection with their reading and study. 
And he desires all persons to feel and to exer- 
cise the utmost freedom in calling upon him for 
any assistance or advice which he may be 
thought to be able to give." 

This, let me add, is well matched by a simi- 
lar order on the part of one of our English 
contemporaries : 

" All persons," thus reads the notice posted 
in the Bodleian Library, "All persons having 
the right of reading in the library [or the camera 
only], and being engaged in the study of any 
special subject, are invited to communicate 
with the librarian, who will endeavor to inform 
them without delay, whenever any work bear- 
ing on the subject of their study is added to the 
library." 

It is unnecessary to enumerate every instance 
which has come to the knowledge of the writer, 
but a few may be mentioned as representative 
cases. 



FOSTER. 



81 



In the Newburyport Public Library, the 
librarian affords " all needful help in select- 
ing ; "" and this, it may be added, is, in the 
smaller and the medium-sized libraries, a 
preeminently practical means of securing the 
ear of readers. If they, of their own accord, 
ask for assistance and suggestions, the very 
best of opportunities is thus afforded for bring- 
ing to their notice that by which they will be 
profited. 

In the Lowell City Library, the librarian 
states : " My endeavor is rather to assist 
readers to search for themselves than to 
supply them personally with the information 
they desire." 

In the Somerville Public Library, the libra- 
rian says : " I sometimes think it may not be 
the best way " to furnish too elaborate helps, 
as the readers may thus " lose the satisfaction 
of digging out the information themselves." 

In the Taunton Public Library the aim is 
" to enable readers to help themselves." 

In the Haverhill Public Library, the librarian 
says : " I use my best endeavor to be useful 
to all who apply for information." 

In the Watertown Public Library, the libra- 
rian says that it is " the greatest pleasure of 
my assistants and myself to give personal 
assistance in this direction to all who call for 
or need it." 

In the Friends' Library and Reading-room, 
at Germantown, Penn., it has been " felt " to 
be the "duty of the caretakers" "to act as 
guardians, missionaries in their sphere, and 
these labors are well repaid." 

In the Dartmouth College Library, the 
librarian says : " We keep ourselves at the 
disposal of the inquiring student, ready to 
answer questions, make suggestions, point out 
courses of reading, and indicate the best works 
or the best part of works in different depart- 
ments." 

In the Iowa University Library, the librarian 
states : " No effort that I have made as yet 
has been more satisfactory in its results than 
the individual attention given to such as asked 
or manifested some desire for help in their 
reading." 

In the Worcester Public Library, the libra- 
rian, as always, has been constantly at the 



service of readers of all classes with their 
specific topics of research. 

In the Providence Public Library, the libra- 
rian has, since the removal to new quarters in 
1880, had his desk in the same room with the 
public portion of the library space, separated 
from the public only by a low counter. Under 
this arrangement it is not only easy for the 
readers to attract his attention and apply to 
him for assistance and suggestions, but there 
is no doubt that many readers who would not 
think of inquiring for him were he in another 
room, and would be reluctant to interrupt him, 
are thus encouraged to make known their 
wants. Besides this, the librarian is thus 
enabled to observe many additional instances 
where assistance can be judiciously rendered, 
and to avail himself of them. 

At the Boston Public Library, Mr. Thomas 
H. Cummings, the special assistant in charge of 
this branch of work, has continued the plan of 
assistance furnished, with a remarkable degree 
of success, yet not so remarkable when one 
considers that this, after all, is the only thor- 
ough and effective method of accomplishing 
it. 

The number of readers helped at Mr. Cum- 
mings 1 desk in one year, 1882-83, is 57,614; 
a daily average of 188. Of these, 24,002 were 
on special subjects (average, 78), a gradual 
proportionate increase. 

The difficulty with which many libraries have 
to deal is thus stated by Mr. J. C. Hough- 
ton, the librarian of the Lynn Public Library : 
" The great institutions can generally employ 
specialists to assist their readers in their 
choice of books. In the small town libraries, 
intelligent librarians, knowing all their books 
as well as nearly every one who calls for them, 
can readily give the needed assistance. But 
in the case of medium-sized libraries both of 
these advantages are lacking. In these, espe- 
cially " in large manufacturing communities, 
the circulation is generally large," and the 
librarian and his assistants are called upon 
under very unfavorable circumstances. 

As a result of this personal individual con- 
tact with readers, which most of these libraries 
have developed, there is a large amount of 
exceptionally intelligent reading reported. For 



82 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



instance, in the Hartford Library, there is a 
yearly increasing demand for books and 
articles in periodicals on special subjects. 
Also in the Milwaukee Public Library, " the 
librarian and his assistants are now daily re- 
quested to give their assistance in looking up 
references." Also in the Toledo Public Li- 
brary, " the intelligent effort of the librarians 
has been to direct inquiries into better reading 
in such direction as the apparent tastes of the 
reader may seem to require." 

F. LECTURES. 

The suggestion of our president, made 
several years ago, that much might be done in 
giving an impetus to reading on specific sub- 
jects by means of lectures, has been acted on 
under its most favorable conditions, by Mr. 
Poole, at Chicago, as elsewhere pointed out. 

In connection also with the Free Circulating 
Library in New York City, a series of " School 
lectures," on Saturday afternoons, will begin 
next October [1883], in one of the rooms con- 
nected with the library. " A limited number of 
tickets will be given to students between the 
ages of 14 and 18," and others if practicable. 

The subjects are " those connected with 
their school work, beginning probably with 
American history." " Any topic of general 
interest coming up would certainly be given a 
place." 

The librarian of the Iowa University Library 
has " for the last two years called in the fresh- 
man class, and others who desired, to listen to 
a few practical hints and suggestions as to the 
use of the library," and given them some 
practical talks on reading. 

The librarian of the San Francisco Public 
Library has, during the year, delivered an ad- 
dress, on the practical use of books, to a" pub- 
lic school evening class." 

Mr. Cummings, of the Boston Public Library, 
prepared two lectures of similar character and 
design, which were " delivered before the 
Workingmen's Club, and the Wells Memorial 
Institute." 

The librarian of the Providence Public Li- 
brary has, at various times within the past few 
years, given similar lectures or talks to readers. 
Lectures on various topics connected with the 



use and description of books will constitute an 
essential feature of the bibliographical course 
as planned at Columbia College. 

G. MISCELLANEOUS. 

The relation of the public libraries to such 
institutions as reading clubs, debating societies, 
and Sunday-school libraries is, of course, a 
matter which each librarian has had occasion 
to observe. 

The last-mentioned libraries (Sunday-school 
libraries) have been intelligently considered 
by Mr. S. S. Green, of the Worcester Free 
Public Library, in the Library Journal, viii., 
250-51 ; by Rev. A. E. Dunning, in the Sun- 
day School Times, February, 1882 ; and by 
other writers in the Sunday School Times, 
January 28 and November n, 1882. 

It is for us who are in charge of American 
libraries to open our eyes to the fact that the 
aid, the impulse, and the inspiration which 
may be conveyed through the use made of 
these libraries of ours are among the sig- 
nificant factors of our American civiliza- 
tion. The late Professor William Stanley 
Jevons, a writer of great acuteness and pro- 
found reflection, after examining the experience 
of various social movements and methods of 
reform, deliberately pronounced this institu- 
tion to be one of the " most permanent and 



progressive. 



; An important collection of 



books," he says, "once formed and housed, 
is a solid nucleus, . . . which often grows 
altogether beyond the conception of the first 
founders." " With the increase of education 
and general intelligence, libraries will be far 
more esteemed institutions half a century hence 
than they are now." (Contemporary Review, 
xxxix., 399.) 

And, in this country, a careful observer, who 
has had wide opportunities for noting the con- 
ditions of society and the use of libraries in 
New England, in the Middle Atlantic States, 
and in the West, has pointed out some of the 
forces which may serve to counteract a drift 
towards permanently low standards in litera- 
ture, thought, and social life. 

Among them he mentions the system of 
public libraries. " Our great reading class," 
he says, " has created public libraries, which 



BROWN* 



have for one of their highest functions the 
amelioration of the popular taste." " Some- 
thing," he adds, " may be hoped, also, from the 
intelligent attempt now being made to form 
a true literary taste in the children of the pub- 
lic schools. It is possible that such a taste 
may be bred into our people by means of the 
public school and the public library, instru- 
ments equal in power to the Dionysiac Theatre, 
and vastly greater in their range of power." ' 

An American scholar of long experience in 
the management of public libraries, and in ob- 
servation of their methods, has declared : 
" The public library is but a more recent 
growth from the same root that first bore the 



public school. Both institutions have their 
origin in the conviction that a self-governed 
community, if it is to remain free, must be self- 
taught." l 

The American of the century now before us 
will have extraordinary problems to deal with, 
and will need no ordinary equipment. All 
that the school, the library, and his own sur- 
roundings can furnish in the way of compre- 
hensive training will be needed. In the aid 
and guidance which the library can supply, it 
is evident that the clearest eye, the most 
active brain, the most concentrated energy, 
and the most carefully instructed intelligence, 
are indispensably necessary. 



STATE LIBRARIES : THEIR MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT. 



BY GUY A. BROWN, LIBRARIAN STATE LIBRARY, LINCOLN, NEBRASKA. 



THE importance of having at the seat of gov- 
ernment in each State a library for the use 
of its executive, legislative, and judicial depart- 
ments was early realized by nearly all States, by 
Congress in its grants to new territories, and 
more or less money given towards their main- 
tenance and support. The importance of secur- 
ing librarians who look upon the position as one 
of honor ; who will devote time, energy, and life 
in its administration ; who know something 
beyond merely being able to hand down a book 
when called for ; who are not given the place as 
a reward for political services alone ; who have 
the courage of independence, the ability to de- 
mand, and strength of character to maintain, a 
fair measure of support from the State, had 
been, to a considerable degree, overlooked. 
Hence, several States take no interest whatever 
in the subject of bibliography, or care whether 
or not they possess the documents and pub- 
lications of other States, or that their own are 
kept elsewhere. This last defect may be due 
to the fact that the State law intrusts the dis- 
tribution to the secretary of the State, a duty 
more properly belonging to the librarian. 
To the government report of 1876, on public 

1 Mr. G. E. Woodberry, in the Fortnightly Review, 
xxxv., 615. 



libraries in the United States, p. 293, Mr. 
Homes, of the New York State Library, con- 
tributed a valuable and interesting paper on 
the history, condition, and aims of State and 
territorial libraries. That paper is a text-book 
which every State and territorial librarian will 
do well to study and follow. It is so exhaust- 
ive of the subject that I can do little more 
than tell you something of what we on the 
Western plains, in the State of Nebraska, have 
done, and are doing, in carrying forward the 
work intrusted to our care. The State of 
Nebraska was admitted to the Union in the 
year 1867. It had acquired by grant from the 
general government on its admission as a terri- 
tory, in the year 1855, $5,000 worth of books. 
It never received any grant from the territory 
or from the State until the year 1871, and at 
that time many volumes of the original pur- 
chase had been lost, through mismanagement 
and carelessness. It numbered then, including 
pamphlets of all kinds and descriptions, about 
5,000 volumes. In the year 1875, by constitu- 
tional enactment, the offices of reporter and 
clerk of the Supreme Court and State librarian 
were consolidated, and during the same year 

1 Rev. Dr. W. R. Huntington, in 23d annual report of 
the Worcester Free Public Library, 1882, p. 6. 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



the legislature passed an act devoting the pro- 
ceeds arising from the sales of the Supreme 
Court reports to the purchase of law books, 
and in the year 1881 extended the donation to 
include books for the general library. It now 
numbers as a whole over 23,000 volumes. Like 
nearly all the State libraries, especially in the 
younger States, the law department, including 
public documents of the United States and 
other States and territories, and its own special 
department of history, forms -over two-thirds of 
the whole. Of the whole number, probably 
one-third of the law department, consisting of 
text-books, reports, and law periodicals, are in 
daily use by members of the bar and judges of 
the courts. We have managed it since 1871 
without numbering and without any catalogue, 
except an accession list, being able to answer 
any call by author or subject, and placing our 
hands on the desired book without those aids. 
We are, however, now making a catalogue to 
be put to press early next year. 

The library is by law divided into two divis- 
ions, law and miscellaneous, under one head. 
Each division has a board of directors ; but they 
never held a meeting, or ordered or purchased a 
book. The law department is subdivided: i. 
Elementary works, text-books, etc., arranged 
alphabetically by authors. 2. Law reports, 
statutes, and acts, alphabetically by States. 3. 
Foreign books (except elementary) , by authors. 
The miscellaneous department is subdivided : 
I . General literature by subject ; all the books 
on one subject in one fixed place. 2. Public 
documents by States, territories, etc., alpha- 
betically, and each State chronologically. 3. 
Nebraska department of history. We have 
within the last two years devoted some time to 
the building up of our department of State 
history, gathering and binding in suitable 
volumes, as fast as materials accumulate, 
pamphlets of all kinds, catalogues of schools, 
addresses of our citizens, essays, sermons, etc., 
and when we publish our catalogue it will con- 
tain an analytical index to this department. In 
our work in this direction we endeavor to co- 
operate with the public libraries in cities and 
towns and the libraries of schools, colleges, 
etc., by supplying them with copies of State 
publications, reports of our public officers, and 



such duplicates as we may have from time to 
time. In return we receive local matter. And 
I will add that, as far as possible, we are ready 
and willing to do the same thing for any public 
library in the country whose custodians take 
sufficient interest to become members of this 
Association, and ask for it. We endeavor to 
become personally acquainted with the local 
librarians, and otherwise do what we can to 
develop the library interests of the State. In 
Nebraska the law encourages public libraries in 
cities and towns, and authorizes the levy of a 
tax by the municipality, not exceeding one mill 
on valuation each year, for their support. In 
this department we aim to be something more 
than a mere keeper of books. We make the 
history of our own State, and its several sub- 
divisions, a matter of some study. We aim to 
acquire a thorough knowledge of our laws, the 
sources from which they are derived, and the 
judicial interpretations which have been placed 
upon them. We disseminate this information 
by answers to oral questions, by our daily mail, 
and written contributions to the legal literature 
of the State. Every State library, supported as 
it is by the State, and yet, by its location at the 
Capitol, practically inaccessible to the people, 
except in their legislative capacity, should have 
upon its shelves books which may contribute 
towards the building up of a wise and judicious 
system of laws for the State, and the custodian 
of such library should possess a comprehensive 
knowledge of the whole. We aim also to have 
a practical working library. Hence old editions 
of books give place to new in our law depart- 
ment. We do not aim to keep any book, 
except those concerning our own State, simply 
because it is rare and choice, or of a certain age 
or a certain edition. We study what we can 
best do with our limited income, admitting but 
little fiction on our shelves, and that only of 
approved and standard authors. The wants of * 
the people who frequent the library are studied, 
and assistance rendered them in their researches. 
The library^ rooms are open earlier and closed 
later than other public offices. They are not 
even closed during cataloguing or annual clean- 
ing. It would be poor management of any 
library where such action was allowed. Our 
expenditures for books amount to over $2,000 



BOWKER. 



a year, the income resulting from the sales 
above stated, and it seems as if this source of 
support should commend itself to other States. 
It places the library and the librarian on an in- 
dependent footing, and gives an assured income 
without the annoyance of running the legislative 
gauntlet of an appropriation every year or two. 
A large share of the income of every State 
library must, of necessity, be expended in its 
law department. The Supreme Court meets at 
the capital ; here causes are argued and rights 
of citizens adjudicated. There must be special 
efforts in their direction, special knowledge, 
the knowledge, in fact, of a lawyer, necessary 
in the purchase of books. There are books of 
"trash" even by law writers, not worthy of 
a place on the shelves even of a library that 



is capable of purchasing everything. In this 
department Mr. Soule, of Boston, has placed 
every law library under obligations. What 
Poole's "Index" is to the general library, 
Soule's "Lawyers' Reference Manual" is to 
the law library and lawyers generally. It renders 
cataloguing up to the date of its publication 
little m.ore than the task of a copyist, and is the 
best guide we have yet had in the selection of 
books. In closing, let me express the pleasure 
it gives one to be present at the meetings of 
this Association. It is good, Mr. President, to 
be here; to meet face to face, and to hear those 
talk who have become gray in our profession, 
and whose names have become familiar as 
household words with our people. 



THE WORK OF THE NINETEENTH-CENTURY LIBRARIAN FOR 
THE LIBRARIAN OF THE TWENTIETH. 1 



BY R. R. BOWKER. 



IT will be a chief glory of the nineteenth cen- 
tury that it has organized knowledge. It is 
thus that the man of the future, who will have 
more to learn, will learn it more easily. He 
has no longer to deal with isolated facts, for 
each of which new shelf-room must be separ- 
ately found in his crowded brain ; these are 
become types, links in a great chain, and one 
volume is the index to an almost infinite series. 
With classification, the principle of association, 
that master-key which opens the doors of mem- 
ory to all the chambers of the brain, gives the 
clue to all. Knowledge increases, but there is 
no longer confusion. 

It is in this great work that the librarian has 
his part. While the scientist is translating the 
book of nature and rewriting its palimpsests, 
it is for him to classify and catalogue the 
records of ascertained knowledge, the literature 

1 This paper was first read at the meeting of the Eng- 
lish Association at Cambridge, and American readers 
may care to know that the references at the close, as 
explained to hearers at Buffalo, are to Richard Garnett, 
Esq., Superintendent of the British Museum Reading 
Room, and to Henry Bradshaw, Esq., Librarian of 
Cambridge University. R.R.B. 



of the whole past, and so to bring the books to 
readers and readers to books. He is the mer- 
chant, the middle-man, of thought, and per- 
forms in this field the function which political 
economy recognizes as so important, of bring- 
ing goods to the place where they are wanted, 
and so, also, creating demand. In this busy 
generation, when the hurried man grumbles that 
"all the time there is" is not enough for him, 
the librarian makes time for his fellow-mortals 
by saving it; for a minute saved is a minute 
added. And this function of organizing, of in- 
dexing, of time-saving and of thought-saving, 
is associated peculiarly with the librarian of the 
nineteenth century. 

The librarian of old Assyria, though he 
carried, professionally, "a brick in his hat," 
doubtless kept his head clear in the absence of 
cataloguing rules and other perplexing prob- 
lems. The librarian of the twentieth century, 
who is to-day lying in his cradle, will have had 
many of these problems settled for him as a 
result of the library conferences and micro- 
machia of these days. The librarian of to-day 
is a bridge-builder, and he is much in the posi- 



86 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



tion of the Scotch dominie, whose people 
would have the new church built on the same 
site, out of the materials of the old church, and 
the old one left to worship in until the new one 
was finished. He must use the materials of the 
past in building for the future. He must care 
for "vested rights," conservatism, the old way 
of doing things to which people are schooled, 
while planning, in a spirit of prophecy, pro- 
gressively toward the unattainable perfection. 

As an apposite illustration of this dilemma, 
and the way out of it, I may perhaps be allowed 
to cite the considerations which led to the A. L. A. 
system of size-notation. The confusion of past 
nomenclature, as we all know, is beyond telling, 
with its use of a given symbol to designate 
everything and nothing : it might be the fold, 
it might be the size of paper, it might be the 
absolute size, it might be a publisher's vague 
idea of all together. But these symbols were 
existing facts, however vague their significance. 
8vo (at least in America) did convey this 
vague significance both to the librarian, who 
desired to range his books by size, and to the 
reader, who had thus a mental picture of the 
bigness of the book he aspired to consult. If 
this old symbol were given up, this important 
picture-sense would be lost ; on the other hand, 
if it were preserved in the same shape, who 
would know if the symbol meant the old vague- 
ness or the new accuracy? 

It thus came about that the familiar picture- 
name, octavo, was kept, while the symbol was 
made definite by the use of the initial O to 
designate a book between the limits of height 
usually associated with that name. The reader 
still saw in his mind the size of book he was 
asking for, and the librarian had a clear key 
to height for shelving purposes. Then came a 
wider consideration. The world is growing 
together ; users of books in England, or France, 
or Germany, use books of Germany, or France, 
or England, and, so far as may be, the parts of 
the library system should be interchangeable. 
Therefore the common language of the metric 
system, which is likely to become in the twen- 
tieth century also the usual language, was made 
use of to define these sizes, and, happily, its 
tens and fives were found to be practically coin- 
cident with the general picture-notion of a book 



in octavo, in duodecimo, etc. Thus the past 
was utilized with a view to the future. 

It should be mentioned that the A.L.A. 
aimed at a system for practical use in handling 
books, and contented itself with recommending 
actual measurement for accurate bibliographical 
registry. The committee of the L.A.U.K., I 
take it, has the complementary work chiefly in 
mind, the one scheme especially considering the 
librarian, as such, and the reader, and the other 
the bibliographer. 

This work of the librarian is essentially new 
and of the nineteenth century. In old days the 
so-called man of science was too often content 
to pick an unknown shell out of the rocks, call 
it by his own name, and put it anywhere on his 
shelves, agreeing with the Dominie, that if the 
Creator chose to make the rocks like a plum- 
pudding, there was no reason why he should 
not. The keeper of a library, in like manner, 
found his books in hand, and he kept them. 
The official titles in the British Museum suggest 
a past age. It is now the glory of the librarian 
that he is a liberator more than a keeper : he 
frees his books. The missionary relation of the 
librarian to his readers is one of the discoveries 
which the nineteenth century will hand along 
to the twentieth. 

The librarian of scarcely more than a gen- 
eration ago came to his books to find them 
housed, it might be, in a straggling confusion 
of rooms ; ill-assorted, ill-catalogued, or not 
catalogued at all ; half of them practically for- 
gotten ; the reader barred out, by physical con- 
ditions, or repressive rules, or his own perplex- 
ities ; nor did the mere keeper of books see 
anything very wrong in all this. The great 
library was for scholars, and scholars should 
know better than the librarian just what they 
wanted in their own fields. The librarian him- 
self, if he were at all alive, had his own specialty, 
in which he did know, and his post was chiefly 
an opportunity to preserve that specialty. Good 
nature and kindliness might make him tolerant 
and hospitable, but even the live men, the ex- 
ceptions among librarians of the past, scarcely 
recognized that, as librarians, they were mem- 
bers of a liberal profession, and of one of the 
most important among the liberal professions. 

We cannot change all that in a day, or a 



BOWKER. 



generation, and some of it we would scarcely 
change at all. The new librarian of the old 
Bodleian finds himself confronted with the 
very difficulty of straggling rooms, "upstairs 
and downstairs, and all about a quadrangle, 11 
that particularly distresses organizing minds ; 
but who would have those venerated buildings 
become new, associated with so much that is 
noble in the far past, and not less with the 
noble geniality of its last presiding spirit? The 
librarian of to-day sets himself cheerfully to 
make the best of such difficulties ; and how 
much has the librarian of to-day already ac- 
complished for his successor ! 

Whether the perfect library of the future 
shall be the one great hall, walled with books, 
with its effective appeal to the imagination, and 
its artistic enticement to readers, its difficulties 
of length and distance overcome by mechani- 
cal devices for the delivery of books ; or Prof. 
Winsor's stack-house, like the railway terminus 
with the offices in front become reading-rooms 
and work-rooms ; or the circular library, with its 
radial alcoves, inviting readers to the open 
shelves under the all-controlling vision of the 
librarian at the centre, as is Mr. Vinton's plan 
for a college library ; or Mr. Pooled cellular 
plan, so to speak, providing for growth by 
rooms, each of which may be a specialized 
library, within easy distance of a common focus, 
and it is more probable that each will still 
prove fit for its special purpose, this much is 
settled, that the architect must build for the 
librarian, and for the special purpose, and be 
taught of him, and that is a great triumph. 

Then as to cataloguing. Until this very con- 
ference one might have said that the multiplica- 
tion of books in the centuries, happily few, as 
a cataloguer is tempted to think, since the in- 
vention of printing, and the dreadful arrearages 
of catalogue work, defy within our own time a 
cataloguing even approximately complete ; but 
Mr. Garrett's announcement of the not unlikely 
completion of a British Museum printed cata- 
logue by the opening of the twentieth century 
presents a truly millennial aspect. Once the 
British Museum printed catalogue becomes a fact, 
the Utopian universal catalogue becomes a cer- 
tainty. A second alphabet of books in other 
libraries will be begun before the century 



closes, and the librarian of the twentieth cen- 
tury has only to roll them into one, to insert 
from time to time the discoveries that must 
still be made, and to use the methods we are 
already providing for the easy cataloguing of 
the world's accessions. And in that first fruit- 
age of the new cooperation, the great Index to 
Periodical Literature, for which the library 
forces have been marshalled under the effective 
generalship of Mr. Poole, we have another ex- 
ample of arrearages of work cleared up before 
it is too late, and a solid basis at last laid for 
the sequent work of the future. Not only in 
striking out new paths, but in clearing up these 
accumulated arrearages of the centuries, is this 
generation entitled to feel that it is making the 
paths straight, and earning the gratitude of the 
future. The Simplon is built across the Alps ; 
it is an easier matter to keep it in order. 

Cooperation in still other relations, assuring 
appreciation of good work, is encouraging indi- 
vidual enterprise, and promoting invention for 
the common good. In America, we have at 
least laid the foundation, in the American Cata- 
logue, of a continuous trade bibliography, and 
though the experiment of printing title-slips, 
as actually tried, proved premature, the cata- 
loguing rules of the A.L.A. are practically 
carried out in the annotated weekly list of the 
Ptiblishers 1 Weekly, a practice which must 
sooneror later befollowed, to the great advantage 
of the smaller libraries, by the like journals in 
England. Nor is it impossible that the pub- 
lishers themselves will, before long, be per- 
suaded to issue, each for his own publications, 
a simply descriptive title-slip with each new 
work. We still hope for the classified and anno- 
tated "Coming Catalogue" of selected books 
for small libraries ; but meanwhile the annotated 
list of recommended books, introduced by Mr. 
Cutter into the Library journal, and Mr. 
Foster's admirable special reference lists, are 
doing much, and, with the establishment of an 
adequate library journal on the English side 
of the water, we shall be able to do much 
joint work. Aside from the question of 
library supplies, cooperation, doing once 
for all, at a minimum of cost, and with 
that approximate perfection which comes 
from the union of experiences, the many 



88 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



things hitherto done imperfectly, at great cost 
and waste, by many libraries, may fairly hope 
to secure for the librarian of the twentieth cen- 
tury, and perhaps for ourselves before the 
twentieth century comes, those two great needs, 
more money for books and more adequate pay 
for the librarian. It chiefly behooves us, build- 
ing a fair basis for the future, not to attempt 
and to expect too much ; to make haste slowly ; 
not to rashly ignore and put aside the old in 
planning for the new ; and to remember that 
cooperation does not mean a rigid uniformity, 
and that, among many varieties of situation and 
circumstance, the best way is often a relative 
term. 

I have made bold to bring forward these few 
generalizations, these platitudes, because there 
isa certain inspiration, and even present reward, 
in the feeling that present work is to bear its 
results in the future, in the sense of the immor- 
tality of influence that comes of passing along 
the torch from generation to generation. The 



librarian of the twentieth century, for whom we 
are working, ought to be much better and do much 
better than his illustrious predecessors. But, 
thinking of this, I see before me a great rotunda, 
where the tide of readers flows and never ebbs, 
and, in its centre, a tall, noted figure, hat on 
head, affably eager to answer every question 
that gaps in catalogue, or on shelves, or in 
querist's brain may suggest, and still fresh, after 
the long day's work, with ready pen, to help 
books and men, the more unknown and unbe- 
friended the more ready he, to friends and fame. 
And I see within college walls, in cap and gown, 
or, doffing both as he comes in among the 
younger men to whom his rooms are home, 
a placid, cheery, large-hearted man, who, 
like an older brother, gathers the men about him 
into almost family relations, and, with a kindli- 
ness all his own, forwards and helps and quietly 
inspires all. And I wonder if the librarian of 
the twentieth century will improve on these ? 



PLAN FOR NUMBERING CONGRESSIONAL DOCUMENTS. 



BY JOHN EDMANDS, LIBRARIAN OF THE MERCANTILE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, 

PHILADELPHIA. 



MANY libraries have some of the volumes of 
the set known as the Congressional Docu- 
ments. None has the complete collection. 
Most of the libraries expect to obtain additional 
volumes. The numbering of these fragmentary 
sets of volumes in such a way that future acces- 
sions will fall easily into their proper places 
has been in many libraries a matter of great 
difficulty. 

The new system of classing and numbering 
which I have devised and put in operation in 
the Mercantile Library of Philadelphia affords 
an easy solution of this difficulty. In this 
classification, F is the general designation of 
American History ; and Fo, Fp, Fr, and Ft, 
designate, respectively, History of the United 
States, general, Constitutional and Document- 
ary History, Political History, and Industrial 
and Statistical History. The individual books 
in each section have their own proper number. 



Thus, Schouler's History is Fo, 8025, and 
Elliot's Debates, Fp, 2608. These Congres- 
sional Documents might properly be placed in 
the second of the above divisions, and would 
have been so placed but for the impossibility of 
satisfactorily numbering them there. Instead 
of that I form them into a separate sub-class, 
which I designate Fu. And in place of the 
numbers used in the other sections I put on 
them, in abbreviation, the names by which the 
several classes of these documents are called, 
and also the number of the Congress and the 
session by which they were issued. The 
abbreviations which I use are these : 

H. D. rr: Executive Documeuts of the House. 

H. J. = Journal 

H. M. =. Miscellaneous Documents " 

H. R. =. Reports of Committees " 

H. S. r= Special Reports " 



COOPERATION COMMITTEE. 



89 



S. D. = Executive Documents of the Senate. 
S. J. = Journal " 

S. M. = Miscellaneous Documents " 
S. R. =r= Reports of Committees " 

S. S. = Special Reports " 

I place the books on the shelves in this order 
as a matter of convenience, and as the natural 
alphabetical order, in preference to the usual 
one used in the catalogue of the Public Library 
of Boston. 

The full marking of a set of these Docu- 
ments for any one session will be this : 



Fu Fu Fu Fu Fu Fu Fu Fu Fu Fu 
H.D. H.J. H.M. H.R. U.S. S.D. S.J. S.M. S.R. S.S. 

47. i 47. i 47. 1 47. i 47. i 47. i 47. ' 47. ' 47. ' 47. J 

This plan assigns a definite designation and 
place to every volume of the collection, is easily 
understood, even by novices in the library, and 
provides for marking satisfactorily any frag- 
mentary lots of these books that any library 
may have, and any others that may be sub- 
sequently obtained. 



CONDENSED RULES FOR AN AUTHOR AND TITLE CATALOG. 

PREPARED BY THE COOPERATION COMMITTEE, A. L. A. 1 



ENTRY. 

BOOKS are to be entered under the : 
Surnames of authors when ascertained, 
the abbreviation "Anon." being added to 
the titles of anonymous works. (la 

Initials of authors' names when these only are 

known, the last initial being put first. (Ib 

. Pseudonyms of the writers when the real names 

are not ascertained. (Ic 

Names of editors of collections, each separate 
item to be at the same time sufficiently cata- 
logd under its own heading. (Id 

Names of countries, cities, societies, or other 
bodies which are responsible for their publica- 
tion, (le 

First word (not an article or serial number) 
of the titles of periodicals and of anonymous 
books, the names of whose authors are not 
known. And a motto or the designation of 
a series may be neglected when it begins a 
title, and the entry may be made under the 
first word of the real title following. (If 

1 These rules are intended to present only the outlines of 
cataloging; for definitions, the discussion of peculiar 
cases, and illustrative examples, see Cutter's Rules, 
published by the U. S. Bureau of Education as Part 2 of 
its special report on libraries. The rules of the L. A. U. 
K. were printed in the Library journal, 6: 315-316. The 
Bodleian cataloging rules are given as an appendix to the 
Proceedings at this Convention (p. 136). 



Commentaries accompanying a text and trans- 
lations are to be entered under the heading 
of the original work ; but commentaries with- 
out the text under the name of the com- 
mentator. A book entitled "Commentary 
on ..." and containing the text should be 
put under both. (Ig 

The Bible, or any part of it (including the 
Apocrypha), in any language, is to be en- 
tered under the word Bible. (Ih 

The Tabttttd-axA Koran (and parts of them) are 
to be entered under those words ; the sacred 
books of other religions are to be entered 
under the names by which they are generally 
known ; references to be given from the names 
of editors, translators, etc. (li 

The respondent or defender of an academical 
thesis is to be considered as the author, un- 
less the work unequivocally appears to be the 
work of the praeses. (Ij 

Books having more than one author to be en- 
tered under the one first named in the title 
with a reference from each of the others. (Ik 

Reports of civil actions are to be entered under 
the name of the party to the suit which 
stands first on the title-page. Reports of 
crown and criminal proceedings are to be 
entered under the name of the defendant. 
Admiralty proceedings relating to vessels are 
to be put under the name of the vessel. (11 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



Noblemen are to be entered under their titles, 
unless the family name is decidedly better 
known. (1m 

Ecclesiastical dignitaries, unless popes or 
sovereigns, are to be entered under their sur- 
names. (In 
Sovereigns (other than Greek or Roman) 
ruling princes, Oriental writers, popes, 
friars, persons canonized, and all other 
persons known only by their first name, are to 
be entered under this first name (lo 
Married women, and other persons who have 
changed their names, are to be put under the 
last well-known form. (Ip 
A pseudonym may be used instead of the sur- 
name (and only a reference to the pseudonym 
made under the surname) when an author is 
much more known by his false than by his 
real name. In case of doubt use the real 
name. (Iq 
A society is to be entered under the first 
word, not an article, of its corporate name, 
with references from any other name by 
which it is known, especially from the name 
of the place where its head-quarters are estab- 
lished, if it is often called by that name. (Ir 
References. When an author has been known 
by more than one name, references should be 
inserted from the name or names not to be 
used as headings to the one used. (Is 
References are also to be made to the headings 

chosen : 

from the titles of all novels and plays and of 
poems likely to be asked for by their 
titles ; (It 

from other striking titles ; (lu 

from noticeable words in anonymous titles, 
especially from the names of subjects of 
anonymous biographies ; (Iv 

from the names of editors of periodicals, when 
the periodicals are generally called by the 
editor's name ; (Iw 

from the names of important translators (espe- 
cially poetical translators) and commenta- 
tors ; (Ix 
from the title of an ecclesiastical dignitary, 
when that, and not the family name, is used 
in the book catalogd ; (ly 
and in other cases where a reference is needed 
to insure the ready finding of the book. (Iz 



HEADINGS. 

In the heading of titles, the names of authors 
are to be given in full, and in their vernacu- 
lar form, except that the Latin form may be 
used when it is more generally known, the 
vernacular form being added in parentheses ; 
except, also, that sovereigns and popes may 
be given in the English form. (2a 

English and French surnames beginning with a 
prefix (except the French de and d 1 ) are to 
be recorded under the prefix ; in other 
languages under the word following; (2b 

English compound surnames are to be entered 
under the last part of the name ; foreign 
ones under the first part ; (20 

Designations are to be- added to distinguish 
writers of the same name from each other ; (2d 

Prefixes indicating the rank or profession of 
writers may be added in the heading, when 
they are part of the usual designation of the 
writers. (2e 

Names of places to be given in the English 
form. When both an English and a vernac- 
ular form are used in English works, prefer 
the vernacular. (2f 

TITLES. 

The title is to be an exact transcript of the 
title-page, neither amended, translated, nor 
in any way altered, except that mottoes, 
titles of authors, repetitions, and matter 
of any kind not essential, are to be omitted. 
Where great accuracy is desirable, omissions 
are to be indicated by a group of three dots 
(...). The titles of books especially valuable 
for antiquity or rarity may be given in full, 
with all practicable precision. The phrase- 
ology and spelling, but not necessarily the 
punctuation, of the title are to be exactly 
copied. (3a 

Any additions needed to make the title clear 
are to be supplied and enclosed by 
brackets. (3b 

Initial capitals are to be given in English : (3c 
to proper names of persons and personifica- 
tions, places, bodies, noted events, and 
periods (each separate word not an article, 
conjunction, or preposition, may be capital- 
ized in these cases ) ; (3d 



COOPERATION COMMITTEE. 



9 1 



to adjectives and other derivatives from 
proper names when they have a direct refer- 
ence to the person, place, etc., from which 
they are derived ; (30 

to the first word of every sentence and of 
every quoted title ; (3f 

to titles of honor when standing instead of a 
proper name {e.g., the Earl of Derby, but 
John Stanley, earl of Derby) ; (3g 

In foreign languages, according to the local 
usage ; (3h 

In doubtful cases capitals are to be avoided. (3! 
Foreign languages. Titles in foreign charac- 
ters may be transliterated. The languages 
in which a book is written are to be stated 
when there are several, and the fact is not 
apparent from the title. (3J 

[A committee of the A. L. A. has been directed to pre- 
pare a code of rules for transliteration.] 

IMPRINTS. 

After the title are to be given, in the following 

order, those in [ ] being optional : 
the edition ; (4a 

the place of publication ; (4b 

[and the publishers name] (these three in 
the language of the title) ; (40 

the year as given on the title-page, but in 
Arabic figures ; (4d 

[the year of copyright or actual publication, 
if known to be different, in brackets, 
and preceded by c. or p. as the case may 
be] ; ( 4 e 

the number of volumes, or of pages if there 
is only one volume ; (4f 

[the number of maps, portraits, or illustra- 
tions not included in the text] ; (4g 
and either the approximate size designated by 
letter (see Library journal, 3: 19-20), or 
the exact size in centimeters ; (4h 
the name of the series to which the book 
belongs is to be given in parentheses after 
the other imprint entries. (4i 
After the place of publication, the place of 
printing may be given, if different. This is 
desirable only in old and rare books. (4] 
The number of pages is to be indicated by giv- 
ing the last number of each paging, connect- 
ing the numbers by the sign + ; the addition 
of unpaged matter may be shown by a +, or 



the number of pages ascertained by counting 
may be given in brackets. When there are 
more than three pagings, it is better to add 
them together and give the sum in brackets. 
These imprint entries are to give the facts, 
whether ascertained from the book or from 
other sources ; those which are usually taken 
from the title (edition, place, publisher's 
name, and series) should be in the language 
of the title, corrections and additions being 
enclosed in brackets. It is better to give 
the words, "maps," "portraits," etc., and 
the abbreviations for "volumes" and 
"pages," in English. (4k 

CONTENTS, NOTES. 

Notes (in English) and contents of volumes 
are to be given when necessary to 
properly describe the works. Both notes 
and lists of contents to be in a smaller 
type. (5a 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

A single dash or indent indicates the omission 
of the preceding heading; a subsequent 
dash or indent indicates the omission of a 
subordinate heading, or of a title. (6a 

A dash connecting numbers signifies to and in- 
cluding', following a number it signifies con- 
tinuation. (6b 

A ? following a word or entry signifies 
Probably. (6c 

Brackets enclose words added to titles or im- 
prints or changed in form. (6d 

Arabic y^/r^r are to be used rather than Ro- 
man; but small capitals may be used after 
the names of sovereigns, princes, and popes. 

(6e 

A list of abbreviations to be used was given in 
the Library journal, 3: 16-20. (6f 

ARRANGEMENT. 

The surname when used alone precedes the 
same name used with fore-names ; where the 
initials only of the fore-names are given, they 
are to precede fully written fore-names 
beginning with the same initials, (e.g., 
Brown; Brown, J. ; Brown, J. L. ; Brown, 
James.) (7* 



92 BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 

The prefixes M' and Me, S., St., Ste., Messrs., 3. Single works, alphabetically by the 

Mr., and Mrs., are to be arranged as if writ- first word of the title. (76 

ten in full, Mac, Sanctus, Saint, Sainte, Mes- The order of alphabeting is to be that of the 

sieurs, Mister, and Mistress. (7b English alphabet. (ji 

The works of an author are to be arranged in The German ae, oe, ue, are always to be written 

the following order : a, 6, ii, and arranged as a, o, u. (7g 

Names of persons are to precede similar names 

1. Collected works. (70 of places, which in turn precede similar first 

2. Partial collections. (7d words of titles. (7h 



PROCEEDINGS. 



93 



THE PROCEEDINGS. 



FIRST SESSION. 
(TUESDAY MORNING.) 

THE sixth general meeting of the Associa- 
tion was called to order at 10.30 A.M., August 
14, 1883, in the Executive Committee Room of 
the Young Men's Library at Buffalo. On mo- 
tion of Mr. DEWEY, Secretary, Mr. C: ALEX. 
NELSON, of the Astor Library, New York, was 
elected Assistant Secretary. The President, 
Mr. JUSTIN WINSOR, reminded the Association 
that they were, to a certain extent, the guests 
of the Young Men's Association of Buffalo, 
and it would be proper to listen to some words 
of welcome from the President of that body, 
Mr. E: B. SMITH. 

ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT SMITH. 

Ladies and gentlemen, members of the Amer- 
ican Library Association, In behalf of the 
Young Men's Association and Grosvenor Li- 
braries, I esteem it a great pleasure to extend a 
hearty welcome to those of your number who 
have come from a distance to participate in the 
important deliberations for which you have 
here assembled. 

I feel warranted in saying for the people of 
Buffalo generally, that they are honored by 
your presence in our midst, and will unite with 
us in making your stay agreeable. 

The assembling here for several years past 
of representatives of learned societies has 
awakened in our citizens an interest in what- 
ever tends to lift us out of the rut and routine 
of our humdrum business lives, and given new 
encouragement to the growth of our literary, 
art, and scientific institutions. 

We trust that our steady steps of progress 
in this direction have reached a point from 
which we may look hopefully to the future. 

At this time an earnest effort is being made 
to erect a commodious fire-proof building for 
the permanent home of our libraries and other 
kindred societies, the academy of fine arts 
and that of natural sciences. 

If this enterprise is successful, we shall have 
a building which, by its size, architectural 
beauty, and fitness for purposes for which it is 



designed, will be an ornament to our city, the 
pride of our people, and a centre of attraction 
to strangers in our midst. 

I trust that your interest may be so far en- 
listed in our project that you will aid us by 
such practical suggestions as may spring from 
your abundant knowledge of the subject of 
modern construction of library buildings. 

With the expression of a hope that your 
meeting in Buffalo may be crowned with sub- 
stantial results, I will forbear trespassing any 
further upon your valuable time, repeating the 
assurances of a most cordial welcome to you 
all. 

President WINSOR then delivered the open- 
ing address. 

{Seep, i.) 

SECRETARY'S REPORT. 
Mr. DEWEY, Secretary, reported orally : 
There has been the usual routine work in the 
general offices during the year. Constant in- 
quiries about starting new and remodelling old 
libraries have come in. The year has been 
noticeable for the number of great gifts to li- 
braries and the number of fine new buildings. 
Among other recent beneficiaries I casually 
note Amherst and Columbia Colleges, the Uni- 
versity of Vermont, Lehigh and Cornell Uni- 
versities, Providence, Toronto, Pittsburgh, 
Baltimore, and Northampton, etc. Never has 
there been so much practical interest shown 
by wealthy men in libraries. The most hope- 
ful sign, however, is the great number of 
smaller libraries springing up all over the 
country, and the admirable spirit inspiring 
their promoters. Many beside our actual mem- 
bers are earnestly working under our banner 
of" the best reading for the largest number." 
Our excellent plan of Sections and yearly Re- 
porters relieves me of most of the topics perti- 
nent to my report. I wish again to urge on 
all members the importance of sending to each 
yearly Reporter everything bearing on his 
topic. 

The new Treasurer has proved the best man 
on the Board this year, as his report will prac- 
tically show. 



94 



B UFFAL O CONFERENCE. 



Those of you who noted the destruction of 
the old offices in 32 Hawlej st. by fire will be 
glad to know that nearly all our A.L. A. collec- 
tions were saved, and that the building is nearly 
rebuilt, and much better than before. Mr. 
Davidson, who was with me as First Assistant 
as early as 1876, when the Association was 
started, will continue the work of the Library 
Bureau in the new building. The various De- 
partments (Employment, Consultation, Cata- 
log, Index, etc.) have proved increasingly 
useful during the year, and clearly met a real 
want. The Library manual, on which I have 
been at work for years, is going forward now 
more rapidly, and will go to press, I hope, be- 
fore our next meeting. The call for the detailed 
information which it will give leads me to hope 
that it will be practically very useful. Of the 
A.L.A. Catalog I am to give a brief oral 
report later. In summary, the usefulness and 
influence of the A.L. A. have been greater than 
ever before, and are constantly extending. 

FINANCE. 

Mr. S: S. GREEN, chairman of the Finance 
Committee, read his accounts with the Asso- 
ciation. 

SAMUEL S. GREEN, Chairman of the Finance 
Committee of the AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSO- 
CIATION, in account -with the Association : 

1882. DR. 
May ii. To balance from last ac- 
count $244 40 

31. To membership and assess- 
ment fees received before 
or at the meeting in Cin- 
cinnati 104 oo 

31. To books, etc., sold for 
Meivil Dewey, at Cin- 
cinnati meeting ... 8 25 
Aug. 9. To assessments received 
after the Cincinnati meet- 
ing 16 oo 



$11 50 



CR. 



$372 65 



May 31. By Charles Hamilton, 
postal-cards and print- 
ing $3 25 

June i. Cash paid to Meivil Dewey 8 25 

Amount carried forward, $11 50 



3 50 



Amount brought forward, 
June 12. W. F. Poole, to paid bill of 
Charles D. Rubel & Co., 

for printing 

Sept. 5. Express on package sent to 

J. L. Whitney, Treasurer, 15 

6. By check sent to James L. 

Whitney, Treasurer . . 357 50 

$372 65 



SAMUEL S. GREEN, 
Chairman of the Finance Committee 
of the American Library Association. 

A statement, of which this is a duplicate, was 
examined by us during the meeting at Buffalo, 
in August, 1883, compared with the vouchers, 
and found to be correct. 

J. N. LARNED, 
W. E. FOSTER, 
Of the Finance Committee A.L^A. 

TREASURER'S REPORT. 

Mr. J. L. WHITNEY, Treasurer, presented 
his annual report. 

On examining the account books of the Asso- 
ciation soon after my appointment as Treasurer, 
I found considerable irregularities in the pay- 
ments of the dues of members. Some had 
paid regularly, while others, for various rea- 
sons, had neglected so to do. It seemed to me, 
therefore, that a letter written to each member, 
instead of the printed circular which it had 
been the custom to send, might obtain a quicker 
response, and at least enable the Association 
to get more direct and exact information in re- 
gard to its members. I therefore sent over 
four hundred letters to those whose names ap- 
peared upon the books, giving a statement of 
the account of each person with the Treasurer. 

The responses were numerous, many mem- 
bers sending the amounts due from them. 
Quite a number gave notice of discontinuance 
of membership, some, because they had 
abandoned library work, others on 'account 
of their distance from the members of the 
Association and its meetings, and others still 
because, having fallen behindhand in the 
payment of their dues, they did not feel able to 
make good the deficiency. Several members 
have died since the list of members was pub- 
lished, in 1879. 



PROCEEDINGS. 



95 



As nearly as can be estimated, there are now 
eighteen life members of the Association, and 
about three hundred regular members. Of the 
last mentioned, three have paid their dues to 
the end of 1884, forty-one through 1883 
(formal request has not yet been made for the 
payment for 1883) ; one hundred through 1882 ; 
thirty-nine through 1881 ; eight through 1880; 
sixty-five through 1879; sixteen through 1878; 
eleven through 1877; and six through 1876. 

It may be said that of those who have not 
paid recently, a large part joined the Associa- 
tion in its early days to help give it an impetus, 
and others since that time to participate in its 
social pleasures and excui-sions, with little 
thought of indefinite continuance as members. 
A revision of the list would seem to be desir- 
able, with perhaps a division into two classes : 
I. Regular members. 2. Associate members, 
non-librarians, for the most part, who might 
feel at liberty to come and go at pleasure, leav- 
ing the working librarians a more compact and 
manageable body. The Treasurer would then 
feel less anxiety by reason of the long list of 
those who fail to respond to his call. 

The following is the account of the Treasurer 
with the Association : 

1882. Dr. 
Sept. 9. To amount received 

from S. S. Green, 
Chairman of the Fi- 
nance Committee . . $357 50 

1883. To membership dues 

received to August 9, 

1883 377 45 

To interest received 
to June i, 1883 ... 4 75 



$739 70 



1882. Cr. 

Oct. 13. By cash paid Rock- 
well & Churchill for 
printing Report of 
Convention, at Cin- 
cinnati $225 94 

1883. 

Jan. i. By M. Dewey, bill 
for expenses of Secre- 
tary 41 17 

Feb. 12. By F. P. Hathaway, 

bill for binding . . 55 



Amount brought far-ward, $272 61 
Feb. 26. By F. Leypoldt, bill 
for paper for Cincin- 
nati report .... 18 27 
Aug. 9. By Treasurer's ex- 
penses, stationery, 
postage-stamps, ex- 
pressage, etc. ... 13 50 



$304 38 
By cash balance . . 435 32 



$739 70 



Amount carried forward, $272 61 



Dr. 
1883. 
Aug. 10. To balance on 

hand $435 32 

All of which is on deposit at the Middlesex 
Institution for Savings, Concord, Massachu- 
setts. 

JAMES L. WHITNEY, 

Treasurer. 
CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS, August 9, 1883. 

Examined, with vouchers, and found correct. 
SAMUEL S. GREEN, 
J. N. LARNED, 
W. E. FOSTER, 
Finance Com. Amer. Lib. Ass'n. 



Mr. S: S. GREEN, referring to a suggestion 
in the Treasurer's report, moved that the sub- 
ject of the division of members into regular 
and associate be referred to the Executive 
Board, with full powers, which was voted. 

On motion of Judge CHAMBERLAIN, the Re- 
ports of the Chairman of the Finance Com- 
mittee and of the Treasurer were referred to 
the Finance Committee to be audited. 

Mr. GREEN called the attention of members 
to the large balance in the treasury. 

Mr. DEWEY said that it was wholly due to 
the fact that the Treasurer had been sitting up 
nights, writing letters persistently, all over the 
country, dunning delinquents. 

PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 

The Committee of the Association appointed 
to try to secure from Congress provision for 
the distribution of public documents that 
would be satisfactory to libraries, consisting of 
Samuel S. Green, A. R. Spofford, J. S. Bil- 



9 6 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



lings, J: W. M. Lee, and Chester W. Merrill, 
made a majority and minority report. 

Mr. GREEN, in reading the report of the ma- 
jority, called attention to an article published 
by himself in the Library journal, for Sep- 
tember, 1882, which gives an account of im- 
portant legislation had at the last session but 
one of Congress (47th Congress, ist session), 
and describes valuable printed lists of docu- 
ments, which have been recently issued. 

A joint resolution passed at that session of 
Congress provides that every document and 
report ordered to be printed by Congress shall 
be sent to designated depositories, that is, 
practically, to all the large libraries of the 
country. 

At the same session of Congress (47th Con- 
gress, ist session) the following resolution 
was passed by the House of Representatives : 

"Resolved, That the Librarian of Congress, 
the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 
and the Superintendent of Documents, Depart- 
ment of the Interior, be and they are hereby 
requested to compile the laws and regulations 
now in force governing the printing and distri- 
bution of public documents ; to prepare a tab- 
ulated statement showing the number of docu- 
ments printed by order of the Forty-Sixth, 
and the first session of the Forty-Seventh 
Congress, and under general laws now in 
force, and the disposition directed to be made 
of the same, and to report what reductions 
should be made in the number of such docu- 
ments, and to present such other information 
at their command, relating to public docu- 
ments, as will tend to promote judicious legisla- 
tion, and submit the draft of a bill to pro- 
vide for the printing and distribution of docu- 
ments ; and they shall report to the House at 
the beginning of the next session." 

In compliance with this resolution a report 
(with a proposed bill and resolutions providing 
for the printing and distribution of public doc- 
uments) was made to the House of Represen- 
tatives at its last session (47th Congress, 2d 
session). Copies of this report, etc., may be 
had on application to Rev. J. G. Ames, Super- 
intendent of Documents, Department of the 
Interior. 

When this report was presented, Mr. Green 
stated that he had a postal-card printed, which 
he sent to the librarians of several libraries in 
large cities, asking them to write letters to 



members of the Senate Committee on Print- 
ing, requesting them to act favorably on the 
report, bill, and resolutions. Many libraries 
responded to this request, but no legislation 
was had at this session of Congress. 

The committee, with the exception of Dr. 
Billings, recommended that the following peti- 
tion be circulated freely among the librarians 
of the country for signatures, and sent to Con- 
gress at its next session : 

To the House of Representatives of the United 
States in Congress assembled, 

We, the undersigned, librarians of public and 
other libraries within the United States, do 
most respectfully but earnestly invite the atten- 
tion of your honorable body to the inadequate 
provisions now in force for the supply of said 
libraries with the publications of the govern- 
ment. 

In our experience we have found that, with 
few exceptions, the libraries of the country are 
sadly overlooked in the distribution of these 
publications ; that but few are in regular receipt 
of the same; that perhaps not a single library in 
the land, save the Library of Congress, receives 
a copy of each document printed by the govern- 
ment ; that most, even of the large libraries, are 
lamentably deficient in public documents that 
are of greatest value to the public; that, often, 
the issue of important publications is not known 
to libraries until the edition is distributed and 
copies no longer obtainable except by purchase, 
sometimes at exorbitant prices, from dealers in 
the same, and that under the existing system of 
printing and distributing public documents it 
is impossible for most of the libraries of the 
country to secure anything approaching a com- 
plete file of the current publications of the 
government. 

In view of these facts, and believing that it 
will be regarded as an indisputable proposition 
that public, university, college, and school 
libraries should be accorded the first place in 
the distribution of public documents, we most 
respectfully present this our petition that such 
modification of the laws relating to this subject 
may be made as will secure to these libraries 
the regular and permanent supply of public 
documents, independently of all personal solic- 
itation or courtesy, and as will provide the 
earliest practicable information to the public as 



PROCEEDINGS. 



97 



to publications ordered and issued by the 
government. 

It is believed that this will involve no in- 
crease in the number of documents printed, but 
only a more judicious and systematic distribu- 
tion of the same. 

The undersigned respectfully refer your hon- 
orable body to the report presented to the last 
Congress by Mr. J. G. Ames, Superintendent 
of Documents, Prof. S. F. Baird, Secretary of 
the Smithsonian Institution, and Mr. A. R. 
Spofford, Librarian of Congress, and to the 
proposed act and resolutions recommended in 
said report, which proposed act and resolutions, 
so far as they relate to libraries and to the 
supply of information regarding the issue of 
public documents, we most heartily approve, 
believing that their enactment and adoption 
will in a large measure remedy existing evils, 
give general satisfaction to the libraries of the 
country, and promote the public good. 

Mr. Green stated that Dr. Billings, of Wash- 
ington, who would jmake the minority report, 
representing his own views and that of other 
heads of bureaus and departments in Washing- 
ton, had acted heartily with the committee in 
trying to bring about a distribution of public 
documents that would be satisfactory to li- 
brarians. 

Dr. J. S. BILLINGS, of the U.S. Surgeon 
General's office. I should hardly dignify 
what I have to say as a minority report; but, 
I think, it would be well, in suggesting action 
by Congress on this matter, to bear in mind 
the wishes and interests of the various depart- 
ments and heads of bureaus in Washington, 
and also those of scientific men, so far, at 
least, as relates to those special scientific or 
technological reports issued by the govern- 
ment, and it is to this class of reports that 
I confine my remarks. The object of a head 
of a bureau, or of a department, in issuing this 
class of reports is to place them in the hands 
of those who are especially interested in the 
subject, and who have contributed information 
or material used in the reports ; and, also, to 
obtain exchanges from societies and individuals 
who publish reports or documents on subjects 
connected especially with the work of the 
department. Scientific men, and scientific 
societies, are also especially desirous of obtain- 
ing these documents, and it seems probable that 
if the distribution of them were left to the 



heads of bureaus and departments they would be 
most likely to come into the hands of those 
who would appreciate them and make the best 
use of them ; also, in this way the United States 
would be able to obtain, by way of exchange, 
the most useful and valuable returns for them. 
I think there is no doubt that the heads of 
departments and bureaus, and the scientific 
men who are working in or for them, will very 
strongly object to having the distribution of 
their reports and documents of this kind placed 
under the control of a single bureau of a single 
department. On the other hand, I am quite as 
desirous as any one that these reports should 
go to the principal libraries of this country, 
and that they should be sent there promptly 
and regularly; and it appears to me that this 
can be done without interfering with the distri- 
bution by the several departments above 
referred to, and without creating any special 
bureau of supervision. So far as reports and 
books, which do not contain separate plates, 
are concerned, it is only necessary to provide 
that the government printer shall be furnished 
with a list of all the libraries entitled to 
receive such reports, and be authorized and 
directed to print, in addition to the number 
ordered for the use of the department, a suffi- 
cient number to supply these libraries, and to 
send the copies to them direct. The same 
authority should be given in those cases where 
the plates for the work are prepared under the 
direction of the government printer. In 
those cases in which a 'fixed appropriation is 
made for the preparation of costly plates, as 
for example, was done for the plates of the 
Medical and Surgical History of the War, 
the supply for the libraries should be taken, 
not from the number allotted to the depart- 
ment, but from the number allotted to members 
of Congress for distribution. 

It appears to me that, under existing laws, the 
libraries designated as depositories for public 
documents should receive copies of everything 
printed at the government printing-office ; 
but that, as they have to wait until members 
of Congress are supplied, and, also, until the 
copies destined for them can be bound, this 
often gives rise to a delay of a year, or even 
more, before they obtain their supply. This, 
however, might be avoided by their taking the 
documents unbound, and having them sent 
directly from the government printing-office, 



9 8 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



instead of through the intermedium of a dis- 
tributing bureau. I wish co be distinctly 
understood as not in any way opposing the 
furnishing of all such reports to all public 
libraries of any size throughout the country. 
I think they are fully entitled to receive copies 
of everything that is printed for gratuitous 
distribution by the United States ; but I also 
think it extremely desirable that those scientific 
men who are especially interested in particular 
subjects should not have their supply of govern- 
ment reports cut off, and that the bureaus and 
departments should not be deprived of that 
stimulus and incentive to work which comes 
from the power of distributing their own 
reports and obtaining exchanges for them, and 
placing it on the lowest possible ground, viz., 
as a mere question of policy. It seems to me 
that the librarians should take into considera- 
tion the wishes of these bureaus and scientists 
in recommending any particular action to Con- 
gress upon this matter. 

Rev. Dr. B. K. PEIRCE, Supt. Newton 
(Mass.) Free Library. There appears to be 
so much harmony between the reports that the 
only question is as to the best way to secure 
this end. The committee, by conference, might 
harmonize their differences. We who are 
interested in public libraries are interested in 
securing all these important documents. I 
move that both reports be referred back to the 
committee. 

Mr. J. N. LARNED, of the Young Men's 
Library, Buffalo, moved as an amendment that 
the President, Mr. Poole, of Chicago, and Mr. 
Linderfelt. of Milwaukee, be added to the 
original committee, and that this committee 
take further cognizance of the whole matter, 
and report at a later session. 

The motion passed as amended. 

A.L.A. CATALOG. 

Mr. DEWEY reported progress on the 
A.L.A. Catalog : 

To bring the matter more clearly to mind let 
me very briefly summarize the history of the 
A.L.A. Catalog. After proposing the scheme, 
with considerable detail, in the Library jour- 
nal, I submitted it to our Boston meeting in 
1879. It was received with no little enthusiasm. 
I took nearly $1,200 in subscriptions without 
leaving the floor, thus guaranteeing the publi- 
cation under the circumstances then existing. 



We were to make about 250 pages, 20 titles to 
the page, classified by subjects, and with the 
most useful very brief notes we could prepare 
or " appropriate " from our best annotated 
catalogs and class-lists. This class-list of the 
5,000 best books for a general library, repre- 
senting both in titles and notes the combined 
wisdom of our Association, was at once begun 
by Mr. F: B. Perkins, editor of the " Best 
reading, " etc., who resigned at the Boston 
Public Library, and took up quarters at the 
general offices of the A.L.A., in 32 Hawley 
street, Boston. Lists were made or checked 
by specialists, and much preliminary work was 
well started, when Mr. Perkins was called west 
by his election in San Francisco, and was 
forced to stop all outside work. My own 
duties grew doubly pressing, and really no ad- 
vance editorial work has been done since. 

We have, however, not abandoned the work, 
but have been looking for the right editor. 
The Executive Board and the Cooperation 
Committee have considered several plans, and 
finally, at our last meeting, it was put into 
the hands of the Cooperation Committee, the 
Finance Committee, and the Secretary, with 
full power, except that no plan should be 
adopted which should involve the Association 
in any expense. 

This new committee of seven are soon to 
meet, and try once more to secure a satisfactory 
editor. My report, is therefore, of progress. 
During all these delays constant inquiries for 
the A.L.A. Catalog have come to me, and 
an extraordinary number of people have ex- 
pressed the greatest interest in its early com- 
pletion, and faith in its great usefulness. 

Mr. POOLE. The subscriptions for the 
A.L.A. Catalog, which Mr. Dewey says he 
has brought with him, were made three years 
ago at the meeting in Boston, and with the 
understanding that the work would be com- 
pleted very soon. These expectations, for 
which no person present is responsible, have 
not been realized, and it does not appear in Mr. 
Dewey's report how or by whom he expects 
the work to be done. The project is still in the 
shadowy future. I am confident it will remain 
a subject of annual prophecy and discussion 
until some competent librarian accepts the duty 
and responsibility of chief editor, puts his own 
labor and individuality into it, and calls upon* 
the rest of us to give him such assistance as 



PROCEEDINGS. 



99 



he needs. Committees are not worth a farthing 
to do such work. I do not believe it to be a 
legitimate function of our Association to pub- 
lish books, or to take up subscriptions among 
ourselves to defray the expenses of their publi- 
cation. Whatever we, as members of the 
American Library Association, are likely, in the 
line of bibliography, to cooperate in doing, 
is merchantable property, and needs no sub- 
scriptions in money to carry it through. Pub- 
lishers will be glad to assume the expense and 
pay a copyright for the same. We have had 
too much talk and too little action during these 
years about the A.L.A. Catalog. If I had 
a tithe of the interest in it which Mr. Dewey 
and other members have expressed, I would 
have done it myself; for I have made half a 
dozen lists of books for new libraries of about 
the number of volumes proposed, while this 
project has been under discussion. The work 
could be done in six months. I make this 
estimate on the assumption that the selection 
of the "five thousand best books for a small 
library " would express simply the judgment 
of the chief editor. If the list were submitted 
to a committee, and they were expected to agree, 
my estimate would be widely erroneous. A 
positfon on that committee would not be an 
enviable one, and might prove to be a life 
estate. This is a good time for a new depart- 
ure. We have talked enough about the mat- 
ter. Let the old subscriptions be cancelled ; 
let Mr. Dewey himself assume the duties of 
chief editor, and call upon us for cooperation 
if he needs it. I have heard of one or more 
New York publishers who were seeking for a 
model catalog of books for small libraries, 
and who will bear all the expenses and pay a 
copyright. The problem which has vexed us 
for these many years will then have been solved. 

Mr. DEWEY. May I remind our Nestor of 
librarians that we have now waited only four 
years for the A.L.A. Catalog. We had to wait 
thirty for Poole's Index, and yet we are all 
proud of it, in spite of the delay. I trust in a 
much shorter time we can show an A.L.A. 
Catalog of which we shall be equally proud. 

Dr. HOMES, N.Y. State Library. If 5,000 
titles are to be included in the original cata- 
log, the supplement should include 500 to 
1,000 titles. We ought to print a complete 
volume for appearance' sake. 

Mr. B. P. MANN, of Washington. Is the 



catalog to include 5,000 titles only, and when 
new titles are put in are old ones to go out? 
Are you to drop a title for every title added? 

Mr. DEWEY. Only those that are super- 
seded are to be dropped out, the additions will 
constantly increase the scope of the work. 

Mr. MANN. If the number of titles is to be 
limited, the several classes should be classified 
and a certain number of titles assigned to 
each. If this be the plan, call on geologists to 
select say forty best works on geology, and so 
on. Then why can we not begin at once? 

Mr. DEWEY. This work has already partly 
been done, and is the plan in view. Lists from 
many specialists have been collected and partly 
edited by Mr. F: B. Perkins. We have a good 
start, and only lack a competent editor to com- 
plete the work. 

Mr. J. EDMANDS, of Philadelphia. This 
catalog is to be of special benefit to the very 
large number of small libraries, to be as a 
guide in selecting their collection in due pro- 
portion. It will fail of this if printed in sec- 
tions. Better print in full. Let the com- 
mittee work on with about 5,000 titles, and do 
the best they can, and revise according to the 
demands of the times. Use more faith, and 
get it all out together. 

Dr. PEIRCE. There is a great interest in 
this catalog, and it will do great good. There 
is good in both suggestions. The effect of this 
Association is felt all over the United States, 
and new libraries are being established. The 
requisition is for a list for new libraries. We at 
Newton had the aid of Mr. Poole. The need of 
the new institutions is a standard list for their 
foundation to fall back upon. They will buy the 
new books as they come out. We shall need 
an additional list once every one, two, or three 
years ; then the section or department lists will 
be useful. It is desirable to begin with a well- 
rounded list, and then publish supplemental 
lists in one or more departments. We at New- 
ton are interested in the first catalog, and will 
give our aid. 

Mr. GREEN. I thought the original plan 
was for the whole 5,000 titles. Has the plan 
been changed? 

Mr. DEWEY. Lack of funds decided us to 
print in sections. 

We decided unanimously that the best plan 
for this A.L.A. Catalog was the classified. If 
we were able to print all at once, there is no 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



object in holding back the first class ready for 
the printer till the last is done. We can print 
without loss as fast as the copy is ready, and can 
use the classes as fast as printed. 

There is great danger that, looking at one of 
its many uses, we forget the others; e.g. , some 
here assume that the catalog is for small 
libraries only. To my thinking it is even 
more needed in the large. A small library has 
only a few books on each topic. Choice be- 
tween them is easy compared to choice from a 
great library with thousands of works on some 
subjects. Remember that this A.L.A. list is 
not a catalog of any library, or a list of all 
books on the subject, but a SELECTION OF THE 
BEST only, and it is, therefore, specially needed 
where there are most chances of not getting 
the best book. 

There is also a great field for this catalog 
as a guide to individual buyers and readers. 
The ordinary bibliografy gives no notes of 
guidance such as we propose, and when a 
man in doubt which is best of the three books 
he knows of on his subject, consults the present 
bibliografy and finds three hundred titles to 
choose from instead of three, the last state of 
that man is worse than the first. 

Some of you appreciate the usefulness in 
one direction of our A.L.A. Catalog (that cer- 
tainly is to be, notwithstanding its cold bath 
from my friend the great indexer) ; some its use 
in other directions; but as yet I have found no 
one who has noted half the wants that these 
four years have shown me that it will supply. 
Libraries, great and small, schools, editors, 
booksellers, and all individual readers, will be 
grateful for this work. 

Mr. GUILD. I have found Stevens' list use- 
ful, but how many use it? Bossange's Biblio- 
theque fran^ais is useful, but how many use 
it? This catalog must be the work of one 
man. My apology for not giving aid is be- 
cause we have had our own library to move, and 
I am too old to do extra work. Old age is a 
good excuse for not doing extra work. Libra- 
rians all have plenty of work. Will the 
catalog have the influence and sale our good 
secretary expects ? 

Mr. LINDERFELT. I have continual en- 
quiries from new libraries. I think this cata- 
log will be most useful to our new libraries 
in the West. An idea struck me as I came into 
this hall. Let us adopt the admirable motto at 



the registry desk at the door, "Do it now" 
in parts or as a whole as we can. 

Mr. F. M. CRUNDEN, St. Louis Public Li- 
brary. If we are able to put forth this new 
catalog we shall not be doing unselfish work. 
I need it every day. Twenty times a day myself 
and assistants are called upon for informa- 
tion that this catalog with its class-lists would 
supply. Obtain subscriptions in advance, to 
meet the salary of this editor. I subscribed be- 
fore for twenty copies, and am willing now to 
make it fifty, if so we can carry through the 
work. 

Mr. DEWEY (taking down the offer). I 
never neglect to record such pledges of sup- 
port. If others will show the same spirit, we 
can complete our great enterprise at an early 
day. 

Dr. HOMES. A catalog of two hundred 
pages, twenty-five titles to the page, could be 
published for fifty cents. Harpers or Monroe 
would publish it for fifteen cents. 

Mr. DEWEY. Our idea was to charge $2.00 
for single copies, and thus get some returns to 
pay the editor. Library editions could be pre- 
pared at a low price. This is one of a hundred 
applications for this catalog. Library num- 
bers can be printed in the margin of sp'ecial 
editions, thus making a better and cheaper 
catalog. It will be kept in type, and special 
sections can be struck off for special uses at any 
time. 

Mr. J. W. WARD, Grosvenor Library, Buffalo. 
Why not have two or three persons each 
make such a catalog, and submit it for correc- 
tions ? I can make a catalog, Mr. Poole can 
make one. and others, and then the com- 
mittee revise these, and make up their list. 

Mr. DEWEY. This is the original plan, 
only that provided for more thorough work. 
Several experts- were to check (in colored 
pencils expressing their estimate) the best 
printed lists we now have, and the results were 
to be digested. 

Mr. MANN. I will guarantee to furnish a 
list in certain departments, say entomology 
and botany, and, with others doing the same, 
we can have our lists in six months. 

Mr. WARD. Does not this do away with 
the idea of a salaried editor? 

Mr. DEWEY. A competent editor must be 
had to condense results, do or supervise all 
clerical and routine work, and see it through 



PROCEEDINGS. 



101 



the press. The most we can ask of gratuitous 
help from our ablest and hardest-worked men 
is only those things that an ordinary literary 
worker cannot do. 

Mr. CRUNDEN. We must get that man, and 
it seems to me that we must have a sale suf- 
ficient to pay his salary. Most of my original 
subscribers of 1879 are dead, but I can find 
others, and, to help the matter along, I will 
take fifty copies. 

Dr. BILLINGS. If the only difficulty is to 
get an intelligent proof-reader and editor, and 
the Association can forego making any profit, 
there should be little difficulty. This work is 
peculiarly appropriate to the Bureau of Educa- 
tion at Washington ; it has a good man for 
editorial detail, and I think would take up 
the idea. 

Mr. DEWEY. No one has ever proposed an 
income from the publication. Our object is 
wholly to get the work properly done, and to 
guard against its quality being sacrificed to 
personal publishing interests. This plan 
would meet all the objections. 

On motion of the SECRETARY, it was unani- 
mously voted that Dr. Billings be added to the 
committee of seven, and that it be instructed to 
open communication with the Bureau of Edu- 
cation in the name of the Association, to re- 
present the importance of the work to general 
educational library interests, to ask coopera- 
tion, and to negotiate for the publication of 
the A.L.A. Catalog. 

COOPERATION. 

Mr. C: A. CUTTER presented orally the re- 
port of the Cooperation Committee : 

Your Committee on Cooperation have had 
only one meeting during the year, but they 
have done a little work, and they wish to call 
your attention to some work done by others. 

1. The indexing of obituaries in newspapers 
has continued during the present year. Some 
copies of the volume printed by the Index So- 
ciety have been received in this country, and 
have been distributed to cooperators. One or 
two more collaborators are wanted, and if any 
one wishes to acquire an approving conscience 
by a little easy labor, he or she would do well 
to report to me, when I will assign him or her 
a newspaper to index for obituaries. 

2. Mr. Soldan, of Peoria, has made an ar- 
rangement with certain foreign booksellers by 



which he can import German, French, and 
English books at more advantageous rates than 
previously. This he is able to do by forming a 
union of libraries, which put it in his power to 
offer large orders to his foreign agents. Of 
course the more libraries join this league the 
larger orders he can give and the better terms 
he can obtain for all. He will himself explain 
his methods. 1 

3. The great cooperation, the father of all 
cooperations, no, the elder brother of them all, 
who has gone out first into the world to shift 
for himself, has been remarkably successful 
there. But the very usefulness of Poole's Index 
makes us all unwilling to wait another thirty 
years for a new edition, or even five years for a 
supplement. Mr. W. K. Stetson, assistant li- 
brarian of the Wesleyan University, impressed 
with the need of more frequent indexes to 
periodical literature, induced a number of 
neighboring librarians to join with him in in- 
dexing each two of three of the more important 
quarterlies and monthlies, and exchanging 
hectograf copies of the references. The ar- 
rangement promised well, but he found that to 
engineer it required more time than he could 
well spare, and turned it over to this committee. 
Before long Mr. Leypoldt generously, but I 
fear I must say rashly, offered the columns of 
the Library journal for the publication of 
the monthly index, which Mr. Fletcher under- 
took to edit. You all know how well the work 
has been done and how useful it is. Mr. Poole 
has a plan for the yearly consolidation of these 
monthly parts, which he will himself explain 
to you. 

4. He will also have something to say in 
regard to the long-wanted index of essays, in 
which this committee will take at least a 
friendly interest. We are encouraged to hope 
that cooperation can do much in this field, be- 
cause the unassisted labor of one man has 
already accomplished so much in Mr. Gris- 
wold's lately issued volume. 

CATALOG RULES. 

Your committee, as directed at the Cincinnati 
meeting, have carefully compared our catalog- 
ing rules with those of the Library Association 

1 This Mr. Soldan had no opportunity to do during the 
convention. The plan is to be brought before the Co- 
operation Committee at its first meeting, and will probably 
be reported upon in the Library journal. 



102 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



of the United Kingdom, and, also, though not 
ordered to, with the "Compendious rules" 
issued by Mr. E. B. Nicholson, Bodley's libra- 
rian. They find that the three sets of rules are 
substantially the same. There are, however, 
seven cases in which the English Association 
differs from us, in which, in our opinion, we 
must continue to differ, and three cases in 
which we think the American rule should be 
altered to coincide with the English. There 
are also certain changes of phraseology, which 
we have adopted, to bring the rules verbally 
into greater agreement. 

The instances of non-concurrence are these : 
r. We retain the entry of pseudonymous 
books under the real name, instead of under the 
pseudonym, although we allow the use of the 
pseudonym as a heading, instead of the real 
name, when the pseudonym is much better 
known (as George Eliot, instead of Mrs. Lewes 
or Mrs. Cross). 

2. We retain the entry of anonymous books 
under the first word, in place of entry under the 
chief subject-word. 

3. We retain our own order for the imprint 
entries. 

4. We object to putting the author's fore- 
name in brackets, and see no advantage in put- 
ting it in parentheses. 

5. We object decidedly to the intrusion of 
the form-catalogue into the author-catalogue 
by putting service and prayer-books under the 
head of Liturgies. 

6. We cannot recommend that in an author- 
catalogue references should be made from the 
subjects of biographies to the writers. 

7. We adhere to the practice of treating 
German letters with the umlaut like the same 
letters without the umlaut, because we find that 
the general rule in German catalogues, and 
because we think there is little more reason for 
separating a and a in German than there is for 
separating e and e in French. 

On the other hand we have changed our rule 
of entry under a married woman's last name 
to read, like the English, " under the name best 
known," that being in accordance with the 
principle which led to the entry of noblemen 
under their titles, instead of under their family 
names, and to entry under noted pseudonyms, 
instead of in all cases under the real name. 

The other points in which we have altered 
our rule to follow the English rule are in the 



capitalization of titles of honor, and in making 
some directions regarding the imprint per- 
missive instead of obligatory. 

The English code treats of several matters 
which we thought it unnecessary to touch upon 
in the very brief compendium published in 
1878. Most of these additional rules we have 
included in the present code, as they are in ac- 
cordance with the general American practice. 

(TAe rules are printed on p. 89. See also 
p. 136.) 

Mr. WARD, of the Committee on Reception, 
called attention to the invitations on the pro- 
gram and moved their acceptance. Voted, 
with thanks. 

On motion of the SECRETARY, it was voted 
that the morning sessions be called to order 
at 10 o'clock A.M., the afternoon sessions 
at 3 o'clock P.M., and the evening ses- 
sions at 8 o'clock P.M. 

A recess was taken till 3 P.M., when the 
parties started on a, tour of the Buffalo libraries 
and societies which had extended invitations. 

SECOND SESSION. 
(TUESDAY EVENING.) 

The meeting was called to order by the PRESI- 
DENT at 8 o'clock. In the absence of Mr. F: B. 
PERKINS, of San Francisco, his Report on Shelf- 
classification was read by Mr. LINDERFELT. 

( The report -was accidentally lost ; ive have 
found it impossible to get a duplicate from the 
author, and reluctantly go to press without it.*) 

Mr. DEWEY answered the objections brought 
forward by Mr. Perkins to the relative shelf- 
arrangement. 

The PRESIDENT read an extract from a private 
letter just received from Professor FOXWELL, 
of the chair of political economy in the Uni- 
versity of Cambridge, England, and a fellow 
of St. John's College in that University, in which 
he writes: "I always look on the work of 
American librarians with despairing admiration. 
Whatever else your country may or may not be 
destined to take the lead in, it is certainly easily 
first in bibliography and the management of 
libraries." 

Mr. DEWEY. One of the gratifying items, to- 
day, vouching for the value of our meetings, is 
the number I see present who had written me 
that it was quite impossible to get away this 
year from pressing engagements at home. 



PROCEEDINGS. 



103 



In the absence of Mr. Stephen B. NOYES, of 
the Brooklyn Library, his Report on Cataloging 
was read by Mr. W. I. FLETCHER, of Hartford. 
(See p. 9.) 

CHANGED TITLES. 

Mr. J. L. WHITNEY, of the Boston Public 
Library, then read his paper entitled " A 
Modern Proteus." 

(See p. 10.) 

Judge CHAMBERLAIN. Authors often have 
trouble in finding titles to their books after 
they are written, just as ministers find difficulty 
in finding texts for their sermons after they are 
written. Often publishers' whims change the 
titles. I remember on reading " The Cathe- 
dral," by James R. Lowell, that I was puzzled at 
not finding any reference to a cathedral in the 
book. I wrote to Mr. Lowell in reference to 
it, and in reply he wrote me that the title was 
not his own. You will recollect he takes up 
and describes "A Day in June," "A Day in 
Winter," etc., including " A Day at Chartres," 
where the old cathedral was, and "A Day at 
Chartres " was the title given by Mr. Lowell ; 
but his publisher, Mr. James T. Fields, changed 
it to " The Cathedral." Mr. Lowell added that 
it was a mistake, and that when his works were 
collected he intended to restore the old title ; 
but it has not yet been done. 

INDEX OF ESSAYS. 

The PRESIDENT then called upon Mr. Poole 
to open the " discussion of suggestions towards 
the project of a cooperative general index to 
the standard English literature of criticism, 
biography, history, and social science." 

Mr. POOLE. There is in our libraries a vast 
amount of valuable literature in the form of 
essays, miscellanies and collections, to which 
our catalogues give no clue, and hence is not 
available to the student. There are also topics 
treated in the standard works of literary criti- 
cism, history, biography, and other departments 
of knowledge which would be of great value to 
the reader if they were made accessible by 
means of a general index, such as we now have 
to periodical literature. At our last meeting, 
at Cincinnati, I suggested that the preparation 
of such an index by the members of this Asso- 
ciation on the cooperative plan was practicable, 
and that if students, writers for the press, and 
men in literary pursuits, were ever to have 



such a help, the work must be done by libra- 
rians, and by the cooperative method. It is too 
large an enterprise to be accomplished by any 
one man in our profession, whose only avail- 
able hours for such work are those which other 
people use for rest and recreation. By com- 
bining our efforts under the management of a 
competent chief editor, and dividing the labor 
among us, the work can be done in a satisfac- 
tory manner, and within a reasonable period. 
At one time I had some serious intentions of 
assuming the labor and responsibility of con- 
ducting, for the second time, such an enterprise ; 
but on further consideration I have thought it 
prudent and advisable to leave the task for 
some younger librarian to take up, and, by car- 
rying it through successfully, make his name a 
household word with studious people. Having 
come to this decision, I can speak of the details 
of the scheme with more freedom ; and as a 
miles emeritus, who has, with a valiant corps 
of associates, fought through one similar cam- 
paign, can make, perhaps, some practical sug- 
gestions which will not be inappropriate to the 
subject. Having given the matter some thought, 
I am convinced that there are no obstacles to 
the consummation of the project which were 
not met and overcome in making the "Index 
to periodical literature." 

The first essential requisite is to find the 
proper man who will accept the position of 
chief editor, who will command the confidence 
of the profession, who will put his own individ- 
uality in the work, and conduct it with some- 
thing of autocratic sway. Mr. Fletcher, if he 
will take it, will make an excellent chief editor, 
so would Mr. Foster, for they both have had 
experience in this kind of work. Committees 
can do some things admirably ; so can town 
meetings ; but they cannot conduct a campaign, 
or do anything which requires administrative 
ability and executive oversight. One mind 
must have full charge of the enterprise, and 
the rest of us will give him such help as he 
asks for. 

The chief editor will not find the task an easy 
one or free from difficulties. The first edition, 
although very useful to readers, will be very 
unsatisfactory to himself. It will have annoy- 
ing omissions, some errors, many anomalies, 
and will be open to captious criticism . from 
those who love to find fault. It will have an 
unfavorable notice in "The Nation." It will 



104 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



be the basis, however, on which he can make 
a much better book for the second edition. Its 
usefulness and importance as a bibliographical 
aid will then have been appreciated by scholars 
and writers, and they will have sent in to him 
their references after investigating and writing 
upon a topic, instead of destroying them, as is 
now done. The fact that such an index cannot be 
made complete, harmonious, and bibliographi- 
cally accurate in the first issue, is, perhaps, one 
of the reasons why it has never been attempted. 

Another difficulty will be in deciding how 
wide a range shall be given to the topics under 
which references shall be made. It is neces- 
sary that some limit should be fixed, and the 
idea of making a "Universal index" as our 
friends across the water have been talking 
about is not for a moment to be entertained. 
Perhaps the limit which was observed in the 
"Index to periodical literature" is a safe one, 
which excluded medical, legal, and other purely 
professional and scientific serials, the main 
purpose being to help general students and 
scholars, who are many, in preference to the 
specialists, who are few. The work can, there- 
fore, be brought into reasonable limits. Criti- 
cal, literary, artistic, unprofessionally-scientific, 
biographical, and historical subjects are those 
which are most sought for. If we take into 
consideration the class of persons who will 
buy the book, for it must be made to sell and 
pay a copyright to the chief editor, and not be 
a financial burden to the Association, we 
should not make any mistake in the class of 
books to be indexed. All the libraries in the 
land, students in the higher schools and col- 
leges, writers for the press, and persons of 
literary pursuits, need such a manual, and pub- 
lishers will be glad to negotiate for its publica- 
tion. Let the range of topics be adapted to 
meet these popular wants, and, if the book be 
a success, the range of topics can be increased 
in future editions. 

I have made these remarks hoping to inspire 
some one of my youthful colleagues who is 
competent to undertake it, to consent to assume 
the duties of chief editor, to lay out his plans, 
and to call upon us to assist him. The mem- 
bers of the Association I know, from the sup- 
port they have given me in a similar under- 
taking, will cordially engage to cooperate in 
the execution of the scheme, and will faithfully 
fulfil their engagements. 



Mr. EDMANDS was of the opinion that it 
would be a little book not worth making; he 
asked for a more definite idea of the size of the 
book. 

Mr. POOLE. I would make a book of 400 
pages, worth $3.00 or $4.00. 

Mr. GREEN. Would you throw out such a 
subject as the telephone because it is scientific? 

Mr. POOI.E. I would not, it being a popular 
subject. 

Mr. GREEN. I received, iust before leaving 
home, an index somewhat of this kind, sent out 
by Mr. Griswold. I should like to ask Mr. 
Poole's opinion of that. 

Mr. POOLE. I think it, like all of Q^ P.'s 
indexes, fearfully and wonderfully made. 

Mr. DEWEY. At least "he had the courage 
to print," which Mr. Poole has assured us is an 
important trait of the "coming indexer." 

Mr. BISCOE, of Columbia College Library. 
Q^ P. attempts to make a very short cata- 
logue. To do this he makes his entries so brief 
that the difficulty is to find just what you want 
without looking at a large number of useless 
references, many of which are to very small 
parts of articles. His index contains more in 
less space than Poole. 

Mr. EDMANDS. I hope the suggestions will 
be put into some practical form soon. We may 
take a lesson from the Q^ P. indexes and the 
work of the London Index Society. The vol- 
umes they have published seem to me a waste 
of money and of time. We want not a multi- 
plicity of little indexes, but something compre- 
hensive jn which by a single reference we may 
find what we want. Lay out the ground. Call 
for volunteers to perform the work, under the 
supervision of a single editor. The importance 
of such a large and comprehensive index can- 
not be over-estimated, and the need of it is ex- 
ceedingly pressing. I think Mr. Poole is young 
enough to undertake this work, and that he 
will do it. 

Mr. GREEN. What would you give out to 
be indexed? 

Mr. POOLE. I would give Gibbon, Hume, 
sets of essays, etc., to individuals for indexing. 

Judge CHAMBERLAIN. Would you index 
critical books on Shakespeare? on the separate 
plays, say, on " Hamlet" ? 

Mr. POOLE. Yes, I would index everything 
on " Hamlet." I would make abookthey would 
cry for. 



PROCEEDINGS. 



The PRESIDENT (aside). A library sooth- 
ing-sirup. (Laughter.) 

Mr. FLETCHER. This index can be made 
on one of two different plans : ist, That certain 
subjects be taken and everything relating to 
them be looked up ; this would be very difficult. 
2d, That sets of books be taken, such as we 
know contain a great deal of matter of use, and 
indexed, without trying to hunt down all that 
there is on a subject. 

Judge CHAMBERLAIN. Why not let a com- 
mittee be appointed to whom suggestive lists 
could* be sent and so get together a list of books 
to be indexed, and then get persons to index 
them ? 

Mr. EDMANDS. The scope of this index 
need not give us trouble. It will bring together 
the contents of books on given subjects. 

Mr. LARNED. Can we not take one prac- 
tical step, and go so far as to appoint a com- 
mittee to prepare a list of books to be indexed? 
And I would ask Mr. Poole and Mr. Fletcher if 
they would serve on a committee to select such 
a list? 

Dr. BILLINGS. I think we need rather more 
than Mr. Larned suggests. You want not 
only a list of books, but of subjects also; and 
you must limit yourselves. As Mr. Poole 
says, throw out law, medicine, and technolog- 
ical subjects. There are special workers in 
special scientific fields. Confine yourselves to 
general literature. There is great need of such 
an index for editors and others, but it cannot 
cover all fields. The man who makes the index 
gets the most good from it; it is bad for the 
man who uses it, for it gets him out of the habit 
of research. 

Mr. FLETCHER. I am sorry that Dr. Bil- 
lings thinks those who use his admirable index 
are to be injured. 

We would not take a book to index ; if it had 
something in it on our selected subjects we 
would index what it contained on those subjects. 

Mr. DEWEY. I want to protest against Dr. 
Billings' idea that indexes are hurtful to users. 
I am a champion of every labor-saving device, 
and have no sympathy with the theory that 
students are made superficial and weak by hav- 
ing aids. There is plenty to investigate inde- 
pendently on every topic, after utilizing all the 
helps, indexes, etc., we have. This same objec- 
tion has been made to all labor-saving ma- 
chinery. Mobs destroyed it, because it was 



going to ruin workmen ; but wages went up. 
Railroads were to ruin the prices of horses ; 
yet they sell higher than before. The argu- 
ments used against such indexes apply equally 
to all our catalogues, notes, and library 
aids. I contend that, for any real gain to the 
mind from hunting at random for matter 
wanted instead of using such helps, there is a 
hundred-fold injury in the delay and interrup- 
tions of the train of thought. To be sure one 
stumbles on many interesting items which he 
would not otherwise see; but to a mind intent 
on one subject every other item is at that 
moment a nuisance, and pernicious in propor- 
tion to its interest. We all believe in indexes, 
and all similar helps, Dr. Billings himself as 
heartily as the rest. Indeed, his great medical 
index excels all similar works. He has inad- 
vertently dropped this old dogma of the schools, 
which is utterly opposed to our ideas and work. 
As librarians, let us combat always this mediae- 
val notion that labor-saving machinery is less 
desirable for the mind than for the hands. 

Dr. BILLINGS. I only made my remark 
incidentally, not to oppose the proposed work; 
but I think the difficulty will be to arrange a 
list of books, the abbreviations to be used, etc. 

Mr. EDMANDS moved that the preparation 
of an index to general literature be referred to 
a special committee, to report a general plan 
sometime during these meetings. 

Mr. POOLE. There is not time to do this at 
this meeting. I do not believe in committees. 
I like to work alone, and report when I am 
ready. The time is coming when we shall 
have an index, and the Association will make 
it. 

Mr. DEWEY. I wanted to make the same 
motion. I think it is competent for us to ap- 
point a committee to make a report at this 
meeting, if it be only that a committee be 
raised to report a detailed plan next year. The 
motto of this session is, "Do it now." Mr. 
Poole told us that he had been turning this 
Index over in his mind for many years. Many 
of the rest of us have thought, and talked, and 
written about it for years. If it is so important 
as we all agree it is, it seems nonsense to lose 
another year before getting started. A com- 
mittee can certainly report to this meeting what 
is possible to be done. If we are to take a 
year to dream over every proposition about 
matters we have been thinking of for years we 



io6 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



shall rival the English chancery courts. Let 
us " do it now." I second and urge the pas- 
sage of this motion. 

The motion was carried unanimously. 

Mr. EDMANDS. I move Mr. Poole be chair- 
man. 

Mr. POOLE. I must decline, if a report 
must be made at this meeting, for want of 
time. . 

Mr. EDMANDS. We shall only expect such 
a report as can be made at this meeting. 

Mr. DEWEY. I should hope the committee 
might draft a scheme of a plan that may be 
referred to a committee of five to work upon 
during the year. I think we should plan to 
have the supplements to this new index and to 
Poole's all in one alfabet. In looking up a 
subject, who cares whether an essay on it was 
printed in a periodical or in a collection ? 

The PRESIDENT. Is there any objection to 
a committee of five, to choose their own chair- 
man? I hear none, and will name as that 
committee Messrs. Poole, Edmands, Billings, 
Fletcher, and Dewey. 

CHANGED TITLES. 

Mr. DEWEY. What can we do in the matter 
of Mr. Whitney's paper? While you were 
laughing during its reading I was mourning. 
It is a matter " growing no better very fast," 
and bids fair to land all our catalogers in 
Bedlam. I think a resolution can be drafted to 
send to publishers with a copy of the paper, 
which Would have some effect; request them 
courteously, for the good reasons given in the 
paper, to avoid the fault, and if this is unavail- 
ing we can ask a resolution of censure directed 
against those who are guilty of issuing books 
under more than one title. 

Mr. POOLE. Let us print the names of the 
publishers with this list. 

Mr. CHRISTERN, of New York. I find a 
great deal of trouble every day in this direction. 
I am asked for the original French, Italian, or 
German of some book, the title of the English 
translation of which gives no clue to the origi- 
nal foreign title. This might be obviated by 
saying on the title of the translation, "From 
the French, Italian, or German " so-and-so. 

Mr. DEWEY. I believe that a black-list 
should be prepared and published, with the 



names of the publishers added to each title, to 
be made as complete as possible, and additions 
be made from time to time. This would serve 
as a check-list for buyers and as a warning for 
publishers. 

On motion, Messrs. Whitney. Soule, and 
Linderfelt were appointed a committee to draft 
this resolution, and prepare the black-list. 

Mr. CRUNDEN. Is Mr. Whitney's list to be 
printed? 

The PRESIDENT. I presume it will be. 

Mr. EDMANDS. Would Mr. Whitney like 
additional titles sent him? . 

Mr. WHITNEY. Yes, the more the better. 

Mr. C: Alex. NELSON, of the Astor Library, 
N. Y., called the attention of the Association 
to the fact that the Chicago Bookseller and 
Stationer had, in a recent issue (the June 
number), indirectly at least, advocated a meas- 
ure that would go far towards remedying the 
evil of the issue of old books under new titles, 
in the editorial urging publishers to melt up the 
plates of such books as had had their sale; 
also, that the war waged by the same journal 
upon the trade sales would have a beneficial 
effect in the same direction, since it was 
through these very sales that many of the books 
complained of found their way into the market. 

FINANCE. 

Mr. GREEN, of the Finance Committee, re- 
ported that the treasurer's report had been au- 
dited. 

The report was then accepted and placed on 
file. 

Mr. LARNED. The report of Mr. Green, as 
chairman of the Finance Committee, has been 
audited and found correct. 

The report was accepted and placed on file. 

The SECRETARY requested members to hand 
in in writing any question on any subject for 
the question-box. 

Mr. LARNED stated that the rooms of the Dec- 
orative Art Society would be open to members 
of the Association during their stay in the city, 
and that the society extended a cordial invita- 
tion to all to visit them. He also announced 
the arrangements for the excursion down the 
Niagara river to-morrow afternoon. 

Recess. 



PR O CEEDING S. 



107 



THIRD SESSION. 
(WEDNESDAY MORNING.) 
Meeting called to order at 10 o'clock. 

MONTHLY PERIODICAL INDEX. 

Mr. POOLE read his paper on " Plans for Sup- 
plements to the ' Index to' Periodical Litera- 
ture.' " 

(Seep. 32.) 

Mr. FLETCHER asked how much the Coopera- 
tive Index Supplements to the Libray jour- 
nal were used ; with a view to learning whether 
it paid to publish them. 

Mr. FOSTER. They are in constant use in 
our library until they are worn out. Several 
copies are taken. One copy is kept at the 
librarian's desk, but another is placed at once, 
on being received, between the leaves of the 
copy of Poole's Index, which is kept constantly 
lying on the counter in the public reading- 
room. Like Poole's Index itself it has become 
indispensable to the regular users of the library. 

Mr. BISCOE. They are much used at Am- 
herst. 

Mr. CUTTER reported to the same effect. 

Mr. GREEN. We want everything of that 
kind we can get. 

WASHINGTON LIBRARIES. 

Mr. WESTON FLINT, of Washington, not be- 
ing present, and no paper having been received 
from him, the President called upon Dr. BIL- 
LINGS for an impromptu report on the special 
libraries of the Departments and Bureaus of 
the U. S. Government at Washington. 
(Seep. 37.) 

Mr. SMITH. We are much indebted to Dr. 
Billings for his statement, and I think he has 
clearly shown the necessity of supporting the 
special libraries independent of the National 
Library. We have in Philadelphia a good Law 
Library, supported by members of the bar; a 
good Medical Library; a very good Library on 
Natural History in the Academy of Natural 
Sciences; the Franklin Institute has the 
foreign patents, and a good collection ; the 
Historical Society buys family genealogies and 
local histories, and relieves the Library Com- 
panj- in this direction, which, in turn, attends 
to the English county histories. All together 
they form an excellent ?et for the student. 



The PRESIDENT. Is there any provision to 
prevent duplication among the several libra- 
ries at Washington? 

Dr. BILLINGS. So far as the Medical Li- 
brary was concerned there has been for some 
years an understanding between Mr. Spofford 
and myself that the former should purchase 
no medical books, but reserve all funds for the 
general collection. The only duplication, 
therefore, which occurs is that connected with 
the deposit in the Congressional Library of two 
copies of every medical book copyrighted in 
this country. A certain number of these books 
are also purchased by the Medical Library ; 
and, in this way, there is a little duplication. 

LIBRARY ARCHITECTURE. 

Mr. J. EDMANDS read the annual report on 
Library Architecture. 

(See p. 39.) 

Mr. EDMANDS read some extracts from a 
letter of Mr. SPOFFORD : 

"As matters now stand, and in special refer- 
ence to the proposed new building for the 
Library of Congress, it appears to me this 
Association should take measures to make its 
views on the matter of library construction 
more widely known, and its influence felt in a 
more definite and emphatic manner. And it is 
quite certain that, with the prestige we have, 
it is possible for us largely to give direction to 
public thought on the subject, and, through the 
public, to the action of Congress. 

"Both plans embodied the exterior plan of 
the building adopted by the committee, drawn 
by Mr. J. L. Smithmeyer, which is in the 
Italian Renaissance style of architecture, with 
central rotunda and skylight, corner pavilions, 
very slightly projected, to break the monotony 
of a long facade in one style, and a generally 
modest and plain treatment throughout. The 
interior was to be of iron and stone; the 
arrangements of reading-rooms, copyright de- 
partment, shelf system, and alcoves, as well as 
the selection of the materials, whether granite 
or marble, to be ultimately agreed upon by the 
Commission, with the understanding that the 
librarian's judgment would be carried out as 
to details. 

" This brings me to say how greatly I regret 
the vote of the Association condemning an in- 
terior plan, assumed by those who passed it to 
have been fixed upon definitely, when it was 



io8 



B UFFAL O CONFERENCE. 



merely provisional, and designed to get some 
kind of a building from Congress. Of course 
you could never get architects to agree upon 
what would be the proper interior, and, unless 
I greatly mistake, an agreement of librarians 
would be almost equally difficult to reach. (In 
any case, the scheme proposed by Mr. Poole 
would be wholly unsuited to a National Li- 
brary building in many particulars.) Unlike 
the wants of a mere collection of books open 
to students, a National Library must em- 
brace, 

" i. A grand central hall, sufficiently im- 
pressive in height and proportions to show at 
once, by its well-lined walls, the wealth of its 
literary stores, and to appeal to public taste as 
something worthy of the country. 

" 2. An Art Gallery, at least 300 feet in length, 
for the proper arrangement of the 30,000 speci- 
mens of the arts of design already received 
under the copyright law, and those which are 
to follow. 

"3. A Map room of large dimensidhs, in 
which many thousand maps can be system- 
atically arranged on spiral-spring rollers, to 
illustrate, by a complete and magnificent 
series, the entire cartography of America. 

"4. Copyright record rooms, ample for the 
large clerical business and accumulated folios 
of a national office of public records. 

" 5. A spacious hall for bound newspapers, of 
which more than 12,000 volumes are already 
accumulated. 

" 6. Committee rooms and offices in adequate 
number and dimensions. 

" 7. Students' rooms for special investiga- 
tions. 

" 8. All needful appliances of packing, bind- 
ing, heating,and quick communication through- 
out the entire building. 

" These being provided for and answered, and 
every reader furnished with a desk protected 
from his neighbor, and quiet in the main li- 
brary hall secured by diverting the great sight- 
seeing public to the art-gallery floor, where 
they can look down upon the reading-room, 
and aloft to the graceful dome, I am ready to 
introduce all the economics of storage which 
the stack system or the most utilitarian scheme 
proposed by any of my very respected col- 
leagues may involve. Until these objects are 
secured I am not willing to have the interior 
plans of a library building of national impor- 



tance dwarfed to the dimensions of a prolonged 
series of packing-boxes." 

Mr. POOLE. Our thanks are due to Mr. 
Edmands for the very able and interesting re- 
port to which we have just listened. Its views 
on the subject of library architecture are in 
harmony with opinions and resolutions which, 
without a dissenting voice, have been expressed 
at the last three meetings of this Association, 
where it has been freely discussed. In the wide 
range of topics relating to our profession which 
have been considered at our meetings, perhaps 
there is no'one on which there is such a unani- 
mous concurrence of opinion as on this, that 
the typical style of constructing library build- 
ings in this country and abroad is very faulty, 
and needs to be reformed. The discussions we 
have held have directed public attention to the 
subject, and the reform has already commenced. 
No committee or board of trustees, who now 
have the charge of erecting a library building, 
would take their architect to Boston, New 
York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, 
or Cincinnati, and reproduce what they there 
found. Those buildings are all in the old con- 
ventional style, a mediaeval Gothic structure, 
with empty nave and aisles filled with books, 
from four to six stories high. At Boston, 
Judge Chamberlain would say to the committee : 
" Don't copy our plans; they will vex you as 
they have us. We have abandoned them our- 
selves in the new building we are about to 
erect." At Cincinnati, my friend, Mr. Merrill, 
would say, as he has often said : " Make your 
building as unlike ours as you can, and you 
will not make a mistake." 

The problem of library architecture is not a 
difficult one to solve if we will abandon con- 
ventional and mediaeval ideas, and apply the 
same common-sense, practical judgment and 
good taste which is used in the construction of 
houses to live in, stores to do business in, and 
hotels to accommodate transient visitors in. 
We want buildings for doing the work of a 
library in; for giving readers the best facilities 
for study; for storing books in the most con- 
venient and accessible manner, where they 
will be secure from fire, and for doing every- 
thing in the best manner which pertains to the 
administration of a library. The architect is 
not qualified to decide what the requirements of 
a library are, for he knows nothing about the 
details of its administration. The librarian 



PROCEEDINGS. 



109 



should study out and design the original plan, 
and the architect should take these practical 
suggestions, harmonize them, and give to the 
structure an artistic effect. It would be well if 
librarians gave more attention to library con- 
struction. If left to architects alone, the busi- 
ness will run in the old ruts. 

The conventional style of library architect- 
ure has come down through the centuries to 
our day under the supposition that it was 
beautiful. Committees start out with the single 
idea, and seldom get beyond it, that a library 
building must be, in any event, beautiful. It 
has been objected that a building constructed 
on the practical and utilitarian ideas which 
have been promulgated of late through this As- 
sociation will not be beautiful. Beauty is that 
which pleases the sight or delights the esthetic 
faculty. That only is really beautiful which 
answers the purpose for which it was designed. 
Different persons have different esthetic ideas 
as to the same object. A stranger entering the 
Cincinnati Public Library, and gazing aloft at 
the ornamental skylight, and at the upper gal- 
leries filled with books, regards the building 
as beautiful ; but the assistant who is obliged 
to climb four flights of stairs to get a volume 
sees no element of beauty in the arrangement; 
and when Mr. Merrill, on a summer day, finds 
that the sun streaming through that ornamental 
skylight has raised the temperature in the 
upper galleries to 140, and that the bindings of 
his books are crumbling because they have 
been burned up by this excessive heat, the 
sight does not appeal to his esthetic faculty. 
No person who has had experience with build- 
ings of this class will say they are beautiful, 
and for the reason that they do not meet the 
legitimate wants of a library. 

We have naturally an interest in the plans 
which will be adopted in the construction of 
the two great library buildings soon to be 
erected in Boston and Washington, and chiefly 
that they will indicate the progress, if any, in 
library architecture. Mr. Edmands has given 
us such information concerning them as he 
could obtain, which is not very definite. With 
the plans for the Washington Library we have 
an especial interest, because it is the National 
Library. If this American Association of prac- 
tical librarians is good for anything, it would 
seem that it ought to have some influence, by 
the way of advice, in determining what those 



plans shall be. Hitherto its advice has been 
wholly ignored by the Congressional com- 
mittee on that subject. The committee's plans 
were exhibited and explained by its architect, at 
our meeting in Washington, in February, 1881, 
and by resolution they met the disapproval of 
every member. They were in the old conven- 
tional style, with open nave, galleries six stories 
high, and skylights. They were condemned 
again the next year, at our Cincinnati meet- 
ing. No notice was taken of our action ; and 
the question of adopting those plans coming 
before Congress, the bill was defeated, on a 
motion of Mr. Holman, of Indiana, that the 
expense of the building (estimated by the com- 
mittee at about ten million dollars) should not 
exceed two millions. The question will doubt- 
less come up again in the next session of 
Congress. Mr. Spofford, in his letter to the 
Association, which Mr. Edmands has just read, 
says it appears to him " that the Association 
should take measures to make its views on the 
matter of library construction more widely 
known, and its influence felt in a more definite 
and emphatic manner." This is the very thing 
we have been trying to do, and with very little 
success. "And it is quite certain," he adds, 
" that with the prestige we [the Association] 
have, it is possible for us largely to give direc- 
tion to public thought on the subject, and 
through the public to the action of Congress." 
I think we ought to heed this good counsel, 
and suggest that we be heard by the committee 
when the subject next comes up for considera- 
tion in Congress. 

I regard the adoption of Mr. Holman's reso- 
lution as a fortunate circumstance, for it makes 
the construction of a building, on the plans 
adopted by the committee, an impossibility, 
and indicates that the members of Congress 
propose to give to the matter some considera- 
tion. It affords the librarians of the country, 
also, an opportunity to express their views. 
As to what shall be the architecture of the ex- 
terior this Association has no interest, and 
hence has expressed no opinion ; but with the 
construction and arrangements of the interior 
it has, by unanimous votes, expressed and re- 
iterated decided opinions, first at Washington, 
in 1881, just after the committee's plans had 
been exhibited and explained to the Association, 
and in these words : 

" Resolved, That, in the opinion of this Asso- 



no 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



ciation, the time has come for a radical modifi- 
cation of the prevailing typical style of library 
building, and the adoption of a style of con- 
struction better suited to economy and practi- 
cal utility." 

This resolution was repeated at Cincinnati, 
with some additional resolutions, among which 
were the following : 

" Resolved, That the plans submitted to this 
Association at the Washington meeting, by Mr. 
J. L. Smithmeyer, and adopted by the Joint 
Committee of Congress, embody principles of 
construction which are now regarded as faulty 
by the whole library profession ; and, there- 
fore, as members of the American Library 
Association, we protest against the erection 
of the building for the Library of Congress 
upon those principles. 

" Resolved, . . . That it is of great impor- 
tance to the library interests of the country 
that the old and conventional errors of con- 
struction be avoided in the interior plans of 
this building." 

As these are the views on library construc- 
tion which this Association has uniformly ex- 
pressed, they must be the views which Mr. 
Spofford wishes "the Association to make 
more widely known, and its influence felt in a 
more definite and emphatic manner." I cer- 
tainly am not inclined to shirk my share of this 
duty. 

The only information we have as to the 
plans which are now in contemplation for the 
Congress library building is contained in Mr. 
Spoftbrd's letter, which has just been read. In 
it he " regrets the vote of the Association con- 
demning an interior plan, assumed by those 
who passed it to have been fixed upon defi- 
nitely! when it was merely provisional, and de- 
signed to get some kind of a building from 
Congress." We were not told that the plans 
submitted to us for our information were pro- 
visional, and did not mean anything; and we 
never suspected that the committee had 
adopted plans simply "designed to get some 
kind of a building from Congress." Asking 
Congress for an appropriation, which involved 
an expense of some ten million dollars in car- 
rying them out, had the appearance of business 
and serious intentions. We are now told that 
the interior arrangements, as well as the ma- 
terials, were to be ultimately agreed upon by 
the commission, "with the understanding that 



the librarian's judgment would be carried out 
as to details." It was not to the details, but to 
the general plan, that we objected. Hon. C. 
B. Farwell, of Chicago, who was a member of 
the committee, said to me that he was as much 
responsible for the adoption of the plans as 
any member. I asked him whether, in case 
Congress had enacted the committee's bill 
and made the appropriation, the commission 
could have essentially changed Mr. Smithmey- 
er's plans. "Not at all," he replied; "the 
bill carried the plans with it, and was drawn 
so intentionally." 

So much for the past; now what of the 
future? A building contrived for show, such 
as the late committee proposed, cannot be 
built for $2,000,000; but one sufficiently com- 
modious, adapted to the practical wants of the 
National Library, and architecturally an or- 
nament to the city of Washington, can be 
built for about that sum. No committee will 
be likely again to go before Congress with 
plans which have not been duly considered. 
If they consult the librarians of the country, 
and give any weight to the advice they receive, 
their plans will in some measure represent the 
views which this Association entertains and has 
expressed. The Librarian of Congress, who 
is one of our members, ought to have, and will 
have, much influence in determining what 
those plans will be. He was, when we met at 
Washington, cordially with us in condemning 
the conventional style of library buildings, 
and we have had no intimation, until we 
listened to his letter which has just been read, 
that there had been a change in his opinions. 
Recalling, Mr. President, the views he ex- 
pressed to us when, with Mr. Cutter, we par- 
took of his generous hospitality after the 
Washington meeting, I am surprised at the 
statement of his present views of what the in- 
terior of a National Library should be. It 
seems like falling back on Mr. Smithmeyer's 
plans. He says : 

" i. A grand central hall, sufficiently impres- 
sive in height and proportions to show at once, 
by its well-lined walls, the wealth of its literary 
stores, and to appeal to public taste as some- 
thing worthy of the country." 

Not a word or intimation is given as to the 
use to be made of this grand central hall, ex- 
cept that it impress the public as a show-room. 
Are there not show-buildings enough in Wash- 



PROCEEDINGS. 



in 



ington ? A library is for the use of students 
and scholars, and should be quiet. It is the 
last institution in the world to be housed in a 
show-building. This central hall is to be of 
great height, and its walls lined with books, in 
galleries, of course, of which there were six 
tiers in Mr. Smithmeyer's plans. Possibly 
this number may be increased in a room of 
the height proposed. What is the purpose of 
all this ? It is not a convenient mode of shelving 
books and making them accessible ; and it is 
well known that the binding of books stored in 
galleries is destroyed by heat. Mr. Spoftbrd 
here proposes to repeat and perpetuate the in- 
jury to books from heat which he experiences in 
his present library rooms, and which he so 
vigorously condemned at the Washington 
meeting. He said : " If you go into the upper 
galleries of the Library of Congress on any day 
of the winter, and take a book from the 
shelves, the chances are that it will almost 
burn your hand. It has often occurred to me 
that, if these warped and shrivelled and over- 
heated volumes were not inanimate beings, 
if they could only speak, they would cry out 
with one voice to their custodians, ' Our suffer- 
ings are intolerable.' " Mr. Spofford now thinks 
that this arrangement "will appeal to public 
taste as something worthy of the country." To 
ignorant people who come to gape and stare it 
will be impressive; but to well-informed and 
educated persons it will be anything but an ap- 
peal to public taste. It will be pitiable, and 
positively discreditable to the nation. If these 
be really Mr. Spofford's present views of what 
the National Library ought to be, I regard his 
comments on some plans of library construction 
which I proposed at Washington as positively 
complimentary to them. " In any case," he 
says, " the scheme proposed by Mr. Poole 
would be wholly unsuitable to a National Li- 
brary building." My scheme has certainly 
a very different purpose in view from his ; and 
that I regard as its chief merit. The delecta- 
tion of strangers and rural visitors is not the 
primary purpose of a library building. The 
Washington Monument, five hundred and 
twenty-five feet high, will soon be com- 
pleted, and visitors from the rural districts 
can do their staring and wondering there. 
They can now roam through the Capitol, 
(which is a show-building), and with delight 
gaze aloft into the rotunda. They can visit 



the Smithsonian Institution, the Patent-Office, 
the President's house, and admire the marble 
columns around the Treasury building. With 
these opportunities at sight-seeing, the Nation- 
al Library building ought not to be constructed 
for their special accommodation, in preference 
to convenience, common-sense, the quietude 
of readers, and safety of the books. 

If I had not taken so much of your time, I 
should like to comment on some other features 
in the scheme of a National Library building 
which Mr. Spofford has laid before us. It 
seems hardly necessary, as my criticisms would 
be in the same line as those I have already 
made. I leave the subject here, hoping that 
the views of this Association will be represented 
in the plans which Congress in its wisdom 
shall adopt; and that the new National Library 
building will mark an era in the healthful 
progress of American library architecture. 

It was proposed that the matter be referred to 
a committee of librarians and architects. 

Dr. BILLINGS. I think it would be best to 
refer these resolutions to a committee. I do 
not know what control we have over architects. 
What architect would do this free ? 

Mr. DEWEY. I was glad to hear Mr. Spof- 
ford's letter. It is, I believe, the first word 
heard in our meetings on the other side of the 
building question. There has been nothing 
but abuse of the old buildings and their archi- 
tects. I appreciate all the faults that have been 
pointed out. Also the great merits of the iron- 
stack system, and of the elaborate scheme so 
ably set forth by Mr. Poole at Washington. 
Yet are we not in danger of going to the other 
extreme in our recoil from the " great-hall " 
system ? Though it deserves only execration for 
a public library with limited means, which 
aims only to deliver its seventy-five per cent, 
of fiction in the fewest possible seconds, may 
there not be circumstances where the great- 
hall plan is the best ? 

I could not conceive that Mr. Smithmeyer 
drew up these plans without repeated consulta- 
tion with Mr. Spofford. The letter read shows 
that to be the case. We have no officer or 
member whose judgment commands more uni- 
versal respect than Mr. Spofford's. No other 
member has had anything approximating his 
opportunities for deciding what is really 
needed for our National Library building. In 
view of these unquestioned facts it would be 



112 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



a most remarkable proceeding to adopt reso- 
lutions pronouncing plans embodying very 
largely Mr. Spofford's ideas to be "the worst 
thing devised for five hundred years," etc. I, 
for one, am unwilling that any such vote should 
be passed, and do not believe that a majority of 
our members wish it. As I think of it more, I 
am inclined to agree more fully with Mr. Spof- 
ford. The United States can afford coal to 
warm a beautiful hall, and runners enough to 
get all the books promptly, and, if need be, 
elevators for the runners. The whole nature 
of the library is so different from those we 
have been discussing, that the rules applied to 
them do not hold. Such great halls, and vistas 
of books, and maps, and pictures, have a value, 
and, if they can be afforded anywhere, it is for 
the national collection. I must, for the present, 
vote with Mr. Spofford. 

Dr. GUILD, of Providence. I heartily in- 
dorse the remarks of Secretary Dewey. A 
library building should be constructed with 
reference to its special needs and surroundings, 
and not in accordance with a fixed and unalter- 
able plan. The much-praised " stack plan " 
is admirable for the large library at Harvard, 
and for similar collections where the books are 
largely used for reference ; Mr. Poole's plan 
is suitable for circulating libraries, where 
utility and use must be the main consideration. 
Neither of these plans would, however, answer 
for a great national collection at Washington, 
where beauty and taste must be consulted, and 
public sentiment, too, as well as utility. My 
own views, in regard to a college library es- 
pecially, are in favor of the open alcove system, 
where the books can be classified according to 
subjects, and where the professors and students 
alike can have free access to the shelves. The 
new building of which I have the charge, at 
Brown University, was constructed in accord- 
ance with suggestions which I gave to the 
architects in order to carry out these views. 
The result has more than justified my most 
sanguine expectations. During the five years 
that it has been occupied not a complaint has 
reached me from any quarter. The building is 
a beautiful and costly structure, and the stu- 
dents are naturally proud of it, and pleased be- 
cause they are allowed to use it so freely. 
During the past year the circulation of the 
library has been twenty-five per cent, greater 
than in any past year since the library was or- 



ganized, and yet not a book has been lost. It 
is so perfectly ventilated that the temperature 
of the third or upper story is precisely the 
same as that of the lower floor, as I have fre- 
quently verified. I should be glad to have you 
all call upon me, when I will explain more 
fully the new and improved system of ventila- 
tion adopted for the building. 

Mr. GREEN. The feeling in favor of having 
regard to ornamental architectural effects, even 
at the expense of some inconvenience in the 
management of the library, is widespread. Mr. 
Rice, the member of Congress from the dis- 
trict in which Worcester is situated, had charge 
of the bill brought forward recently in Congress 
to secure a building for the Congressional Li- 
brary, and he tells me that he is himself in 
favor of a handsome interior and exterior, even 
if sacrifices have to be made to attain such a 
result. 

The United States can afford to pay less re- 
gard to cost of management than the managers 
of a city library. 

Mr. Spofford may be trusted to have the best 
arrangements made in his building that it is 
practicable to secure. He has considered the 
views of librarians who have plans to show 
him, and now the matter should be left in his 
hands. 

It is to be hoped, of course, that he may be 
able to secure a building which will not only 
please the eye, but which in its arrangements 
will be a model to persons from all parts of the 
country, and from foreign countries, who will 
visit it. 

Mr. WARD, of the Grosvenor Library. I 
move that these resolutions be referred to a 
committee, with instructions to report to this 
meeting at a later session. 

This was voted. The President named 
Messrs. Chamberlain, Homes, Smith, Peoples, 
and Billings, as the committee. 

Mr. WARD. The report mentions the 
protection of floors laid on cement against 
vermin. I have vermin in my library. We 
have tight floors laid on cement, and can't 
understand how they can get in. Can anyone 
suggest? 

Mr. FLETCHER. They are there, and can't 
get out. (Laughter.) 

Mr. MANN. I understand by vermin rats 
and mice, not insects. The cement floors are 
not a protection against insects. 



PROCEEDINGS. 



Dr. HOMES, of Albany, then read his paper 
on "The arrangement on the shelves of the 
books in the N. Y. State Library." 
(See i>. 41.) 

Mr. EDMANDS. If the name of an author 
of an anonymous book becomes known, what 
then ? 

Dr. HOMES. There are cross-references in 
the catalogue. 

Mr. WHITNEY. The same for pseudonyms ? 

Mr. PEOPLES, of New York. Our plan is 
the same in the Mercantile Library, where the 
system works pretty well with 200,000 volumes; 
except where several books are wanted on the 
same subject; then one may be on the lowe r 
floor and the other under the roof. 

Mr. CRUNDEN. We have the same system, 
with two differences, in the St. Louis Public 
School Library. Our books have the great ad- 
vantage of being closely classified. They are 
not lettered on the back, but by a label inside 
the cover. I thought I would learn all the new 
systems, but gave up in despair when I heard 
Mr. Poole say he couldn't understand them, as I 
didn't want to devote my whole life to them. 
We have close sub-classifications, and use the 
alphabet plan under each final classing. 

Mr. WHITNEY. Do you follow William T. 
Harris' system in St. Louis? 

Mr. CRUNDEN. Yes, and find it perfectly 
flexible. 

Mr. WARD called attention to the desirability 
of arranging for the convenience of librarians, 
not of readers. 

Mr. DEWEY. The author arrangement under 
close classification, so far from being "old 
fogy," is the latest fashion. For the past five 
years I have noted its growing use, and always 
with satisfaction to the users. Since the plans 
of translating names into numbers, devised by 
Messrs. Schwartz, Cutter, and Edmands, came 
into use most of the difficulties of this plan are 
met, and it is now the growing method. While 
for the final arrangement after the books have 
been distributed into classes, divisions, sections, 
this seems best, care must be taken not to con- 
fuse this "alphabetical plan" with that used 
at the N. Y. State and N. Y. Mercantile libraries. 
Their plan puts all the Smiths, for example, that 
have written on all conceivable subjects, into 
one dreadful row from which to hunt out the 
Smith you want. It has all the disadvantages, 
great or small, of the relative location, and 



very few of its advantages. To my mind, after 
special study of shelf-arrangement for ten years, 
the alphabetical plan under the final subject 
classes is the best, and the same plan for the 
whole library, without subject classing, is the 
worst with which I am acquainted. 

Mr. CRUNDEN. I am glad to know we have 
the latest and best. I do not think the alpha- 
betical arrangement alone the best; there 
should be a classification even for beginners. 

On motion of the SECRETARY, the PRESIDENT 
appointed as the Committee on Resolutions : 
Mr. Merrill, of Cincinnati ; Miss Mary A. Bean, 
ofBrookline; Miss Lucy Stevens, of Toledo ; 
and on Nominations : Messrs. Larned, Crun- 
den, and Soule. 

DUTY ON BOOKS. 

A communication from Mr. E. Steiger, of 
New York, relating to the abolition of the 
present tariff on books, was read by the Secre- 
tary, and referred to a special committee 
Messrs. Homes, Foster, and Richardson. 

Mr. CUTTER, before reading his paper on 
" The arrangement of the States (of the U. S.) 
and their notation in a system of library classi- 
fication," made answer to some points in Mr. 
Perkins' paper. 

The blackboard was used in connection with 
his own paper, and numerous questions an- 
swered. 

(Seep. 43.) 

Mr. LARNED repeated the announcement of 
the excursion and reception this P.M., and dis- 
tributed the tickets for the same. 

A recess was taken at i o'clock P.M., to meet 
at 10 A.M. Thursday in McArthur's Hall. 

RECREATION. 

The manner in which the afternoon was spent 
was thus described in one of the Buffalo jour- 
nals : 

" The afternoon and evening excursion given 
by the Young Men's Library Association and 
the Grosvenor Library yesterday afternoon (the 
I5th), was highly enjoyed by a party number- 
ing about ninety, including twenty or thirty 
Buffalonians. Messrs. George Howard and 
S. S. Jewett placed their beautiful steam yachts, 
the " Orizaba" and " Titania," at the command 
of the party. They steamed down the Niagara 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



river and around the lower end of Grand Isl- 
and, within two and one-half miles of the Falls 
(the spray rising almost alarmingly near to 
some of the timid ones of the party, who saw 
it for the first time), up the north branch of the 
river to the new and elegant club-house of the 
Falconwood Club (just erected on the spot 
where the old one was burned in the early 
spring). A most peculiar sunset, that at- 
tracted general attention ; a well-served dinner, 
with music ; a stroll through the charming 
grounds ; a return by moonlight up the beauti- 
ful river finished the day." 

FOURTH SESSION. 

(THURSDAY MORNING.) 

The Association was called to order in Mc- 
Arthur's Hall at 10 o'clock. Ninety persons 
were present. 

THE LIBRARY OF THE FUTURE. 

Mr. CUTTER read his paper on " The Buffalo 
Public Library in 1983." 

(5*^.49.) 

The paper was received with great applause, 
and on motion of Mr. SMITH, of Philadelphia, 
the Association passed unanimously a vote of 
" thanks to Mr. Cutter for his instructive, en- 
tertaining, and valuable paper." 

Dr. HOMES said that he hoped we should not 
have to wait till 1983 for many of these sugges- 
tions; we might see some of them carried into 
effect within a score of years. Some persons 
might think them Utopian, but from Utopia 
came many useful things. 

Mr. GUILD. Who was librarian? and who 
had charge of the study room for the night? 

Mr. MERRILL. What was his salary? 

THE READING OF THE PRESENT. 

The PRESIDENT. From 1983 we will come 
back to see how they read in 1883. 

Miss MARY A. BEAN, of Brookline, Mass., 
then read her paper on " The Reading of the 
Young." 



SMALL LIBRARIES. 

Miss THERESA H. WEST, of the Milwaukee 
Public Library, read her paper on " The Use- 
fulness of Libraries in small Towns." 



ESSAY INDEX. 

Mr. EDMANDS reported from the committee 
which was appointed to take into consideration 
the preparation of an Index to English litera- 
ture, that they had decided that the work must 
be done, and the doing should begin at once. 
The committee were of the opinion that the 
matter should be put in charge of an individual 
who could be relied upon to manage, direct, 
and superintend the work, with such a general 
outline as was furnished by the committee or 
the Association. The cooperation of all the 
libraries would be had, and they thought that 
a competent editor could be obtained. They 
were not aiming to make an exhaustive index 
of English literature, but it was to be so defined 
as to be practical and its accomplishment fea- 
sible. It should consist of essays, collective 
works, and works of a general character similar 
to a collection of miscellaneous essays. If the 
Association approved their suggestions, they 
would go ahead and arrange further details. 

Mr. GREEN, as Chairman of the Finance 
Committee, asked whether the report of the 
committee, if accepted and adopted, pledged 
the Library Association to any pecuniary sup- 
port, stating that it had been the uniform 
practice of the Association not to undertake the 
work of publishing. 

Mr. DEWEY. There are two ways of mak- 
ing this Index. One, for the Association to 
control plans, execution, and publication, do- 
ing the work through a committee. The other, 
and, as it seemed to our special committee, the 
better plan, is to agree on what we want, and 
how much work we are willing to give to se- 
cure the Index; then to select a man in whom 
we all have confidence, and promise him our 
support, both in doing indexing and in giving 
our influence to advance the repute and sales 
of the book. Either plan will work well. The 
latter is the simpler for the Association, and 
we think will ensure the earliest publication. 

Mr. FLETCHER. We wish to feel the pulse 
of the Association as to its preference for either 
plan. 

Rev. Dr. B. K. PEIRCE moved as an amend- 
ment that the report be approved and recom- 
mitted to the same committee, with power to 
carry out the suggestions submitted in the 
report. 

Dr. HOMES. Is it to contain one hundred 
or five hundred volumes? 



PROCEEDINGS. 



Mr. GREEN. We might approve the plan, 
but not give power to act. 

Mr. SMITH. It is a slur on the committee 
not to intrust the whole matter to it. We can 
give power to act power to represent the 
Association in the whole matter. 

Mr. DEWEY. In voting this the Association 
intrusts the whole matter to the editor selected 
as an individual. 

Mr. POOLE. I think there is no danger in 
this line, and this committee can safely be 
trusted to carry out its plan. There is no such 
thing as dictation in this Association. Leave 
the matter to our committee. 

Mr. GREEN. What kind of a vote does Mr. 
Poole want? 

Mr. POOLE. Almost any vote will answer. 
This committee have done more work than I 
thought they could. Now let them go ahead. 

Dr. PEIRCE'S amendment was adopted unani- 
mously, and the motion as amended was 
passed. 

LIBRARY ASSISTANTS. 

Mr. MERRILL moved the adoption of the 
following resolution : 

''Resolved, That, in the opinion of this Asso- 
ciation, library assistants and attendants should 
be selected, so far as possible, by competitive 
examinations, and that a preference should be 
given, when practicable, to those possessing a 
knowledge of more than one language." 

Mr. DEWEY. What qualifications are to be 
required? We are in danger of superficial and 
confusing action unless we define our terms. 
I heartily favor action, but I want it more ex- 
plicit. We are a unit in opposing all library 
appointments for political and social reasons 
rather than fitness. (I don't forget that good 
social standing helps to make a man fit.) We 
agree that some sort of examination is neces- 
sary to ascertain fitness ; but is it to be written, 
oral, or both? formal or informal? pedantic on 
a series of questions on algebra and grammar, 
etc., suitable for a teacher and utterly unim- 
portant in a library, or is it to be controlled by 
sanctified common-sense, and aim to find out, 
in the surest and quickest way, whether the 
candidate has the various needed qualities, 
tastes, training, knowledge, etc., that are 
needed on the library staff"? We can do good 
service by preparing such a sensible scheme, 
both to libraries who will use it and to the 



large class who wish to fit themselves for li- 
brary work and do not know what is requisite. 

Mr. WARD. Who is to make the examina- 
tion ? 

Mr. MERRILL. We have a plan by which 
we appoint first and examine afterwards. I 
simply wished to draw out an expression of 
opinion. 

Mr. GUILD. I wish that every librarian 
could appoint his own assistants; but I sup- 
pose this is in some cases impossible. 

Mr. FOSTER. I appreciate the difficulty 
which has occasioned this resolution, but I am 
confident that it will not meet the whole case. 
It will certainly tend to reduce the number of 
incompetent employe's, but it will not secure the 
employment of competent ones, so long as the 
salaries in many libraries remain as low as they 
are at present. I do not make any motion, for 
I do not consider this a matter on which we 
should take action, but I call the attention of 
the Association to the matter. 

Mr. FLETCHER. It seems to me that this is 
a fragmentary resolution, that opens up only 
one phase of a very important subject. Would 
it 'not be better to have the whole subject taken 
up in a paper, and followed by a full discus- 
sion ? 

Mr. MERRILL. I have brought this matter 
up in two conferences, but have never been 
able to get any action taken. 

Mr. DEWEY moved to refer the resolution to 
a committee on requirements for library posi- 
tions, with a scheme for examinations, to make 
a full report at our next annual meeting. 

Mr. CRUNDEN favored the reference to a 
committee, and thought that if any action 
were taken, fitness for the position should be 
made the sole test. 

Mr. FLETCHER. I think a committee could 
report some resolutions to-morrow morning, 
and I suggest that we refer the subject to such 
a committee. 

Mr. EDMANDS. I doubt whether it is wise 
to make any reference at this time to the mat- 
ter of salaries. That belongs to trustees and 
directors, who will very naturally be jealous of 
any apparent trenching upon their preroga- 
tives. And it is really outside of the proper 
province of this Association to express an 
opinion on the subject. We should carefully 
guard against any action that will put us even 
in seeming opposition to those who have the 



n6 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



control of the libraries. It seems to me much 
more prudent to limit the resolution to the 
qualifications of assistants. 

Mr. DEWBY. I am in favor of the sugges- 
tion that the committee report resolutions to- 
morrow. I am freer to speak of this matter, 
because in my own library we have already 
adopted the plan of filling each vacancy with 
the best incumbent we can find, fitness for 
the place, determined by informal examination 
by the chief librarian, being the sole ground 
of appointment. 

Mr. PEOPLES, of N. Y. Does Mr. Merrill 
think it absolutely necessary for all of his fifty 
assistants to be acquainted with more than one 
language ? 

Mr. DEWEY. I move to refer the whole 
matter to a committee of five to report to- 
morrow. 

The motion was passed, and Messrs. Merrill, 
Crunden, Fletcher, Foster, and Dewey named 
as the committee by the President. 

On motion of Mr. DEWEY it was voted 
to meet this afternoon at 3, instead of 2 
o'clock. 

LIBRARY ARCHITECTURE. 

Judge CHAMBERLAIN, for the Committee on 
Library Architecture, reported the following 
resolutions : 

Resolved, That it is the opinion of the Amer- 
ican Library Association that a suitable build- 
ing for the accommodation of the National 
Library; and also a separate fire-proof build- 
ing for the Medical Library and Museum of 
the Surgeon General's Office, should be pro- 
vided with the least possible delay. 

Resolved, That the Executive Committee is 
instructed to prepare a memorial setting forth 
the necessity of such provision, and to present 
this to Congress, urging speedy action, at the 
same time offering in behalf of the Association 
to furnish any information or assistance in its 
power which may be called for by the Con- 
gressional Committee charged with the con- 
sideration of the subject. 

Mr. POOLE. I should like to embody in 
these resolutions that we desire to be heard. 

Judge CHAMBERLAIN. Would not this be a 
repetition of what we have done in previous 
meetings ? 

Mr. SMITH. This matter was fully discussed 
in the committee, and it was decided that the 



expression of this desire should not be put in ; 
it would hardly be respectful. 

Mr. NELSON. It seems to me that this de- 
sire is fully expressed in these resolutions ; the 
first declares the opinion of this Association to 
be in favor of the immediate erection of suit- 
able buildings; and the presentation to Con- 
gress of the memorial provided for in the 
second will be frima facie evidence of our 
desire to be heard; and this desire can be ex- 
pressed in the memorial. 

Mr. EDMANDS. I want a stronger expres- 
sion. There would be no disrespect involved. 
I move the resolutions be referred back to the 
committee with a request to incorporate this 
desire. 

Mr. CRUNDEN seconded the motion. 

Dr. BILLINGS. The committee w r ere influ- 
enced by the different views expressed in the 
Association when this question was discussed 
before. If included, this would imply a definite 
desire on the part of the whole Association ; 
but it seems to be quite uncertain whether or 
not all are willing to make so strong an expres- 
sion. 

Mr. SOULE. This is a question of consider- 
able delicacy. I think that these resolutions 
are most carefully worded, and the best that we 
can submit in dealing with a legislative body. 
There are differences of opinion at Washington 
to be considered. As the Assistant Secretary 
has said, the desire is implied in the resolutions, 
and can be embodied in the memorial. We 
can influence our individual members of Con- 
gress in our several districts also. 

Mr. POOLE. This Association has never 
committed itself to any plan for these build- 
ings, but has given a general expression of 
dissatisfaction with old methods. I shall be 
satisfied if this memorial shall say that this 
Association has expressed its views previously. 

Mr. WARD. Before we vote on this we 
ought to know what has been previously voted. 

Mr. EDMANDS withdrew his amendment. 

The resolutions were then adopted. 

DUTY ON BOOKS. 

Dr. HOMES, chairman of the committee 
appointed to consider the matter of the aboli- 
tion of duty on books, reported that it was 
best, in the opinion of the committee, that 
some action of the Association on the matter 
should be taken, and he therefore offered a 



PROCEEDINGS. 



117 



resolution, "That in the opinion of the Asso- 
ciation the duty on books and other printed 
matter imported was anomalous, unnecessary, 
and unjust; that a memorial be sent to Con- 
gress on the subject, and the Secretary request 
librarians to sign similar memorials." 

Mr. F. W. CHRISTERN. The duty on peri- 
odicals has been abolished. Everything pub- 
lished regularly, even if only once a year, is 
considered a serial. Agents abroad have put 
on my invoices books published in numbers, 
but these are not serials, and I have struck 
them off. 

Mr. GREEN. Libraries get books free now, 
and I should rather give my individual signa- 
ture to a memorial than pass a vote of the As- 
sociation. 

Mr. BOWKER. I feel that I ought perhaps 
to say a word on this matter, because I happen 
to have some specific knowledge of the sub- 
ject; on which it is to be understood that I 
speak, not as an advocate of the present duties, 
since I am myself a free-trader, and, in fact, an 
officer of the free-trade organizations. But I 
desire to point out that the proposed action 
begins at the wrong end, and would produce 
an effect which this Association which 
would scarcely desire to give its dictum on such 
a topic hastily, or unadvisedly, or superficially 
would not, I think, wish to see produced. To 
remove the duty on books without removing 
the duty on the materials of books would leave 
American publishers at a disadvantage of from 
25 to 35 per cent., as against English publish- 
ers; and while I believe that Americans should 
be, and are, able to hold their own in compe- 
tition with other nations on even terms, cer- 
tainly a system which gives our friends across 
sea an absolute advantage over our own coun- 
trymen, would not meet the approval of any 
believer in fair play. And while I expressly 
wish it to be understood that I speak only for 
myself, I do not hesitate to say that the result 
might be the serious one of compelling Ameri- 
can publishers to do much of their manufactur- 
ing abroad. While, as a free-trader, I should 
be glad to see all duties taxing knowledge re- 
moved or reduced, I think no plan should be 
approved which, by upside-down measures, 
works against Americans. 

Mr. RICHARDSON. Is not copyright suffi- 
cient protection ? I think this Association is 
unwilling to put itself on record for free trade. 



Mr. EDMANDS. This matter is clearly and 
wholly outside of the proper sphere of our 
work as a Library Association, as really as any 
other provisions of the tariff act. We can im- 
port all the books we want for libraries free of 
duty, and private individuals can import such 
as have been printed more than twenty years. 
I hope the whole matter will be dropped. 

Dr. HOMES. We are willing to withdraw 
our resolution. 

Dr. BILLINGS moved to refer the resolution 
back to the committee, with Messrs. Bowker 
and Edmands added. 

Mr. GREEN. I move to lay the whole mat- 
ter on the table. 

The latter motion was seconded and carried. 
Recess at 12.40. 

FIFTH SESSION. 
(THURSDAY AFTERNOON.) 

The Association met again in MacArthur's 
Hall, and was called to order at 3 o'clock. 

LETTERS. 

The SECRETARY read letters of congratula- 
tion and regrets, expressing hearty interest in 
the A.L.A., from A. R. Spofford, Library of 
Congress ; R. C. Davis, University of Michigan, 
Ann Arbor; S. B. Noyes, Brooklyn Library; 
J: H. Barbour, Trinity College, Hartford; E: 
W: Hall, Colby University, Waterville, Maine ; 
J. Schwartz, Apprentice's Library, New York ; 
W: B: Clarke, bookseller, Boston ; Mrs. E. M. 
Bosworth, Harris Institute, Woonsocket, 
Rhode Island; F: Saunders, Astor Library, 
New York; R. B. Pool, Young Men's Chris- 
tian Association of New York ; J: N. Dyer, 
Mercantile Library, St. Louis, Missouri; G: 
Hannah, Long Island Historical Society, 
Brooklyn, New York; Ja. Bain, Jr., Public 
Library, Toronto, and others. 

Mr. R. B. FORBES, of Milton, Mass., wrote: 
" At the age of nearly seventy-nine, I feel con- 
strained to stay at home for want of strength." 

Mr. H. F. BASSETT, of the Silas Bronson 
Library, Waterbury, Connecticut, wrote: 
" While the members, generally, will be hav- 
ing a good time at Buffalo, I shall be transfer- 
ring our 30,000 volumes to the new addition 
to our library building." 



nS 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



Mr. WESTON FLINT, Librarian of the Sci- 
entific Library, United States Patent-Office, 
wrote: "The absence of two of my assist- 
ants, and the extra work in printing our sup- 
plementary catalogue ( of which the last sig- 
nature came to-day), and the Index of French 
patents, make it impossible for me to attend 
the annual meeting of the A.L.A., this week, 
or to fully prepare the paper on the depart- 
mental libraries of Washington, which I 
greatly regret. I trust this small break in 
your excellent program will not be noticed. 
Please say this much for me, and in extenua- 
tion you may also state, pro bono publico, that 
the complete subject-matter Index of the 
French patents (Brevets d' invention) , down to 
1878, will all be published in about a month. 

" The Index to Italian patents is nearly ready 
for the printer, and we hope to have indexes of 
the Belgian and German patents prepared the 
coming year. 

"As many questions have been asked in regard 
to the index to Dingler's Polytcchnisches Jour- 
nal, I am glad to add, that the manuscript to 
that will be revised as soon as the French In- 
dex is completed, and it will be brought down 
to the end of this year, or nearly so, and sent 
to the printer. We expect to complete the in- 
dexing of all the foreign patents in the Library, 
and print them within two years. I send by 
mail some signatures of the Index to the 
French patents, that the Association may see 
what we are doing; as these indexes will, it is 
hoped, be of special value to libraries having 
sets of foreign patents, because one single in- 
dex will bring any subject from the commence- 
ment nearly to date. 

" I hope the matter of indexing will have its 
proper place in your meeting, and when some 
future Poole shall give us a complete index of 
scientific periodical literature, and the Index 
Society carry its vast scheme of "Indexes to 
the subject-matter of the sciences," some hur- 
ried searcher after facts will be thankful for 
efforts of the plodding indexers of this day, 
who began the work and made it possible, and 
more thankful for such organizations as the 
A.L.A., who created the indexers." 

Mr. J: HALLAM, Chairman of the Toronto 
Library Board, wrote : " On behalf of the Li- 
brary Board of the city of Toronto, I beg, 
through you, to extend an invitation to the As- 



sociation to organize the meeting for 1884 in 
our city. 

" The recent passage of the free library bill 
for the province of Ontario has stimulated 
many municipalities to action, and we have in 
Toronto already commenced operations. The 
influence of the Association in strengthening 
this feeling throughout the country would be 
very great, and materially assist the cause of 
free libraries. 

" Toronto is conveniently situated, has cheap 
railway and steamboat communication with all 
parts of Canada and the United States, and is 
the seat of law, literature, and education for 
Canada. Its population is 100,000. 

" As the next meeting of the British Associa- 
tion is to be held in the city of Montreal, during 
the month of August, 1884, arrangements, no 
doubt, could be made for the presence of a num- 
ber of the English librarians, thus rendering 
the meeting of 1884 a truly international one. 

"I need hardly say that the Library Board 
will provide all necessary rooms, and will do all 
in their power to make every member wel- 
come." 

Mr. R. R. BOWKER wrote : " The English 
librarians thought that a dozen or more 
might come to our 1884 conference, if held at 
convenient place and time, provided expenses 
were moderate. They would evidently prefer 
Boston, if your hospitality could be so soon 
repeated and the West would postpone its claim. 
The ocean passage (excursion) is $180, down- 
wards. I find regular fares, Boston and New 
York (Fall River boat), taking in Newport, 
thence Hudson River, Saratoga, Lake George, 
Niagara, Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Wash- 
ington, Philadelphia, New York again, would 
come to about $90 ; hotels, four weeks, as much 
more, a total of $360. I think this may be re- 
duced to $300, or 60. I would suggest a com- 
mittee to arrange, with power to fix the date of 
the conference." 

FICTION. 

Judge CHAMBERLAIN presented a verbal re- 
port on " Fiction in Public Libraries." 

(Seep. 46.) 

President WINSOR. In 1873 the ratio of fic- 
tion to the whole circulation was 82 per cent. ; in 
five vears it was reduced from 82 per cent, to 69 
per cent. 



PROCEEDINGS, 



119 



LIBRARIES AND SCHOOLS. 

Mr. GREEN read a paper on " Cooperation of 
Public Libraries and Public Schools." 
(Seep. 67.) 

When he had finished reading his paper, 
Mr. GREEN stated that he had received from 
Leeds, England, a newspaper cutting, a column 
in length, which describes work just being 
undertaken there to connect the public library 
and schools. The plan adopted there consists 
in extending the branch system so extensively 
used in Leeds to the extent of placing little 
branch libraries in some of the school-houses. 
Much information is given in the article that is 
taken from a little volume which Mr. Green 
prepared and which was recently published by 
Mr.Leypoldt, entitled, " Libraries and Schools," 
and it is stated in it that although the kind of 
work undertaken is experimental in England, 
much of it has been done in America. 

Mr. POOLE. The experiment of bringing 
the work of the Public Library and the Public 
Schools nearer together has been made with 
some success, in Chicago, during the past year. 
In my last Annual Report, issued in June, I 
gave a general statement of the methods 
adopted; and Miss Bean, in her report on 
" The Reading of the Young,." has made such 
a liberal extract from the same, it will not be 
necessary for me to repeat those details. 

Our Public Libraries and our Public Schools 
are supported by the same constituencies, by 
the same methods of taxation, and for the same 
purpose ; and that purpose is the education 
of the people. For no other object would a 
general tax for the support of public libraries 
be justifiable. If public libraries shall, in my 
day, cease to be educational institutions, and 
serve only to amuse the people -and help them 
to while away an idle hour, I shall favor their 
abolition. The work of the libraries is a nec- 
essary and logical supplement to the w r ork of 
the grammar schools, the high schools, and the 
colleges. Carlyle has expressed the idea in 
this way: "After all that the professors may 
do for us, the real university is a collection of 
good books." The true relation of public 
libraries to general education is getting to be 
better understood ; and the fact that the subject 
received such earnest consideration at our 
meetings last year, at Cincinnati ; was again 
assigned a place in our program here, and is on 
the mind of thoughtful educators and librari- 



ans in all parts of the land, is evidence of pub- 
lic interest in the matter. Wherever the idea 
has got abroad among the people, the public 
libraries have had larger appropriations ; and 
where no public libraries exist steps have been 
taken to establish them. 

As librarians, we can do little in bringing 
about a closer relation between our libraries 
and the schools unless we secure at the start 
the cordial support of the teachers ; for it is 
their work more than ours, and upon them de- 
volves the labor of carrying out any plan which 
may be devised. They must, therefore, be 
consulted and their sympathy secured before 
any other steps are taken in the matter. Like 
the rest of us, teachers are very human and 
sensitive beings ; and, whatever plan be adopted, 
it is well to bring it before the public as a 
proposition from the teachers. 

That is the best plan which will best succeed 
in bringing the pupils of our schools in contact 
with good books and their making the best use 
of them. Pupils above the age of ten and many 
still younger are reading something, and too 
many of them are reading a low grade of books 
and flashy serials which do them positive 
injury. This reading cannot well be prohibited, 
but it can be supplanted if the assistant teach- 
ers who have the immediate charge of rooms 
will interest themselves in the reading of the 
children, will direct their attention to, and 
furnish through the Public Library, better 
books. Nothing they can- do for the chil- 
dren would exert such a beneficial influence on 
their future lives. A large portion of the pupils 
come from families where there is little or no , 
literary culture, and they drop out of school 
before they have half finished the public course 
of instruction. The only opportunity these 
children have of ever getting some friendly 
counsel in their reading is while they are in 
school. Children will be better pleased with 
good books, if they knew what they were, than 
with bad ones. This precious opportunity of 
learning something about good books they 
now lose. It is a fact to be regretted that 
many of the subordinate teachers in the public 
schools know little about books suitable for 
children, or books of any kind outside the 
narrow range of text-books they are required 
to teach ; and hence they are not competent to 
have the oversight of the reading of their 
pupils. When the duty of supervising the 



120 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



reading of the children under their immediate 
charge is laid upon them by school committees 
and boards of education, and is made one of 
the tests in their examination for positions, 
this incapacity will soon be rectified. The 
lists which Miss Hewins and Mr. Larned have 
prepared and printed will furnish teachers 
with the titles of books which they can safely 
recommend. These books the teachers should 
read themselves in order to talk about them 
intelligently to their pupils. 

More than a year ago I met the principals of 
the public schools in Chicago at one of the 
meetings of their association and suggested 
what might be done in directing the reading of 
their pupils, and what the Public Library was 
ready to do if we could have their sympathy 
and support. My suggestions were very cor- 
dially responded to by the leading principals, 
and a committee was appointed to consider and 
report on the subject. The Board of Education 
was later invited to meet the Library Board, and 
at the meeting a scheme for joint action was 
unanimously approved, after a full discussion. 
A joint committee of both boards was appointed 
to confer with the committee of the principals 
and draw up a code of rules which should be 
satisfactory to all concerned. Such a code of 
rules has been adopted. They provide that 
any principal of a high, grammar, or primary 
school may make a requisition on the Public 
Library for any number of books needed, to be 
retained one month, and subject, in other re- 
spects, to the regular rules of the library, the 
principals being personally responsible for the 
proper use and return of the books, except in 
cases of fire, burglary, and other causes over 
which the principals have no control. The 
Board of Education, however, guarantees the 
return of all books taken out by the principals, 
even in cases of loss where the latter are not 
responsible. 

The scheme in practical operation has given 
great satisfaction. One teacher whose class is 
studying Africa makes a requisition for fifteen 
or twenty books on African exploration. These 
books are given out to the pupils to be read and 
talked about in the class. Another teacher 
wants twenty-five books on American biog- 
raphy which furnish the subjects for brief writ- 
ten exercises. Another teacher calls for twenty 
books on United States history, to be read in 
connection with the text-books on history. 



A requisition comes for a score of juvenile 
story-books, which are used in reading exer- 
cises instead of the school-readers which the 
pupils know by heart. They are then given 
out to be read at home, and when the proper 
time for the exercise comes, each pupil tells 
what his story-book was about, what there was 
in it which was pleasing or otherwise. Each 
instructor exercises his or her own judgment 
as to the best methods of using the books. 
Teachers who have put the scheme in practice 
say that it has worked admirably, and has 
awakened an interest in their classes which 
they have never seen before. These teachers 
also talk to their pupils about the Public Li- 
brary ; how they can get access to it ; what it 
contains which will interest them; show them 
the printed finding-lists, and how to use them. 
We have had recently a large accession of young 
persons to our army of book-borrowers. 

We never supposed that with one hundred 
thousand volumes we had books enough to sup- 
ply our twenty-five thousand regular book-bor- 
rowers, and all the schools of the city to the 
extent which the scheme above described would 
indicate. The result which was anticipated has 
already appeared. The schools are providing 
themselves with libraries, and are partly reliev- 
ing the Public Library of the duty of supplying 
their books. Several of the grammar schools 
have within a year been furnished by the 
private subscriptions of citizens with excellent 
libraries, and others are moving in the same 
direction. A principal called on me recently, 
and said he had subscriptions to the amount of 
$1,700 for his school library, and he wanted 
$2,000. I saw, in glancing over his list, that 
some of the most liberal men in his district had 
not been seen, and that he was likely to raise 
$3,000. Such subscriptions could not have 
been raised before public attention had been 
directed to the benefits of a systematic over- 
sight and instruction in reading in the public 
schools. 

Before starting the Saturday-morning classes 
at the Public Library, of which mention was 
made in my report, I consulted with the princi- 
pals and teachers of the three high schools, 
and they very cordially approved of the plan, 
and promised me their support. The interest 
in these classes has been constantly increasing, 
and the results are seen in the large number of 
high-school pupils who frequent our reference 



PROCEEDINGS. 



tables and make a scholarly use of the library. 
Having studied some subject of history, litera- 
ture, or science, in their text-book, it is to 
them a genuine surprise to see the works on 
that same subject which we lay before them at 
these classes ; and it impresses them, as nothing 
else could, as to the resources of the library and 
the help it will be to them in their education. 
A student can learn something of botany from 
his text-book; but in having two or three hun- 
dred volumes on the subject, many of these ex- 
pensive and illustrated works, laid before him, 
with an explanation of their individual 
characteristics and merits, the special depart- 
ment of the science which each covers, and 
the best methods of studying them his view 
widens, he gets some conception of what 
the literature of botany is, and is inspired to 
make use of these books in making special in- 
vestigations for himself. 

In my informal talks to the classes from 
the high schools, I have endeavored to instruct 
them in the methods of making the investiga- 
tion of subjects independently of their teachers 
or any outside help, and to form habits of 
study which they will carry with them through 
life. Their real education, if they are to be 
educated persons, commences when they leave 
school, and when books take the place of living 
teachers. All their previous study has been 
simply a preparation for a wider and broader 
culture, which they must acquire for themselves 
by fixed and systematic habits of study, what- 
ever their calling in life may be. There is no 
other education in the larger sense than self- 
education ; and there is no other investment of 
human effort which pays so large a dividend of 
happiness to the individual and usefulness to 
the community as the systematic effort put forth 
in self-training. The educated man is im- 
measurably the superiorof the uneducated man, 
not simply because he has acquired more 
knowledge, but chiefly because he knows how 
to acquire knowledge, how to investigate 
thoroughly any subject, and where to find what 
the most eminent writers have said upon it. 
The uneducated man knows not how to begin 
the investigation. 

Whoever expects, therefore, to be a scholar, 
must cultivate the acquaintance of books, and 
learn how to make the best use of them, for 
they are the tools of his trade. This familiarity 
with books he cannot acquire in the schools, but 



may in a library; and the larger the library the 
better will be his opportunities. It cannot be 
taught by lectures or didactic instruction, but 
must be gained by the actual use and handling 
of books with the serious purpose of study and 
investigation. The purpose of these Saturday 
classes is : First, to show the resources of the 
library. We have laid before the class the 
books on a single topic only. We can show as 
many and as valuable books on a hundred 
other topics. After the exercise is over we 
take the class through the rooms and show the 
books which are not here on exhibition, and 
also the catalogues, and the methods on which 
we do our work. We hope in this way to im- 
press upon the pupils of the high schools the 
value of the library, and its facilities for help- 
ing them in their education. Second, to give 
the class some instruction as to the best methods 
of using these books, and of investigating 
special subjects. We also extend the most 
cordial invitation to the class to make the 
freest use of all these privileges, and to come 
to us for advice or help whenever it is needed. 
Third, to give some special instruction on the 
topic of the day, and especially in connection 
with the books which are before them, point- 
ing out the relative merits of each, and how the 
subject may be best studied. 

It has been my custom, after a familiar talk, 
something in the line which has been 
sketched, but varied as occasion may require, 
to take up some subject, perhaps the one which 
is the topic of the day, and show the method 
by which this, or any other subject, may be 
looked up, and the best information upon it 
found. The chief impression I have endeavored 
to make upon the minds of the pupils is to in- 
cite them to. become familiar with the principal 
works of reference, and to cultivate a taste for 
books, and a facility in the independent and 
scholarly use of them. It is a satisfaction to 
feel that these efforts have not been in vain. I 
know of no pleasanter or more profitable duty 
in which a librarian can engage than work of 
this kind. The success which has attended the 
experiment in Chicago has been largely owing 
to the cordial support given it by the accom- 
plished teachers of the high schools, who have 
accompanied their classes and addressed them 
on the special subjects of the day. These ad- 
dresses have been scholarly and entertaining, 
and would be acceptable to any audience of 



122 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



cultivated persons. Several of the principals 
of the grammar schools have brought their 
seventh and eighth grade pupils to the library, 
and have participated in exercises similar to 
those which have been described. Other 
principals have expressed their intention to do 
the same, and during the coining year all will 
have the opportunity to bring their higher 
classes. We have had many applications from 
citizens' to attend these exercises; but our 
limited accommodations did not permit it. In 
the new library building, which we hope is in 
the near future, a spacious room will be as- 
signed to this work, and it then may be ex- 
tended to the public. 

Wherever a scheme, having such a purpose 
in view, is put into successful operation, there 
will be no lack of public interest in sustaining 
a good library. It will be more effective in 
securing liberal appropriations than begging, 
scolding, or preaching. Some librarians com- 
plain of the want of public appreciation of their 
library and their work. If they will try this 
experiment they will have no further occasion 
for complaint, and will be surprised at the 
generous appropriations the library will receive. 
This work can be done most effectively in large 
libraries, but it can be well done in small li- 
braries. Many communities have stock or 
subscription libraries which their managers 
would be very glad to turn over to the public 
if the public would consent to tax itself for their 
support. Let their librarians or managers 
quietly start such a work as this in coopera- 
tion with the teachers of the public schools, 
and there will soon be public libraries well 
supported in those communities. 

Mr. FOSTER. I have preferred in presenting 
my share of this discussion to wait until I had 
heard what was brought forward by my associ- 
ates who have preceded me (Mr. Green and Mr. 
Poole). I have, therefore, noted down a few 
points in their accounts, and will endeavor not 
to tread upon their heels, nor to follow ex- 
actly the lines which I have followed in treating 
this subject elsewhere. 

In the first place the library which I repre- 
sent differs from that of Mr. Green in having 
been very much less adequately endowed, and 
from that of Mr. Poole in being in a very much 
smaller community. I shall aim to show that 
while the specific methods which appear in 



their accounts (the large number of copies of 
books furnished to schools at rtie same time, 
the lectures to pupils at the library, etc.) 
are exceedingly desirable if circumstances will 
admit of them, yet there are many features en- 
tirely feasible in a library withjimited resources. 

I will state that my first aim in entering on 
this work at Providence was to interest the 
teachers in it, and to make their acquaintance, 
so far as was possible. First, the masters of 
the schools, and through them the various 
subordinate teachers. Also to make the ac- 
quaintance of as many of the pupils themselves 
as possible, in order that the work might be 'as 
largely as practicable an individual one. 

In the case of libraries so inadequately sup- 
plied with resources and apparatus, it is all the 
more necessary to make the most constant and 
vigilant and unremitting use of such as are 
available. Let every new teacher coming into 
the place be welcomed to the public library, and 
be made acquainted with its opportunities for 
usefulness. Let every parent, so far as pos- 
sible, be brought to take an interest in the 
reading of his child. Let every instrumentality 
of newspaper, church, or debating society be 
turned to this common end. 

Mr. Foster then touched briefly upon the 
features which have characterized the develop- 
ment of this cooperative work in Providence, 
mentioning the interesting fact, that here, as 
well as in other connections, the individuality 
of the various schools has been clearly manifest 
in the peculiar forms taken by this work in dif- 
ferent schools. In one school, for instance, 
the cooperation has manifested itself more in 
the visiting of the library by the teachers with 
the pupils than in any other way. In another 
it has been chiefly manifested in the sending of 
pupils by their teachers for works on specific 
subjects. In another it has been manifested in 
a very striking specific plan of training in 
reading. (As these points have been explained 
elsewhere' by Mr. Foster, the description is 
not reproduced here.) 

Mr. Foster closed by drawing attention to 
the necessity for libraries generally, taking up 

1 See the report of Miss Hewins, in 1882, and of Miss 
Bean, in 1883. See, also, his paper before the Boston Con- 
ference, in 1879 (Library journal, 4: 319-25); his two 
papers in Mr. Green's "Libraries and schools"; some of 
the chapters of his own "Libraries and readers"; and 
his five annual reports. 



PROCEEDINGS. 



123 



the most comprehensive schemes of coopera- 
tion which they may find practicable. As in 
physical science, the existence of a necessity for 
developing a certain function will in time 
secure the needed medium through which it is 
to be exercised, so in library economy the ex- 
istence of the need for cooperation will develop 
the methods of cooperation. And in some 
cases the desire for more specifically intelligent 
use of the library may itself be found to create 
such use. 

Remarks on the same subject were made by 
Mr. C. W. MERRILL, and Mr. K. A: LINDER- 
FELT. Both related some curious experiences, 
and they agreed that the public libraries were 
daily becoming most important adjuncts to the 
educational forces of the country. 

Mr. GREEN said that, so far as possible, it 
seemed to him best to try to interest teachers 
in the work of availing themselves of facilities 
offered by libraries, rather than to use compul- 
sion, by working on them through superintend- 
ents and committee-men. 

Mr. GREEN then called attention to some fine 
work which had been done by the librarian at 
Gloversville, New York, in making his library 
useful to schools, and moved that he be re- 
quested to describe the work done by him in 
the Library journal. The motion was carried. 

( The account is given at the end of these 
Proceedings, p. 135.) 

On motion of Secretary Dewey it was voted 
to meet Friday, at 9 A.M., because of the large 
amount of unfinished business. 

A recess was then taken until 8 P.M. 



SIXTH SESSION. 
(THURSDAY EVENING.) 

The Association was called to order at 8 
o'clock, in the Executive Committee-room of 
the Y. M. Library. 

President WINSOR presented his paper on the 
"Early cartographical history of America," 
with blackboard illustrations. 

SCHOOL OF LIBRARY ECONOMY. 

Mr. DEWEY. Before beginning my paper, 
it has occurred to me within a few minutes, 
that those present would be interested in an ex- 
periment we hope to try at Columbia. The 
plan was outlined in the annual report to the 
trustees, and they have referred it to a commit- 



tee of seven, to report Avhat can wisely be done. 
To save time I will read from the report, as ex- 
tempore my interest will lead me to use too 
much time for our crowded program. Let 
me warn you that I am reading the first rough 
draft; that we propose, not to do some specific 
thing, but to do what shall seem, after consul- 
tation, the wisest and most helpful thing to the 
library interest. We are committed to no spe- 
cial plan. We feel that something ought to be 
done, and wish to feel our way. We shall at- 
tempt at first less rather than more than is 
wanted, and increase our scope as experience 
proves the need of it. I submit the outline so 
much before we propose to begin work, to give 
more time for suggestions and consultation. I 
hope within three years we can start our first 
class, and that to our modest beginnings we 
shall add each year what proves to be needed. 

In outline 1 the instruction proposed might 
embrace the following particulars : 

1. Practical Bibliography proper : To teach 
what author and treatise is wanted. 

2. Books : To teach what edition is best to 
buy or borrow, whenever there is a choice of 
editions. 

3. Reading : To teach how to get from the 
book what is wanted, and no more, most 
quickly and most easily. 

4. " Literary methods " (for want of a better 
name) : To teach how to remember, record, 
classify, arrange, index, and in everyway make 
most available for future use, what has been 
gotten from the books. 

Without attempting any antiquarian or tech- 
nical instruction, much can be done under 
"Bibliography," in giving a working knowl- 
edge of what reference books there are, their 
comparative merits in respect to given subjects, 
and how to use them to the best advantage. 
The average college student, not to say grad- 
uate, is ignorant of the greater part of the 
bibliographical apparatus which the skilled 
librarian has in hourly use to enable him to 
answer the thousand queries of the public. A 
little systematic instruction would so start our 
students in the right methods that for the rest 

1 \Vhat follows is reprinted from the annual report of 
the Trustees of Columbia College. 



I2 4 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



of their lives all their work in libraries would 
be more expeditiously accomplished and vastly 
more efficient. In fact it is hardly an exagger- 
ation to say that now students often, if not 
usually, spend half their time in the library in 
finding out what they don't want to know, and 
the remaining half in getting confused notions 
of what they do want to know. 

In many cases, after knowing the author 
and work wanted, there is room for large 
choice in editions. This instruction is also 
especially valuable as an aid in buying books, 
an item of no small importance to the average 
college-bred man. Such questions as size of 
type, leaded or solid composition, color and 
quality of paper, binding material, method of 
sewing, lacing in boards, head-bands, lettering, 
illustrations, foot-notes, index, and all the 
details which go to make up a perfect book, 
have been studied and worked out to valuable 
results, which can be cheaply and quickly im- 
parted to the learner. As all of literary life is 
based on books and reading, it is certainly a 
wise investment to make of the little time 
needed to acquire so much information on these 
topics as is practically useful to an educated 
reader, though he may not attempt to follow 
out details valuable onlj' to the printer, binder, 
or publisher. 

After choosing w r isely author and edition, a 
more important thing for practical training is 
the best methods for use in reading. Some 
men, by long years of experience and practice, 
acquire the art of getting at the heart of a book 
in one-fifth of the time taken by most readers ; 
and this not in a merely superficial way, but so 
as to have juster ideas of the author's meaning 
than those who have spent the longer time. 
Much of this art depends upon personal quick- 
ness, but enough of it can be imparted to any 
youth of ordinary ability to enable him to 
start in life with books, aided by all the good 
methods that have been developed in the expe- 
rience of others. 

Finally, and perhaps most important of all, 
is the aid that may be given in preserving 
readily for future use all the results of this 
reading. This involves a great many little 
details, which in the aggregate are important, 
and concerning which all needed instruction 
and suggestion may be conveyed in little time. 
Note and scrap books, index rerums, card 
catalogues, card indexes, and the hundreds of 



appliances and methods that have proved of 
use to people who have perfected their modes 
of working with them, may be made quickly 
familiar. As a rule" all these schemes, as 
started by college youth, breakdown after a few 
years, and the material becomes like so much 
" pi," in a printer's office, worthless. But it is 
equally true that, with proper guidance and 
suggestions at the first, these could be made a 
complete success. No one questions the im- 
portance of such record and preservation, and 
the fact of failure as a rule only emphasizes the 
importance of giving proper instruction in 
regard to them in the beginning. 

It is not proposed that the plan any one man 
has found best for himself shall be taught uni- 
formly to all our students, ignoring the per- 
sonal equation of each ; but simply that the re- 
sults of all experience in these directions be 
focalized and digested, and the results of each 
laid fairly before the students, showing its 
strong and weak points, and thus enabling 
them to decide, at the outset of their literary 
lives, in the light of the experience of others, 
these many questions that they can now decide 
as wisely only at the end of a life of costly and 
disheartening experience of their own. 

In the past few years the work of a librarian 
has come to be regarded as a distinct profes- 
sion, affording opportunities of usefulness in 
the educational field inferior to no other, and 
requiring superior abilities to discharge its 
duties well. The librarian is ceasing to be a 
mere jailer of the books, and is becoming an 
aggressive force in his community. There is 
a growing call for trained librarians, animated 
by the modern library spirit. A rapidly in- 
creasing number of competent men and women 
are taking up the librarian's occupation as a 
life-work. Thoughtful observers say that pub- 
lic opinion and individual motives and actions 
are influenced now not so much by what is 
uttered from the rostrum or the pulpit as by 
what is read ; that this reading can be shaped 
and influenced chiefly and cheaply only through 
the library, and, therefore, that the librarian 
who is master of his profession is a most po- 
tent factor for good. 

In our colleges every professor and every 
student, in whatever department, necessarily 
bases most of his work on books, and is, there- 
fore, largely dependent on the library. 

Recognizing the importance of this new 



PROCEEDINGS. 



125 



profession, and the increasing number of those 
who wish to enter it, we are confronted by the 
fact that there is absolutely nowhere any pro- 
vision for instruction in either the art or science 
of the librarian's business. Prominent library 
officials tell us that it is no uncommon occur- 
rence for young men and women of good 
parts, and from whom the best work might 
fairly be expected, to seek in vain for any 
opportunity to fit themselves for this work. It 
is simply impossible for the large libraries to 
give special attention to the training of help 
for other institutions. Each employe* must 
devote himself to the one part of the work that 
falls to his share, so that he can know little of 
the rest, except what he may learn by acci- 
dental and partial absorption of their methods. 
There is a constantly increasing demand for 
trained librarians and cataloguers, and there 
is no place where such can be trained. A 
limited number may be here and there found 
who have had certain experience in parts of 
library work, but few who have been systemati- 
cally trained in any, and fewer still who have 
had such training in all. The few really great 
librarians have been mainly self-made, and 
have obtained their eminence by literally feel- 
ing their way through long years of darkness. 

It is possible, in connection with a library 
like ours, already respectable in the number of 
its volumes, yearly growing and destined to be 
great, to supply this want at a cost trifling 
compared to its importance. .No instruction in 
languages, literature, history, science, or art, 
now given in any of our various schools, need 
be duplicated for this purpose. No expensive 
apparatus is needed to accomplish it. The 
necessary library, in operation as a basis for 
study, is already provided, and other libraries 
in which to study and compare various systems 
of administration are at hand in the metropolis 
of the country as nowhere else. 

[In saying this I do not raise the question of the merits 
of N.Y. libraries or methods. Sometimes it is more use- 
ful to study the things to avoid than those to imitate.] 

The instruction and needed inspiration for 
the work can be given best by lectures by the 
recognized authorities in each special depart- 
ment of library work. 

Inquiry among several leading members of 
the profession has uniformly shown great in- 
terest in the project of such a school, and a uni- 
versal willingness to assist it in every way. 



The course need not be greatly extended, as 
only the technical parts of the work would re- 
quire treatment in it. 

Such a school is called for, not only by the 
inexperienced who wish to enter upon library 
work, but by a growing number of those 
already engaged in it. Of the five thousand 
public librarians in the United States not a few- 
would gladly embrace such an opportunity to 
bring themselves abreast of modern library 
thought and methods ; and their employers 
would find it economy to grant them the nec- 
essary leave of absence to enable them to do 
so. If it be true, as is so often stated, that ten 
thousand volumes catalogued and administered 
in the best way are more practically useful 
than thirty thousand treated in an unintelli- 
gent or inefficient manner, then it is of the 
greatest importance to advance by every pos- 
sible means the general standard of library 
work throughout the country. As those best 
qualified to judge, who have given the subject 
their attention, agree that such a school once 
established and properly conducted is sure to 
succeed, and as it is now practicable for us to 
assume the leadership in this department and 
to offer such instruction, the undersigned 
would respectfully recommend to the Trustees 
that they should take into serious considera- 
tion the expediency of opening here at an early 
day a school such as is above described. 

A few copies of the above outline of plans, 
which it is hoped the Trustees of the College 
will adopt and put in operation in connection 
with our newly organized University Library, 
are reprinted by request, and will be mailed to 
any one specially interested. 

Fitting up the new building, moving, and 
consolidating into one the five present libraries, 
classing closely on the shelves, and making 
Accession, Shelf, Author, and Subject cata- 
logues, besides the usual work of the Reference, 
Loan, and Administration departments, will 
crowd our time at present. Should the 
Trustees approve, as is hoped, the Professor- 
ship of Bibliography and the School of Libra- 
rianship, though kept steadily in mind, must 
follow the above work. Meanwhile we wish 
suggestions, opinions, and criticisms of the 
plan. All such will have careful attention, 
and we earnestly ask the reader not to neglect 
or delay sending anything of interest. We 



126 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



shall specially value notes on minute details, 
liable not to be sent because of their compara- 
tive unimportance. If each one interested, 
without waiting to accumulate matter and so 
forgetting all, will send promptly each idea or 
suggestion -when it occurs, if only on a post- 
card, we shall have a mass of just such minute 
details as in the aggregate will contribute 
much to the complete success of the school, 
should the scheme, as we hope, receive the 
sanction of the Trustees. 

In asking thus earnestly this cooperation we 
hardly overrate the importance of the proposed 
undertaking to the library interests of the en- 
tire country, in raising our work to the full 
rank of a regular profession, with its recog- 
nized courses of instruction, its certificates and 
degrees conferred by the University, and 
chiefly in providing for the new libraries open- 
ing almost daily, and for the old ones taking on 
new life, men and women trained in the best 
methods, and full of that potent influence which 
we call " the modern library spirit." 

Mr. SMITH. I think there can be but one 
opinion in the minds of all present. We have 
all felt from our experience the want of sys- 
tematic instruction in the best methods of per- 
forming the duties of librarians. Such instruc- 
tion is very much wanted. I am sure I express 
the opinion of many, if not of all here, in say- 
ing that it is a desideratum ; and I have confi- 
dence in the gentleman who is to undertake it. 

A VOICE. '' So say we all of us." 

Mr. DEWEY. I think it would be well to ap- 
point a committee, to report in the morning if 
found desirable, a resolution expressing the in- 
terest of this Association in the proposed ex- 
periment. As I said before, my object in 
bringing up this preface to my paper was to 
elicit as much criticism as possible, as your 
strictures on this outline will have great value, 
as we come to decide the details of our pro- 
posed school. I urge that all doubts and fears 
may be expressed with the utmost freedom. 

Mr. POOLE. As Mr. Dewey has asked for 
suggestions and criticisms on his plan, I will 
say that I think he is in error in stating that 
there is now no institution in this country for 
educating librarians. I have the impression 
that there is an excellent one in Boston, known 
as the Boston Public Library; there is another 
in Boston, called the Boston Athenaeum, and 
still another in the adjacent city of Cambridge, 



called the Harvard College Library. There 
are in different parts of the country still other 
institutions which are doing good work in this 
department of education. We are doing some- 
thing in this line at the West, in Chicago, St. 
Louis, Milwaukee, and Peoria. In Chicago we 
have trained some assistants who, as skilful, 
practical bibliographers, will compare favorably 
with any in the land. In fact, I have enter- 
tained the idea that practical work in a library, 
based on a good previous education in the 
schools, was the only proper way to train good 
librarians. The information cannot be im- 
parted by lectures ; and who, that is competent, 
has the time to do the lecturing ? Considerable 
experience in library work is necessary before 
the pupil will be able to appreciate oral instruc- 
tion, or even understand the nomenclature and 
phraseology of our profession. New libraries 
are springing up all over the Western States, 
and librarians are appointed from the local can- 
didates, who have had no library experience of 
any sort. Scarcely a day passes in which one 
or more of these tyros does not come to my 
library for information ; and I am always glad 
to give them such help as I can but how little 
they can take ! They have the impression that 
they can learn in one day all they need to 
know. I have spent an hour in explaining the 
simplest details of library management, and 
then found, by putting some test question, 
that the person I had been trying to instruct 
had understood little or nothing of what I had 
been talking about. I usually tell these people 
frankly, at the start, that they will not under- 
stand the explanations I should make until they 
have had some practical experience in library 
work. If they will come to the library and 
work fora month, reading up in the meantime 
the theory of the subject, they will be in a con- 
dition to receive some oral instruction. Several 
persons have accepted this proposal, and have 
worked without pay in our regular corps of at- 
tendants. At the end of a month they have 
begun to appreciate how much there is to learn 
in order to be a competent librarian, and are 
put in a way of making some progress by 
themselves. There is no training-school for 
educating librarians like a well-managed li- 
brary. There is a dearth at present of trained 
librarians, who, at moderate salaries, are willing 
to take charge of small libraries, and grow up 
with them. Of trained cataloguers there is a 



PROCEEDINGS. 



127 



still greater dearth. I am constantly receiving 
applications for them, and they are not to be 
found. The few persons in the country who 
follow this work as a specialty are constantly 
engaged. It is a duty, I think, which the larger 
libraries owe to the profession to attach to 
their cataloguing departments a corps of com- 
petent young persons to learn the art of cata- 
loguing; for the work can be learned nowhere 
else than in a large library. The service they 
would render would be sufficient to pay for 
their instruction. We can scarcely blame the 
managers of libraries for appointing as their 
librarians persons who have had no experience 
in library work, when there are not trained 
librarians enough to supply the demand. We 
cannot blame them for not having their libra- 
ries catalogued, when there are not cataloguers 
enough to do the work. I do not wish to throw 
cold water upon the scheme 

Mr. GUY A. BROWN. It seems to me that 
the gentleman has thrown a whole pool. 
(Laughter.) 

Mr. POOLE. I am not throwing cold water 
upon Mr. Dewey's scheme ; for I do not pre- 
cisely understand what he intends to do, if 
anything, beyond what I have stated as desira- 
ble to be done, and what every large library 
ought to be doing. I have the impression, 
however, that his plan includes something 
more, such as giving systematic instruction by 
means of lectures to classes in bibliography, 
and making it a part of the curriculum in the 
optional course of studies in Columbia College. 
Imparted to us as information, it is certainly 
interesting; and if the scheme shall be put into 
operation and shall succeed, it will be a very 
great credit to its author. The scheme, how- 
ever, at present, is only talked about, it is in 
the air. This Association, with the little infor- 
mation it has, cannot be expected at this time 
to express any opinion as to the practicability 
of the scheme. When Mr. Dewey has put it in 
successful operation, and has educated some li- 
brarians, the Association will be the first to in- 
dorse his methods and commend them to the 
public. 

Mr. WARD. Is this education to be gratuitous ? 

Mr. DEWEY. As I said at first, this scheme 
is not elaborated. It would be two or three 
years before we begin. Probably there will be 
a moderate fee for instruction, as in the other 
departments of the university. 



Mr. MANN. I have lived in Cambridge and 
Boston fourteen years, and have tried to learn 
all the details of library work in vain. I would 
be delighted to have the opportunity to ques- 
tion Mr. Dewey, Mr. Cutter, and others, each 
one hour, and pay for it. I feel that this is the 
opportunity wanted. 

Mr. WHITNEY. Perhaps we should have 
taken more readily the idea of this scheme if 
Mr. Dewey had begun at the other end : had 
his library finished, his assistants engaged, his 
scheme of instruction laid out, etc. It is an 
endless trouble to instruct volunteers one at a 
time. I have found it a weariness and a loss. 

Mr. HOMES. How far advanced in educa- 
tion should persons be who should attend this 
school ? I should think they ought to be gradu- 
ates, at least, of a high school. 

Mr. DEWEY. Any one, young or old, of suf- 
ficient intelligence to get good from the course 
ought to have the chance. We hope for edu- 
cated candidates, especially the undergraduates 
of Columbia College. Some people of leisure 
in the city we hope will be drawn in. But all 
this is assuming that I have a detailed plan to 
submit. I only give an outline of a plan I may 
be able to submit next year or year after. 
What Mr. Whitney says of weariness an'd loss 
of time is true, and one of the reasons for our 
school. 

Judge CHAMBERLAIN. We are asked to ex- 
press our opinion that there is a need of this 
school proposed at Columbia College, and that 
it would be useful. Useful to whom? I can't 
express an opinion at half an hour's notice. 
We are asked to express an opinion, but who 
knows? I do not. There may be two opinions 
whether this school will be so efficient as to in- 
duce librarians to take assistants thus educated. 

Mr. CUTTER. While agreeing with Mr. 
Poole as to the excellence of libraries as 
schools of library economy, I think we can go 
one step farther. 

I have trained many assistants at the Boston 
Athenajum ; but I find one objection to con- 
sidering our library as a training-school for the 
supply of other libraries. Young women have 
come to me with that idea, of learning a 
profession, and then getting a place elsewhere; 
but the result has generally been that they 
stayed with me, and supplied the gaps caused 
in the ranks of the older workers by death and 
marriage ; or, at most, that they went to the 



128 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



Boston Public Library. It is only of late years 
that we have fallen into the way of having a 
larger corps than we need, several of whom 
are usually away, different ones at different 
times, cataloguing libraries, private and pub- 
lic, making indexes, and the like. 

Undoubtedly it is well that a librarian should 
have worked in a library; there are some 
things which he will never understand unless 
he has. But any one merely employed as 
assistant in a large library is likely to be as- 
signed to one particular department, and to 
understand that only. And, even if his chief 
takes care that he shall have variety of work, 
he only learns the methods of one establish- 
ment; and as those are probably all determined 
upon before he goes there, he only learns them 
by rote, and, unless he is unusually philo- 
sophic, never thinks of the reasons for them. 
No one is thoroughly fit to have charge of a 
library who has not pursued some comparative 
study, and learned to reason about what he 
does. 

This discussion reminds me of something 
that occurred lately in our town. 

A young man in Winchester wished to be- 
come a civil engineer. When he left the High 
School he was advised by his uncle, who was 
himself a civil engineer in Buffalo, to come 
here and begin at the bottom of the profession, 
that is, as chainman, and gradually work up, if 
he could. He did so. At ..the end of a year 
his uncle said to him, " You know now what 
engineering is; you have become familiar with 
the practical details, and you have begun to 
find out how little you know and what you 
need to know. Now go to a professional 
school, and study the theory." There are men 
of both sorts among us, those who have 
learned only by practising the profession, and 
those who have been taught in the schools ; 
and I have always noticed that the regularly 
educated men get the best positions and the 
best salaries. 

Mr. MERRILL. I have been surprised at the 
remarks of Messrs. Poole and Chamberlain. 
Lawyers said the same things twenty years ago 
against law schools. This objection was raised 
against professional schools for instructing in 
the management of machinery, and yet they 
are successful abroad and in this country. Dr. 
Billings will say the same is true in medicine. 
I should have been glad to have been told 



things I have had to learn by experience. Our 
teachers are taught in Normal schools; let us 
have librarians taught in a Library school. 

Dr. BILLINGS. I can appreciate the feelings 
of Messrs. Poole and Chamberlain against call- 
ing on an association for an expression of 
opinion on a plan not yet worked out. I think 
less of lectures than of laboratory work. I do 
not think there is any short cut. I feel reluct- 
ant to give an indorsement when the course of 
instruction is not elaborated nor the plan 
laid out. Johns Hopkins University might ask 
for the same as well. I move the appointment 
of a committee to consider what resolution, if 
any, could be presented for action. 

Mr. H. J. CARR, of Grand Rapids. My 
stand-point is different from that of all others 
present. I have taken time to attend this As- 
sociation for instruction and information, and 
I have always been repaid. If it were possible 
I am sure that I should like to attend a course 
of instruction in the proposed school of li- 
brarianship. I am by profession a skilled ac- 
countant. I have never had any instruction in 
a business college ; but I would advise a young 
man to go to one. This training is more 
needed in library work than most others, and 
this proposed instruction would be a life-long 
benefit to any librarian. 

Mr. CRUNDEN. In saying that this school 
is desirable, we are not called upon for any- 
thing further, as to qualifications for entrance, 
etc. This friction that we have had will pro- 
duce a healthy reaction from the cold water. 

Mr. GREEN. This is not a new idea. The 
same thing was talked over on our way to 
England, and in repeated meetings among 
prominent librarians. It is desirable that some 
first-class institution should take up this matter. 
A school of apprenticeship is also needed in 
connection. 

Mr. DEWEY. The laboratory is to be a 
central and essential part of the scheme, thus 
giving Mr. Green's apprenticeship. We plan 
to have actual work done under the careful 
personal supervision of an expert who excels 
in explanation. 

Dr. BILLINGS' motion was seconded and 
carried. 

The PRESIDENT named Messrs. Cutter, 
Chamberlain, Mann, Carr, and Merrill as 
the committee. 

Mr. DEWEY, on account of the time con- 



PR O CEEDINGS. 



129 



sumed in the discussion, and the pressure of 
unfinished business, announced a meeting after 
adjournment, to inspect Mr. Larned's applica- 
tion of the Amherst or Dewej classification, 
and withdrew his paper from the program. 
A recess was taken till Friday. 

SEVENTH SESSION. 

(FRIDAY MORNING.) 
The meeting was called to order at 10 o'clock. 

PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 

Mr. GREEN, of the Committee on the Dis- 
tribution of Public Documents, after reading a 
joint resolution passed by Congress last year, 
said that the committee had unanimously 
agreed to report that Congress be asked to pass 
the following resolution, instead of present- 
ing the petition recommended in their first re- 
port on Tuesday morning : 

Resolved, By the Senate and House of Rep- 
resentatives in Congress assembled, that any 
State or territorial library, or any one of the 
libraries designated by a Senator or Representa- 
tive, according to law, to receive sets of public 
documents, shall, on the payment of $25 to the 
public printer, before the beginning of a session 
of Congress, have sent to it by the said public 
printer a copy of every document, as soon as it 
is stitched, that Congress has ordered to be 
printed during the session. 

The report was accepted, and the committee 
was instructed to present the request. 

LIBRARY ASSISTANTS. 

Mr. MERRILL, for the Committee on the Ex- 
amination of Library Assistants, reported that 
the committee recommended the adoption of 
the following resolution : 

Resolved, That efficiency in library admin- 
istration can best be obtained through the 
applications of the cardinal principles of an 
enlightened civil service, viz., the absolute 
exclusion of all political and personal influ- 
ence ; appointment for definitely-ascertained 
fitness, promotion for merit, and retention dur- 
ing good behavior; and 

Resolved, That, in the opinion of this Asso- 
ciation, in large public libraries, subordinate 
employe's should, so far as possible, be selected 
by competitive examination, followed by a pro- 
bationary term. 



Dr. HOMES objected to the word " competi- 
tive," and moved that it be dropped. 

Mr. MERRILL. I am sorry an attack is 
made on this word, which contains the gist of 
the resolution. Examinations not competitive 
amount to nothing anywhere. Without them 
favoritism will still be retained. We want the 
best-qualified persons for our assistants. 

Judge CHAMBERLAIN remarked that the res- 
olutions were clearly divisible. The first was 
against political influence and preference ; the 
second in favor of competitive examination. 
He moved to amend by striking out all after 
" and that in the opinion." 

This amendment was lost. 

Dr. HOMES renewed his amendment, which 
was also lost. The original resolution reported 
by the Committee was then passed. 

THE NEXT MEETING. 

The SECRETARY called the attention of the 
Association to the invitation from the Library 
Board of the city of Toronto to meet in that 
city next year, and asked for some action in 
reference to the same. 

Mr. BOWKER moved that the invitation be 
accepted, and that the Executive Committee be 
charged with inviting the visiting librarians 
from England to meet with us next year. 

Mr. MERRILL moved as an amendment that 
the selection of a place for holding the meeting 
next year be left to the Executive Committee, 
with full power. 

The amendment was accepted, and the mo- 
tion passed. 

On motion of Mr. BOWKER, the thanks of the 
Association were voted to the Toronto Library 
Board for their kind invitation, and it was re- 
ferred to the Executive Committee for their 
favorable consideration. 

On motion of Mr. DEWEY, the invitations 
from St. Louis and New Haven were referred 
to the same committee. 

VOTES OF THANKS. 

Mr. MERRILL, for the Committee on Resolu- 
tions, presented the following, which were 
unanimously adopted : 

Resolved, That the thanks of the American 
Library Association are hereby tendered to 
Mr. James W. Ward and his associates on the 
Committee on Reception and Arrangements, 
and to Mr. J. N. Larned and his associates on 



130 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



the Committee on Program, for their kind 
and successful efforts to render pleasant the 
visit of the members of the Association to Buf- 
falo ; to the Executive Committee of the Young 
Men's Association of Buffalo, and the Trustees 
of the Grosvenor Library, for very numerous 
courtesies of hospitality ; to the Hebrew Young 
Men's Association, for the use of its hall; to 
Mr. Sherman S. Jewett and Mr. George How- 
ard, for the beautiful trip down the Niagara 
river upon their steam yachts ; to the Falcon- 
wood Club, for its generous hospitality ; to the 
Buffalo Fine Arts Academy ; the Society of 
Natural Sciences ; the Buffalo Historical So- 
ciety ; the German Young Men's Association ; 
the Catholic Institute, and the faculty of Cani- 
sius College, for courteous invitations to visit 
and inspect their valuable collections, and to 
the press of Buffalo, for its very complete re- 
ports of the proceedings of the Association. 

Mr. BOWKER presented, and Mr. DEWEY 
seconded, the following resolutions, which 
were voted on separately, and unanimously 
passed : 

Resolved, That the American Library Asso- 
ciation records its thanks to Mr. W: F. Poole, 
alike for the magnificent service accomplished 
for libraries and scholarship in general by the 
completion of his Index, and for thus proving 
the possibility of the largest cooperative enter- 
prises in the future ; to Mr. W: I. Fletcher, for 
his admirable editorial administration of the 
practical details of the work during the five 
years of patient preparation, and to Messrs. 
James R. Osgood & Co., for the excellence 
with which they have accomplished its publi- 
cation ; and 

Resolved, That while commending this work 
to the support of librarians and students in 
general as a labor-saving tool, the A.L.A. 
particularly recommends its purchase by 
smaller libraries, as a key, not simply to such 
periodicals as they may have on their shelves, 
but also as a guide for individual readers to the 
material to be found elsewhere. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Mr. LARNED reported, for the Committee on 
Nominations, Messrs. Winsor, Dewey, Whit- 
ney, Cutter, and Green, Executive Committee. 
The report was accepted, and, on motion of 



Mr. Edmands, this Executive Committee was 
unanimously elected. 

Mr. LARNED made an amendment in refer- 
ence to the price of return tickets to the West, 
and the steps to be taken by members to obtain 
them, and distributed tickets for the afternoon's 
excursion to Niagara Falls. 

Mr. DEWEY. The publishers and book- 
sellers, Peter Paul & Bro., whose store on the 
street floor underneath this hall will repay a 
visit, because of its arrangements, have sent, 
with their compliments, copies of the " Guide to 
Niagara," to supply all our members. 

Mr. CUTTER moved, and Mr. Dewey sec- 
onded, that the Finance Committee invite Mr. 
Leypoldt to print the records of this meeting 
of the Association in the Library journal 
on the same conditions as last year. Voted 
unanimously. 

Mr. LINDERFELT moved that a full list of 
the members be printed with the report, with 
marks showing their status as active or asso- 
ciate members. 

Mr. MANN moved as an amendment that the 
names of members who have resigned be 
omitted. The amendment was accepted and 
the motion passed, with instruction to the 
Secretary and Treasurer to drop from the list 
names of those more than two years in arrears. 

RULES FOR CATALOGING, ETC. 

Mr. CUTTER made a verbal report for the 
Cooperation Committee on Catalog Rules. 

On motion of Dr. BILLINGS, the report was 
accepted, and the committee were instructed to 
print their rules in the Library journal. 
(See p. 89.) 

Mr. DEWEY moved that the Cooperation 
Committee be requested to prepare and print 
in the Library journal a code of rules for the 
transliteration of titles from languages not 
using the Roman alphabet. 

Mr. NELSON seconded the motion, and said 
that, in his own experience, he had found a 
great need of definite rules for transliteration; 
that a perplexing want of uniformity obtained 
in all cases that had come under his observa- 
tion, and that he had requested the Secretary 
to bring this matter up, in the hope that a 
committee of this Association might, perhaps, 
with the cooperation of eminent authorities in 
this country and abroad, fix upon a series of 



PROCEEDINGS. 



rules for transliteration, which would be recog- 
nized and adopted as the highest authority. 

Mr. BOWKER suggested that the committee 
be requested to add Mr. W. P. Garrison, 1 of 
New York, to their number, a gentleman who 
had given a great deal of attention and study 
to this subject. 

The motion was passed. 

SCHOOL OF LIBRARY ECONOMY. 

\ 

Mr. CUTTER, for the committee on the pro- 
posed school for librarians at Columbia Col- 
lege, presented a majority report, agreed to by 
four of the members. He said : We were 
ordered to draft a resolution expressing the 
feelings of the Association in regard to the 
proposed school for librarians at Columbia 
College. It appeared in the discussion, last 
night, that a large part of the members of this 
meeting are warmly interested in the proposal, 
and hope much from it; but when it came to 
giving voice to this feeling the committee were 
divided. We all saw that we were not called 
upon to approve any plan, for none had been 
presented to us. We were also agreed that 
whatever plan might hereafter be adopted the 
result was uncertain, as we knew neither how 
many persons would avail themselves of it, nor 
what instructors could be found to teach them, 
nor how much could be taught in so new a 
branch of learning. This ignorance seemed to 
one member of the committee sufficient reason 
for saying nothing at all. To the other four, 
however, it was evident that we never can 
know any of these things till the experiment is 
tried, and they esteemed it in the highest degree 
fortunate that a body has been found which is 
willing to make the trial. It seemed to them 
that the best the Association can do is to greet 
this disposition with the assurance of its in- 
terest and approval, and therefore they recom- 
mend the adoption of the following resolution, 
in which, for the sake of the doubters, we have 
not committed the Association to any prophe- 
cies : 

Resolved, That this Association desires to 
express its gratification that the trustees of 
Columbia College are considering the propriety 

1 It was found later that Mr. Michael Heilprin, not Mr. 
Garrison, was the author of the articles in the Nation to 
which Mr. Bowker alluded, and, by general consent, he 
was appointed in Mr. Garrison's place. 



of giving instruction in library work, and hopes 
that the experiment may be tried. 

Judge CHAMBERLAIN presented as his minor- 
ity report the following : 

Resolved, That this matter be referred to a 
committee to report more definitely at the next 
meeting of the Association. 

He opposed the resolution as coming 
before the Association so late as to preclude 
examination, and objected to the Association 
sending out any unconsidered resolution. It 
would be like the trade dollar, of light weight. 
We ought not to pass a hasty utterance. 

Mr. GREEN. I think that Judge Chamber- 
lain is mistaken in his views. Having come so 
recently into the management of a great library, 
and attended so few of our meetings, he has 
perhaps not learned that we are not forming 
judgments in regard to this matter hastily. I 
remember that the matter of trying to have 
facilities provided for training and educating 
persons wishing to become librarians was 
talked over at length by the gentlemen and 
ladies who went to the conference of librarians 
in London, in 1877. They held long conversa- 
tions on shipboard regarding the subject, and 
it was generally considered very important that 
such facilities should be somewhere provided. 

On our return I wrote to Professor Winsor, 
urging him to try to make use of the opportu- 
nities afforded by his connection with Harvard 
College to interest that great institution in 
undertaking such a work, and his connection 
with librarians to interest in the scheme the 
managers of libraries in Boston and its neigh- 
borhood, thus securing the means to seekers 
after information of getting at the experiences 
of librarians through lectures, etc., and practi- 
cal training in libraries. 

The matter now under consideration has been 
frequently discussed at meetings of this Associ- 
ation ; if not publicly, certainly in the conver- 
sation of librarians attending them, and by 
librarians when they have met on other occa- 
sions than these meetings. 

It is very desirable that there should be some 
such school as that the establishment of which 
is contemplated by Columbia College. 

I am surprised to hear librarians say that 
instruction should be given exclusively in li- 
braries. 

Mr. Dewey, not long since, asked my opinion 
in regard to the establishment of courses of 



132 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



lectures at Columbia College. I answered that 
I thought it very important that such courses 
should be established somewhere, and asked 
him if it was not possible to combine with them 
a system of apprenticeship, so that actual library 
work might also be done by students in different 
libraries in or near New York city, or at a dis- 
tance from the city. 

There certainly can be no doubt that it would 
be of solid advantage to persons wishing to 
become librarians to have the opportunity of 
listening to the experiences of the best libra- 
rians, speaking on their specialties. It is better 
that their instruction should come from several 
rather than from one librarian, and that they 
should be protected from narrow views, which 
would follow instruction in a single library. 

Columbia College, one of the great universi- 
ties of the country, can certainly be trusted, if 
it undertakes to give instruction, to give good 
instruction. 

Dr. BILLINGS. I don't see why we should 
limit this to Columbia College; why not make 
it a general declaration ? 

Mr. HARRIS, of Cornell University Library, 
thought that the resolutions should be made to 
coverother universities, and moved the adoption 
of the resolution for a fuller report next year. 

Mr. BOWKER. It is the business of the libra- 
rian to educate the people. 

The question of the adoption of the minority 
report was then put and lost. 

Dr. BILLINGS. Have the trustees of Co- 
lumbia College taken a preliminary step tow- 
ards establishing such a school? 

Mr. SMITH. They have already taken such a 
step. 

Mr. DEWEY. That is the fact, and that is 
the reason why Columbia should be named, 
to the exclusion of other universities which 
have as yet signified no interest in establish- 
ing such a school. 

In view of the totally unexpected and pro- 
tracted discussion I may be pardoned a few 
personal remarks. Several speakers seem 
utterly to forget my first statement, that it was 
on the spur of the moment that I read, as a 
matter of interesting news, an outline which 
I had printed to send to members, so they 
might at leisure think over the subject and send 
in suggestions that would help to elaborate the 
plan ; that all was in a formative stage, and 
that we wanted to do simply what might be 



needed. These speakers assume that a plan is 
submitted for the endorsement of this Associa- 
tion ; that we had a fixed plan, which there was 
no time to examine and pass upon at this meet- 
ing. I never dreamed of anything of the sort. 
I hope we may have something more definite at 
another meeting, when all this discussion will 
be in order. A committee could secure and 
tabulate opinions, and perhaps suggest in out- 
line the course of instruction. We at Columbia 
wish to do the most useful thing, and this 
Association can help us to find out what is 
most needed. 

As to the "cold water," its effect is wholly 
tonic. When I proposed, in 1876, to organize 
this Association, and to found the Library 
journal, I was assured, by the same element 
that question the school idea to-day, that there 
was no room for either; they were not needed 
except in my very excellent theory of their use- 
fulness, and could not be sustained. But the 
Library journal is in its eighth volume, and 
has done much good, and the A.L.A.'s influence 
and usefulness are growing each year. I have 
not the slightest doubt that the experience will 
be repeated with the Library School. I recall 
an incident at our first meeting in Philadelphia, 
which amused me so much that I noted the 
exact words. A leading librarian came up 
with cordiality, and said, " Well, Dewey, if you 
wasn't very good-natured you would kick me 
for the way I threw cold water on this confer- 
ence idea. Isn't it a glorious success?" And 
to-day, as I look at the chief hydraulic factor 
in this discussion, I can say of the episode in 
1876, " Thou art the man." 

For the unexpectedly cordial words and 
promises of support so many of you have ex- 
tended me during these meetings, excursions, 
and social hours, thus early in the new enter- 
prise, I am very grateful. They give me new 
courage to work out the idea. 

The majority report was then adopted, with 
only one dissenting voice. 

On motion of Mr. BOWKER, seconded by 
Mr. DEWEY, the president was directed to 
appoint a committee to take into consideration 
during the year all projects and schemes for 
the education of librarians, and to report in 
detail at our next meeting. 

OFFICERS. 

Mr. J. N. LARNED, of the nominating com- 



PROCEEDINGS. 



mittee, reported in favor of the reelection of 
the following officers as a nucleus for the execu- 
tive committee : Justin Winsor, Harvard Uni- 
versity; Melvil Dewey, Columbia College; 
James L. Whitney, Boston Public Library; S: 
S. Green, Worcester Free Library; C: A. Cut- 
ter, Boston Athenaeum. Mr. Green suggested 
that some western men be put on the com- 
mittee ; but the report was adopted, and the 
gentlemen named duly elected. 



SWEDISH LIBRARIES. 

The PRESIDENT stated that for want of time 
the paper on "Two Swedish Libraries," by 
Miss Mary A. Browne, would be read by title, 
and printed in the Proceedings. (T/te paper 
was subsequently lost in sending from Buffalo 
to Boston to be printed.) 



STATE LIBRARIES. 

Mr. GUY A. BROWN, of the State Library, 
Nebraska, read his paper on " State Libraries, 
their Management and Support." 
(See p. 83.) 

Mr. BROWN prefaced his paper by saying that 
looking at the proceedings of the Association in 
the past, as reported in the columns of the 
Library journal, and seeing so much learning 
there displayed, it had seemed to him as if it 
would take considerable courage for western 
people to appear before the Association, and 
somewhat of the spirit of a Spartan hero to 
address its members upon any subject; but 
since arriving here, with other representatives 
from Nebraska, and hearing some one gravely 
inquiring about the locality of the " State of 
Omaha," and how many days' stage journey it 
took to come from there ; and reflecting also 
upon the fact that within the last three months 
the State library at Lincoln had received from 
one of the learned departments at Washington 
a package addressed " Territorial Library, 
Omaha, Nebraska Territory," he had changed 
his opinion. And now that Mr. Cutter had 
kindly placed this State as " 93," in his sys- 
tem, he thought they were no more than ordi- 
nary mortals with similar hobbies, foibles, and 
what not, with a disposition to talk around a 
point and not at it, and that in the library 



world, and among librarians, human nature 
was the same as elsewhere. 1 

Mr. C: C. SOULE, of Boston. This Associ- 
ation of earnest workers has had an admirable 
effect upon the library methods of America, 
but there is a vast amount of work yet to 
do. There is one class of large libraries 
perhaps the most important in the United 
States upon which your influence has hardly 
been felt, that is, the State libraries. Every 
State and territory has at least one library, often 
two or three. Sums amounting to over a hun- 
dred thousand dollars are spent annually in 
buying books for them. In many States there 
are practically no other libraries. Although 
their law departments are usually prominent, 
they include all classes of books. They have 
a large field of usefulness. In the older States, 
where libraries abound, they should be store- 
houses of information for the judicial, legislative, 
and executive branches of the government. In 
new communities, and in the States where there 
are few libraries, they might furnish, also, the 
means of developing scholarship, and science, 
and literature. Everywhere they should be 
reservoirs of local literature and local history, 
both in its materials and its results. Their 
accumulations of books should be thoroughly 
classified and catalogued. Their purchases 
should be intelligent and systematic. Their 
librarians should be men of ability, trained or 
apt to the duties of their position, competent 
to guide the growth of their libraries wisely, 
and to bring them into useful relations with the 
other libraries of the State. 

Such should be the State library and the 
State librarian. What are they in reality? 
As a rule, the libraries are more or less com- 
plete collections of law-books, vast useless 
stacks of public documents, and fragmentary 
scraps of general literature. There is often 
lack of system in arrangement, lack of 
thoroughness in cataloguing, lack of in- 
telligence in utilizing the books. The 
librarians are either burdened with the duties 
of other offices, which they hold- at the same 
time, or they are public pensioners, who are 

1 Note by Mr. Brown, made at Lincoln, Oct. 23, 1883. 
"To the members of the A. L. A.: Pity me! I have 
just received a note from Mr. Cutter, in which he says, ' I 
sent you a letter yesterday, and very appropriately (con- 
sidering how you began your oaper) addressed it to 
Omaha.' " 



'34 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



good custodians and good exhibitors of the 
books, but nothing more. The few exceptions 
those State librarians who bring to their 
duties fidelity, energy, and brains know better 
than any one else the lack of interest among 
many of their brethren in other States. There 
are enough good librarians, in these positions, 
if they could be brought together for conference 
and methodical work, to leaven the whole body. 
There is good material, moreover, among the 
State librarians, who are now librarians merely 
in name, being without the influence of exam- 
ple or the stimulus of professional feeling. 
They only need quickening. Some one must 
do missionary work among them. Cannot this 
Association undertake it? Can we not send out 
a special invitation next year to the State libra- 
rians? If the subjects that interest them are 
in part different from those which interest town 
and city and college libraries, cannot some plan 
of section work be devised, which would assign 
specialties to groups, and matters of general 
interest to meetings of the whole Association? 
There is a field here for telling work. By 
such an effort you may reach, year by year, a 
widening circle of State librarians. Starting 
with those who are already doing good work, 
you can awaken, through the whole body, 
sympathy with the system and enthusiasm 
which are ennobling your occupation into one 
of the learned professions. Your interest may 
suggest to Governors and Legislatures the need 
of selecting librarians as carefully as they select 
judges. You may help to make the State 
libraries centres of intelligence and educa- 



tion in new and unliterary communities. You 
can try to bring these great libraries into some 
useful relation with each other, and with the 
libraries around them, and can especially aid 
them in collecting and arranging the bulky raw 
material of American history. 

With these worthy ends in view, I would 
urge that an effort be made to bring the State 
librarians to future meetings of this Associa- 
tion. 

FINAL PAPERS. 

Mr. R. R. BOWKER read his paper on the 

work of the librarian of the igth century, and 

what the librarian of the 2Oth century will have 

to do, first read by him at Cambridge, England. 

(See p. 85.) 

Mr. EDMANDS explained, by the aid of the 
black-board, the system of numbering congres- 
sional documents in his library. 
(Seep. 88.) 

Mr. FOSTER read his report on aids to read- 
ers. 

(Seep. 71.) 

Mr. COTTER. I desired to call upon Mr. 
Soldan to give some statement as to his "Pur- 
chasing Union, but there is not time." The 
Cooperation Committee will consider it, and 
report in the Library journal. 

Mr. DEWEY gave, by request, a five-minute 
description of the new Columbia College library 
buildings. 

The Association adjourned sine die at 12 
o'clock. 



APPENDIX. 



135 



APPENDIX I. THE WORK AT GLOVERSVILLE. 



BY A. L. PECK, LIBRARIAN. 



T N compliance with the request of the A. L. A., 
1 at its conference held in Buffalo, N.Y., 
August 14-17, 1883, I submit herewith a 
brief account of the manner in which the Levi 
Parsons Library of Gloversville and Kingston, 
N.Y., endeavors to fill its mission. 

This institution opened on January 3, 1881, 
with 3,980 volumes, and contains at present 

S>594- 

The public is invited to the free reading- 
room by placards placed in prominent places, 
shops, and hotels. 

Monthly reports are published in the village 
papers, showing the amount and character of 
the reading. 

An annual discourse on reading and the use 
of libraries is given at the different churches 
by the pastors. 

Special privilege cards, entitling the holder 
to more than the usual number of books, are 
issued to professional readers. 

Library cards at reduced rates are offered to 
clubs, and the formation of library clubs is 
solicited in churches and factories. 

Employers are invited to aid such clubs by 
subscribing for cards for their employe's. 

And the library endeavors to aid the public 
schools in the following manner: 

In primary departments : Teachers read to 
their scholars such library books as are adapted 
to their ages. 

In intermediate departments : A weekly 
lesson is given on topics independent of 
school-work. These topics are selected by 
the teacher and worked up in the library by 
the scholars. 

The teachers bring to school those reference 
and other books which furnish the desired in- 
formation, and show how index, dictionary, and 
cyclopaedia are used. 

Brief reports on books read by the scholars 



are required in place of compositions. The 
books for these reports are selected or approved 
by the teacher or the librarian. 

In the grammar and high school : Pupils are 
required to give, once a week, the information 
on the subject in hand gained at the library. 

Each term, at least one composition, con- 
taining a brief synopsis of a book read during 
that time, is written, and the pupils are en- 
couraged to express an opinion with regard to 
the style and character of the book. 

In the study of English and American litera- 
ture the student is brought into direct contact 
with the works of the author, and is required 
to read selections and to memorize extracts 
from the best writers ; the class having free ac- 
cess through its teacher to the books of the 
library. 

A monthly lesson on current events is given, 
and the scholars are required to render an 
account of their reading of newspapers and 
periodicals. 

The librarian visits each department of the 
school at least once a month, talks to the 
scholars on a topic of their own selection, calls 
their attention to those books in which addi- 
tional interesting information may be found, 
and invites the scholars to frequent the reading- 
room and library. 

Classes of children visit the library accom- 
panied by their teacher, to see valuable illus- 
trated books and engravings. At these visits 
a topic is suggested by the teacher, and the 
manner in which information on the subject 
may be gained from books contained in the 
library is shown and explained by the librarian, 
with especial attention to the proper use of 
reference-books and catalogues. 

The following figures taken from the annual 
and monthly reports of the library will show 
some of the results : 





No. of Read- 
ers. 


No. of Refer- 
ence-books 
consulted. 


History and 
Biography. 


Travel and 
Adventure. 


Prose, Fic- 
tion, and 
Juvenile. 


Total No. of 
Books de- 
livered. 


Tan. 3, iSSi, to June 15, iSSi . 
June 16, iSSi, to June 15, 1882 . 
June 16, 1882. to June 15, :883 . 
Month of October, 1883 .... 


641 
664 
1,051 
i, 1 20 


73 

101 

225 
123 


742 

1,012 
I,26o 
ICX) 


727 
938 
1,164 
127 


7.227 
12,680 
12,231 
1,240 


10,653 

I7>'99 
17,206 

>97 



i 3 6 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE. 



APPENDIX IL COMPENDIOUS CATALOGUING-RULES FOR THE 
AUTHOR-CATALOGUE OF THE BODLEIAN LIBRARY. 1 



TITLE. 

1. The title is to be an exact transcript from 
the title-page, not amended, translated, or in 
any way altered, except that mottoes, repeti- 
tions, and matter of any kind not essential, may 
be omitted omissions to be indicated by a 
group of three dots (...); but the name of 
an author or editor, if it occur on the title-page 
in the same form as in the heading, may be 
omitted if no ambiguity be occasioned hereby; 
and forenames which are given in full in the 
heading may be represented by initials in the 
entry of the title. The typography and 
punctuation of the title need not be strictly 
adhered to. All anonymous works of which 
the author is known are to have the abbrevia- 
tion " anon." added in square brackets. 

2. The titles of works especially valuable for 
antiquity or rarity may be given in full, with 
all practicable exactness. 

3. In English, initial capitals are to be given 
to proper names of persons and personifica- 
tions, places, societies, noted events, and 
periods ; to adjectives and other words derived 
from proper names when they have a direct 
reference to the person, place, etc., from which 
they are derived ; and to the first word of 
every quoted title of a work. 

4. In other languages the use of capitals is 
to follow the local practice. 

5. In doubtful cases capitals are to be avoided. 

VOLUMES, PLACE, DATE, SIZE, ETC. 

6. Other particulars are to be given after the 
title, in the following order : 

(1) The edition as specified on the title-page. 

(2) The number of volumes, if more than 

one. 

(3) The place of publication followed by 

the place of printing, when different 
from that of publication in brackets. 
In the case of books of the i5th and 
i6th centuries, or of special value or 
rarity, the names of the publisher and 
printer are to be added after the above 
entries, respectively. 

(4) The date as given on the title-page, in 

Arabic figures. 



LANGUAGE OF TITLE AND IMPRINT. 

7. Title and imprint entries are to be as far 
as possible in the language of the title, but ad- 
ditions are to be in English, enclosed in 
brackets. 

CONTENTS AND NOTES. 

8. Contents of volumes are to be given when 
expedient. 

9. Notes, explanatory or illustrative, or de- 
scriptive of bibliographical and other peculiari- 
ties, including imperfections, are to be added 
when necessary. 

HEADINGS AND CROSS-REFERENCES. 

Books are to be entered : 

10. Under the surnames of authors, when 
stated on the title-page or otherwise certainly 
known, followed by the forename and other 
necessary prefixes in round brackets. 

n. When only the initials or pseudonym of 
an author occur in the book, it is also to be re- 
garded for the purpose of headings as anony- 
mous ; and a cross-reference is to be made from 
the initials or pseudonym to the first heading, 
the last initial being placed first, followed by 
the others in round brackets. 

12. Under the pseudonyms of the writers, 
unless the book be already entered under two 
headings, in which case a cross-reference is to 
be made from the pseudonym to the first head- 
ing. 

13. Under the names of editors of collec- 
tions, and under the catch-titles of such collec- 
tions ; the parts are to be at the same time 
sufficiently catalogued under their own head- 
ings. 

14. Under the names of countries, cities, so- 
cieties, etc., which cause them to be published. 

15. Under the chief word or words of the 
titles of periodicals. 

16. Under the chief subject-word or words of 
the titles of anonymous works, with a cross- 

1 As these rules have never been printed in this country, 
they are given here as an appendix to the report of the 
Cooperation Committee. It may be noted that some of 
the directions belong to the subject rather than the author 
or title catalogue. 



APPENDIX. 



'37 



reference, where advisable, from any other 
noticeable word or catch-title. If the name of 
a writer occur in a work, but not on the title- 
page, the work is also to be regarded for the 
purpose of headings as anonymous. 

17. Commentaries with the text, editions of 
the text, and translations, are to be entered (i) 
under the heading of the original work, and 
(2) under the name of the commentator, editor, 
or translator; commentaries without the text 
are to be entered under the same two headings, 
the second being placed first. 

18. Editions of the entire Bible, with or with- 
out the Apocrypha, are to be entered under the 
word Bible; editions of parts of the Bible com- 
prising more than one book under the words 
Testament {Old), Apocrypha, Testament 
{New), or lesser divisions, such as Pentateuch, 
Historical books, Hagiographa, Prophets, 
Gospels, Patil the apostle, Epistles (General). 

19. The Talmud and Koran (and parts of 
them) are to be entered under those words. 

20. The sacred books of other religions are 
to be entered under the names by which they 
are generally known. 

21. Service and prayer books of the Church 
of England are to be entered under the names 
by which they are commonly known, such as 
Prayer {Book of Common), Baptism {Order 
of), Communion {Holy), etc.; those of the 
Church of Rome in like manner under Missal, 
Breviary, Hours, etc., with a sub-heading of 
the use. Service-books of other religious com- 
munities are to be entered under the head of 
Liturgies, with a sub-heading of the religious 
community. 

22. Books having more than one author or 
editor are to be entered under the one first 
named in the title, with at least sufficient cross- 
reference. 

N.B. Separate musical compositions, accompanied by 
words, are to be entered under the names of the authors 
and translators of the words (unless these are taken from 
the Bible or a public-service book) as well as under those 
of the authors and editors of the music. 

23. Names of translators, commentators, edi- 
tors, and preface-writers, if they do not occur 
in the title-page, may be added in brackets, a 
further heading or cross-reference being made 
when necessary. 

24. In the case of an academical thesis the 
praeses is to be considered as the author, unless 
the work unequivocally appears to be the work 
of the respondent or defender. 



25. Reports of civil actions are to be entered 
under the name of the party to the suit which 
stands first on the title-page. Reports of Crown 
and criminal proceedings are to be entered 
under the name of the defendant. Admiralty 
proceedings relating to vessels are to be entered 
under the name of the vessel. 

26. Catalogues are to be entered under the 
name of the compiler; also, as circumstances 
require, under the names of one or more of the 
institutions or persons now or formerly owning 
the collection, and, where desirable, under the 
name of the collection itself. 

27. Noblemen are to be entered under the 
title, except when the family-name is better 
known ; a cross-reference from the one to the 
other being made in every case. 

28. Ecclesiastical dignitaries, unless popes 
or ruling princes, are to be entered under their 
surnames ; their current and highest subse- 
quent title to be added. 

29. All persons generally known by a fore- 
name are to be so entered, the English form 
being preferred in the case of ruling princes, 
popes. Oriental writers, friars, and persons 
canonized 

30. Married women and other persons who 
have changed their names are to be put under 
the last well-known name, with a cross-refer- 
ence from other authorized names. 

31. In the headings of titles the names of 
authors are to be given in full, and in their 
vernacular form ; but authors generally known 
under their Latin or Latinized names may be 
entered under those names, a cross-reference 
being made from the vernacular form. 

32. English and French surnames beginning 
with a prefix or prefixes are to be recorded 
under the first prefix, and surnames in other 
languages under the word following the last 
prefix, except that French names beginning 
with de or d' are to be entered under the word 
following de or d'. 

33. English compound surnames, not con- 
nected by a hyphen, are to be entered under 
the last part of the names ; foreign ones, with 
or without hyphens, under the entire compound 
name, cross-references being given in all in- 
stances. 

34. When an author has been known by 
more than one name, references are to be in- 
serted from the name or names not used as 
headings to the one used. 



138 



BUFFALO CONFERENCE, 



35. A society is to be entered under the 
leading word or words of its corporate name, 
with cross-reference from any other name by 
which it is well known. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 

36. A dash ordinarily indicates the omission 
of the preceding heading or title, but following 
a number it signifies continuation. 

37. Entries under the surname only are to 
precede fuller entries under the same name ; 
where the initials only of the forenames are 
given, they are to precede fuller entries with 
the same initials. Dashes or asterisks in 
names and titles are to precede letters of the 
alphabet. 

38. M c and Me, and the prefixes s., st., ste., 
m., mme., mile., messrs., mr., mrs., dr., are to 
be arranged as if written in full, Mac, sanctus, 
saint, sainte, monsieur, madame, mademoiselle, 
messieurs, mister, mistress, doctor. 

39. The works of an author, and other books 
capable of similar treatment, are to be arranged 
in the following order, an index or conspectus 
of the entire article being prefixed when ex- 
pedient : 

(1) General cross-references. 

(2) Collections of all the -works of the 

author in the original language, 
whether including or excluding frag- 
ments, and whether with or without 
translations or commentaries. 

(a) Dated editions in chronological 

order. 

() Editions without date and 
without conjecturally sup- 
plied date ; but if known to 
be of the i5th century they 
are to precede the dated 
editions. 

But new editions of a work 
by the same editor are to suc- 
ceed the first entry of the 
edition. 

(3) Translations without the text, of col- 

lected works, in alphabetical order of 
languages, cross-references being in- 
serted in this series to all editions 
which contain the original text as 
well as a translation. Polyglot edi- 
tions are to precede all others. 

(4) Commentaries, without the text, on 



collected works, in chronological 
order. Scholia are to precede all 
other commentaries. 

(5) Selections from collected works. 

(6) Collections of two or more -works of 

the author, in alphabetical order of 
the general title of the collection ; or, 
if there be none, of the first work of 
the collection. In special cases en- 
tries which would in strictness fall 
under this division may be placed in 
the succeeding paragraph, with a 
cross-reference. 

(7) Separate -works, or entire parts of a sep- 

arate work, in chronological order of 
the first issues of the works ; in any 
difficult cases an alphabetical or other 
special arrangement is to be made. 

(8) Fragments of the author ; but when a 

work exists only in fragments it may 
be entered under preceding para- 
graphs. 

(9) (a) Lexicons, () Indexes and concord- 

ances. 
(10) Dissertations, treatises, imitations, etc., 

which do not fall under preceding 

heads, in chronological order, 
(n) Biographies. 
(12) Bibliographies. 

N.B. The principles of arrangement in the 

preceding paragraphs are to be used, where 

applicable, in other articles. 

40. Biographies are to be entered under the 
subjects of them, as well as under the writers. 

41. The order of alphabetization is to be that 
of the English alphabet, except that, in gen- 
eral, I and U before a vowel are to be arranged 
as J and V, and J and V before a consonant as 
I and U, with such cross-references as may be 
necessary. 

42. Headings composed of more than one 
separate word are not to be regarded for pur- 
poses of arrangement as a single word. 

43. Names of places are to precede similar 
names of persons. 

44. Titles in foreign characters may be trans- 
literated. 

45. The German a, o, , ,are to be arranged 
as if written out in full, ae, oe, ue. 

46. Arabic figures are to be used rather than 
Roman; but Roman figures may be used after 
the names of ruling princes and popes, or to 
designate the number of a volume or chapter 



APPENDIX. 



'39 



when followed by a page [or division] number 
in Arabic figures. 

47. Designations are to be added to distin- 
guish writers of the same or similar name. 

48. Prefixes and titles indicating the rank or 
profession of writers may be added in the head- 
ing when they are part of the usual designation 
of the writers, or occur on the title-page. 

49. The languages in which a book is writ- 
ten are to be stated when there are more than 
one and the fact is not mentioned in the title- 
page. 

50. Word-books, grammars, and alphabets 
are to be entered under the names of the lan- 
guages to which they relate, as well as under 
the names of their compilers and editors ex- 
cept that, where a word-book relates to two lan- 
guages, or dialects, of which one is modern 
literary English, no separate entry needs be 
made in respect of the latter. 

51. Long and important articles are to have 
an index prefixed, and sub-headings may be 
added to the main heading in the same line, for 
convenience of reference. 



52. Among the abbreviations allowable in 
ordinary entries are : after-w. (afterwards) ; 
anon, (anonymous) ; Aiifl. (Auflage) ; Ausg. 
(Ausgabe); Bd., Bde. (Band, Bande) ; ed.,ed. 
(edition, edited, etc.) ; fasc. (fasciculus, etc.) ; 

fol. (folio) ; foil, (folios, followed, following) ; 
herausg. (herausgegeben) ; illustr. (illus- 
trated) ; Lief. (Lieferung) ; p., pp. (page, 
pages) ; pseud, (pseudonym, pseudonymous) ; 

publ. (published) ; repr. (reprint, reprinted) ; 
sign, (signature); torn, (tomus, tome) ; tr. 
(translated, translation, traduit, etc.) ; vol. 
(volume, volumen) ; also, bp., prof., rev. ; and 
in an imprint n. d. (no date), n. pi. (no place). 

53. The general rule regulating the use of 
brackets is that round brackets include notes 
derived from the work itself, while square 
brackets include notes of which the matter or 
form is independent of the work. 

54. Single sermons are to have a note of the 
text added. 

EDWARD B. NICHOLSON, 

Librarian. 
Oct., 1882. 



LIST OF PERSONS PRESENT. 



Owing to the neglect of many who were present to sign the roll, their names are not included in the following 
list. The editor has supplied the omissions, so far as was possible, from other sources. When a library is mentioned 
in connection with any one's name, he is the librarian, unless otherwise designated. 



Harriet 1 A. Adams, Somerville (Mass.) P.L. 
Jessie Allan, Omaha (Neb.) P.L. 
Ja. Bain, Jr., Toronto P.L. 

E. M. Barton, Am. Antiq. Soc., Worcester 
(Mass.) 

Emma J. Bean, cataloger, Andover (Mass.) 

Theol. Sem. L. 

Mary A. Bean, Brookline (Mass.) P.L. 
I. L. Beardsley, Cleveland (O.) P.L. 
Daniel Beckwith, Prov. (R.I.) Athenaeum. 
J. S. Billings, U.S. Surgeon General's Office. 
W. S. Biscoe, Columbia Coll. L.> N.Y. 
Guj A. Brown, Lincoln (Neb.) State L. 
Martha A. Bullard, Auburn (N.Y.) Seymour L. 
R. R. Bowker, Editorial Rooms, Harper Bros., 

N.Y. 

H: J. Carr, Grand Rapids, Mich. 
Mellen Chamberlain, Boston (Mass.) P.L. 

F. W. Christern, N.Y., bookseller. 

Emily A. Clark, 217 Eagle st, Buffalo, N.Y. 
Emery Cleaves, with Lockwood, Brooks, & 
Co., 17 Franklin st., Boston, Mass. 

F. M. Crunden, St. Louis (Mo.) Pub. Sch. L. 
C: A. Cutter, Boston Athenaeum, Boston, 

Mass. 
Melvil Dewey, Columbia College L., Mad. ave. 

& 49th st., N.Y. 
Miss Sarah F. Earle, Asst., Worcester (Mass.) 

Free P.L. 

J: Edmands, Mercantile L., Philadelphia, Pa. 
W: I. Fletcher, Asst. Watkinson L., Hartford, 

Conn. 

W: E. Foster, Providence (R.I.) P.L. 
S: S. Green, Worcester (Mass.) Free P.L. 
Reuben A. Guild, Brown Univ., Prov. (R.I.) 
John Hallam, Chairman, Toronto P.L. 
Mary C. Harbaugh, Assistant Ln., State L., 

Columbus (O.) 

G. W: Harris, Asst, Cornell University L., 
Ithaca, N.Y. 

Frank P. Hill, Lowell (Mass.) City L. 
W. J. Hills, Bridgeport (Conn.) P.L. 
H: A. Homes, N.Y. State L., Albany, N.Y. 
W. Hutchinson, Dominion L., Ottawa, Can. 
Wm. Ives, Young Men's L., Buffalo, N.Y. 



F: Jackson, ex-Supt., Newton (Mass.) FreeP.L. 
H. J. Kerling, Thornton L., Winnipeg (Mani- 
toba.) 

A. G. Kimberley, Y.M.C.A.L.. Berwick, Pa. 
J. N. Larned, Young Men's L., Buffalo, N.Y. 
K: A. Linderfelt, Milwaukee (Wis.) P.L. 

G: T. Little, Bowdoin Coll., Brunswick, Me. 

B. Pickman Mann, U.S. Dept. Agriculture, 
Washington, D.C. 

Grace Mason, Lincoln (Neb.) State L. 

Chester W. Merrill, Cincinnati (O.) P.L. 

Louise Moore, 243 Elk st., Buffalo, N.Y. 

Ezekiel W. Mundy, Syracuse (N.Y.) Central L. 

C: Alex.Nelson, AstorL.,N.Y., Brooklyn (N.Y.) 

Dr. E: J. Nolan, Acad. of Nat. Sciences, Phila- 
delphia, Pa. 

A. L. Peck, Levi Parsons L., Gloversville, N.Y. 

Bradford K. Pierce, Supt., Newton (Mass.) Free 
L., Editor Zion's Herald, Boston. 

W. T. Peoples, Merc. L., New York City. 

W: F. Poole, Chicago (111.) P.L. 

Mrs. W. F. Poole. 

Miss Mary Poole. 

E. C. Richardson, Asst., Theol. Inst. L., Hart- 
ford, Ct. 

N. S. Rosenau, Hebrew Y.M.A., Buffalo, N.Y. 

Miss Mary E. Sargent, Middlesex Mechanics' 
L., Lowell, Mass. 

J. C. Sickley, Po'keepsie City L. 

Medora J. Simpson, Chelsea (Mass.) P.L. 

Eva Smith, Germantown, Phil., Pa. 

H. E. J. Smith, Germantown, Phil., Pa. 

Lloyd P. Smith, Library Co. of Philadelphia. 

Fred. J. Soldan, Peoria (111.) P.L. 

C: C. Soule, Publisher, Boston, 37 Court st. 

Miss Lucy Stevens, Toledo (O.) P.L. 

G. N. Stowits, Buffalo, N.Y. 

Edith Wallbridge, Springfield (111.) State L. 

Jas. W. Ward, Grosvenor L., Buffalo, N.Y. 

TheresaH.West,Deputy,Milwaukee(Wis.)P.L. 

Jas. L. Whitney, Asst, Boston P.L., Concord, 
Mass. 

Justin Winsor, Harvard College L., Cambridge, 
Mass. 

R. C. Woodward, Springfield (O.) P.L. 



OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE BOARD 



AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. 



I 882-83 



JUSTIN WINSOR . . LIBRARIAN HARVARD UNIVERSITY, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 



A. R. SPOFFORD 
W: F: POOLE . 
H: A. HOMES . 
LLOYD P. SMITH 
D. C. GILMAN . 
JULIUS DEXTER 



Librarian of Congress, Washington, D.C. 
Librarian Public Library, Chicago, 111. 
Librarian New York State Library, Albany, N.Y. 
Librarian Philadelphia Library Company. 
President Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md 
Ohio Historical and Philosophical Society, Cincinnati, O. 



MELVIL DEWEY 



Smeiarg. 
Chief Lib'n Columbia College, Mad. av. and 49th st., New York. 



JAS. L. WHITNEY 



feasnnr. 

Ass't Librarian Boston Public Library. 



S: S. GREEN 
J. N. LARNED 
W: E. FOSTER 



Committee. 

Librarian Worcester (Mass.) Free Public Library. 
Superintendent Young Men's Library, Buffalo, N.Y. 
Librarian Providence (R.I.) Public Library. 



C: A. CUTTER . 
S: H. SCUDDER . 

C. B. TlLLINGHAST 



Librarian Boston Athenaeum. 

Lib'n American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Boston. 

Ass't Lib'n Mass. State Library, Boston. 



Counnllors. 



]: S. BILLINGS . 
R: R. BOWKER . 
M. CHAMBERLAIN 
ROBERT CLARKE 
F. M. CRUNDEN 
J: N. DYER 
J: EATON . 
J: EDMANDS 
WESTON FLINT . 
Miss C. M. HEWINS . 
ALEX. HILL 
FREDERICK JACKSON 
Miss HANNAH P. JAMES 
J: W. M. LEE . 
F: LEYPOLDT 

K. A: LlNDERFELT . 

C. W. MERRILL 
J: M. NEWTON 
S. B. NOYES 
F: B. PERKINS . 
Miss LUCY STEVENS . 
ADDISON VAN NAME 
A. E. WHITAKER 



Librarian National Medical Library, Washington, D.C. 

Editorial Dep't Harper Bros., Franklin sq., N.Y. 

Librarian Boston Public Library. 

Publisher, Cincinnati. 

Librarian St. Louis Public School Library. 

Librarian St. Louis Mercantile Library. 

U. S. Commissioner of Education, Washington, D.C. 

Librarian Mercantile Library of Philadelphia. 

Librarian U. S. Patent Office, Washington, D.C. 

Librarian Hartford (Conn.) Library. 

Cincinnati. 

St. Paul, Minn. 

Librarian Newton (Mass.) Free Library. 

Librarian Mercantile Library, Baltimore, Md. 

Publisher of the " Library journal," 31 to 32 Park Row, N.Y. 

Librarian Milwaukee (Wis.) Public Library. 

Librarian Cincinnati Public Library. 

Librarian Cincinnati Mercantile Library. 

Librarian Brooklyn Library. 

Librarian San Francisco Public Library. 

Librarian Toledo (Ohio) Public Library. 

Librarian Yale College, New Haven, Ct. 

Librarian San Francisco Mercantile Library. 



Legislation 
Buildings . 
Shelf-Classification . 
Cataloging 
Aids and Guides 
Reading of the Young 
Fiction . 
General Interests 



W: F. POOLE. 
A. R. SPOFFORD. 
F: B. PERKINS. 
S. B. NOYES. 
W: E. FOSTER. 
Miss MARY A. BEAN. 
MELLEN CHAMBERLAIN. 
JUSTIN WINSOR. 



Committal? an % 



$$liing, 1SS3. 



JAMES W. WARD, 
T: KEAN, 
D. H. MCMILLEN, 
J: H. COWING, 
J. N. LARNED, 



J. N. LARNED, 



Reception and Arrangements. 

E: B. SMITH, 
F. M. HOLLISTER, 
H: A. RICHMOND, 
P: PAUL, 

Program. 
C: A. CUTTER, 



J. JEWETT, 

W. S. BlSSELL, 

E. T. EVANS, 
E: S. WHEELER. 



J. W. WARD. 



UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA