L I B R.ARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AM 1886-89 The person charging this material is re- sponsible for its return on or before 1 Latest Date stamped below. Theft, mutilation, ond underlining of books are reasons for disciplinary aet.on and may result in dismissal from the Un.vers.ty. University of Illinois Library 7 P L161 O-1096 PAPERS AND PROCEEDINGS NINTH GENERAL MEETING AMERIGO LIBRARY ASSOCIATION ROUND ISLAND PARK THOUSAND ISLANDS AUGUST SEPTEMBER BOSTON LIBRARY BUREAU 32 HAWLEY STREET 1887 CONTENTS. Title. Author. President's address W: F: Poole . , Action of burning-gas on leather C. J. Woodward Lettering books J. Edmands . . A notation for small libraries ' C: A. Cutter . . Alphabeting J. Edmands . , The British Mu!ei'm system of press-marks Business methor":- ,n library management The British Museum catalog as in use in the library of the Young Men's Christian Association of New York City Frequency of registrations of book-takers A quicker way of measuring books Newspaper volumes in a library . . . ' Pamphlets and continuations of serials How to bind periodicals Some thoughts on close classification Libraries for specialists The Columbia College School of Library Economy from a student's standpoint . . The relations of city governments to libraries Special collections at Ithaca A course of reading for school children Report on library architecture The possibilities of public libraries in manufacturing communities Libraries and schools Hours of opening libraries Brief review of the libraries of Canada Bibliographic bureaus Report on catalogues and aids and guides for readers, 1885-87 . G: W: Harris . . . . F: M. Crunden . . . . R. B. Poole .... . //:/. Carr . G: W. CoU .... . //: M. Utley .... . L. Swift . .V. C. Perkins . . . . G: W. Cole .... . C: A. Nelson .... . Miss M. W. Plummer . . W: Rice . G: L. Burr -. . . . . /: C. Sickley .... . J. N. Lamed .... . Mrs. M. A. Sanders . . S: S. Green .... . E. C. Richardson . . . /. Bain, Jr . H. Putnam . W: C. Lane . . . . Page. 14 16 21 25 28 3 35 39 40 44 46 5i 53 54 59 62 6? 85 90 92 96 99 104 Proceedings 113 First Session ii3-.i2i President's address 113 Secretary's report 113-114 Treasurer's report 114-115 Cooperation committee's report 116 Report of committee on School of Library Econ- omy, with letter of Miss James 116-117 Action of electric light on paper 118-119 Report of the committee of arrangements . . . 119-120 Notation for small libraries 120-121 Alphabeting 121 Second Session 122-128 Alphabeting 122-125 Jenner's sliding shelf 125 Business methods in library management . . . 125-126 Librarian's duty 126 Manuscript catalogue 126-127 Auditing committee's report 127-128 Third Session r28-i32 Newspaper volumes 128-129 Adjustable periodical case 129 Binding periodicals ijo Catalogue of sale 'duplicates (30-131 Seminary work iji Fourth Session 132 Fifth Session 132-137 Classing and arranging maps and charts . . -132 Library architecture 132-135 Distribution of public documents '?5 - '37 Free access to the shelves ....'.... 137 Sixth Session 137-140 Public documents I 37" I 38 Indexes made by the Patent Office Library . . 138 Resolution concerning State librarians .... 138 Schools and libraries 138 Officers. . .< <39 Report of the coMniittee on resolutions ... 139 Place of meeting for 1888 39 Seventh Session 140-146 Library assistants ........... "4 Bibliographic bureau ..... ..... 140-142 Kansas libraries ........... 142-143 Place for the next meeting ..... Badges Ferree's Mutual Library of Philadelphia Miscellaneous Appendix i : A. L.A. Publishing Section. i43~M4 '44 t44-'4S i45-'4& 146-147 Appendix 2 : Excursions ......... I47' r 5 Attendance register ... ........ '5 1 CONFERENCE OF LIBRARIANS. THOUSAND ISLANDS, AUG., SEPT., 1887. ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT, WILLIAM F. POOLE, LL. D., LIBRARIAN OF THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY, CHICAGO. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE ASSOCIA- TION : WE meet for our ninth annual conference amid these beautiful islands which fringe the outer limit of our northern frontier, and near the boundaries of our Canadian brethren. Some of these brethren we have with us, and we welcome them to our conference with sen- timents of friendship and esteem. Whether the homes of those present be north or south of the river St. Lawrence, we are all, in the best sense, Americans. Little more than a century has passed since the countries which are now the Dominion of Canada and the United States had a common history; and they have to-day common interests and aspira- tions. I believe that not many decades of years will have passed before they will again have a common history and a common des- tiny. We come from our various fields of labor to enjoy the delightful social intercourse which these annual reunions afford ; and to be bene- fited and strengthened in our^vork by listen- ing to the papers and discussions, of which so generous a scheme has been provided by the committee on programme. The committee this year, I think, has distinguished itself in giving us a rich, varied, and solid bill of fare, and one unsurpassed by that of any previous conference. Their wisdom is also conspicu- ous in giving us four days for the work they have so liberally provided for our profit and entertainment When our association was organized at Phil- adelphia, in October 1876, and it was proposed to hold annual conferences, the doubt was ex- pressed whether such frequent meetings could be sustained. Were there topics in our pro- fession of sufficient number and interest, that we could write and talk about them as often as once a year ? Should we not, after two or three meetings, be threshing old straw? An inspection of the programme before us and of the printed proceedings of recent years will show that the apprehension was wholly ground- less. Bibliography in itself, and more espe- cially in its relations to library administration, is a progressive study, and I think we may venture to term it a progressive science. Old topics require to be discussed in new rela- tions, and new subjects come up every year which were not thought of when the associa- tion was organized. There is every probabil- ity that the attendance and the interest in these annual conferences will increase; that the schemes will expand from year to year ; and that the committee on the programme will grow in wisdom, and prescribe a week for the presentation of papers and their discussion. The subject to which I now wish to call your attention is : The Public Library of our Time. I use the term public library with the same restricted signification which is attached to the term pttblic school, meaning by it a municipal institution, established and regu- THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. lated by State laws, supported by local taxa- tion, and administered for the benefit of all the residents of the municipality which sup- ports it. It is unfortunate that we have not in our vocabulary a term to express this mean- ing without using one which has been and is still used, to some extent, with so wide a sig- nification that it includes any and every col- lection of books which is not the property of an individual and a private library. In this country there is no ambiguity in the term public school, for the people have long been familiar with the institution. The public library, however, as here de- fined, has come into being within the memory of some of us here present. Its rapid devel- opment during the past thirty-five years in the United States and England furnishes an interesting indication of the progress which characterizes the popular methods of educa- tion in our time. Public collections of books for the benefit of scholars are not new. They are as old as civilization. They flourished in Egypt in the time of Rameses II., in Athens in the time of Pericles, in Rome in the time of the Caesars, and all through the middle ages. Every country in Europe has its national library, and many a continental city has its old municipal library of musty books which the masses of the people never care to read. The universities have their collections, and some of them are excellent. The public library is not a substitute for, and will never supplant, these and other collections which are needed for the use of scholars. Its mis- sion is among the people at large, to inspire a taste for reading, to raise the general stand- ard of intelligence, to stimulate literary, his- torical, and scientific research ; and, when its own resources are exhausted, to send inquir- ers to larger collections, if any such be acces- sible. In some of our cities, the public library, besides providing for the wants of the masses, already outranks every other library of the vicinity in books of a higher grade, and has become the home of the scholar. The more we have of large collections of books, whether they be circulating or reference libraries, the better it will be for the country. If there were a public library in every city and town in the United States, the National Library at Wash- ington, the Astor in New York, and the Library of Harvard University would be more con- sulted, and be more essential to the public than they are at present. The enormous increase in the number and size of the libraries of the world during the present century is remarkable ; and the most of this growth has taken place since the establishment of the first free public library, less than forty years ago. In 1821 the British Museum, now with its nearly 2,000,- ooo volumes, had only 116,000. Washington Irving spoke of it about that time in his "Sketch Book" as "an immense collection of volumes in all languages, many of which are now forgotten, and most of which are never read." In 1835, when the first royal com- mission was appointed to examine into the affairs of the British Museum, it had only 200,000 volumes and an annual appropriation from Parliament for its support of from .200 to .300 an allowance on which most of our town libraries would starve. In 1837 Antony Panizzi was appointed keeper of the printed books in the Museum, and began his great work of library administration and re- generation. In 1845 he addressed a memoir to the trustees, setting forth the deficiencies of the library, recommending that they be supplied by an adequate appropriation from Parliament, and that the books in the library be catalogued in a uniform and scientific method. The trustees indorsed his recom- mendations ; but there was much opposition to them in Parliament and prejudice on the part of literary men, chiefly on the ground that Mr. Panizzi was a foreigner and pre- sumed to instruct Englishmen. In 1847 Mr. Edward Edwards further called the attention of the public to the low condition of libraries in England and the United States, in a paper which he read before the Statistical Society of London, and printed in the Journal of the Society in August, 1848. He showed that in London the ratio of books to the population was less than in Naples and Lisbon, and less, even, than in Dublin. Brussels was five times better supplied; Paris, seven times: POOLE. 3 Dresden, twenty-one times ;' Copenhagen, twenty-three times ; and Munich, thirty-seven times. In the United States the largest library he cited was that of Harvard College, with 68,500 volumes; and then in order of size, the Philadelphia Library Company, 55,- ooo; Boston Athenaeum, 35,000; Yale Col- lege, 34,500 ; New York Society Library, 30.000 ; and the Library of Congress, 28,000. These were the statistics of American libra- ries just forty years ago. Prof. Jewett's statistics appeared in 1851, and, although they were somewhat higher, they substantially con- firm the general accuracy of Mr. Edwards's estimates made in 1847. From 1847 to 1850 the stupor which had settled down upon the library interests of England and the United States was rapidly breaking up. The prejudice of literary men in England against the energetic methods of Mr. Panizzi led to the appointment of the second royal commission to investigate the affairs of the British Museum. The com- mission held its first session July 10, 1847, and the last June 26, 1849. Every man of letters in England who objected to what Mr. Panizzi was doing, and who thought he knew all there was to know about cataloguing and library management, had an opportunity to give in his testimony before the commission ; and it may be read in two bulky blue-book folios. It is now, as it was then, droll read- ing. A multitude of persons not especially interested in libraries in the United States as well as in England read the testimony for the entertainment there was in seeing wit- ness after witness confused and demolished by the wise and sagacious questioning of the foreigner whom they had volunteered to con- fute. The report of the commission was a triumphant vindication of Sir Antony Panizzi and his principles. He was knighted soon after his notable victory. Since that time lit- erary men have not been eager to indulge in public criticism on the methods of pro- fessional librarians. While this investigation was in progress, and perhaps inspired by the interest it awak- ened, Mr. VVm. Ewart gave notice in Parlia- ment that at the coming: session he should introduce a resolution for the appointment of a select committee to inquire into the best means of establishing free libraries, especially in large towns. In March, 1849, ^ ie offered such a resolution, which, after marked opposi- tion from conservative members, was adopted, and Mr. Ewart was made chairman of the committee. The inquiry began April 19, 1849, was continued till June 12, and the evidence, with the committee's favorable report, was printed in the blue-books. In February, 1850, Mr. Ewart introduced a bill enabling town councils to establish public libraries and muse- ums, limiting the rate of taxation for their sup- port to one half penny in the pound; requiring the affirmative vote of two thirds of the tax- payers ; restricting its operations to towns which had at least 10,000 inhabitants, and providing that the money so raised should be expended only in buildings and contingent expenses. Meagre as this bill was, compared with the later enactments of Parliament, it met with persistent opposition from the con- servative benches. Mr. Goulburn, an ex- chancellor of the exchequer, objected to the bill on the ground that it did not give suffi- cient power to form a library; that it made no provision for the purchase of books, and he should object to it more strongly if it did. Who was to select the books ? was every new publication to be procured? or was there to be a literary censorship set up? Another member claimed that the bill would enable a few persons to lay a general tax for their own benefit, and that the library would degenerate into a political club. Mr. Spooner feared these free libraries would turn into normal schools of agitation. Lord John Manners op- posed the bill because it imposed an addi- tional tax upon the agricultural interest. Sir Roundell Palmer, later lord chancellor of England, feared that the moment the com- pulsory principle was introduced a positive check would be imposed upon the voluntary self-supporting desire which existed among the people to supply themselves with books. Mr. Hume thought it was a scheme to get the Daily News and other liberal newspapers on file. Three members representing the univer- sities spoke and voted against it. The liberal THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. members generally favored the bill. Mr. Bright said that one half of the objections to it were not fairly put, and the other half did not apply. The bill passed, ayes 118, noes 101. The Manchester, Liverpool, and Bolton free public libraries were immediately organized under this act, the cost of the books being defrayed by private subscriptions. In 1854 the provisions of the act were extended to Scot- land and Ireland. In 1855, the new libraries having gone into operation with the most en- couraging results, Parliament passed a more liberal library bill, by a vote of three to one, which raised the rate of taxation from a half- penny to a penny in the pound, and allowed the income to be expended in books. Provis- ion was also made that the act should apply to towns, boroughs, parishes, and districts having a population of 5,000; and it allowed two smaller adjoining parishes to unite in the establishment of a library. A public meeting of the rate-payers, duly convened, could estab- lish a library without a popular vote. In 1866 the library act was again enlarged by removing the limit of population required, and reducing the two-thirds vote on the library tax to a bare majority vote. Provision was also made for cases in which the overseers of parishes refused or neglected to call a meet ing of the rate-payers to vote on the question. Any ten rate-payers could call and organize such a meeting, and the vote there taken would be legal and binding. The English public-library system is now so popular and firmly established, outside of London, that it cannot be disturbed. Its chief patrons are the middle classes, the arti- sans and laborers. The recent extension of suffrage in England has strengthened the system. No candidate for official position could now hope for success who is not a friend of the public library. It has been found that public libraries have not become political clubs and schools of agitation, but on the other hand have greatly raised the standard of intelligence among the voters. No controversy has arisen concerning the selection of books. It was at first supposed that those relating to politics and religion the subjects on which English people quarrel most must be excluded. The experiment of including these books in the Manchester and Liverpool libraries, where they were paid for by private subscription, having been tried with peaceful results, all apprehension of dan- ger from this cause was removed. The adop- tion of the compulsory system did not impose a check on the voluntary desire of the people to possess books, but increased that desire. The subscription libraries were better sup- ported, and book sellers had an increase in their sales in localities where there was a public library. Thus far I have traced the origin and progress of the public library in England. There was a corresponding movement going on at the same time in the United States. If the sole credit of a discovery must be awarded to the party who first suggested the idea and first put it into operation, the honor of dis- covery in this instance must be claimed as American. Mr. Ewart, in his Report of the Select Committee on Public Libraries, 1849, says : " Our younger brethren, the people of the United States, have already anticipated us in the formation of libraries entirely open to the public." No free public library, how- ever, was then in operation, in the United States, yet one had been authorized by legisla- tive action. The movements in the same direction in England and the United States seem to have gone on independently of each other ; and in the public debates and private correspondence relating to the subject there seems to have been no borrowing of ideas, or scarcely an allusion, other liian the one quoted, to what was being done elsewhere. In October, 1847, Josiah Quincy, Jr., mayor of Boston, suggested to the City Council that a petition be sent to the State legislature asking for authority to lay a tax by which the city of Boston could establish a library free to all its citizens. The Massachusetts legislature, in March, 1848, passed such an act, and in 1851 made the act apply to all the cities and towns in the State. In 1849 dona- tions of books were made to the Boston Public Library. Late in the same year Mr. Edward Everett made to it the donation of POOLE. 5 his very complete collection of United States documents, and Mayor Bigelow a gift of $1,000. In May, 1852, the first Board of Trustees, with Mr. Everett as president, was organized, and Mr. Joshua Bates, of London, made his first donation of $50,000 for the use of the library. It was fortunate that the public-library system started where it did and under the supervision of the eminent men who consti- tuted the first board of trustees of the Boston Public Library. Mr. George Ticknor was the person who mapped out the saga- cious policy of that library a policy which has never been improved, and which has been adopted by all the public libraries in this country, and. in its main features, by the free libraries of England. For fifteen years or more Mr. Ticknor gave the subject his personal attention. He went to the library every day, as regularly as any of the em- ploye's, and devoted several hours to the minutest details of its administration. Be- fore he had any official relations with it, he gave profound consideration to, and settled in his own mind, the leading principles on which the library should be conducted. In his biography by Mr. Hillard one of the most charming of American books is a letter of his, written July 14, 1851, at Bellows Falls, Vt. (where he was spending the sum- mer), to Mr. Everett, giving his views as to what the new Boston library should be. His main purpose, he said, would be to encourage a love of reading, and to create an appetite for it. "I would," he said, "establish a library which differs from all free libraries yet attempted ; I mean one in which any popular books, tending to moral and intellec- tual improvement, shall be furnished in such numbers of copies that many persons can be reading the same book at the same time; in short, that not only the best books of all sorts, but the pleasant literature of the day shall be made accessible to the whole people when they most care for it; that is, when it is fresh and new. I would therefore continue to buy additional books of this class almost as long as they are asked for ; and thus, by following the popular taste unless it should demand something injurious create a real appetite for healthy reading. This appetite once formed will take care of itself. It will, in a great majority of cases, demand better and better books." These were new ideas ; and they were the ideas over which the wise men in the British Parliament stumbled when they opposed Mr. Ewart's bill. They were new ideas to Mr. Everett, and he was not ready to accept them. He entertained the opinion, then com- monly held by educated men, that libraries were for the sole benefit of scholars. Com- mon people had enough to do without read- ing books. Mr. Ticknor's opinion was that the main purpose in the establishment of the Boston Public Library was to serve every class in the community, but especially to benefit the middle^and lower classes of the people, who had few or no books of their own, or, as he said, " to carry the taste for reading as deep as possible into society." To Mr. Ticknor's letter Mr. Everett replied July 26, 1851. He said: " The extensive circulation of new and popular books is a feature of a public library which I have not hitherto much contemplated. It deserves to be well weighed, and I shall be happy to confer with you on the subject. I cannot deny that my views have, since my younger days, under- gone some change as to the practicability of freely loaning books from large public libra- ries. Those who have been connected with the administration of such libraries are apt to get discouraged by the loss and damage resulting from the loan of books. My pres- ent impressions are in favor of making the amplest provision in the library for the use of books there." In other words, he then favored the establishment of a public refer- ence library. In the autumn of 1851, Mr. Ticknor re- turned to Boston, and frequently conferred with Mr. Everett on the subject considered in their late correspondence, and they still held opposite opinions. In the spring of 1852, the mayor tendered to both these gentle- men positions as trustees of the new Public Library. Mr. Ticknor, in conference with the mayor, said that he must decline the position THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. unless the library was to be opened for the free circulation of most of its books ; and un- less it were to be dedicated, in the first in- stance, rather to satisfying the wants of the less favored classes of the community than like all public libraries then in existence to satisfy the wants of scholars, men of science, and cultivated men generally. The mayor fell in with Mr. Ticknor's views, and they became the policy of the library from the start. Mr. Everett did not yield his opinions ; but accepted, with Mr. Ticknor, the position of trustee, and consented that his friend's idea's should have a fair trial. When he had seen them in operation, he frankly abandoned his former views ; and, during his long ser- vice as president of the board of trustees, gave the new system his earnest approval and support. Eight years later, Mr. Ticknor, on the oc- casion of his presenting 2,000 volumes to the Public Library, the larger portion of which he wished placed in the circulating department, wrote in a letter to the trustees: "In this department of the library I have always felt the greatest interest. From the earliest suggestion of such an institution, it had been my prevailing desire that it should be made useful to the greatest number of our fellow- citizens especially to such of them as may be less able to procure pleasant and profit- able reading for themselves and their fami- lies. This is known to all the trustees with whom I have successively served; and our president [Mr. Everett] remembers that I should never have put my hand to the institu- tion at all, except with the understanding as to its main object and management. Nor has there been any real difference on this point among the different persons who have controlled its affairs during the eight years of its existence." [8th Ann. Report, p. 34, 35.] The letter was referred to a committee of which Mr. Everett was chairman, .and in his report on the subject he says: "The com- mittee concur with the views presented by Mr. Ticknor in the letter referred to them; and it is no more than justice to add that he has from the foundation of the institution distinguished himself for the efficient inter- est he has taken in this branch of the library's work." Started as the public-library system was on such principles, and under the guidance of these eminent men, libraries sprang up rapidly in Massachusetts, and similar legislation was adopted in other States. The first legisla- tion in Massachusetts was timid. The initia- tive law of 1848 allowed the city of Boston to spend only'$5,ooo a year on its Public Library, which has since expended $125,000 a year. The State soon abolished all limitation to the amount which might be raised for library pur- poses. New Hampshire, in 1849, anticipated Massachusetts, by two years, in the adoption of a general library law. Maine followed in 1854; Vermont in 1865; Ohio in 1867; Colo- rado, Illinois, and Wisconsin in 1872 ; Indiana and Iowa in 1873; Texas in 1874; Connecti- cut and Rhode Island in 1875; Michigan and Nebraska in 1877; California in 1878; Mis- souri and New Jersey in 1885 ; Kansas in 1886. New York in 1872 enacted an impracticable statute, under which no public library was ever established. No one seemed to have heard of the law at the time. It was not discovered until 1879, when our associate, Dr. Homes, in his antiquarian researches, brought it to light. The form of legislation in the several States is various, as will be seen in the following brief sketch of each, and what has been ac- complished under it : The statute of Maine is a sort of pauper law. Any town can raise by taxation $i on each ratable poll for the forming of a public library; and thereafter 25 cents annually for its maintenance. Such a beg- garly rate will not establish and maintain a public library. The result is seen in the fact that there are only twelve such libraries in the State, with'an aggregate of 25,409 volumes. Some of these have the name of a person in their titles, as ''Rice Public Library," "Sears Public Library," which means that a public- spirited citizen has helped out the alleged poverty of the town, and the positive mean- ness of the legislation. Bangor has a nomi- nally public library, with 23,255 volumes, about equal to the number in all the other POOLE. public libraries in the State. The character of this library is both subscription and free, which rules it out of the category of public libraries, which are necessarily free. The statistics which I give have been col- lated with some labor from the late and very excellent report of the Bureau of Education, 1886. It is unfortunate, however, that in this report no designation is made, other than by the terms "free and general," of libraries which are supported by local taxation, and hence are public libraries. Some assume to be public libraries which are maintained by subscription, and these I have discarded. On the other hand, I have included some which I know are maintained by taxation, although they bear the name of the benefactor who contributed largely to their establishment. The law of New Hampshire is very simple. Any town may raise and appropriate money for the establishment and maintenance of a public library. There is no limitation as to the amount, and no conditions are prescribed for the management of these libraries. There are thirty-five public libraries in the State, with an aggregate of 129,227 volumes. Vermont has a law similar to Maine, except that 50 cents instead of 25 cents per poll may be expended in their maintenance. There are fifteen public libraries in the State, with an aggregate of 81,193 volumes. The more important of these were established and are aided by private individuals. Massachusetts has a brief and permissive law like that of New Hampshire, but it has a noble record in its libraries. It has 192 public libraries, with an aggregate of 1,770,- 386 volumes nearly as many as are con- tained in all the other public libraries of the United States. Rhode Island has a creditable record for so small a State. It has thirty public libra- ries, with an aggregate of 133,834 volumes. A city or town may levy a tax of 2.5 mills on the valuation for the foundation of a library, and subsequently two tenths of a mill annually for its support. Connecticut is the most backward of all the New England States in the matter of public libraries. Of its principal cities, Hartford, New London, New Britain, and Norwich have no public libraries. In New Haven, a public library was opened in May 1887, with 4,000 volumes and an annual tax of $12,000. In 1 88 1 a law was passed, allow- ing towns to lay a tax of two mills. Previous to that time the State law permitted a city or town to establish a library, but made no provision for its support by taxation. The proceeds, however, of fines for breach of any penal ordinance may be applied for the sup- port of a public library. There are only six- teen public libraries in the State, with an aggregate of 48,814 volumes, and only those of Bridgeport and New Haven are supported by direct taxation. The Bronson Library of Waterbury is not included in this statement, as it was created and endowed by private munificence, and the citizens have never been taxed a dollar for its support. The State of New York stands in an anom- alous position in reference to public libraries. It has no law for their support, except the statute of 1872, which never has been, nor can be, applied to the organization of a library. The old school-district system, which New York adopted in 1835, has been persistently main- tained in that State to this day. It long since proved to be a failure, and was long since abandoned by the other States. Up to 1875 the State of New York had expended more than $2,000,000 in furnishing district li- braries with books, which generally disap- peared as soon as they were distributed. " In four fifths of the districts," said the State superintendent of education in 1874, "not one in ten of the inhabitants can tell where the library can be found; and probably in ninety-nine cases out of every hundred the libraries are of no practical use whatever." The State superintendent in 1875 speaks of these books "as constituting part of the family library, serving as toys for children, crowded into cupboards, thrown into cellars, or stowed away in lofts." The State superin- tendent in 1886 says : " The amount of money appropriated by the State for the support of these district libraries, from 1853 to 1885, was $1,154,903, and yet they have been steadily running down during this period, and the THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. number of books have decreased more than one half." This ruinous scheme has stood as a barrier to the introduction of the public li- brary, which requires no appropriation from the State, and provides for the preservation of the books which the people themselves have paid for. The original purpose of the district sys- tem was good ; it was to provide healthful reading for the people at large. It was no part of the scheme to provide reading simply for the school children. The libraries were not kept at the schools, nor cared for by the teachers ; but were deposited in private houses. The statutes always called them district libraries and never district-school li- braries. The system failed chiefly because the books were not cared for, and it did not pro- vide enough books to constitute a library in which the public had any interest. New York, nevertheless, has free libraries, of which those at Syracuse, Newburgh, and Poughkeepsie are specimens, which, organ- ized under the school laws, are indirectly sup- ported by taxation, and perform the functions of public libraries. There are twenty-two such libraries in the State, with an aggregate of 125,811 volumes. New Jersey has a public-library law pat- terned after that of Illinois, which was en- acted in 1885. The statistics of the Bureau of Education, which were collected in 1885, gave to New Jersey three public libraries, with an aggregate of 12,804 volumes. She could probably make a better report to-day. Pennsylvania is the only northern State which has no semblance of a public-library law, and hence has no statistics on the subject. Ohio has a law which enables cities and towns to raise money by taxation for the pur- chase of books ; provides a board of manag- ers for the administration of the library, who have only the powers of a committee under the control of the board of education, and leaves with the board of education the ulti- mate control of the library, providing the funds for the erection of buildings, and for all other expenses, except the purchase of books. The system is faulty in that it confers so little authority upon the board of managers, a -I ao much on the board of education, whose proper functions are outside of library manage- ment. The Cincinnati Public Library, never- theless, is the second largest in the United States ; and those of Cleveland, Toledo, Day- ton, and Columbus are flourishing institutions. There are twenty-one public libraries in the State, with an aggregate of 321,071 volumes. In Indiana the tax for the support of public libraries is levied by the school trustees, and the libraries are managed by a committee of the school trustees. There are sixty public libraries in the State, with an aggregate of 103,120 volumes. Thirteen of these have 84,000 volumes, and the remaining forty-seven are township libraries, none of them having over 1,000 volumes. A school-district sys- tem like that of New York was once very popular in Indiana; and it was a failure, like that of the Empire State, and for the same causes. The small libraries of the townships are probably the books which were left over after the breaking up of the district system, with additions since made by the school trustees. The public-library law of Illinois, adopted in 1872, and since enacted by other Western States, is more elaborate and complete than the library laws of any of the New England States. Such a law facilitates the establish- ment of libraries, and prescribes how they shall be conducted. It makes the board of nine directors an independent body, over which the mayor, common council, and board of education have no control in the disposi- tion of the library funds, the appointment of librarian and other employe's, and the-general administration of the library. There are forty- five public libraries in the State of Illinois, with an aggregate of 304,584 volumes. The law of Wisconsin is similar to that of Illinois. The Milwaukee Public Library has a special law which enables the library board, instead of the common council, as in Illinois (where special laws are prohibited by the Con- stitution), to fix the amount to be raised for the library by taxation. There are nine pub- lic libraries in the State, with an aggregate of 62,748 volumes. There is, I believe, a general library law in Minnesota; but on searching the revised stat- POOLE. utes of 1878, and the later annual statutes, I have not been able to find it. A generous special statute has been enacted for the Pub- lic Library of Minneapolis. St. Paul main- tains a flourishing Public Library. The law of Michigan follows in general that of Illinois. The State has 157 public libraries, with an aggregate of 23 1 ,365 volumes. Of these, thirty-four have 173,944 volumes, and the remaining 123 are township libraries, none having 1,000 volumes. Iowa has a law which enables any city or town to levy a tax of one mill on the dollar valuation for the support of a public library ; and eight municipalities only in the State have such libraries, with an aggregate of 26,556 volumes. Nebraska has a library law enacted in 1877, and has four public libraries, with 17,227 vol- umes. Colorado has a good law; but no city or town has laid a tax for the support of a library. A free library was last year estab- lished at Denver by contributions made by the Board of Trade, and the librarian, Mr. Chas. R. Dudley, is a member of our associa- tion, and is with us to-day. It will be remem- bered that this same Board of Trade last year invited our association to hold its annual meeting in Denver. Texas enacted a library law in 1874. It has two public libraries, and the one at Gal- veston has 5,600 volumes. California has a library law, enacted in 1880, similar to the Illinois statute, and has sixteen public libraries, with an aggregate of 131,113 volumes. In the twenty States which have public-li- brary laws (including New York) the total num- ber of public libraries is 649, with an ag- gregate of 3,589,692 volumes. Although such large results have been reached during the past forty years, the pub- lic-library system is still in its infancy. Many communities have not yet adopted it, and in one half of the States of the Union it is as unfamiliar to the popular mind as was the common school to the ancestors of these people at the beginning of this century. The libraries already established will go on in- creasing, and, wherever popular education has gained a foothold, there will be a public li- brary to supplement the work of the public schools. No influence, probably, is more effective in promoting the increase and effi- ciency of public libraries than the work, be- gun by this association, and now being car- ried on in many of the public schools of the country of bringing the public schools and public libraries in closer relations ; of teach- ing the pupils how to read, and inspiring in them a taste for, and .^appreciation of, good reading. In communities where there is no public library, teachers with advanced ideas are demanding one as an essential part of their apparatus for teaching^ School committees are examining candidates for appointment on their knowledge of books which are suitable for the reading of young persons. Teachers who have lictle or no knowledge of literature are finding themselves without appointments. The subject of reading, and the best methods of teaching it, was one of the most prominent topics discussed at the late meeting of the National Teachers' Association at Chicago. The public mind was never so impressed as now with the importance of establishing libra- ries, and much private munificence is taking that direction. It used to be said that no wealthy man or woman in Boston expected to to go to Heaven unless there was a generous legacy in his or her will to Harvard College and the Massachusetts General Hospital. Throughout the country much of this longing for a blissful hereafter is accruing to the bene- fit of libraries. There is no danger of having too many and too large libraries, and no con- flicting interests can arise between them. An incident occurs to me which illustrates this point. In the spring of 1852, when the Boston Public Library was in process of organization, it occurred to many of its friends, who were proprietors in the Boston Athenaeum, that there was no need of two large libraries in one city; and that the effect of the Public Library, which promised to be a great institu- tion, would be to dwarf the Athenaeum. It was therefore proposed that the city should buy the stock of the Athenaeum, which was 10 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. then selling at $50 a share, and make its books the basis of the Public Library col- lection. The city officials and many of the Athenaeum proprietors favored the proposi- tion, and a meeting of the proprietors was called to consider and vote upon it. The meeting was held in Freeman Chapel; I was present and well remember the discussion. The gentlemen who advocated selling the stock to the city presented their views very ably. Mr. Ticknor, and, I think, Mr. Everett, were among the number. The current of the discussion was running strongly in that direc- tion, when Josiah Ouincy, Senior, then eighty years of age, rose and addressed the meeting- He was an ex-president of Harvard College 1 the largest stockholder in the Athenaeum, and one of its original founders, nearly fifty years before. The venerable man spoke with a dignity, impressiveness, and force which I never heard surpassed. He sketched the early history of the Athenaeum, the crises through which it had passed, and the service it had rendered in the cause of literature and solid learning. Coming down to the question before the meeting, he said: " Gentlemen) when you say that Boston needs and will sus- tain only one large library, you are simply mistaken. I have not lived in this community for eighty years without knowing something of its wants. Boston needs and will support two large libraries one a reference and scholars' library, which the Athenaeum always has been, and I hope will always be ; and also a popular circulating library for the use of the people at large. The Public Library which is to be established will meet this pop- ular need, and will be generously supported by the people. The two will make a complete system. Each will contribute to the pros- perity of the other, and each will become a great institution, of which we now can hardly have a conception. I shall not live to see the fulfillment of my prediction, but there are per- sons present who will." When Mr. Quincy sat down, the entire sen- timent of the meeting was changed, and the proposition to sell the Athenaeum to the city was defeated by an almost unanimous vote. When I left the service of the Athenaeum in January, 1869, the Public Library had been in operation fifteen years, and the price of shares in the Athenaeum had advanced from $50 to $125. Mr. Cutter informs me, in a note lately received, that the present selling-price of shares is $265, and the number of volumes in the li- brary is 158,000, or more than double the num- ber it contained when Mr. Quincy made his pre- diction. The Public Library, whose location is within a rifle-shot range of the Athenaeum, has in the meantime come up from nothing to 490,688 volumes and 339,812 pamphlets; it spent last year an appropriation of $120,000, gave out for home use 713,852 volumes, and issued for reference in the library 244,777 volumes. We have here a practical illustra- tion of the support which a popular library and a reference library in the same community give to each other. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE ASSO- CIATION : At our meeting last year at Mil- waukee, the question of succession in the office of president was considered ; and it was thought advisable that no person should hold the office for more than two years. In this recommendation I most heartily con- curred. I, therefore, having held the office for two years, shall, at the close of the pres- ent session, retire from the very honorable position which you have assigned to me. I take this occasion to express my sincere thanks for the compliment of holding this position, and for the kind consideration shown me in the discharge of its duties. WOOD WARD. ii A PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENTAL INQUIRY AS TO THE ACTION OF BURNING-GAS ON LEATHER USED FOR BOOK-BINDING. BY C. J. WOODWARD, B. Finding that there was no record of experi- mental evidence as to the action of burning- gas on leather, preliminary experiments were made to ascertain as far as possible a reply to the following inquiries : 1. Is leather, after exposure to a foul gas atmosphere (produced by burning ordinary coal gas in an ill ventilated chamber), seriously deteriorated ? 2. If so, is this deterioration due simply to the high temperature of the foul atmosphere or is it due to the products of gas combustion or is it due to both causes combined ? 3. To what extent is the sulphurous product of burning-gas absorbed by leather ? Mode of experimenting. Strips of brown calf leather, each strip one foot long and one inch wide, were cut from a skin and numbered in pairs, each pair being from corresponding parts of the skin. A set of these strips, (those taken from the butt end), were divided into two sets of ten each, the one set being placed in a fume cham- ber with the exit closed and the gas lighted, while the other set was put aside in a room in which gas was scarcely used. The gas in the fume chamber was turned down until a fairly constant temperature of about 130 F. to 140 F. was obtained f and, after exposure to the foul atmosphere for 1,077 hours, the strips were tested by means of a dynamometer and compared with the similar strips which had been put aside in the (com- paratively) pure atmosphere. The results obtained are shown in accompanying table. The deterioration due to gas may be ex- pressed as 35 : 17 or about 2:1. Half pairs of leather strips were placed round a steam pipe for 1,000 hours, at a tem- perature of 196 F., in an atmosphere free * This is an abstract of a paper to be read at Conference of Librarians in Birmingham (Eng.) Sept., 1887. t A few hours near the close of the experiment the temper- ature was inadvertently allowed to rise as high as 162 F. from burning-gas, while the other half pairs were placed in a room at the ordinary tempera- ture. The mean breaking strain of the strips which had been kept at the ordinary tempera- ture was thirty-nine pounds, while that of the strips, which had been kept at 196 F. was twenty-eight pounds. Kept free from gas. Kept in a foul gas atmos- phere at a temperature of 130" F. to 140 F. for 1,077 hours.* No. of | Strip. Stretching in per- centage of original length. Breaking strain in Ibs. No. of Strip. Stretching expressed in per- centage of original length. Breaking strain in 11)8. i 12 30 i 4* 10* 2 7* 23* 2 6 18 3 7t 35- 5t 3 6 '9 4 12 35 4 4 14 5 12 33 5 4t ii. St 6 7t 27-5t 6 2t ii. St 7 8t 34t 7 6 21 8 6t 3t 8t 6t 2of 9 lot 37t 9 8 26 10 nt 6ot 10 5 18 Mean 9 35 5 i? A similar experiment with strips kept for i ,000 hours at 142 F., as compared with strips kept at ordinary temperature, did not show any marked difference. I am not satisfied with this last experiment, and propose making a further inquiry before the meeting. Experiments to determine the amount of sulphur absorbed by leather exposed to gas. The strips which had been kept free from gas were boiled in distilled water, and the de- coction tested by sulphuric acid, but only a trace was found a portion was afterwards dried and deflagrated with pure nitre, and the resulting mass examined for sulphuric acid, but no appreciable quantity could be detected. Several of the strips which had been ex- posed to burning-gas for 1,077 hours were then examined for sulphuric acid, with the * Mean of three expts. t Mean of two expts. 12 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. following results expressed in percentage of sulphuric acid (H2 SO4). No. i " 5 " 6 " 7 " 9 i-33 2.92 1.99 1.45 1.97 i. 06 orated by the action of a hot atmosphere charged with the products of burning-gas. 2. It is probable (though not as yet proved by my experiments) that a heated though pure atmosphere is detrimental to leather. 3. That the sulphur compounds of burning- gas are absorbed by leather to the extent of i or 2 per cent of sulphuric acid after ex- posure for a period of 1,077 hours to the Bir- mingham gas when the products are confined in an ill ventilated chamber. " 10 Mean 1.78 per cent. I conclude from the above experiments : i. That, unquestionably, leather is deteri- For the discussion which followed the reading of this paper see the PROCEEDINGS (First session)* LETTERING OF BOOKS. BY JOHN EDMANDS, LIBRARIAN MERCANTILE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA. npHE whole subject of binding in a library comes under the control of the librarian, and he should decide how the books shal be lettered, whether they ar bound in the library building or at an outside bindery. If librarians could come to a rational agree- ment on some principal points, and if this association would promulgate a few general rules on the subject, we might soon look for an improvement in this matter. The most noticeable thing about the com- mon mode of lettering books is its inappro- priateness ; fanciful forms of letters, illegible letters, bald and obscure titles, and letterings so enclosed in ornamentation as not at once to strike the eye. Dr. Homes's strong and judicious words in the Library journal (5:315) seem not to hav received the attention they deserve. It ought to be, but is not quite, needless to say that the chief object of the lettering is to indicate the author and the subject of the book. I say author and subject with inten- tion and with emfasis, because the usual practice is to giv the subject or title the con- spicuous place, and to put the author some- where else or nowhere. Surely a man is superior to his work, and the maker of a book should hav his name in the place of honor. Most libraries ar now classified, and a student going to the historical alcove does not want his attention constantly distracted by the word history on whole rows of books. He is looking for Froude or Prescott, and the books should be so lettered that these names wil strike his eye at once. If, however, he is seeking, not for a book by a particular author, but for some certain fact, or for whatever the library may contain on the subject he has in hand, his search wil not be hindered by the proposed order; nor wil any order or sub- stance of lettering be of much service to him ; he must go to title-page and contents and index, and keep up his search thru the body of book after book. The author's name should be used whether it stands on the title-page, or is ascertained from the preface, or from some other source. And the true name should be used, and not a false one. This should be done even if the author is very little known ; for others may know him better than we do, and our succes- sors, at any rate, ar likely to know him. Author should be used in a wide sense, as meaning the maker of the book, as a book; as Longfellow's " Poetry of Europe." The collection of individual biografies may properly be excepted from the operation of this rule. It is highly important that all the lives of any individual should be placed together, and equally so that all the lives of all persons of the same name should be EDMANDS. together; in other words, that all individual biografies should be arranged in close alfa- betical order by the subject of the life instead of the writer. And so best to facili- tate the finding of any life, the name of the subject should stand first on the back of the book. So far as practicable the lettering should be made up of words that ar on the title- page, and in the same order. But no binder, as no cataloger, should allow himself to be made the slave of a writer who has not the genius to giv his book a clear and brief title. And so in extreme cases one may be com- pelled to change the order of words, or to use a word or words that ar not on the title-page. It is desirable to giv the title with fulness, and with this view words that ar not likely to be misunderstood may be used in an abbre- viated form. Quite general usage, in the case of ful bound books, has assigned the second space from the top to the title; and there ar good reasons for continuing the practice. For valid reasons the title should always hav the same relative position on the book, and ordi- narily nothing should be put on this space except the author and the title. If the thicknes of the book allows it, and the author is one of a multitude, Smith, Jones, it is wel to ad the initials of the Christian name. The somewhat common practice of putting the author's name in the possessive case is in some cases unobjectionable, especially when the title is a single word, as Dryden's Poems ; but in many cases this wil lead to cacofonous combinations, if the name ends . with a sibilant and the title begins with one. In other cases it wil suggest unpleasant associations, as Brooks's Influence of Jesus. It would not be altogether agreeable to the secretary of this association to hear one at his library calling for " Dewey's Deserted Wife," or for the editor of the Library journal to be asked if " Cutter's Awful Boy " is in. If a book has been edited by another than the author, and contains important editorial matter; or if it is one that has been edited by various persons, the name of the editor should be placed, say on the second space below the title. And in the case of books often edited, as Shakespeare, the date should also be given with the editor's name. It is wel, also, to put the date in some incon- spicuous place on early printed books of any note. When a book is in several volumes, and the special contents of each can be indicated by a word or two, or by a date, it is wel to giv this directly under the volume designa- tion. This is specially important in cyclo- pedias; and the lettering should be ful enuf to mark the exact range of each volume. Periodicals should bear, not only the vol- ume, but also the year and the part of the year which the volume covers. The volume mark should be primarily the whole series number, but the various serial designations should also be given. If the volume and date can both be clearly given on one space, it is better to hav it so. The word volume should be omitted as being unnecessary and as tending to distract attention from the thing sought. Arabic figures should always be used, on account of being more quickly red and taking up les space. Lower case letters should always be used rather than capitals, for the two very good and sufficient reasons that they ar more easily red, and that they allow more matter to be put on a given space. While lower case type has been used to some extent by French and German binders, it is surprising how stubbornly capitals hav held their place with us, not only on book covers, but on title-pages and as hedings of newspapers, on sigjjs, and in a thousand places where legibility is of the first importance. The letters used should not be of fancy shapes, nor of very hevy or very light face ; but of the style with which we ar familiar. As many books must be placed on the shelves above and below the line of easy vision, it is important that the letters used should be of good size. It should not be need- ful to add that no ornamentation should be allowed that interferes with the legibility of the lettering. For the discussion which followed the reading of this paper see the PROCEEDINGS (First session). THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. A NOTATION FOR SMALL LIBRARIES. BY C. A. CUTTER, LIBRARIAN BOSTON ATHENAEUM. T F I begin with a brief historical and some- what egotistical introduction, showing how I was led along step by step to make this notation, the subsequent description of it may be very short, because this introduction will have made you acquainted with all of its component parts, and will have shown the reasons for combining them as I have done. When it became necessary some ten years ago to rearrange the books in the Boston Athenaeum Library, I selected the Amherst decimal plan, on account of its simplicity and symmetry. But after a brief trial I found that its notation would not afford that minute- ness of classing which experience had taught me to be needed in our library. Moreover, I did not like (and I still do not like) Mr. Dewey's classification. The ten main classes I should not object to, but the subdivisions are unsatisfactory in both their selection and their arrangement. So I set about devising something better. As the chief deficiency of the decimal notation is that it is decimal, that there can be only ten main classes, and, still worse, only ten divisions in each class, and so on, I naturally experimented with the next larger basis for a notation the alphabet, whose characters are as familiar to every one, both in their form and their order, as the figures one to nine. The alphabet gives 26 classes. If we use two characters, we have 26 divisions of each class, or 676 in all classes. If we use three, we have again 26 subdivi- sions, or 17,606, which is enough and more than enough for very minute work. Never- theless, there was a use to which the numer- als also could be put. Every large class, as History, Education, Science, Architecture, has in it certain works (such as Dictionaries, Periodicals, Handbooks, Atlases, or Tables) of a general character, but differing in form from the other books. These, for practical reasons, it is well to group together ; and it is especially desirable to give them the same mark in every class, so that they can always be found in the same part of the class. It is also often convenient to collect in the same neigh- borhood the books which treat of certain general aspects of the subject, its history, for instance, its biography, its philosophy. And, finally, it is well to separate from the books written by single authors, which are arranged alphabetically by their authors' names, those that are the work of several persons, in which denomination come, of course, periodicals, and, in general, society publications. The nine digits were just suited for this service. They were used as follows : 1, works on the theory of the subject. 2, works on the bibliography of the subject. 3, lives of persons connected with the subject. 4, works on the history of the subject. 5, dictionaries. 6, handbooks, tables, charts, etc. 7, periodicals. 8, works of societies. 9, collections of works by several authors. You will notice that periodicals which belong to both the form classes and the col- lections make the transition from one to the other. These nine divisions preceded the subject divisions in each class. While matters were at this point, Mr. Dewey suggested that great advantage would be gained by mixing the figures and letters together indiscriminately to make a base of 36 characters, with of course 36 subdivisions, so that the use of two characters w r ould give 36x36 = 1,296 classes and three characters 46,656. I adopted his suggestion, and made a classification and notation now in use at the Boston Athenaeum. In this I introduced what I think had never before appeared in any classification a geographical list, a set of marks used for the various countries of the world (as E for England. F for France, G for Germany), and CUTTER. capable of being used in any part of the classification where local subdivisions were needed, and always the same wherever used. In April 1884 Mr. Larned described in the Library journal a very ingenious notation which had one admirable feature. He used two distinct sets of characters to mark the subject and the local divisions of his classes. Thus, if zoo had stood for Zoology, one set of marks would have been added to it to signify Vertebrata, or Mammals, or Horses, and another set to signify the Zoology of Europe, or of India, or of New Zealand. Moreover,, the two kind of marks being easily distin- guishable from one another, either could be used first ; that is to say, in one part of the classification where the subject cohesion was strongest, the subject could be made the main class, the subdivisions being local ; in another part, where the country was more important, that could be the main class, the divisions being such subjects as History, Geography, Lan- guage, and Literature, thus bringing together everything relating to any country in these aspects. The notation which I had adopted for the Athenasum satisfied me, and my assistants found no difficulty in using it ; they learned it quickly and used it with ease. But it soon appeared that no other library was likely to adopt it. The mixture of letters and figures has, as Mr. Larned says, "a cabalistic look which is appalling to ordinary minds." People do not stop to see whether there is anything really difficult about it ; they run away at once, and will have nothing to do with it. And the trustees of small libraries are afraid of a complete and minute scheme of classification. But my advice is often asked in regard to the arrangement of such libraries. My thoughts, therefore, have been led to the preparation of a method especially suited to libraries of from 1,000 to 99,000 volumes, which should avoid the objections made to the Athenaeum classification as too minute and to its notation as too complex. Such a scheme needed to be simple, mne- monic, and sufficiently minute, and to have short marks. The materials on hand from which to construct it were, as you have seen, the 26 letters and the nine numbers, the idea of a geography list, and Mr. Larned's idea of a notation for countries distinct from the sub- ject notation, which would make the scheme reversible. These materials have been used as follows : The 26 classes are noted by letters ; subdi- visions are noted by a second letter; thus w is Fine arts, WE Drawing, WG Painting; wv is Architecture. The preliminary form classes are noted by the nine single numbers as I have already explained. Thus W5 is an Art dictionary, w/ an Art periodical. The coun- tries are designated by the numbers from 1 1 to 99, omitting those ending in zero. Thus \v41 is English art, w44 French art, w42 German art. Similarly, wc41 is English painting; WG42 German painting; \vc44 is French painting, and wv41 is English archi- tecture ; wv42 German architecture ; wv44 French architecture. The scheme is reversible ; for if F is History and G Geography, then French history may be F44 or 44F, the Geog- raphy of Germany c42 or 42c. If G precedes, the geography of all the countries is brought together arranged in the order of the local list ; and, if F precedes, the different parts of history are brought together. But if, on the contrary, the numbers precede, then the history and geography of Germany, for ex- ample, are brought side by side, 42p, 42c, and followed by the geography and history of France 44F, 44c. It seems to me that this plan fulfills the condition of the problem. It is simple, only three kinds of characters being used letters, single figures, double figures ; and the letters and figures are not mixed.* The distinct notations for the different objects help the comprehension of the scheme greatly. If one sees a single letter, one knows that a main class is meant; if one sees two letters, it means a subordinate class ; if one sees a letter followed by a figure, one knows that it is for one of the form classes ; if one sees a letter followed by two figures, it is for a local sub- * This is not absolutely correct. In one class the forms Y47B, Y47D, Y47P are used. But it is difficult to conceive any so stupid as to be puzzled by this much admixture of let- ters and figures. i6 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. In another way my tables are mnemonic to a slight degree. In the principal classes it happens that c is Christianity and G Geography. In the sub-classes initialism also is sometimes possible, particularly in Eng- lish literature, Y, where the initials c, Corres- pondence, Letters, D, Drama and Dialogues, F, Fiction, p, Poetry, Speeches, Oratory, w,Wit and Humor, could be used; and in English language x, where D is Dictionaries, and G Grammar. On these two classes x and Y, by the way, a deviation was made from the usual practice. Instead of letting Y stand for Literature and Y41 for English literature and Y41F for Eng- lish fiction, the desire to get a short mark for English, which is almost the only literature to be found in small libraries, led me to use Y for that and (as 11 is the local mark of the world) to use Yll for Literature in general. Then English drama, fiction, and poetry have the short marks YD, YF, YP. The notation is short, in the subject part seldom using more than two letters, in the local part using either one or two letters followed by two figures. Indeed, I think there is none shorter. It is sufficently min- ute, as you will see when you examine the tables that will be published as soon as the new edition of the "Rules" is out of the way. r or the discussion which followed the reading of this paper, see the PROCEEDINGS first session). division of one of the main classes. Two letters followed by two figures denote a local subdivision of a subordinate class. The scheme is mnemonic; the same fig- ures stand for the same country under every subject ; 41 wherever it occurs always means England ; 44 means France and means nothing else. You may remember that in the original " Decimal Classification," the " correspond- ences " correspond imperfectly ; a given number does not always denote the same country; a given country is not always des- ignated by the same figure. In the enlarged system there is a complete local notation, which does not do away with the confused notation of the earlier scheme, but is used in addition to it. Even this, however, is inferior to the one I am now explaining in two respects : First, the marks are long. A local subdivi- sion of any subject except history cannot be expressed in less than five figures for a coun- try, and six figures for a smaller place. His- tory may take one or two figures less ; a divi- sion of a subject may take one or two figures more (e.g., 628.3742, sewage farming in Eng- land). Secondly, as the figures which are used for countries are also used for subjects, they do not suggest anything to the reader, and until he is completely familiar with all the tables he does not know whether he has before him a subject or a local division. RULES FOR ALFABETING. BY JOHN EDMANDS, LIBRARIAN MERCANTILE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA. T T is assumed that the work of the cataloger or indexer has been done ; that the titles hav all been written as they ar to appear in the printed book ; and our present purpose is to consider and, if possible, to determine the rules that should regulate the proper arrange- ment of these titles so as to form the most perfect index. It is obviously important that this arrange- ment be such that any given title can be found in the shortest possible time ; that the method of arrangement be such as to admit of clear explanation and quick apprehension, and such as wil commend itself to the general judg- ment, so as to be universally adopted. It is quite manifest, too, that there has been a wide diversity of view as to how such an index or catalog should be constructed ; or, what is more probable, a lack of careful and thoro consideration of the varied details of such construction ; because in catalogs that ar held in highest estimation there ar marked diver- EDMANDS. gences of plan, and some of these fail to con- form to the rules by which they seem to hav been made. There is need, therefore, of a new and more detailed discussion of the subject. Mr. Cutter, in his " Rules for a Dictionary Cata- logue," has treated it judiciously ; but he seems not to hav attempted to cover the ground in all its details. It is not my purpose to criti- cise the work of others in this line any further than may seem to be necessary to illustrate the application of the rules given, and to show the need of a reconsideration of the whole matter. If such masters in the profession as Cutter and Poole ar found to be at serious divergence, a valuable service wil be rendered if one step can be taken towards a common ground on which all can stand. It is often useful to hav a short motto or axiom as a guide in the adjustment of details. In this alfabeting work I hav been much helped by this motto, " Something follows nothing; or, conversely, Nothing before something ; thus in Art of living In clover Arthur Incas the art, in the first case, and the in, in the second, ar followed by a space, i. e., by noth- ing, and so precede the single word in which the t and the n ar followed by a letter ; i. e., by something. A catalog or an index addresses itself to the eye rather than to the ear, altho many times the direction to the catalog must be given thru the ear, especially in library work ; and so in general the written word or frase, rather than the spoken, must determine the order. In some cases, however, words that ar usually written as two, or with a separating space, ar pronounced as if written without a break, and so ar properly treated as one word. A If abet thruout. In alfabeting we hav to deal with letters, with words, and with groups of words ; and we should carry the alfabeting thru the whole group of words as well as thru the letters of the words. But these groups of words ar not to be treated as a mere succession of letters ; they ar to be arranged as words. In these groups of words the articles ar as really words as the prepositions, and ar equally to be considered in the arrangement. They ar usually so considered. But Merrill, in his Cin. Finding-List, very often disregards them ; and Poole, in his Index, nearly always omits them. Thus he has For his country For the king For king and country For ladies For the last time For life Poole takes account of pronouns and particles, and sometimes of articles, as in At a little dinner At his gates At sea At the bar Connected Words. We may hav several frases in which the first one, two, or three words ar the same ; and two titles, the first four or five letters in one of which wil form a complete word, and in the other wil form a part of a word. Of the first we may hav How we got away When I was a boarder. How we got drunk When I was in Rome. How we got sober. These, of course, should be placed in this order. Of the second sort we may hav Home education Homeless Home rule Homesick Home side If we were to arrange by the letters simply, without regard to the separate words, the order would be as given ; and this is the order of Poole in this and in other cases, as Book and Water babies Book auction Waterfalls Bookbinding Water marks Bookplates Watermelons Bookstall Waterfowl Book thief But in some cases, as under Bank, Farm, Good, Song, War, he arranges in accordance with the rule I hav given. i8 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. In the previous example Home is a com- plete word, and is followed by a space, i. e. by nothing ; the same letters in Homeless are followed by another syllable, i. e. by some- thing ; and so Homeless should follow Home rule. This is the order of Cutter, Noyes, Merrill, and Linderfelt, in his catalog of Pub. Lib. of Milwaukee. Dependent Words. A word used independently as a subject heding should precede the same word used in connection with another. And if this word is coupled with another word to form a com- pound subject heding, it should follow the simple heding. And if this word used as a simple heding is also used as a substaiftiv to form a different subject heding, and is also used adjectivly before a noun, the substan- tiv use should precede the adjectiv use. And so we hav this order. Art Art and artists Art of conversation Art amateur This is Poole's order as to the principal words in the entry, and the reasons for it ar clear and strong. A substantiv should pre- cede an adjectiv, as being the more important word, and as being less closely connected with the following than an adjectiv. In uttering the frases Art applied to industry, Art of conversation, there is a perceptible suspension of the voice after the word Art, which does not occur in the case of Art journal, Art amateur. Poole is in error in placing entries in which the leading word forms a part of a compound subject or title among those in which that word forms the subject-heding. Thus he has Heat, cause of History, forces in of the sun of the world fore- theory of told in Genesis Heat motion History of an adventurer In the first and third of these examples the subject is heat, but in the second the subject is not heat, but heat of the sun, the sun's heat. But it may be sed that this order tho nat- ural and filosofical, wil not be redily un- derstood by an untrained reader ; and, as Mr. Cutter has sed in his Rules (p. 71), " it is not well to demand thought from those who use the catalogue if it can be avoided." But he also says (p. 68) "Arrangement must be arbitrary." And also (p. 69) "One cannot have a condensed catalogue without obliging the reader to learn how to use it." He might hav omitted the word condensed and sed any catalog. Certainly any reader wil under- stand a natural arrangment more redily than one that is unnatural and unreasonable. New. We hav many titles with the initial word new used as a proper adjectiv followed by a com- mon noun, and others in which it forms a part of a compound place-name. All these should be arranged in one series, alfabeting by the last part. New Amsterdam, new boat, New Canaan, new life. Single words begin- ning with n. e. w., whether names of persons, places, or things, should be arranged in a following alfabetical series. This is the prevailing usage. But Poole makes one group of the entries in which new is a proper adjective, and a sub- sequent one made up promiscuously of entries in which new is used as a compound place- name, and of words, both personal and com- mon nouns, which begin with n. e. w. And so he has this succession; Newark, New Bed- ford, Newby, New Grenada, Newsboy, New Sharon, Newt, Newton. Hyfened Words, The use of the hyfen seems not to conform to any fixt rule, and, as it does not affect the pronunciation, it is best to disregard it and ar- range as two words. Most recent catalogs ar in accord with this rule. Cutter teaches it in his Rules, page 71, and generally conforms to it in his catalog; but he has Book of Ballads and Book of worship Half a million Bookbinding Halfcentury Book-collector Half-hours Booker Halford Book-hunter Half-way Books EDMANDS. The Article. If an article, which belongs before a word used as a heding, is inserted after it, it is not to be taken account of in alfabeting. This is the usual practice. And the reason for it is that its insertion serves no good, grammatical or other purpose, and tends to hinder the quick finding of a title. Cutter, Merrill, Noyes, and Poole usually omit it; but often insert it where there is no more need of it than in the cases where they omit it. Thus, Cutter has Book of Costume, The, and Book of Ballads, without the article. The article is on the title-page in both cases. Merrill and Noyes often make the matter still more con- fusing by enclosing the article in ( ). Thus, Merrill has these four consecutive entries : Question, A Question (The) of Cain Question (A) of honor Quiet heart, The The article is properly used after a word which represents, not a subject, or a thing be- longing to a class, but a noted individual thing : The Rhigi, The Tower. Plural in s and the Possessiv Case, The plural in s should follow the singular. The possessiv case singular should follow the singular and precede the plural in s. The sequence, however, may not in either case be immediate. Several entries may intervene. Cutter's usual order is, Boy Boyd Boyne Boys Boy's But he has Queen * Spirit world Queens Spirits Queen's college Spirit's life Queens of society Spirits of wine and Spiritism. Poole usually places the plural immediately after the singular, notwithstanding that a considerable number of entries alfabetically belong between ; giving this succession : Bank Banks Banker Banking Bankrupt Banks, N. P. This separates the second Banks more than two pages from the first. In some cases, how- ever, Poole conforms to the rule ; as in Art and Animal Artesian Animalcule Arthur Animals Artisan Arts But Poole, in company with Linderfelt, Merrill, and Noyes, conforms to the rule in placing the possessiv case before the plural. Plurals in ies. Plurals in ies of words ending in y should precede the singular, tho not necessarily in immediate connection. We do not expect in a catalog or index any grammatical relation between the several entries. And so there is no sufficient reason for taking any words out of their proper alfabetical place in order that they may precede their plurals. The usual practice is in accordance with the rule. Poole conforms to this practice in some cases, giving Antique Beauties Antiquities Beautiful Antiquity Beauty Academies Biographies Academy Biography His general practice, however, is to place these plurals after the singular, as Charity Library Charities Libraries Charity boy Library aids Proper and Common Nouns. In the case of words used sometimes as common and sometimes as proper nouns, the true order is person, place, and thing. This is the more usual arrangement. But Billings, in his Catal. of Lib. Surg. Gen. Of., and the Catal. of the Advocates Lib. Edin. giv the thing the first place. Gushing and Noyes seem to follow no rule. Poole seems to con- form to the rule wherever this does not require him to deviate from his rule of putting the plural immediately after the singular; thus he has Law, J. but Bank Law Banks Laws Banks, N. P. His list contains no person named Bank. 20 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. Surnames. Whenever a single name, Charles, Henry, William, is used as the sole designation of a person, this should precede the same word used as a surname. Abraham George III. Abraham, George George, Henry This rule has its reason, not only in the eminence of the persons usually so desig- nated, but it follows from our primary axiom, Nothing before something. Abraham is a complete name, and is followed by nothing. When used as a surname, it is only a part of a name, and is followed by something. If sev- eral ranks are represented by one name, precedence should be given to those bearing the highest rank in this order, pope, emperor, king, noble, saint. If these represent differ- ent nationalities, they should be groupt in the alfabetical order of the countries; and numer- ically under each country, as John I., John II. In respect to family names that hav the same sound, but a different spelling, it were greatly to be wisht, for the comfort of makers and users of catalogs, that brothers could agree, so far at least as to use the same form of name. But so lorig as they wil not, we must bridg over the difficulty as wel as we can, and allow Read, Reade, Reed, and Reid to occupy different pages in our catalog, aid- ing the reader as much as we can by a free use of cross references. In names beginning with La, Le, and De not French names there is great diversity of usage ; and so we hav Lafayette written as one word, and La Fayette with a capital F following a space. But whichever way these names ar written, the pronunciation is the same. And so as pronounct, the name De Morgan is as really one word as Demos- thenes. It is therefore better to disregard the separation, and arrange these words as if they were written solidly. Abbreviations. Names beginning with M' M c , St, and Ste should be arranged as if written out in ful, as Mac, Saint, and Sainte, for the reason that they ar uniformly so pronounct, and often so written. And for the same reason entries be- ginning with Dr., M., Mme., Mile., Mr., and Mrs. should be treated as if they were written in ful, as Doctor, Monsieur, Madame, Made- moiselle, Mister, and Mistress. This is in accordance with general usage. Cutter teaches it in his Rules, but departs from it in his cat- alog as to Mr. and Mrs. ; and Poole follows his bad example. Christian Names. When Christian names ar given in ful, the arrangement should be in strict alfabetical order, following the surname. And use should be made of all the helps which the cataloger has given for distinguishing two or 'more per- sons whose names ar identical. If the Smith family ar not eminently literary, they furnish the cataloger a great number of names, and the most numerous of them ar the Johns. And unless he has been very painstaking, and noted date and place of birth or deth, or title, or given some similar clue, the alfabeter wil be in danger of getting them badly mixt. Titles, such as Gen., Hon., Sir, ar to be al- lowed to stand, but not to affect the arrange- ment. Initials. If the cataloger has simply followed the title-page and given only initials of Christian names, the only safe course is to treat every initial as a name ; and, on the axiom " Nothing before something," the initial should precede the ful name. Thus J. precedes James even tho, as may afterwards be lerned, the J. stands for Jehoshaphat. A single ful name should precede a double initial ; i. e., a surname with one Christian name should stand before the same surname with two Christian names ; thus, John, J. M., not J. M., John. A double initial should precede an initial and a ful name having the same initial ; thus, J. G., and J. Gregory, when the ful names may prove to be Josephus Gunter and Jacobus Gregory. A book written by a single author should precede one written by him and another. The practice, followed by Billings and Noyes, of enclosing initials and Christian names in ( ) is to be condemned as unneces- HARRIS. 21 sary, as hindering the redy finding of entries, and as impairing the established significance of the ( ). If an author wil hide his identity under an initial, the cataloger must dig and delv and mouse around in the endeavor to discover whether " A treatise on the metaphysics of a conundrum by J. Smith " was written by Jerusha or Jemima or John Smith ; but the indexer must take the name as he finds it. Numerals. Numerals occurring as hedings should be treated as if written out in letters. The novel " 39 men for one woman " should be entered under t. Hedings and Insets. In order to save space in printing, 'and for distinctness to the eye, it is wel to use a dash to represent a word or group of words that might otherwise hav to be repeated ; or to in- set the words that come under the general heding. Care should be taken to make clear what the dash stands for, and to confine its use within proper bounds. It may be used when we hav several books written by one person; but it should not be used to cover another person of the same surname. It may be used to represent a word or group of words that indicate a definite subject, as heat, moral science, socialists and Fourierism, society for the diffusion of useful knowledge. But it should not be used to represent a part of a compound subject heding, nor a part of a title ; e. g. in the entries Historical portraits, Historical reading, the word historical should be spelled out in each case. In accordance with this Poole has Pearl in dark waters Pearl of Bruges Pearl of Damascus Pearl of great price Pearl of the ocean And under College, he has College, and Colleges, as subject hedings, followed by a large number of entries with the word College spelled out, as College boat-clubs College education College honors College studies But in very many similar cases he uses the dash. Thus in the case of poetry all the entries in which this word forms the first part of a title ar mixt with those that belong under poetry as a subject. And so he gives this succession. Poetry, art of defense of in all things in prose lectures on of death of September of youth or prose ? a story studies in If he had followed our rule and the example he had set under college, the order would hav been Poetry, art of defense of lectures on studies in Poetry in all things Poetry in prose Poetry of death Poetry of September Poetry of youth Poetry or prose ? a story For the discussion which followed the reading of this paper see PROCEEDINGS (First two sessions). THE BRITISH MUSEUM SYSTEM OF PRESS-NUMBERING. BY G. W. HARRIS, ACTING LIBRARIAN OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY. '"PHIS paper deals with what many, perhaps, will be inclined to consider the antiquated system used at the British Museum for nearly a half century. May it not be, however, that we in America are too apt to neglect the ex- perience of older nations, and to believe that we must work out, or invent for ourselves methods and systems totally different from those followed in Europe ? No doubt, in the different surroundings and conditions which obtain in this country, there is much to justify this attitude ; but yet, as Horace puts it, "Vix- en fortes ante Agamemnona multi" or, as it may be paraphrased for this occasion, " There 22 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. lived able librarians before the days of the A. L. A.," and it is not improbable that, from the experience of old-world librarians, we in the new world, different as our surround- ings and conditions undoubtedly are, may still learn some useful lessons. Up to the present time few librarians in America have been called upon to deal with large and rapidly increasing collections of books, and even yet our largest libraries are but small in comparison with the great libra- ries of Europe. It is well, however, occasion- ally to look into the future, and to ask whether the methods which have proved so successful when applied to small collections are likely to show themselves adequate and satisfactory when these collections shall have increased far beyond their present extent, as is certain to be the case with many of them in this era of munificent library endowments and this age of bookmaking. The statement was made a year ago, upon the highest authority, that during the last eight years 250,000 volumes had been added to the British Museum Library ; or, in other words, more than 30,000 volumes are annually received, classified, and arranged upon the shelves. These numbers are startling, but there is no doubt as to their correctness. Now, if this enormous number of books can be satisfactorily disposed of every year with- out inconvenience and without necessitating a continual changing and re-changing of press- marks, we must admit that the British Mu- seum system fully deserves to be called an " elastic " system, and that it has successfully withstood a strain far more severe than any to which our American systems have thus far been subjected. Hence it occurred to me that the members of this association might be interested in knowing whether this system, which seems to unite many of the merits of the movable location systems with those of the fixed location, had proved equal to the de- mand made upon it, and that a brief descrip- tion of its working might not be unacceptable. Thanks to the courtesy of the Museum au- thorities, who afforded me the fullest opportu- nity to examine the working of the system, and to Mr. Jenner, who has charge of the classification and arrangement of the addi- tions upon the shelves, I found no difficulty in obtaining all the information I desired. I found that the system was considered entirely satisfactory ; that, so far as the system of press- numbering was concerned, no difficulty had been found in disposing of an average annual addition of 30,000 volumes without making any change in the press-marks of the books already on the shelves. As the system of classification which is followed has been fully described by Mr. Garnett, in a paper read be- fore the London Conference of Librarians in 1877, I shall confine myself to a brief account of the system of press-numbering. When the present Museum building was openeo\ and the books removed to it from their old quarters in Montague House, the presses (or book-cases) were numbered in con- secutive order from one onwards, and no space was left for the insertion of new presses without disturbing the order, or changing the press-marks in the books. This series of numbers extends from the King's Library on through the North wing, and includes the presses from one up to about 1,700. Natur- ally the inconvenience of this system was soon felt; and Mr. Watts, who had been intrusted by Mr. Panizzi with the classification and ar- rangement of the books on the shelves, de- vised what he called the " elastic " system of numbering the presses, the object being to provide each book with a press-mark which should never need to be changed, and at the same time to keep all the books on one sub- ject together. His plan, which is very simple in principle, requires that all the presses shall be of the same size, and was first introduced when what is known as the Long Room was opened. That room contained about 600 presses, and, instead of numbering them con- secutively in continuation of the old numer- ation, a range of numbers from 3,000 to 12,990 was taken. As the Museum classification begins with the Bible, the first press was as- signed to Hebrew Bibles, and numbered 3,005 ; the next contained polyglot Bibles, and was numbered 3,015; the next contained Greek Bibles, and was numbered 3,020". Then when the press of Hebrew Bibles became full, the HARRIS. polyglot and Greek Bibles were moved on one press, carrying the numbering with them ; and the press formerly numbered 3,015 became 3,006, and contained Hebrew Bibles. In this way the numbering of the presses changes, but not the press-marks of the books. Thus all the numbers from 3,000 to 3,990 were allotted to General Theology ; with 4,000 began Religious Discussions including sermons, followed by Church History and Religious Biography. Next in order came the division of Jurispru- dence, to which were assigned the numbers from 6,000 to 6,990; to Natural History and Medicine were given the numbers from 7,000 to 7,690; to Archaeology and Art, 7,700 to 7,999 ; to Philosophy, 8,000 to 8,990 ; to Geog- raphy and Topography, 10,000 to 10,590; to Biography, 10,600 to 10,990; to Belles Lettres, 11,000 to 12,890; and to Philology, 12,900 to 12,990. To each of the minor subdivisions of these great subjects, presses varying in number were allotted according to importance and probable extent of each ; and, in order to facilitate the intercalation of numbers, sev- eral empty presses were left at intervals, and thus much manual labor was avoided. Then when the books thus numbered were removed, in 1857, to the new libraries which surround the great reading room, and spread over a far greater area, the removal was effected, as Mr. Garnett tells us, without the alteration of a single press-mark. The books in the Royal Library, the Grenville Library, and those in the North Library still retain their separate systems of classification and consecutive press- numbers, but the great mass of the books in the library are arranged in one system of classification in the presses whose numbers run from 3,005 to 12,990. Within the limits of this paper it would be impossible to describe in detail the working of the system in all its divisions ; and to show how it is carried into practice, and what is the present state of the numeration, it will suffice to take as an example that section of Belles Lettres which contains modern poetry. In accordance with the classification, Greek and Latin poetry come first, and modern poetry begins with Italian, as a derivative from Latin. Press 11,420 contains collections of Italian poetry, press 11,421 is devoted to Dante, presses 11,422-27 contain Italian poetry of the I5th, i6th, 1 7th, and i8th centuries; and next come presses 11,431-36 with Italian poetry of the igth century. Next to press 1 1, 436 are presses 11,450 and 11,451, contain- ing Spanish poetry, followed by press 11,454 with Portuguese poetry. The next press in or- der is 11,474, which, with 11,475, contains early French poetry, followed by presses 11,481 and 11,482, containing modern French poetry, the next press being 11,498 with Provencal poetry. With press 11,501 the division of German poetry begins, and the same general arrange- ment is pursued as in French poetry. It will be evident from this brief statement that in this section of the library (and it may be taken as a fair specimen of the whole) the available numbers are in most cases still very far from being exhausted. Modern French poetry, for instance, has up to the present time occupied only two presses, leaving six- teen numbers still unemployed, and it should be remembered that each number represents a press, two stories in height, which will hold, at a rough estimate, about 1,000 octavo vol- umes ; so that, even in cases where only two or three numbers are assigned to a minor subdi- vision, those two or three numbers represent shelfroom for some two or three thousand vol- umes in that subdivision, so far as the press- numbering is concerned. Of course as these numbers were originally assigned from esti- mates based upon the probable increase of the library in various directions, in some instances experience has shown that the increase of the library has not been closely in accordance with the estimates. Thus far, however, no inconvenience has arisen from a lack of num- bers in any section. Indeed, the inconven- ience which is now making itself felt arises, not from lack of numbers, but from lack of presses ; or, in other words, lack of shelfroom to hold the accessions ; for, extensive as are the library quarters, the book-storing space is being rapidly filled up, and the need for more shelfroom has become a very pressing one, presenting a problem by no means easy to solve. Aside from the question of cost, there 2 4 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. are serious difficulties in the way of any fur- ther extension of the present buildings in the direction indicated. In this emergency a very ingenious invention of Mr. Jenner promises at a comparatively slight cost, to double, if not to treble, the book-storing capacity of the libra- ries surrounding the reading-room, known as the Iron libraries. And if Mr. Jenner's plan be adopted, these libraries are likely to store the books more compactly than any stackroom thus far constructed in America, In the libraries surrounding the reading- room the uprights, or standards of the presses, or book-cases, are of iron and form the sup- ports for the open iron floors of the gallery avenues, there being no partition walls in the interior of this building except those formed by the double ranges of books in the presses which are all of the same size. The gallery avenues between the presses are, as a rule, eight feet wide, and the open iron floor rests on transverse iron girders which cross the gallery from the standard of each press. It occurred to Mr. Jenner that in front of each of these fixed presses a movable or swinging press might be suspended from these girders, and at the time of my visit an experimental press had recently been completed and placed on trial. To the lower edges of each of the trans- verse iron girders are bolted strips of angle iron, forming ledges, from which is suspended an iron press, or book-case, of the same di- mensions as the fixed press in front of which it hangs. The shoulders of this swinging press being furnished with small iron wheels or rollers, which rest upon the ledges formed by the angle irons, it can be pulled forward or ushed back against the fixed press very asily. The swinging press being about four- een or fifteen inches in depth, each shelf will contain two rows of books placed fore-edge to fore-edge. Ordinarily these swinging presses are pushed back close to the fixed presses, and the passages between the fixed presses being originally eight feet wide, when the swinging presses are in place there will still remain a passage at least five feet six inches in width between the double rows. If a book is wanted from the fixed press behind one of the swinging presses, the attendant, standing in front of the swinging press, takes hold of two handles placed at a convenient height on the uprights and pulls the press forward two or three feet from the fixed press, and thus obtains immediate access to the books in the latter and to those on the back side of the swinging press as well. The book having been obtained, a slight push is sufficient to slide the swinging press back to its usual po- sition ; for, although the swinging press when filled with books weighs about half a ton, it can be pulled forward two or three feet into the avenue, or pushed back against the fixed presses with a very slight exertion of strength, much less, indeed, than is needed to pull out or push back a sliding shelf containing a sin- gle large folio volume. It will be seen that it is thus proposed to place in front of each fixed press, containing a single row of books, a press of equal height and width, but deep enough to contain two rows of books, nearly trebling the book-stor- ing capacity of the library without any enlarg- ment of the building. Of course in the stack- rooms of most of our American libraries, with their narrow passages of two and a half feet in width, Mr. Jenner's plan could not be adopted. But may there not be some advan- tages in beginning with passages seven or eight feet wide, adding these swinging presses as the needs of the library demand them, and thus preserving always a passage from four and one half to six feet in width between the double rows ? If this plan were adopted, the girders of the galleries might be made of T iron, the flanges of which would afford the nec- essary support for the swinging presses when- ever they might be needed. At any rate it seems to me that the plan is one worthy of consider- ation by American librarians and architects ; while for the British Museum it supplies a perfectly satisfactory solution of the problem which confronted them, and does so at the smallest possible expense. I wish only, in closing, to add my testimony to that of many others as to the admirable provisions for the comfort of students which are afforded in the reading-room of the British Museum, and to the courtesy and attention to the wants of readers which are displayed by the library staff. For the discussion which followed the reading of this paper see PROCEEDINGS (Second session). CRUNDEN, BUSINESS METHODS IN LIBRARY MANAGEMENT. 1 BY F: M. CRUNDEN, LIBRARIAN PUBLIC LIBRARY, ST. LOUIS. TT is not many years since the popular mind pictured the librarian as an elderly man of severe and scholarly aspect, with scanty gray hair, bent form, and head thrust forward from the habit of peering through his spectacles along rows of books in search of some coveted volume. He was supposed always to have led a studious and ascetic life, to have had his boyhood and youth in a pre- vious state of existence, and, since becoming a librarian, to have lived wholly in the world of books, without any knowledge, thought, or care regarding the world of men and things. Nothing more was expected of him than that he should be erudite and orderly, know where to find his books, and be ready to point out sources of information wanted by his first cousin, the professor, or by another class of individuals, who also stood apart from the rest of mankind, and were regarded as gods of Parnassus or as imps of Bohemia. Of late years authorship has become more com- mon. Every one has a friend who writes for publication in some form. Authors are, perhaps, less exalted but more respectable than formerly. The professor has long since been recognized as sometimes young and athletic and jovial ; and for the last ten years the librarian also has been abroad, and is now becoming pretty well known. He is found to be generally young in years and always young in spirit. When librarians first came together, each, I believe, was sur- prised to see how young the others were. In '79, when I attended my first convention at Boston, I expected to find myself among a body of patriarchs. Dr. Poole, I thought, must be a bent and decrepit old man ; and Mr. Dewey, though I had only lately heard of him, I had pictured as a little, withered, bespectacled old Dryasdust, who had given his life to the development of his decimal system, and was warning young men against the dangers of diffusiveness. Subsequent observation has sjiown me that librarians not only have had a youth, but that they find in these conventions the means of con- tinually renewing it. There were two or three who impressed me in '79 as perhaps a little old, who last year were completely rejuvenated. The librarian, then, of the present day is not like his predecessor of a generation ago ; and other and different duties are imposed upon him, and other offices expected from him. There still, however, remains considera- ble misconception regarding his proper func- tions. When I entered the profession I received numerous congratulations on the great opportunity afforded me for gratifying my taste for reading. Most of my friends, one after another, have learned that my duties are numerous and varied, and that my read- ing for personal improvement' or pleasure must be done in the hours common to all for rest and recreation. Still in the popular con- ception the librarian combines business and pleasure by spending a great part, if not the greater part, of his time in reading books. Very few laymen, even among the better- informed, realize how closely the conduct of a library resembles the management of a busi- ness ; and even among professionals there may be occasion for emphasizing the value of a more thorough adoption of business meth- ods by librarians and by library directors. The primary lessons of a library apprentice are the same as those of a boy who enters a business house. He must learn neatness, order, accuracy, punctuality, and despatch. And with all these, if he is to succeed in the issue department, which to the public repre- sents the library, he must cultivate politeness and equability of temper. He must treat every applicant as a salesman does a cus- tomer. He must not let him go away without the article he wants if it is in stock ; and if it is not, he should show his concern by promis- 26 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. ing to give notice of the deficiency, and supply it later if possible. As the youth goes up the ladder of promotion, all these talents and acquirements find a wider field for exer- cise; and, as subordinates look to him for direction, other faculties are brought into play, and other qualities are required. One of these is a liking, an enthusiasm, for library work and a thorough belief in the particular institution served. A librarian or an assist- ant in a position of any authority who does not "swear by " his library cannot do justice to his work; and on business principles his services had better be dispensed with. The head of a St. Louis jobbing firm told me not long since that he would keep no one in his employ who did not think Blank, Dash & Co. the greatest hat and cap house in the West. Any salesman known to hold different views would be instantly discharged. The application of business principles also demands a certain degree of loyalty on the part of subordinates towards the chief officer, as well as to the institution. Disaffection is contagious ; ^a house divided against itself cannot stand ; and a board of directors is not acting in accordance with approved business methods if it does not speedily secure har- mony of action by removing the disturbing element. In one of the large manufacturing establishments of St. Louis the rule is that any man who cannot get along with the foreman of the shops is at once dismissed. There is no investigation, no hearing of com- plaints. The company look to the foreman for results, and recognize that responsibility must be accompanied by corresponding au- thority; and, as long as their superintendent satisfies them, the men must suit him. A chief librarian is in a position analogous to that occupied by the head of a commercial house. He must know his wares, i. e., his books ; he must know his customers, the community; he must study their wants; and, like a merchant of the highest type, he will endeavor to develop in them a taste for better articles. Like a merchant also, he must advertise his business. He must let the people know what the library offers to them, whether gratis or for a subscription fee. All the more is this necessary in the latter case. To be more exact in my comparison, the duties of a chief executive of a library differ in no essential from those of a manager of a stock company carrying on a commercial enterprise. In both cases there is a board of directors to dictate the general policy, which the manager is to carry out. In both cases the details are left to him; and, if he occupies a proper position in the esteem and confidence of the directors, they rely on him largely for suggestions as to measures for furthering the objects in view. If he cannot be so relied on, he is not fit for the place, and another man should be appointed. It seems hardly necessary to call attention to the librarian's function as purchasing agent, in which his judgment, or the lack of it, is a direct gain or loss, greater or less ac- cording to circumstances. The librarian, like the business superin- tendent, is expected to organize his subordi- nates so as to secure the most efficient service at the least outlay for salaries. To this end the largest powers should be given him in the appointment and removal of assistants, especially those upon whom he must most immediately depend. Let him have assistants of his own choosing, and then hold him to a strict accountability for results. If from personal favoritism or bad judgment he selects lazy or incompetent people, let him suffer the consequences. If he posses- ses the requisite discernment and powers of observation, the innate selfishness of human nature may be relied on for the rest. The success of the library is his success ; and he may be trusted not to jeopardize it by sur- rounding himself with incompetent friends. The business man who does this ends in bankruptcy; and so must the librarian bankruptcy of position, reputation, and self respect. In keeping his institution before the public, the librarian may profit by the methods of the business man. In the case of a public library, he will generally find the local press willing to render very valuable assistance by publishing news concerning the library ; such CRUNDEN, as noteworthy gifts or purchases, reports of directors' meetings, abstracts of annual re- ports, and occasionally an appeal for aid or an explanation of some feature of the library which may be of public interest. Mercantile and other class libraries, though not on an equal footing with public libraries in this respect, are still in a measure public institutions, and may therefore expect a share of the notice which a liberal press accords to all things that are for the general good. How much the press of St. Louis has con- tributed to- the building up of the Public Library there, it would be difficult to estimate. Its willingness to assist in such work is attested by four large scrapbooks filled with clippings relating to the library, which furnish in outline a sketch of the institution from its organization to the present day. It goes without saying that no public enterprise can succeed without the help of the press ; and I think the conver.se is true, that no paper can achieve great success which ignores public interests. Library affairs doubtless do not interest as many people as a base-ball match or a notable burglary or divorce suit ; but it can hardly be that, among the mass of readers of a great daily, there are not a respectable number who would rather hear something about the new books added to the libraries than to learn that a John Smith, of Wayback Corners, Tex., was killed in a drunken brawl, or that a William Wilson, of Skrigglesville, Me., had his thumb cut off by a circular saw, or any of the thousand and one petty inci- dents that make up the regular columns of Crimes and Casualties. As an illustration of immediate results from a press notice : Some years ago one of our papers published a communication from me asking citizens to give to the library old directories and other books of no further use to them, especially anything relating to St. Louis. Within a week or two sixty or seventy-five volumes and a number of pam- phlets were received. How many subsequent gifts this brought, I cannot tell; but nearly two years afterwards sixty-eight volumes and twenty-four pamphlets, the greater part popu- lar novels and juveniles, in excellent condi- tion, were received, accompanied by a note stating that the donor had sent them in response to my request, which she had hap- pened to see in an old paper. But over and above all this, the librarian will find his advantage in the business man's use of printer's ink. Four or five years ago I distributed through the schools and through- out the central portions of the city 75,000 circulars. During the next six months more than three times as many new members were added as in the previous year. To these circulars the increase was largely due. Last December and January the board adopted my suggestion to insert regular advertisements in the daily papers. An expenditure of $100 brought an.addition of at least $200 from new subscribers. Some of these probably had lived in the city for years and had never before heard of this library of 65,000 volumes ; and at this day I dare say there are thou- sands of old citizens who are in a similar benighted condition, despite all our efforts for their enlightenment. Others had a vague idea that there was such a place ; but it would not have occurred to them to become mem- bers if they had not seen the suggestion in the newspaper. An eminently legitimate and proper mode of advertising is the distribution of a large edition of the annual report; but methods must vary with circumstances, and from time to time new ones must be devised. I have found a personal canvass in the schools productive of immediate results. I take a book or two with me, or sometimes send a package of ten or twelve books. I dilate upon the benefit and the pleasure of reading, explain at how little cost these may be obtained through a membership in the library, putting it at the price per week, exhibit the books with appropriate comments, and end by reading an entertaining extract from one of them. In short, I play to the best of my ability the role of a commercial drummer. I have said the librarian is expected to do so and so. Expected by whom ? Well, to some extent and in some particulars, by the 28 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. public, whom he has in the last few years taught to look for what previous generations never thought of. But the highest and heaviest demands are those of conscience and professional pride. The public is vastly more exacting than it used to be; but the true librarian keeps always in advance of his community, and constantly educates it to make greater demands upon him. The body of the profession fixes a high and ever advancing standard, which each individual must strive to reach, or allow himself to be shelved among specimens of the antique. The modern librarian, then, must be, as of old, a scholar and a gentleman ; but, more than that, he must be a good business man. And with all this, unless he have the industry and endurance of a Napoleon and the patience of a Job, he shall sometimes fail to satisfy his consti- tuents and at all times fall short of his own ideal. For the discussion that followed the reading of this paper see PROCEEDINGS (Second session). THE CATALOGUE OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM, AS IN USE IN THE LIBRARY OF THE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSO- . CIATION OF NEW YORK. BY R. B. POOLE, LIBRARIAN YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION, NEW YORK. T T will be the purpose of this paper to briefly describe the mechanical form of this cata- logue (the only one in use in this country that we are aware of), and direct attention to some of the advantages it possesses over the card catalogue. The card catalogue has never been used in this library, so I do not feel competent to give a decisive opinion as to the superiority or inferiority of this system over the popular card catalogue. In 1870, when this library was removed to the new building of the Association, it was re-catalogued, and, on the recommendation of Mr. Robert Hoe, the plan of the British Museum Catalogue was adopted. The library then numbered 2,000 volumes. I had myself never seen the Museum Index, and was guided only by general principles. That catalogue doubtless differs in certain details from this. In my first index the alpha- betical arrangement extended only to the initial and following letter, as Ab, Ho, etc. In 1882 the library numbered over 12,000 volumes, and had come into possession of the Niblo Fund, and a new catalogue was neces- sitated. The index now in use was then com- menced, with a complete alphabetical arrange- ment. The books are first catalogued on slips of tough bond paper, 5x1 1-2 inches. These slips are inserted in the blank books, to be described below, by pasting the ends only. If properly and carefully pasted, the slip can be removed with ease. The catalogue consists of 28 folio volumes. Each volume contains about 250 leaves of heavy white paper, with stubs between the leaves to allow for the expansion caused by the insertion of the slips. The volumes are half bound in heavy mo- rocco, thick boards, covered with vellum. The foot of the boards is protected from wear by brass guards. The books are made in the best manner, strong and durable. They were made by Mr. Matthews, the bookbinder, at a cost of $10.00 per volume exclusive of the guards. The volumes are placed in compartments beneath the desk on which they are con- sulted. The floor of these compartments is covered with cowhide to resist the action of the brass guards. The library is catalogued on the Dewey system and classified on the shelves. The catalogue is arranged on the dictionary plan, and the alphabetical order is indicated by let- POOLS. 29 ters on the backs of the volumes. One volume of the 28 is used exclusively for the Bible and biblical works, and is lettered " Bible," and an- other for government documents and works relating to the United States, and is lettered " United States." A special book might be set apart for any other subject according to the requirements of the library, as Great Britain, Architecture, etc. To preserve a strict alphabetical arrange- ment, spaces must be left for additions, and the extent of these spaces may be estimated by the use of some large printed catalogue, counting the titles and making certain allow- ances for matters that would not pertain to the catalogue in hand. As spaces fill up } slips are taken up and moved backwards or forwards, and new slips intercalated. A page will contain ten (10) slips, a volume } 5,000; 28 volumes, 140,000 slips; but, as sub- jects and authors will not fill up with any mathematical uniformity, it will be necessary to diminish these figures considerably ; but should we reduce them to 100,000, we then have capacity for about 50,000 volumes. Subjects, authors, and titles are inter- mingled in the same alphabetical arrangement. In the case of subjects, the subject heading is written in a bold hand, on a slip by itself, and beneath it the required cross-references. If the references are numerous, the slip is doubled in width, or the paper can be cut to cover the whole page. Beneath this heading stand the titles of works on that subject, the author's name, written first, and, when the subject is a prominent one, in alphabetical order, with spaces for additions. The slips are indented, and a red dash drawn before them to indicate that they are subordinate to the general alphabet. Certain authors' works are similarly arranged. I will here submit some fac-simile pages from this catalogue, which will give a more practical illustration of the above description. This catalogue has the advantage of cards in several particulars. In the first place, it can be consulted with greater ease and more rapidly than cards, as the open book presents to the eye from one to twenty titles. Cards must be examined one by one. In making any extended research, or in any investigation to ascertain what the library contains, on any subject, or of any author's works, the gain in time will be very material. Many of the advantages of the printed page are presented by the readiness with which this catalogue can be used. If the volumes were indexed through, greater facility still would be ac- quired. Again, contents can here be given and dis- played to the eye in full, an item of no small importance. Cross references can be spread before the user without limit. In the dictionary cata- logue, orations, sermons, works of fiction, periodicals, etc., are not brought together, except as they form collections ; but lists of authors of these classes of works and lists of periodicals are supplied instead. Here again they can be exhibited at a glance. References from historic periods can be made to works of fiction and the reverse, and so displayed as to attract the reader's attention. This catalogue has its limitation, and herein lies its weak point. Parts fill up unequally. A partial remedy is found by changing the slips as before mentioned, and as allotted spaces are used, by the insertion of leaves. These remedies are temporary, and the work of re-construction or the commencement of a supplement must next ensue. As yet, nothing has been devised to meet the difficulties of the case. The perforated and laced shelf lists in use, might suit the wants of a small library. A large library must have strong and durable books. Strength and flexibility must be combined in the model catalogue. A devise has been invented by a gentleman whose name I am unable to give, by which leaves can be intercalated, and each leaf is supplied with insets for slips, so that they can be removed at will. This catalogue was on a small scale, and would not supply the desideratum, but contains the germ of what is required. Cannot some believer in evolution evoke from this the coming mov- able catalogue ? Cards would then be dis- carded, and printed catalogues could be properly supplemented. For the discussion which followed the reading of this paper see PROCEEDINGS (Second session). THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. REGISTRATION OF BOOK BORROWERS. BY H: J. CARR, PUBLIC LIBRARIAN, GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. TT may be said that all public libraries make some sort of a registration of those entitled to draw books therefrom for home use ; i. e., those variously termed its members, or book-takers, or borrowers. The extent and nature of such registration will vary according to local practice and rules ; with such assurances of fitness, or right to the benefits of the library, and corresponding safeguards against imposition, as the nature of the community or experience may dictate. In the simplest form, as used in some localities, a written statement or application on the part of the would-be taker, made upon a simple printed blank or form, is all that is required. A promise to observe rules, etc., is also very frequently included ; or else the same is obtained by his or her further signature to a formal agreement in a Registration Book. If the signature on the application blank be the only one taken, then such application or promise is usually recorded and numbered in regular sequence in a book, which action con- stitutes the registration. The separate appli- cation, whether on a slip or a card, is then free to be filed in alfabetical order, and so becomes of further use as an index to the Registration Book. In smaller places this informal method of treating applications may answer sufficiently well without further steps. In larger cities the aid of the police is often invoked as a sort of municipal investigating committee ; and with such, as a moral effect, the needed purposes are, perhaps, adequately subserved. Too often, however, it is found that loss and misuse of books occur without satisfac- tory remedy ; while other annoying deficien- cies of frequent occurrence seem to require still further safeguards and means of " moral suasion," to say nothing of legal remedies for negligence and wilful delinquencies. To those ends, then, some personal security or guaranty is sought ; and, following English custom, the requiring of such, as a prelimi- nary to receiving the privileges of the library as a book-taker, has become a growing practice in this country, and is now so fully established that any other course may be considered the exception rather than the rule. This I find from personal observation at many libraries, and study of the rules and regulations of many more ; and in a sort of representative collection of the working blanks of various libraries, east and west, the fre- quent use of the surety or guaranty certificate (as it is indifferently called), as an application and preliminary to registration, stands out in strikingly preeminent contrast with the older but more occasional use of less stringent forms. But in the surety method considerable lati- tude prevails. Some libraries requiring its use only in case of unknown persons, or for minors or youth below .a certain age of sup- posed discretion. Others require such for each and every one, " regardless of age, sex, color, or previous condition of servitude;" and this would seem to be a more democratic plan, and one less liable to any plea of class discriminations. Then comes in play a variety of practice as to qualifications of the surety, some requiring the surety to be a tax-payer or property- owner; others simply that the surety be a citizen over 21 and known to the library, or duly identified. This latter variation is in the nature of a relaxation of vigilance, and weakens consider- ably the legal force of the guaranty. In the majority of cases the chief value of having a guarantor is its moral effect ; and I believe it is that, generally, which is most relied upon in case of transgression or delinquency on the part of the principal, or book-taker. Still, such agreements, when properly drawn and executed, have a legal value, and, with proper responsibility on the part of the guar- antor, it need be no difficult matter to enforce them thru the courts as a last resort. CARR. It will be seen, then, that registration, in its broader sense, implies and includes several things. ist. An application on the part of the would-be borrower. 2d. Compliance with the respective rules, as to fitness and right; and, if required, fur nishirig adequate security. 3d. An entry of the borrower's name on- the Registration Book; the order or sequence of which usually determines the designating number assigned to such person, as a book- taker, and used on his or her library-card as a convenient means for charging books, and the like. And also as a ready basis of statistics as to number using the library, etc. Note. Where a security signer is required, such guaranty is usually taken on a special blank or form ; and then the sig- nature or promise of the principal (or borrower) is taken on the Registration Book (sometimes called the Signature Book). Occasionally the signatures of both piincipaland guarantor are required to be made on the book at the library; but for many reasons this is not so convenient nor acceptable a method as having signature of guarantor on a separate blank. 4th. Information as to residence or ad- dress of the borrower and surety respectively. This item of residence being really a most important matter, and yet, by the very nature oi things, an especially difficult one to keep "up to date," since removals or changes of address on the part of either principal or surety are about the last thing that borrowers ever think of reporting to the library. 5th. Due indexing of the registration, with reference to both the borrower and the surety. 6th. Cancellation at expiration of the regular term of issue under the rules; or sooner for cause, as in case of unsettled delin- quencies, removals from the place, surety declining to continue, or death, and so on. Here a few words concerning the indexing of the registration, the fth item mentioned above. As said before, if no surety be re- quired and the application of the borrower be on a separate form, then arrangement of same in alfabetical order makes ample index to the Registration Book. If a surety be furnished which is now the later and ruling practice, a double index is needed ; and since the one blank cannot be put into two places or order of arrangements, it seems better to number and file the guaranty certificates in the same order as the registration, and provide a special index. An excellent form for this purpose is a card (not less than 10 x 15 cm.), ruled and headed on both sides ; on \hefront side is to be entered the name and residence of every per- son to be indext, whether as principal or guarantor, and the card is alfabeted by this entry. If a book-taker, then below the head- ing and on the same side of the card, follow his or her registration number, with date, and the name and residence of guarantor, and space for remarks. The back of the card is reserved for entries of number, date, name and residence of those for whom that particu- lar party may have become surety. A dis- tinction between the two sides and corres- ponding classes of entries is readily made, not only by varying form, but may be empha- sized by colors of ink in ruling or printing. Bearing in mind that the same person may sooner or later act in a dual capacity and be both a borrower and likewise a surety for another, often for several others, the advan- tage in having all registration entries concern- ing that one person concentrated on one card is readily seen. With cards of an ad- equate size, such an index becomes almost perpetual ; and may be made continuous with several subsequent registrations. Then, too, in case of delinquencies, with default on the part of any guarantor it becomes a simple matter to record same for a future "black- list," and also to cancel at once the rights of all other book-takers, if any, depending upon the same guarantor; which is a very essential matter for the safety of the library. So much for the machinery and general routine, which, to a greater or less extent, is understood and necessitated in the registra- tion of borrowers. The practice of various libraries as to extent, duration, or termination of any one registration is not at all uniform. Many (and this is seemingly the older practice) run the registration on almost interminably, until the numbers have become very high and cum- brous ; and a general antiquated air is found to prevail. And, too, by the growth of the THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. community and the inevitable shifting of population, deaths, removals, new-comers, and the like, it is eventually found that the recorded residences and other data are as un- reliable as a ten-year-old directory, to say nothing of kindred deficiencies. Then a new registration is ordered, in which reason or unreason may prevail. The latter, where, for sake of uniformity, all previous cards are made void, regardless of date, whether one day, or one year, or five years old; a better practice being to con- sider issues of the preceding one year or two years as valid, and re-register all of an earlier date. In other instances, a new registration is required upon filling a certain sized book, or upon reaching in number a certain limit ; either of which may be a fair basis, if pro- vision be made to avoid re-registration of the later issues within a certain calendar time, as before suggested. In the western cities, owing to rapid growth in population, varied character and shifting circumstances of those who use a library most, the need for frequent verification of residences and correction of guarantor-lists, etc., has been felt more decidedly than in the older and more settled communities of the eastern States. As a consequence, most of the newer li- braries, and many of the older, have found it best to limit the period of registration, and consequent life of the library-card, to terms of either three years or two years, usually the latter. Some have adopted five years, but, I think, will sooner or later find a shorter term advisable. Where a specific term is adopted, and once in full force, re-registration becomes a regular and continuous matter; each month calling for the re-registration of all cards issued in the same month two, three, or five years before, as the case may be. This has the far- ther advantage of allowing for a regular allot- ment of work, and avoids the spasmodic effect and over-work or rush consequent upon other plans of determining the frequency or period of each new registration. The advantages of prompt notification in case of over-due books (i. e., those kept out beyond the loan period provided) have long been understood ; and losses to the library are greatly mitigated where such practice is sharply followed. But a prime requisite to effective notice is to have the correct address of the delinquent. Long terms of registration are not conducive to accuracy in that respect, and the defect becomes more evident, when, in case of sureties being required, the address of two parties for each card outstanding is essential. So, then, I ask, Is the importance of frequent re-registry of those drawing books from the public libraries of growing cities and towns, and particularly in the larger places, duly appreciated ? This query has been bro't to my mind more forcibly by reason of some personal expe- riences during the past eighteen months, and again upon noting items in the same connection which have come to hand casually in reports of some public libraries for 1885 and 1886, and occasional older instances. To be sure frequent registration means some work at the library desk, and a certain amount of annoyance to the book-takers. But under an adequate, continuous system, which I have mentioned, neither of those features need be in excess, and will, I believe, pay in the long run, and save work, annoyance, and losses in other directions. I doubt if librarians generally comprehend as fully as might be how rapidly changes take place in the effective force and number of those using the library in a growing city ; nor how much more satisfactory a comparison of the use of different libraries can be made, if, in addition to size of the library and num- ber of volumes circulated, the number of active borrowers can be given more exactly. Under similar circumstances as to size of library and population, the number of vol- umes of home issues divided by number of actual takers show a markt regularity of ratio. Bearing upon the above statement, and in connection with the general plea for a briefer term of registration, it is possible that the following extracts may prove of interest. It must be understood, however, that the same are not selected for invidious reasons, but CARR. 33 because they offer striking or pertinent in- stances ; the libraries or parties cited having issued valuable reports from which it has been possible to obtain the facts quoted. About the earliest protest against a long continued registration which has come to my notice is that of Mr. C: Evans, when Librarian at the Indianapolis P. L., in 1878. Reporting a registration of some five years, numbering 14,600, he says: " This number is naturally in excess of act- ual number of borrowers. . . . As in other large cities, almost all the losses of books can be directly traced to changes of residence by removal from the city; and our experience for the past three years shows that it would be for the safety of the property of the library if a rule were adopted that hereafter no cer- tificate of guarantee shall remain in force longer than two, possibly three, years." His successor, Mr. A. W. Tyler, repeats and confirms this statement in 1879. June 30, 1886, the same library reports total registration 27,620, the population of Indianapolis being perhaps over 90,000. And Mr. W. De M. Hooper, the Librarian, says: " It is impossible to tell how many of these cards ar now in use, since but few per- sons, upon ceasing to use the library, ever think of resigning their cards. Judging from what data we have, it is estimated that at least 15,000 to 18,000 of these cards must be still in use." Many other libraries, with a less number of volumes and actual takers, report a circulation quite equal to that of the Indianapolis library; and I judge that his estimate of cards in use is much too high. In the report of the Toledo Public Library, for 1880, similar considerations are bro't out, viz: "Anew enrollment of those using the library was commenced with the year, as the trustees were satisfied that a large number of the sureties for book-borrowers were either dead or had removed from the city. A public library is peculiarly exposed to the loss of books. The best safeguard is a responsible surety, coupled with vigilant oversight on the part of the librarian in sending for over-due books. Number of cards issued during the year was 3,863. As last report showed over 9,000 registered members, the necessity of a new enrollment is apparent ; and we think the best interests of the library demand a new enrollment every three or five years." The Detroit P. L. in report for 1885 con- veys an interesting lesson on this subject, as follows : "In August last the rules of the library were so changed as to require all holders of readers' cards whose cards were issued more than five years ago, to sign the register anew, with their sureties ; and that hereafter a new registry should be required every five years. This rule applied to 11,440 cardholders, of whom 829 have since registered. The fact that so small a proportion of persons entitled to use the library have come forward to renew their signatures, made evident what was be- fore supposed, that the great mass of readers' cards formerly issued are not now in actual use. . . . Notwithstanding the striking from the registry of so large a number of names, the statistics show that the library never had so many users as now." The report from the Cleveland P. L. in 1886, of the immediate results of a new regis- tration are equally corroborative, thus : "A different system of charging books having been decided upon, it was placed in operation January I. From September I to December 31, 1,395 cards had been issued, bringing the entire number of the old series to 23,340. On January i the issue of a new series was begun, and 8,893 had been issued to August 31, which probably is a fair indication of the number at present using the library." The report shows that in the new registra- tion 4,137 issued in January, and 1675 in Feb- ruary ; after which the issues decreased from 91 1 to 379 in a month, averaging 500 a month, which is a fair allowance. The Free Public Library of Worcester, Mass., a city of some 70,000 population, reports for 1886: " Total number of names registered (a new registry made July i, 1873), 28,535. Regis- tered during the year, 1,585. Number of notices to delinquents, 6,038, in a circulation for home use of 136,745 volumes." The large 34 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. number of notices and the disproportion of registrations in the year, as compared with the total, are both striking. As a salient instance of a two-year registra- tion method, note the following from the Chicago Public Library in 1886: " Present number of book-borrowers, 27,142. These persons hold cards, each secured by the certificate of a responsible guarantor, which entitle them to draw books from the library for home use for the period of two years. Each card is canceled at the expira- tion of two years from date of issue, when a new registration must be made on a new cer- tificate of guaranty. Cards issued during the year, 13,845; preceding year, 13,297. Circu- lation of the year, 608,708 volumes for home use. Volumes in the library, 119,500." The Registration Clerk at that library in- forms me that, according to their experience, of a series canceled when each, card has run fully two years, but about one quarter are re- newed. This accords in the main with my own experience under a new registration in a smaller city, extending thru one year, and in which but 2,330 were renewed out of 7,400 in previous registration, the proportion of renewals in a small city being naturally greater than in one of large population. Other good effects of a new registration have been very noticeable, also, it may be said, as the reduction in lost books, and especially in the number so delinquent as to need the services of a messenger. In 10 months of the present library year but 10 volumes have required a messenger, against 49 in preceding six months of previous year. Of books lost without remedy or payment, but one in present year, against 12 so lost in the year before. Like results are apparent as to fines and decrease of delinquent notices. In conclusion, I subjoin a comparative table of items from some 16 libraries, which may be of interest in this connection ; and I hope other libraries may be led to give like data in their annual reports, from which further study may be made concerning the subject of fre- quent registration, and, possibly, a more just basis for comparison of yearly results. OOOO Tfjf ll U 4"S ",|5"u H~1 ^a'^'So'" ^'sjo 1 |kii : >| .|.|.|.| M ^ > ^n o ^ " l- CX "-S *- 1 B -co . fe g z aj a) a> i> ) co (0 in .2.2 .2 gJ5"^.|S rt "rt rt rt o^&'.S 1 "-"S .2. 2 .52 .2 fflSl?52_ 4) Cl 4> 4> *o sees >>>>.>. ' IIIIIIM ' ' s|.^ '|lol a^ssj? ff MOO r M 1 1 1 1 ^ O jj P b fe o J3 4| A M >>U 'S'a^ oo *o r^. M i/j CO -**-O N \D 1OOO M t>.sO m^oooo o N ^ PS "o a . 00 O O fO 00 ..eo-KOJ.ng 2 to o M \O ^^ M 00 O 8 m>o 2sS a>m t^ 1-1 o> T tN. o moo oo eo M d . O M M ^s 1 1 * * * *o n # * * * O*0*0 * * "" o o m oo C-'O CO M PO 'iSli'mNmfi'^ro N M 3 A 8888 8 00000000 88 |!IJ 8||l| 5 ** ;? I OO CO 00 OO OO CO OO OO 00 OTTC *o 1 1 1 1 J.J.J, -o 3- 'ox Ooo M M H ^ ^S-? "> ' '7 " " ' K . .g s o I I 5 9~ J -5 I * .= bo , s* o COLE. 35 A QUICKER METHOD OF MEASURING BOOKS, WITH PRACTICAL ILLUSTRATIONS. BY GEORGE WATSON COLE. History of the A.L.A. Size Rules. TN 1876, at the Philadelphia conference of librarians, Mr. Charles Evans, then of the Indianapolis Public Library, read a carefully prepared paper giving, at considerable length, the reasons why the -old method of measuring the sizes of books had become confused and misleading. He agreed with Prof. Jewett that the difficulty admitted of but one solution, and that was "to introduce some new method of designating the sizes of books;" and he recommended that a committee be chosen to take the matter into consideration and fix upon some new method that should supersede the old one of measuring books by the fold. This paper called out, at a later date, an article by Mr. J. B. Ruling, written in defence of the old practice ; but the appended size titles and measurements given in his article did little, if anything, toward disproving the arguments for a change so carefully stated by Mr. Evans. In accordance with the latter gentle man's sug- gestion, a committee was appointed, and before the close of the conference a report was submitted, which opened the way for the report of a second committee, formed for the purpose of giving the matter more careful consideration. This second committee, after giving a most thorough examination of the subject, published its report in the Library journal for Jan. 31, 1877. This report goes into the matter with great detail, and recom- mends the adoption of an entirely new scheme for determining the sizes of books ; one based upon the apparent size or measurement of the book, rather than upon any accident of its construction. The principal departures from the old method were these : (i) actual or approx- imate size and proportion, instead of fold ; (2) the standard of measurement to be the metric system, instead of the ordinary standard ; and (3) the size to be indicated by letters, the initials of the old names employed, rather than the symbols formerly used. At the New York conference this com mittee submitted its report (L. j. 2: 37), which was partially adopted ; the question relating to the sizes of books smaller than quartos being referred to the committee on uniform title entries for further consideration. A joint report was given in the Library journal, (3: 19-20) which is, as far as I can discover, the final report on the subject, and which must be considered as containing the recom- mendations of the Association upon this sub- ject, though I fail to find that it has ever adopted the report or given it its official sanc- tion. This final report embodies the results of the deliberations of three distinct com- mittees, the members of which are recog- nized as among the leading lights of the library profession in this country ; and their several reports abundantly show that the results were arrived at only after the most careful and deliberate consideration of the question. The reason why no action was taken by this Association upon the final report of the committee may have been due to the fact that, while American librarians were attempting to solve this problem, our English friends were at work upon the same question, and action was deferred in hopes that a uniformity of practice might be estab- lished upon both sides of the Atlantic. But the conservative tendencies of our English friends prevented their seeing in the plan reported by our committee though it received their consideration a satisfactory solution of the question. After considering the A.L.A. plan, as well as two others proposed by their own members, Messrs. Madeley and Wheat- ley (L. j. 4: 199-200). they decided to adopt a size rule differing essentially from our own. Thus all hope of concerted action on this question has, at least for a time, ceased. Advantages of the A.L.A. Rules. The plan reported by the A.L.A. com- mittee, seems to be perfectly well adapted to THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. meet the wants of the most exacting bibliog- rapher ; and, in order that its advantages may be more fully known and appreciated, I would recommend that the final report of the com- mittee be rewritten, embodying all the points mutually agreed upon by the three com- mittees, and be adopted as the size rules of this Association. I suggest this step, be- cause I have been informed by a gentleman who was a member of each of the three com- mittees that the rule fixing upon the propor- tional width which forms the boundary line between books of the ordinary proportions and books termed sq., has been reconsidered by the committee, and that the boundary line is now placed at 3-4 the relative width of the book, instead of 4-5 the width, as has always been given in the reports of the committees. I find nowhere in the Library journal any other boundary line mentioned for this pur- pose than the 4-5 originally suggested in the re- port of the second committee. (L. J. i: I78 25 , 267 13 .) The English have in part adopted this proportional width between the regular sizes and the stfs. The only places where the proportion of 3-4 is employed is in Mr. Madeley's plan above referred to, which was not adopted by the English librarians, and in Mr. Dewey's " Library Abbreviations." The original proportional dividing lines reported by the committee were the regular ones by fifths, 3-5, 4-5, and 5-5, or as wide as high; and they have never been departed from nor varied, so far as I know, except in the cases just mentioned. The final report of the com- mittee provides that, where the width of a book is less than 3-5 its height, the regular size mark shall be preceded by nar. e.g., nar. S., nar. D., etc. ; where the width is between 3-5 and 4-5 its height, it shall receive the reg- ular size letters Q., O., D., etc.; where the width is more than 4-5 its height and less than its height, the regular size mark shall be preceded by sq. e.g., sq. D., sq. T., etc. ; and, finally, where the width exceeds the height, the book shall be called an ob. e.g., ob. D., ob. Fe., etc. It is true that books which are between 3-4 and 4-5 as wide as high seem more naturally, from their general appear- ance, to fall among those denominated sq. than among the regular sizes; but this is a departure from a regularly increasing propor- tion, and, as already stated, it does not con- form to the English rule on this point. It seems desirable, therefore, that this point be settled once for all, if for no other purpose than to secure uniformity of treatment in such cases. Actual Size Measurements. The importance of giving the actual size of the book instead of following the A.L.A. rules was brought up for discussion at the Lake George conference, and met with some little support. There is ample opportunity for those who desire to give actual measure- ments, to do so under the recommendation of the committee, who reported a rule that was reiterated at that conference, and that enables those desiring great accuracy to " Give the outside height in centimeters, using fractions (decimals) where extreme accuracy is desired." There is no doubt but that in the case of book rarities, strict measurement is often essential in order to determine their market value ; but for ordinary library work the A.L.A. rules are far more satisfactory than the old- time method, and give the sizes with a defi- niteness and certainty that calls for little if any change. I shall attempt to show, before closing, how the present rules may be made to give even still more definite results than are now obtained. Boxwood Rule. During the discussions and in the reports upon the size rules, many different methods of putting them into practical use were sug- gested, the most prominent of which were the common boxwood rule and a card with the subdivisions carefully marked upon it. The more common practice of measuring books has been, we believe, with the box- wood rule made by the Library Bureau, or by simply measuring their height. For most books this is sufficient, but the rules regard- ing proportions are so formulated, that trouble arises if one wishes to apply them accurately. Without stopping to make an arithmetical computation, those books near the boundary lines of nar. and sq. are liable to be placed in COLE. the wrong class. The A.L.A. rules are so much more definite than the old system of measurement by fold, that to many it may seem of little importance if occasionally a book is called a nar. or sq. when strictly speaking it is neither, or fails to receive one of those designations when entitled to it. If we are to have a code of rules, it seems very desirable to have them accurately applied in every case ; otherwise indefiniteness and con- fusion will inevitably follow. Fortunately for all concerned, this particular branch of library work, unimportant though it may seem, can be reduced to a mathematical cer- tainty. If the books were not to receive different designations to distinguish their relative proportions, if, in other words, only height was to be considered, the boxwood rule would, without doubt, be the best tool to use. With the height constantly to be taken into account, and the proportions ever vary- ing with the height, a card seems preferable. The Card and Its Advantages. Having given considerable time and thought to the construction of a card for this purpose, I think I have at last succeeded in getting the greatest possible utility from any card of a given size. The construction of the card is briefly this : Parallel lines are drawn at the proper distances, i.e., 10, 12 1-2, 15, 17 1-2, 20, 25, etc. centimeters, from the bottom, indicat- ing the outside limits of the height of each size. From the lower left-hand corner, three diagonal lines are drawn, which run at a uni- form proportion from the edge of the card, one of 3-5, one of 3-4, the third forming a true diagonal. Every point in the first diag- onal is 3-5 of the distance from the left-hand edge of the card that it is from the bottom ; the second is 3-4 the same distance ; and the true diagonal line is at every point equi-dis- tant from the left-hand edge and the bottom. These diagonal lines therefore as clearly indicate the line of demarkation between the nar., regular size, sy., and ob. books, as do the parallel lines between those of different heights. As a result, we have mapped out before us the boundaries of all our sizes with strict mathematical accuracy. If further sub- divisions are desired, they can readily be obtained by inserting more parallel or diag- onal lines ; and the result will always be obtained with certainty. This plan, if car- ried out sufficiently, might satisfy those who wish to indicate the size with still greater minuteness. Method of Using the Card. Two years' constant use of this card has satisfied me that for all practical purposes the A.L.A. rules are simplicity exemplified, in- stead of being " tiresomely elaborate," as one of our English friends has taken occasion to call them. A book lies on the cataloguer's table ; he has but to pick it up, introduce the left-hand edge of the card between the cover and the fly leaves on a line with the bottom of the cover, and the size of the book appears at once on the card, above and at the right of the corner. If the top of the cover falls upon one of the parallel lines, it takes the designa- tion of the size above ; if upon one of the diag- onal lines, that of the size at the right. It often happens that the book to be meas- ured exceeds the card in height or width. Extended scales upon the back enable one to measure any book that does not exceed twice the height of the card, unless it is of quite unusual proportions. For ordinary uses a card 25 by 20 centimeters is as large as necessary. For large books, one 50x40 cen- timeters, with extended scales upon the back, would be desirable for measuring atlases, bound newspapers, elephant folios, and other books of exceptional size. A card of this size would measure any volume not exceed- ing i metre, or about 40 inches, in height or width. The modus operandi of using the extended scales is simple and easily acquired. Insert the card as before, and with a pencil, mark the fly leaves just enough to show how high the card extends ; then take the card by its lower left-hand corner, and turn it over in such a manner as to bring it at the upper right-hand corner. Place the lower edge of the card, thus turned, on a line with the pencil marks, and close the cover, when the size will be ascertained as before. THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. I f the book should now prove to be wider than the card, as is apt to be the case, make pencil marks at the right-hand edge of the card, then take the card by its lower right- hand corner and turn it around so as to bring it at the upper right-hand corner ; put the left-hand edge on a line with the new pencil marks, and close the book, and ascertain the size as in the first place. Large figures, at the lower edge of the card, indicate the cor- rect position of the card in each of the three positions just explained. The use of pencil marks can easily be dispensed with, if two cards are used instead of one, or if the large sized card is used in the place of the smaller one. The directions for measuring books larger than the card itself may seem a little involved, but the application of the card, in measuring such books, is really quite simple in practice. Further Subdivisions. The subdivision of the folio sizes by the A.L.A. size rules is such an obvious advan- tage over the old system of measurement by fold, that it is with some hesitancy that I suggest the introduction of further subdivi- sions in the rules. I am the more encouraged to do so, however, from the discussion upon this very point which was called out by Mr. Schwartz's article in the Library journal (10: 394-96) soon after the Lake George con- ference, where the same question had been previously discussed. I entirely disapprove of Mr. Schwartz's plan, believing that it is much wiser to modify existing rules, when- ever practicable, than to abandon them for new and untried schemes. Great accuracy and minute subdivisions can be secured in the A.L.A. rules in the ways I am about to suggest. This may be done, first, by subdividing the sizes for the height of books. The present octavo size extends from 20 to 25 centimeters in height. If this is subdivided by inserting a horizontal line at 22 1-2 centimeters, or mid- way between the two extremes, we get two sizes which may not inappropriately be desig- nated as large octavo (/. O.) and small octavo (s. O.), or long and short octavo, and so with any of the other sizes. We can, in like man- ner, subdivide the sizes for the width of books by drawing an additional diagonal line midway between the regular ones. In this way we may subdivide the octavos into octavos (O.) and broad octavos (b. O.). By employing both forms of subdivision at the same time, we get four sizes where we now have one ; and we may, if we choose, designate them as tall octavos (/. O.), large octavos (/. O.), small octavos (s. O.), and broad octavos (b. O.), as we now speak of narrow (nar. O.), square (sg. O.), and oblong octavos (pb. O.). There may be a reasonable doubt enter- tained as to whether it is worth while to sub- divide any of the sizes below the octavo, but I am strongly inclined to favor the subdivi- sion of that size and all above it, and possibly the duodecimos, for the reason that there now seems to be too great a difference in size between the largest and smallest octavos, quartos, and folios. The greater the height, the greater the difference. If it is thought wise to make further subdivisions, the size notation must be made brief and suggestive. It should be self-explanatory rather than obscure. As soon, however, as a rule is decided upon, a card can readily be prepared which will explain itself to any intelligent mind. But, before the matter of futher subdivision is entered into, it would be well to determine whether a book 3-4 as wide as high shall have the sq. prefixed to its size letter, or not until it is 4-5 as wide as high. It may be well to state that I have made my cards upon the former scale, at the sug- gestion of Mr. Dewey, as he has informed me that the committee having this matter in hand have practically decided upon that propor- tion, and as it is the one he has adopted in the cataloguing department of Columbia College. An attempt has been made to still further add to the usefulness of the card by using the unoccupied spaces for abbreviations and other matters that the cataloguer desires to have constantly before him. , In conclusion, I think it may safely be said that if those who have adopted the A.L.A. UTLEY. 39 size rules, and desire to do exact work, will make use of this card for a short time, they will find it so convenient and accurate that they will not readily consent to dispense with its use. Any suggestions that will add to its value will be most thankfully received. If I have failed to make my meaning sufficiently clear, or have overlooked any point, I shall be very glad to have my attention called to it now, or at some future time. NEWSPAPER VOLUMES IN A LIBRARY. BY H: M. UTLEY, LIBRARIAN PUBLIC LIBRARY, DETROIT, MICH. "DERHAPS librarians may think the exam- ple of Detroit newspaper publishers worth commending to the publishers of their own cities. The managers of our four Eng- lish dailies have deposited their complete bound files in the library " for safe keeping and the public convenience." Here they are as available to the newspaper employe's them- selves as in their own offices, access being had to them during the hours when the library is closed by application to the janitor. The purpose of making the deposit, as stated by the managers, is twofold safe keeping and the public convenience. Newspaper offices seem to be peculiarly exposed to fire, each of the leading offices in Detroit having been twice burned out within the past ten years. The library building is probably as safe from danger from fire as any building in the city, so that safe keeping was undoubtedly a strong motive to induce the managers to accede to my request. But I happen to know that the benefit the public might gain from having these volumes thus accessible had great weight in influencing them. The only obliga- tion the library authorities are under is to care for the volumes, and permit only their proper use in the building. At the Lake George conference the best material for newspaper binding was discussed. Mr. Peoples recommended duck, Mr. Schwartz, buckram ; and everybody agreed that the sheep, so commonly used, is quite unsuitable. It soon loses all its vitality and strength, and crumbles into dust at the touch. English buckram is admirable material for binding. I have imported several pieces of it, and used it on books which get the hardest and most con- tinuous usage, and have found it stand the best of anything yet tried. But it costs five times as much as duck, and is no better for newspaper work. I have put on newspapers full binding of common gray duck, 8 ounce weight, costing about 10 cents a yard by the piece. Volumes of the size of the New York Tribune are bound with this material by our contractors at $1.50 each. These are sewed with the whip stitch in sections of a half dozen papers each, the whole thus being made strong and flexible. Daily papers of eight or more pages I bind into quarterly volumes, dividing each year's issue into four parts. It is economy in the long run to make lighter and more easily handled volumes, though, being more numer- ous, they may cost a little more at the outset. I have tried some of this binding lately on Harper's Weekly, Illustrated London News, etc., and am well satisfied with it. The titles are lettered with black ink on the canvas. This reminds me of some of the difficulties of putting titles on the buckram. Of this material I have used only the flax color, or light greenish tint, and the gilt lettering does not show well on it. Then the title was put on title leather, which was pasted on. But in spite of the utmost pains this would peel off. Our binder now stains with analine, dark green, the space for the title, and the gilt lettering shows all right. The newspapers are lettered the longest way of the back, as they lie flat on the shelves, instead of standing on end. And this leads me to a description of the cases in which the newspaper volumes are placed. It happened that the room available for the THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. purpose is a high and well-ventilated base- ment, with plenty of windows on two sides. Along the wall on the other two sides, and in double rows across the room, with ample passages between, are ranged the newspaper cases. These are 6 feet 6 inches high and 2 feet 2 inches deep, and are divided into sec- tions ranging from 2 feet 4 inches to 2 feet 10 inches, though mainly 2 feet 7 inches in width, these sizes well accommodating the various volumes. The upright divisions be- tween the sections are panelled to prevent warping. The shelves are made of 3-4 stuff, with strips dovetailed across each end, to hold them level. A half-round section is cut out of the front edge at the centre to enable the volume to be grasped by the hand. The shelf rests upon three screw eyes at each end. If it pulls out with the volume, as it probably will, being loosely fitted, the centre screw eye prevents it from dropping out of place, and causes it to run back smoothly to its proper bearings when pushed in. Glass doors, with lock and key, keep out the dust and the fiend with scissors, and permit the reading of the titles. Each series of volumes is arranged chronologically. A word as to indexes. If the cooperative indexing scheme could be carried beyond its present limits, corresponding advantages would result. I do not know that it is practi- cable to carry it very far. The New York Tribune publishes an index annually, which serves in some degree as a general index to daily newspapers, because the great topics of interest are generally dealt with by the news- papers on or about the same dates. But there are many important matters treated by the leading newspapers of the country which are not covered by this index of only a single one of them. There are scien- tific and literary articles and discussions of economic questions by brilliant writers, which are quite valuable, and which are practically inaccessible without the aid of an index. If the public library in each city would undertake the task of indexing one or two of the leading dailies of its own city, by a system of ex- changes, the whole mass of daily newspaper literature would become available to all. There is another class of papers that de- serves some attention also under this head. These are the special journals, such as the Iron Age, Railroad Gazette, Insurance Spectator, Pharmaceutical Journal, Electri- cian, etc. The topics treated in these are of fresh and lively interest, and the library patron looking up one of them is now forced to waste much time turning them over to find what an index would help him to instantly. The Nation has lately set a good example by publishing a general index of itself. Per- haps others will have sufficient appreciation of its merits to follow this good example. -I doubt, however, whether any cooperative scheme is practicable with this class of jour- nals, especially while the indexing of the more important scientific and professional periodicals is in abeyance. For the discussion which followed the reading of this paper see PROCEEDINGS (Third session.) PAMPHLETS AND CONTINUATIONS OF SERIALS. BY LINDSAY SWIFT, BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY. /^vWING to a turn which the general dis- cussion on the expense of cataloguing took at the Lake George meeting in 1885, I have felt moved to say a few things upon one of the dullest of subjects. To one reading the published account, the impression would remain that the absolute worth of pamphlets as a class of literature in themselves is not large. After some seven years' almost daily experi- ence with all sorts of pamphlets, I take a per- sonal interest in them, and now wish, in a commonplace way enough, to champion their cause. The terminology of exact bibliography really ought not to contain the word "pamphlet," if we mean thereby an inferior and little-to-be- SWIFT. esteemed sort of book, of few pages, and gen- erally unbound a kind of bantam in litera- ture, or book without its clothes on. The fewness of pages has nothing to do with a just estimate of them. The reading people of this country care more for the latest word, in pamphlet or book, on the Inter-State commerce act, the Fisheries question, the Irish question, or the Chinese puzzle than they ever can care for some Universal History in I know not how many scores of dull, fat vol- umes. The present worth of a pamphlet is often immense, but how inadequately do many large libraries meet the demand of the day for the literature thereof! Furthermore, these creatures of an hour sometimes become of immense value. We do not marvel when a library pays, at the Brinley sale, $80 for a few leaves, because they were the first printed in the town of Boston on John Foster's press. No one dreams of calling such a rarity a pamphlet, when it has been clad in its Lon- don-made suit by Pratt or Bedford. Some harmless maniac in A. D. 2087 may give $100 for the " absolutely unique " uncut trifle which he needs to perfect his precious collection of literature on the great Andover heresy case of two hundred years back. To put this a little more harshly, librarians have no right to pronounce upon the intrinsic value of the wares they handle. Censores morum they must at times constitute them- selves and there should not be too much of this but they are not called to the office of inspectors, weighers, or gaugers of public property ; the people will attend to that. The Force, or Winsor, or McMaster of the future cannot use the passing trifles of this decade, as he will surely wish to, unless they are carefully treasured and most carefully cata- logued. Remember the howlings of Carlyle while at work on his Cromwell in the British Museum, which institution would gladly have escaped his tirades. But in all this I shall find no one to dispute me, and yet allow me to ask nine librarians out of ten if more often than not publications of great contemporary interest do not get pushed aside, shelved, or closeted, anything but catalogued, for the simple reason that they are " pamphlets ? " Pressure of work and the poverty of most libraries have much to do with this state of things; but there is a great deal of the camel in a librarian. He mourn- fully resents having fresh burdens laid upon him, yet somehow he always does manage to stagger up and ahead under his load. How, then, shall this enormous bulk of unbound literature, which is the vexation of all large libraries, be managed? The un- bound condition is, first, a serious problem. Pamphlets won't stand up in undress, and they are hard to get at, when placed on their sides in piles. At the Harvard College Library, I learn that pamphlets are arranged alphabetically by authors, and if one knows his author this arrangement should work very well. Certain general subjects, as ser- mons and sale catalogues, are placed together. I do not know if this admits of as nice a cata- logue classification as is thought needful in the case of books. Decidedly the ideal way is to bind sepa- rately each work, great or small, and thus, in fact, all rarities in pamphlets are treated. Expensively bound dainties for which libraries have to pay so well were once three-penny pamphlets. The dress makes the book as well as the man. Happy the library when each publication has its own standing-room. If separate binding is out of the question, the next best plan is, of course, to bind by sub- jects. This is what is doing continually at the Boston Public Library, and we are satis- fied with the results. In the last Quarterly Report of the Librarian I find that up to June, 1887, 339,520 pamphlets have been added from the first. They come in now at the rate of from 12,000 to 15,000 a year. For some years past they have been arranged by sub- jects, as closely defined as so rapid an ac- cumulation will allow and then bound. The vol- umes,which contain from five to 40 pieces, an average perhaps of from 12 to 15, are stoutly bound in goat and plainly lettered. A large subject, slavery for instance, is allowed to accumulate for several years before it is made up into volumes. The shelves are then cleared, and after several years emptied again. This enables a nicer arrangement, in binding, THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. of the subdivisions of a large subject. In a lot of newly bound slavery pamphlets, we shall have very likely a score of volumes on Slavery in the United States ; as many more on Slavery in the West Indies, several vol- umes respectively on the Slave trade, the Fugitive Slave law, Slave narratives, etc., etc. No attention is paid in cataloguing to the title of the bound volume. It represents to us mearly a dozen or more works, each of which is numbered and catalogued as Independently as if it were a literary monument in 10 folio volumes. For instance in a volume backed U. S. Politics, there may be pamphlets on the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska bill, the Bank of the United States, etc. These will be entered under their respective headings in the catalogue. We of course are very particular as to full author or title entries. The bound volume, however, must be con- sidered as a genuine volume in the" running annals of the library ; accordingly, a very brief list of contents is made on a card, which is filed away by its shelf number in a place kept apart for this purpose. We can thus tell what is lost, if a pamphlet volume disappears, as sometimes, though very rarely, happens. The volumes, I may mention, are not allowed to be taken from the library. Some years ago we used to print the contents of the vol- umes, and give an arbitrary title to the whole ; a sort of cross reference was then made to each author indicated in the contents, and each title thus treated was underscored in red. This was expensive, and is now useless ; the method arose from the now antiquated notion that a pamphlet volume should have some tangible recognition of its existence. Diligently thinning out unbound pamphlet- shelves by this painful, expensive, but most satisfactory process, we have reduced our unbound collection to about 40,000 or 50,000, one half of which are probably duplicates. It is no easy work to find a desired pamphlet in these dusty, roughly arranged heaps. In the past ten years, during which our latest method has been in practice, the progress is encouraging. The number of pamphlets newly catalogued during this time is as follows: 1877-8, 3,360; 1878-9,5,174; 1879-80, 2,788; 1880-1, 3,664; 1 88 1-2, 4,695 : 1882-3, 4,217; 1883-4, 4,257; 1884-5, 7,2575 1885 (eight months), 3,646; 1886, 5,069; an average of nearly 4,500 a year. This would not appear to be keeping pace with the rate of increase, but more than half of all our pamphlet accessions now are duplicates. Figures of this sort are at best deceptive, for they say nothing of the immense acci- dental benefit done to a catalogue by a careful treatment of pamphlets. Thousands of old pamphlets have been recatalogued in the process of work, snags in the card catalogue removed, fresh subject references introduced, and, above all, the influx of duplicates almost wholly stopped. The accumulation of dupli- cates is, as you will agree, a perfect curse to a library. Without stopping to tell how, I can safely say that it costs us nearly three times as much to catalogue a duplicate as a fresh title. By any system less painstaking than ours I don't see how this evil is to be broken up. Aside from their expense, dupli- cates, when counted into the total number of works in a library, make the enumeration misleading. When the Boston Public Library says that it has 400,000 volumes, it would be more accurate to admit that from 20,000 to 40,000 of this number are duplicates. As a fact, however, our actual number of volumes is, I doubt not, nearer 600,000 than 400,000, if we only would count in our pamphlets separately which are now bound in volumes. Why not, if we count each separately bound pamphlet, as of course we do by thous- ands ? These duplicates also take up shelf- room, of which we need every inch, if I may use before you that archaic expression for linear measurement. The cause of an over accumulation of these pests is curious, and not quite easy to obviate. The case of the Boston Public Library well illustrates the difficulty. For the past eighty years in our city two topics have been upper- most the Unitarian and the Anti-slavery con- troversies. Our public men have almost with- out exception been in the heat of the contest, their weapons being orations and pamphlets. An immense local literature on these sub- SIVIFT. 43 jects has been the result. Now every good Bostonian intends, though he sometimes forgets, at his death to leave a portion of his worldly goods to the Public Library. As a consequence, nearly every well-meaning citi- zen who has died within the past 25 years has bequeathed to the library a copy of Sumner's True grandeur of nations. The edition must have been enormous, although I think that the returns for that pamphlet must be nearly all in. So of Channing's, Parker's, and Phillips' writings. When we added to our bibliothecal treasures our ninth duplicate of the first edition of Daniel Webster's Address at the laying of the corner stone of the Bun- ker Hill Monument, it was felt that we must order a halt. The fact is, it used to seem a sacrilege to break apart these volumes once the property of our most esteemed citizens. But such volumes were, no doubt, as great a nuisance to their former owners as now to our library ; accordingly, while everything identified with the literary life of our public men is held in due reverence, we do not now hesitate, acting in this matter of course under the instructions of the Librarian,'Judge Cham- berlain, to break up certain volumes, and se- lect only such pamphlets as we really want. A small library, I admit, could not afford to break up volumes already bound, but it is economy for us. While it seems to me a wise general rule to treat pamphlets precisely as books, there are some classes of printed matter which need not make such exactions on time and money. Sale-catalogues of all kinds, fashion-books, and many guide-books may be done up in bundles or cared for in some other way. Easy access should, however, be possible in all cases. Nothing should be destroyed. Now and then some demented person proposes to make a " selection " of the books in one of our immense libraries, and would warm his wits at a general conflagration of such matter as he deems " unfit " to be passed on to posterity. In the Boston Public Library, and I suppose in every library of size, all printed matter is sacred. Even the advertisements of medical magazines are carefully bound apart ; and, if the merits of Lamplough's Pyretic Saline or Pears' Soap are not appreciated in the next century, it will not be the fault of that institu- tion. By a not too abrupt transition, the vexed problem of " continuations " lastly and natu- rally suggests itself. How shall the public best be informed of recent additions to publi- cations on file upon our shelves ? Each library must adopt methods peculiar to its system, and I may be pardoned for presenting ours. It is plainly impossible to note in a catalogue the arrival of each weekly, monthly, or quarterly part of a volume of a periodical or of the " proceedings " of learned bodies. We do, however, as soon as a volume is complete and bound, make a memorandum to that effect on the main catalogue card and on the shelf list. Below the printed title on the cards cross-reference cards as well as main cards is a legend in type, to the effect that whatever part of the work is not mentioned on the card-title may be applied for. This is espe- cially useful in the case of such publications as annual and triennial college catalogues, which come in so fast that we cannot easily take particular note of each accession. When possible, works of this sort are bound by decades, and then the main cards are made to correspond with the facts. When a pile of these serial publications is incomplete, or title-pages and indexes of periodicals ere missing, we never bind until the defects ~re made good. It is astonishing, if you will w.iit, how these gaps get filled in, at a large library ! Everything should be done to help the public in its search for desired numbers of periodicals or serials. To learn to consult periodicals and the like, seems to be as troub- lesome a part as any of even the most intelli- gent visitor's task. In the Boston Public Library there has been for some years in operation a most valuable separate catalogue on small cards which contain the titles with- out cross references of all sorts and con- ditions of periodicals, transactions and pro- ceedings of societies, and serial publications of every kind, complete or incomplete, on file or out of file. Its projector, Miss Harriet N. Pike, saves hours and days in the course of a THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. year by this economical contrivance. It is for library use exclusively. As for indexing periodicals on proceedings and transactions, it should be done whenever possible. We all know what immensely impor- tant papers are continually appearing in govern- ment works. Whatever has been said of the intrinsic value of pamphlets applies here too. One person in our library is constantly, as he snatches the opportunity, enriching our card catalogue by indexing parts of volumes which can never, by the nature of the case, be in- cluded in future editions of the great Poolers Index, or indeed in any system of cooperative indexing yet proposed. Mr. Griffin's valu- able Index of American local history now pub- lishing in our Bulletins is one result of this happy use of odd moments. If anything of value is. to be drawn from what I have said, it is the lesson of experience. I know of no library which in 30 years of life has had to learn or unlearn more than the one which I have the honor to serve. The road to the stars was the harder because it was new. A library which has been peculiarly the architect of its own reputation, it has had to reject, as it built, what at one time seemed to do well enough. I am convinced, therefore, that the wisest plan for a library which ex- pects to grow at all is to start with a scheme which shall meet the demands of a future in- crease. Experimental methods are very wasteful, and it is almost impossible to undo wholly a bad start. Libraries are like small boys, the experience of their elders does not much impress them ; they want to learn it all for themselves, and they are apt to arrive at middle life singing the old refrain : " Oh ! if I could begin life over again ! " A library which neglects its pamphlets, and does not keep up its fag ends of periodicals and serials will of necessity regret it. All pamphlets are of some worth ; the newer ones must be placed promptly before the public. A cheap contrivance which we call "novel-covers," that is, two boards, without a back, fastened to the pamphlet by a temporary thread, will do very well for new and interesting works. The older and more valuable should be better pre- served. In all cases the cataloguing should be for all time, each title separately, and no grouping of titles under one head. I shall admit finally that this care of pam- phlets is expensive ; in our case, very expen- sive, for past mistakes have added to the present cost. It will cost very nearly as much to catalogue any pamphlet as any book; and perhaps it will cost more, because the labor of intelligent cross reference mak- ing is increased in this class of literature, which often deals with special phases of technical or scientific subjects, all of which requires more skill and research. But how- ever costly it may be, it is wisdom to persist in the best of care for pamphlets, for in all great libraries the neglect of this duty will eventually involve a much larger expense, to set things right; otherwise, you will get deeper into your perplexities year by year. HOW TO BIND PERIODICALS. BY NORMAN C. PERKINS, ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN PUBLIC LIBRARY, DETROIT, MICH. T N a late bookseller's catalogue appeared a list of American magazines which were especially recommended as being in the orig- inal numbers as issued, with all covers and advertisements complete ; and the question recurred, Why, if these coverings and accom- paniments add to the value of a periodical, they should not always be preserved. The Atlantic and Century, and perhaps the older Putnam, with its outer leaves of green corn, can still be had uncut and unmutilated ; but what should we say to a full set of the Gentleman's Magazine, in parts as issued, with not a [leaf or publisher's slip missing since the days of George II.? In the pos- session of any person not a barbarian, such a PERKINS. 45 series would go into volumes intact, as they should, simply for protection and preservation, without being dismembered by the binder's hand or knife. It is easy enough to perceive the proper treatment for a magazine running back through 150 years; but the issues now current will grow old with time, and why should we not treat every periodical that comes into our possession in precisely the same considerate way? In other words, why should not all serials be bound just as they come from the publishers' hands, without the loss of a cover or a page of advertisement? The quarterly or monthly number, with its tinted cover embelished, it may be, with more care than the text within, is as much a literary entity as a bound volume. It is the charming opusculum of our time, giving us much of the best that is written through the year; and no insignificant part of its attraction lies in the advertisements, which are like instantaneous photographs, that go to make up the picture of the age, and illustrate its life and manners. Some of these printed allurements of trade seem frivolous, no doubt; and the quality of Pear's soap may not, indeed, be of vital inter- est to the student of the future ; but neverthe- less the unconsidered trifles of to-day become the history of- tomorrow, and it may some day be quite as important to know what complex- ion powder Mrs. Langtry used in 1887 as to be told that Mrs. Pepys wore three patches on her face, and looked handsomer than the Princess Henrietta in 1665, or that Nell Gwyn painted her cheeks red, to the scandal of the fine ladies of the court. It is safe to assume that almost any maga- zine advertisement will become interesting within 10 years, and curious within 20, and likely enough important within 50 ; and, in recognition of the permanent value of these things of the day, many serials, like the Illus- trated London JVetvs, have their advertising leaves paged consecutively with the rest; and some, like Life and the Library jour- nal, page the covers and all. But magazine advertisements have also a special literary value of their own, from the fact that they give an epitome of current literary history in the announcement of new books as they are published. The second number of the North American Review ', for instance, announces what must have been the first American edition of Scott's " Lord of the Isles " not a literary item of the first magnitude, to be sure, but one that some student may be very glad to find. Between that day and this the Review has chronicled the appearance of pretty nearly every book that goes to make up what we now reckon as American literature ; and the junior Atlantic may be counted on to give on its advertising leaves much information, not so certainly found elsewhere, which the collector is sure to want, concerning first editions of the New England poets and prose writers of the generation that is passing away. No one who has undertaken to collate and arrange sets of periodicals to determine just what belongs to each volume and series, and to trace changes in name and in dates .of issue, and the steps by which separate publi- cations have been merged or submerged needs to be told how he misses and longs for the little scraps of information which must have been given on the covers of the num- bers as they came out, but is nowhere to be found since they have passed through the remorseless fingers of the binder. Questions of editorship and authorship are often settled upon printed covers, when neither text nor title gives any intimation of the fact that is wanted. For a long time the names of the writers in the Atlantic were given on the covers only ; and the first nine volumes, as ordinarily bound, give no suggestion of authorship whatever. It may truly be said that, as a rule, the paper covers of a periodical exhibit its own continuous history, explain- ing its literary management and workman- ship, more clearly than the same is to be found in any other place. In binding serial publications of all kinds, even such as the consular reports from the State Department and circulars from the Bureau of Education and college catalogues and reports, I would put in the covers of blue or brown or yellow paper, even though the print upon them may be a duplicate of the main title; and I would treat pamphlets of THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. whatever kind in the same way. The covers, at any rate, serve to show in what shape the issue was originally made, and in the bound volume they indicate to the eye where each number or pamphlet ends ; and occasionally a nota bene of two lines on the last tinted page will give an interesting fact, which otherwise a week's investigation might not reveal. There are some periodicals, like the Edin- burgh and Quarterly reviews, in which the proportion of advertisements is certainly very great ; but the cost of binding is not percep- tibly increased by including them, and the additional shelf-room required can hardly be a serious objection. A good rule probably is to throw out only those advertisements in the shape of thin catalogues, illuminated insurance tables, and the like, which are printed else- where, and merely stitched inside the covers of the periodical at the bindery, but to include whatever is printed as a part of the periodical itself. There are some reading-room devices for holding periodicals which are intended o serve as permanent bindings when the vol- umes are completed, and there is at least one thing to be said in their favor : they keep the numbers together in their perfect condition, and preserve the attractiveness which always belongs to a big or little book which has never suffered devastation at the hand of man. There are at present some grounds for hoping that, so far as periodicals at least are concerned, the time approaches when bookbinding itself will become an art preservative, instead of being an agency for the destruction of what- ever good work the printer has produced. For the discussion which followed the reading of this paper see PROCEEDINGS (Third session). SOME THOUGHTS ON CLOSE CLASSIFICATION. BY GEORGE WATSON COLE. Broad Classification. T F ever library work is to be raised to the dignity of a science, it must be done by comparative study. The importance of this work cannot well be over-estimated. Per- haps in no branch of the work, will this study result in richer fruit than in the field of classification. No little attention has been paid to the subject of close classification by our profession for the past few years, more particularly within the past two years. By this term, I understand, is meant the arrange- ment of books upon the shelves by specific subjects or forms, which follow each other in an orderly and systematic sequence. The first instinct of the librarian is to divide his books into broad classes ; as history, science, travels, biography, etc. This has generally been done in all libraries ; and, as they have increased in size, the tendency has naturally been to increase the number of these divi- sions, or classes, either by making new ones, or by breaking up the old ones. Some form of classification is essential, and is recommended by all librarians of experience. The disadvantages arising from broad clas- sification are sought to be overcome in the catalogues, where we almost invariably find an attempt made to catalogue by subjects, a greater number of subjects even than are recognized upon the shelves. So that, until a recent period, the close classification of the library was done, if at all, in its catalogues rather than upon the shelves ; and that cata- logue was the most excellent, other things being equal, which carried close classification to the furthest extent. Close classification, therefore, I consider to be but the natural result of a healthy growth in library work, and it may be attributed almost entirely to the abandonment of a fixed location for a rela- tive one. Fixed vs. Relative Location. Formerly every library was arranged and numbered by a fixed location. The alcoves, sections, and shelves were first] numbered, COLE. 47 and then the books were placed upon the shelves, and numbered in regular numerical order until the capacity of each shelf was exhausted. At first, as we have already indi- cated, some attempt was made to keep dif- ferent subjects separate by assigning certain alcoves or portions of the library to special topics. As the library grew, it usually ex- panded in unlooked for directions, and as a natural result the spaces assigned to some subjects were often filled to overflowing, long before others were at all crowded. As a result the subject, instead of being found in the place originally assigned to it, was fre- quently found in several different parts of the library, it might be at quite a distance from each other. The disadvantage of this system soon became apparent to evejy one using it. Not until within a few years, however, has a relative or movable location, or a system of assigning a number to a subject or topic, instead of to a certain location in the library, been generally adopted. This has been found so great an advantage over the old method, that it is almost entirely used in the arrange- ment of new libraries as well as in the re-ar- rangement of many old ones. Its great advan- tage lies in the fact that by moving the books along upon the shelves, or better still by leaving spaces at the end of each subject, all books upon that subject may be kept together by interpolation. It has been said, that by the old methods the books were usually divided into broad classes. It was but natural, therefore, that with the adoption of a relative location, the old ideas as to the number of subjects em- ployed should at first prevail. As a conse- quence we find the first libraries arranged by the relative location were divided into a small number of classes. It soon became apparent that more classes could be employed to ad- vantage. As the relative location was used and better understood, it grew in favor, and the question of close classification has since come to the front as a natural outgrowth of its use. The questions that now most imper- atively demand our attention are these : how far is it practicable and desirable to carry the division of the library by subjects and their subdivisions ; what advantages are to be de- rived from close classification ; and what ob- stacles lie in the way of its general adoption ? Close Classification in the Catalogue vs. the Shelves. It has long been the cataloguer's rule to enter each work under its specific subject. Without entering into any discussion as to the best form of the catalogue, whether classed or alphabetical, which is a question that needs special time for its treatment, the question arises whether, as far as practicable, a corres- ponding minuteness shall not be employed in shelving the books of a library. Some libra- rians acknowledge the necessity of having the catalogue minutely subdivided, each topic appearing under its most specific head ; but at the same time they are unwilling to admit that a corresponding minuteness in the arrange- ment of the books themselves is to be desired. Others see in such an arrangement, not only a great advantage in the ease and economy with which the library may be administered, but also that its usefulness as an educational power is increased and that a far-reaching and beneficent influence is exerted upon its patrons. Its advocates do not and never have claimed to accomplish the impossible or the impracticable ; but they do claim, as far as possible, to transfer the advantages of close classification from the catalogue to the shelves ; to make the shelves their own cata- logue. Close classification seeks to make the O library more useful and available by arranging its resources in minute classes. This is of primary value to those who are in the library, as it enables them the more readily to ascertain the resources of the library upon a specific topic. It may be claimed that this is the function of the catalogue, which is true. The catalogue should give the resources of the library more fully than the shelves can possi- bly do. It is true that we cannot have the entire resources of the library standing side by side upon the shelves, unless we can take some of our books apart, and in some cases perform the impossible feat of making them occupy two distinct places at the same time but all this does not and never can compen- 4 8 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. sate for the advantages derived from having books which treat of the same specific topic grouped together upon the shelves, and these groups arranged in some systematic and natural order. The catalogue has certain functions and advantages that cannot in the nature of things be relegated to the shelves. Because close classification does not accom- plish what it never attempted or because it was not used by our grandfathers, is no argu- ment against it. Our grandfathers never used the telephone nor attempted to light their drawing-rooms or libraries by electricity, but we do both. The advantages of close classi- fication are found to be many, not only by li- brarians, but by the users of libraries. The idea is based upon practical and economical considerations, rather than upon any Utopian theories. The advantages are far in excess of its cost. Instead of confining itself to the narrow views of library management, quite generally entertained until within a few years, it attempts to reap the reward of comparative study. It is progressive as well as aggressive. It starts upon the basis of utilizing the best and ripest experience of the past, and seeks to avoid the errors and obstacles to success, that were a constant source of trouble and anxiety to our predecessors. Business meth- ods are as necessary in the management of a library as in any other of the affairs of life ; and that library will be the most successful, other things being equal, that is conducted in a thorough-going business manner. Close clas- sification is a step in this direction. It is an attempt to do once for all, as far as practica- ble, the work of the library. If the work is worth doing at all, it is worth doing in a thorough and systematic manner, rather than in the slip-shod way in which it is too fre- quently done. It attempts, first of all, to de- termine into how many classes of subjects and subordinate divisions it is wise and prac- ticable to divide the library, bearing constantly in mind the demands of its future growth. Library work in the past has consisted too much in undoing what has already been clone ; a misapplication, if not a positive waste of energy, that close classification endeavors to avoid, In the end it may safely be questioned whether it costs any more than the old meth- ods, while the results are far more satisfac- tory in every respect. Existing Systems of Classification. There are several systems of classification now in use, and with which you are all more or less familiar, among which may be named those of Messrs. Cutter, Dewey, Edmands, Perkins, Schwartz, and Smith. Whether any of these systems will be in use, outside of the libraries in which they were developed, fifty years hence, time alone will reveal. Of one thing we may rest assured that the law of the " survival of the fittest " will be inexorably and impartially applied. In the discussions of these systems we have at times witnessed a warmth and censoriousness, begotten more of personal interest than of fair and impartial criticism. In these discussions much use has been made of the terms "natural " order, " logical " system, etc., which I think have been given an undue prominence. To my mind, the terms " practical " order or " orderly arrangement " are to be preferred, not so much in describing the system as such, as in denot- ing their uses and aims. The utmost skill of man has failed, as yet, to devise a complete circle of knowledge, and until this is done no system of classification can be in the fullest acceptation of the terms considered either " logical " or " natural." The coming system, if it has not already been invented, will be the one that combines in the best manner the logical, natural, practical, and orderly arrange- ments of books in the library. A Iphabetical Index. This system must have an alphabetical index to make its application easy and certain. This is so obvious, notwithstanding the ob- jections of some who are opposed to any system that requires an index, that the fact has but to be stated to meet with general assent. It is further witnessed by the addi- tional fact that no system has been printed within the past ten years that has not been accompanied by such an index. If a care- fully prepared system, fully elaborated and coordinated in all its parts, were to be pub- lished without such an index, the user of it COLE. 49 would soon find himself supplying the defi- ciency by making an index of his own, thus showing not only that an index is a conven- ience but a necessity. Class Notation. I come now to speak of two great obstacles to be dealt with in the formation and applica- tion of the ideal system of classification ; the system that is destined, because of its intrin- sic merits, to take the precedence of all others and attain a general use. The first to be con- sidered is class notation. The combined in- genuity, and the best talent of the library pro- fession has, as yet, failed to devise a class notation that is entirely satisfactory. We have systems that use letters alone, as Mr. Edmands' ; letters and figures, as Mr. Cutter's ; letters, figures, and symbols, as Mr. Smith's ; and figures alone, as in Messrs. Dewey's, Per- kins' and Schwartz's systems. Each of these notations has its peculiar advantages, and it is greatly to be regretted that some new nota- tion cannot be devised that will combine all their best points, but this is clearly impossible. What is to be sought for, in our ideal nota- tion is : 1. Naturalness and simplicity in its char- acters and their combinations ; . 2. Ease in reading, writing, and remember- ing them; and 3. Brevity, with a great capacity for sub- divisions. The most natural and available materials from which to construct a notation are letters and figures. There is little reason to suppose that any system, based upon the use of other characters, could be successfully or generally employed. Between the use of figures and letters, used alone, there are reasons to be deduced in favor of both, though person- ally I am inclined to prefer figures. Let- ters are open to two objections: I. They are not as easily written or read as figures, besides, they require a greater number of strokes of the pen in their construction, and are therefore more liable to illegibility. 2. They are not capable of as great a variety of combina- tions, without producing unpleasant effects. Figures or letters used alone seem preferable to their combined use, which can only be justified upon the ground of brevity and a greater capacity for subdivisions. The com- binations are too complex to be fully under- stood by the usual frequenters of libraries. Figures alone, seem to answer most fully and satisfactorily the requirements we have named as essential to an ideal system of notation, being most easily written, read, and remembered, and being in their combinations the simplest forms known to the human mind. Figures in all their permutations are perfectly natural and simple, and are easily read or remembered, which cannot in all cases be said of letters. There are two methods of dealing with figures as a class notation that call for a moment's notice. We may first lay out our scheme of classification, and elaborate it to any desired extent, and then begin and num- ber our classes, sub-classes, and sections in regular numerical order, leaving occasional gaps for new subjects that may arise in the future. While this may seem a more eco- nomical use of material than the other method which I shall presently mention, I am inclined to think that in the end nothing is gained, but that much confusion is liable to arise, especially if inadequate gaps are left for future contingencies. This is the very same objec- tion which we saw rendered the fixed location objectionable, and led to its abandonment. The second method of using figures is that of using decimals for purposes of subdivision. This method, if we may judge by the favor with which it has been received and adopted, seems to be the best application of figures, when used alone. The great objection to the use of decimals lies in the fact that minute subdivision necessitates long class numbers ; but I think I express the mind of many in saying that a class number of not more than four, and in exceptional cases of five figures, is preferable to one of mixed figures and letters, even if the latter were shorter by one or two characters. It does not follow because a system of classification has been carefully elaborated for the use of specialists in all its classes, that it must be adopted, with all its subdivisions and minute headings, in all libraries. The extent to which it is to be THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. adopted is purely a matter of judgment, to be determined by the circumstances of each particular case. For a library just starting, the wisest course seems to be to select some system that has been carefully coordinated and worked out, and decide how much of it shall be adopted, it constantly being borne in mind that the future growth and success of the library depend much upon its being laid out upon a broad and liberal basis, and that careful and even elaborate work will, in the end, prove most economical. Alphabetical Book Numbers. The second great obstacle to be dealt with in the application of our ideal system is in the too persistent use of alphabetical systems of book "numbers. Those best known and generally used are primarily designed to keep large classes of books, as fiction and biog- raphy, and even whole libraries, in strict alphabetical order. When, however, the library is broken up into minute classes, under a system of close classification, the necessity previously existing for a strict alphabetical order, either by authors or works, ceases ; and instead of being a great con- venience it becomes a disadvantage. This may be seen in those libraries that have attempted to use close classification, Mr. Dewey's for example, in connection with Mr. Cutter's system of book numbers. There are certain large form divisions, like fiction, drama, and poetry, as well as biography, which no system of close classification can satisfactorily break up. In these and other similar classes, an alphabetical order is highly desirable, and can in most cases be satisfactorily secured by abbreviating the usual class number ; but where close class- ing is used and small divisions of books secured, some other system of book numbers should usually be employed. The alphabeti- cal arrangement has perhaps more and greater advantages than any other, but instead of employing an elaborately worked- out system, the capacity of which is practically unlimited, I would use an approximate alphabetical arrangement. This can readily be secured by simply using the authors' initials, followed, whenever necessary, by numerals in the regular order of accession; e. g., B, Bi, B2, etc. In many small classes of which close classification will give us a large number, this will often give us a strict alphabetical arrangement and in many others it will be so nearly so as to occasion little if any inconvenience. Object of This Paper. This paper has been prepared with especial reference to the wants of public libraries that circulate their books, instead of those refer- ence libraries where the demand for economy in call numbers is not so imperative. The adoption of close classification, within the limitations I have laid down, will enable them to do their work once for all, as far as practicable, and to put off, as far as possible, the evil day of a general re-adjustment, and deprive it of most of its terrors. Recapitulation. To briefly recapitulate ; I have attempted to show : 1. That relative location is a natural out- growth in library work ; 2. That relative location has not only made close classification possible, but prac- ticable ; 3. That close classification has inherent advantages which we cannot afford to ignore; and 4. That, in its formation and application, two difficulties have to be met and over- come : a. The class notation must be formed of such materials and in such a manner as to combine the following essential features : a. Naturalness and simplicity in its char- acters and their combinations ; b. Ease in reading, writing, and remem- bering them; and c. Brevity, with a great capacity for sub- divisions ; and b. In its application, approximate rather than strict alphabetical order should be used, except in certain rare cases. NELSON. LIBRARIES FOR SPECIALISTS. BY C: ALEX. NELSON, ASTOR LIBRARY. A N issue of Science a few weeks ago con- tained the following in an editorial note : " The increasing number of series of mono- graphs on special topics must have attracted the attention of all those who possess any acquaintance with current literature. We have an American science series, a set of sci- ence primers, several sets of literature prim- ers, historical monographs, economic papers, and so on. The development in this direction is a perfectly natural one, and one which results from the increasing specialization in study. It is impossible any longer for even the well-informed man to follow methods and details : he must rest content with results, and even those concisely stated." Prof. W. O. Atwater, in his article on Food in the June Century, says : " The experiments of the last twenty years are numbered by hundreds and even thousands, and the literature of the sub- ject is so voluminous that few specialists even are able to handle it." In connection with this literature of special- ization a difficulty has arisen to which it is the purpose of this note to call attention, and to suggest a possible remedy for the same. It is the common experience of the librarians of the older and the larger libraries to have spe- cialists come to their collections for the pur- pose of consulting authorities not accessible elsewhere. Dr. Edward Eggleston, in the preparation of his valuable monographs for the Centttry on the early life of our ancestors in the colonies, had to go from his own fine library on the shore of Lake George (of pleas- ant memory) to the Astor Library and the Historical Society Library in New York, to the Boston Public and Athenseum, to the Massachusetts Historical Society Library, to Harvard College Library, to the State Library at Albany, to the National Library at Wash- ington, and even to the British Museum. Prof. H. Carrington Bolton, of Trinity Col- lege, Hartford, finds one long looked for authority on " musical sands " only at the Astor Library, and in the preparation of his catalogue of scientific and technical periodi- cals has the assistance of the Smithsonian Institution and of more than 125 librarians. " In a recent discussion, in the main quite an idle one," says the Boston Transcript, " as to the relative advantages of New York and Bos- ton as places of residence for literary men, one significant statement was -made by a New York man of letters, to the effect that he, in his work, not infrequently found it impossible to obtain the books he needed in New York, and was under the necessity of coming to Boston and Cambridge to get at them." Much valuable aid has been rendered to specialists in ascertaining where the authori- ties they wish to consult may be found in the liberal exchange of catalogs, bulletins, and check lists between libraries, and in the publi- cation of cooperative lists and special bibliog- raphies. But all these have served to bring out more clearly the great but perhaps not wholly insurmountable difficulty; viz. that the authorities in any and all lines of research are widely scattered in libraries far apart from each other, and that the specialist is often put to an expenditure of time and money from 10 to 100 times the cost of the book he wishes to get at, in traveling to the place where it may be examined. "When Huxley writes on science in general, Walker on political economy, Geikie on geology, Martin on biology, and Young on the sun, we may rest assured that the results will be beyond criticism." Some specialists, like Ex-Pres. A. U. White, of Cornell University, Von Ranke, and Mr. Hubert H. Bancroft, have been able to gather to their own libraries needed authori- ties in such numbers as to make their collec- tions unique and invaluable ; but how very seldom during the life-time of the collector, as in the first instance, or at his death, as in the THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. case of Von Ranke and a few others, do such collections go en masse to some library for the free use of students in perpetuum ! How often, rather, like that on the history of printing made by the late Mr. Richard M. Hoe of New York, and in scores of other instances that might be named, are the collections of a life-time scattered broadcast ! Every librarian labors to make a specialty of some department of his library, and to gather together all he can that bears upon it ; but only too often what he manages to get barely serves to emphasize the more press- ing need of what he does not get. Every college librarian can tell us of the efforts made by each professor to secure the lion's share of the appropriations for his own department in the library, and of the loud calls from each of these specialists for much needed authorities. Other librarians also are often indebted to specialists for suggesting or requesting the purchase of valuable books, but few are able to respond as liberally as did the Astor Library in buying scores of books asked for by the compilers of the Cyclopaedia of Painters and Paintings edited by Champlin and Norton. There must of necessity be a limit beyond which general libraries cannot go in supply- ing the demands of the specialists. How, then, shall these demands be met? We reply by the establishment of libraries for specialists. We supplement our public school system with the free public library, " the people's univer- sity;" we must complement our college and university provision for the " higher educa- tion," by supplying to its expected and natural product, the specialists, fully equipped libra- ries tor their several departments, where they may pursue their work and complete the circle by preparing and publishing the " small books on great subjects " for the information and instruction of the people. We said by the establishment of libraries for specialists ; we might have said by the prompt and liberal endowment of the scores of such libraries, the nuclei of which are already provided, in the libraries of the medical, historical and scien- tific societies and professional schools all over our land. What has been done at Washington in col- lecting the splendid library at the Surgeon- General's office (for the elaborate and incom- parable Index catalogue of which the librarf- ans of the world are so much indebted to Dr. Billings and his painstaking assistants) and at the library of the United States Geological Survey with its 60,000 volumes and pam- phlets, must be done in connection with libraries for specialists in all departments, at centers where they can be easy of access. One profession, the legal, is already amply provided for, and perhaps deserves but little sympathy on our part. There are hundreds of well-equipped law libraries where legal wits may be sharpened for the prosecution and defence of " boodle aldermen " and bribe-giv- ing railroad presidents, and for breaking the wills of such liberal and munificent testators as Tilden and Mrs. Fiske, and perverting the funds intended for library endowment towards refilling the depleted pockets of the contest- ants in these ill-begotten suits. Our general or free public libraries cannot be expected to buy works of interest only to specialists ; their mission and purpose are ful- filled when they provide for the instruction and entertainment of the people. Our great reference libraries will have all they can do in providing the best editions of the best books for the use of scholars and those who seek more than the free public library provides; but our libraries for specialists should each contain everything in print on the subject or subjects for which it is established. Comparatively small endowments thus ap- plied will add indefinitely to the positive incre- ment of the world's stock of knowledge, in saving to specialists much time for the pur- suit of original investigations which is now wasted in the search for information as to what their predecessors have accomplished. PLUMMER. 53 THE COLUMBIA COLLEGE SCHOOL OF LIBRARY ECONOMY FROM A STUDENT'S STANDPOINT. BY MISS MARY WRIGHT PLUMMER OF CHICAGO. "DERHAPS no body of instructors ever had a more expectant class or one more ignorant of the subject to be entered upon than were most of the members of the School of Library Economy on the 5th of January last. It is almost .a wonder that the ferment of energy and enthusiasm with which we listened to and attempted to follow our instructions did not burst out the walls of the superannuated building, for it was a clear case of new wine in old bottles. We began at once on our work under the instructors appointed, applying ourselves first to the attainment of the library hand. Later we were allowed a choice between this and a printed hand, and several adopted the latter. More than one family were astonished in these first days to receive letters written and superscribed in characters abjured since childhood, for the enthusiasm went so far as to make this almost a test of class spirit. If I remember right, the next step was acquaintance with the accession-book, as being simplest. We used loose sheets similar to those of the condensed accession-book. From this we went on to gain a slight knowl- edge of the writing of shelf lists and condens- ing of titles, giving but a short time to this as we were to return to it later. The writing of catalogue cards came next. For some time this was done on slips of author and subject sizes, until we could be trusted to take the regular cards. Piles of books were brought up to us to be catalogued, and we took them as they came without selec- tion. Our previous instruction on the slips had been in systematic order biographies for a few days, then analyticals, then works in series, etc., so that we might master the writing of one kind of card before going to another. During practice hours the instructors remained with us, overseeing our work, making suggestions, and answering questions with almost infinite patience. The time was all too short, however, to thoroughly conquer the vast amount of detail, and the apprentice- ship term was of great value in confirming our uncertain impression of what we had been taught. From carding we went to classification, which proved fascinating but difficult. Only a few of the class elected to devote themselves to this during the appren- ticeship term, the majority preferring to work at cataloguing. Some weeks were spent in carding accord- ing to the dictionary system, and with this the term virtually ended. It was not merely during the appointed hours of practice that we worked, for there seemed to be a general disposition to fill up the odd moments. Some busied themselves with cyclostyling, some with the Hammond type-writer, others with reference work and the elaboration of their lecture notes. For one or two weeks our notes were taken down by ear, without much idea of what they meant, in the faith that some day we should look them over and find that practical experi- ence had made them comprehensible. This proved true only in a measure, but the plan now inaugurated of a short term of practice before the lecture course will do away with this difficulty. The questions asked will prob- ably be more intelligent, and notes can be taken with full understanding. It is greatly to be hoped that the lecture- courses in future may be arranged so as to bring together discourses on the same or kin- dred topics ; by this means, the mind may remain upon one subject until it be examined on all sides, avoiding the waste of energy that must come from a continual change of the sub- ject under consideration. Such an arrange- ment would also facilitate the taking of notes in topical order. 54 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. As to our interest in the lectures, I think some of the eminent librarians who had hardly said their last word before they were sur- rounded by eager questioners and greeted with individual applause, can answer for that. The lectures might be divided into two sorts the technical and the inspiring; the former aroused practical discussion, the latter enthu- siasm, and the combination was a good one. It was noticeable that nothing that appealed to the missionary spirit appealed in vain. When the apprenticeship term began, the value of actual and constant practice soon became evident. Reference-books and aids to cataloguing that had been but names to us became a continual need, and we soon learned to form a judgment, albeit a crude one, of their relative merits. There has been expressed by several of the class in my hearing, a doubt whether it is best for the school to attempt to teach more than one system of cataloguing, considering the short time during which many of the class have the benefit of its instructions. In school parlance, we found ourselves " mixed up " by the different methods taught, so that when we came to be apprentices we had to relearn some things in order to do our work cor- rectly. The convenience of training in languages was very apparent, more so, doubtless, than if our apprenticeship had been in an ordinary library. To meet a want in this direction, a class in German was started, under one of the staff, and proved helpful. Several of us would be glad if the third year's course might include a review at least of our studies in languages, ancient as well as modern. The plans with which many entered the school suffered changes and may undergo more before the end of the apprenticeship year. Our ignorance of the many depart- ments, the infinite detail, and the higher aims of librarianship, led us to make hasty choice of future work, which was modified or reversed as we gained insight. Fitness for special lines developed itself and seemed almost to force a choice in some instances. One feel- ing, however, was common to the class, that, whatever place and whatever division of labor might fall to our lot, we should not be satisfied with less than our best work, now that we had a standard. With the untried enthusiasm of tyros we even yearned for small libraries in straitened circumstances, that so we- might show how much could be done with a little. I have intimated that the class was ambi- tious, industrious, conscientious, enthusiastic ; all this would sound like self-praise if I had not intended all along to account for it in great part by the patient painstaking, the persevering energy, and contagious zeal of the faculty of the school. If the class be called a success, it is greatly owing to the ability and the generous spirit with which it was managed. THE RELATIONS OF CITV GOVERNMENTS TO PUBLIC LIBRARIES. BY WILLIAM RICE, D. D., LIBRARIAN CITY LIBRARY, SPRINGFIELD, MASS. T N discussing the relations of city govern- ments or town authorities to public libra- ries in this Library Association, I have no occasion to urge that free public libraries are desirable, or that they should receive encour- agement and support in the form of a direct tax or by municipal grant. And I am happy to know that the importance and value of public libraries as factors in the grand scheme of popular education is now universally ad- mitted by educators, and to such an extent by the general public, that provision has been made,in many of the States for the appropri- ation of public funds for their support. The amount which a city or town may appropriate is still limited in some of the States ; while in Massachusetts, and to a considerable extent elsewhere, that amount is left to be deter- RICE. 55 mined by vote of the town or municipality. Very many of the libraries established by towns and cities under the laws of the various States have originated in the generous gifts of individuals or in the bequests of public- spirited citizens. Comparatively few, indeed, even of the best-established and most flour- ishing public libraries of the country, have originated in the public action of the town or municipality. But whether in their inception the result of individual munificence or muni- cipal action, the authority which is vested in the town or municipality is substantially of the same general character, and involves two elements ; viz. those of control and support. I shall offer a few obvious suggestions on both these points. To secure the first element in its best type, it is necessary that the board of control be intrenched beyond the petty strifes of local politics, and that the members of such boards be selected from the intelligent and cultivated classes of the community. Moreover, it is exceedingly desirable that these boards of control be elected for a considerable term of 'years, and be so constituted that in no single year shall any radical or material change be made in their membership. The officers in direct charge of the library should be wisely chosen, and be rarely changed. No institution can attain a healthy and symmetrical growth if its immediate managers are incompetent, or if they are frequently superseded and the general plan of the institution is subjected to continual modification. But a wise choice of librarians is scarcely to be expected unless the trustees or directors are intelligent and cultivated men; and the permanence of these officials can only be secured by the permanence of the supervising board. No arrangement can be more mischievous than the supervision of a public library by a committee of the city government annually elected. I knew an instance where in a large city the library was under the control of such a board, some of whom were illiterate men, and where the librarian and his assistants were changed three times in five years. I knew another instance where the chair- man of the library board was a keeper of a saloon, and more interested in the business of rum-selling than in the promotion of the moral and intellectual welfare of the city, which the library was supposed by its founders to subserve. It is not to be expected, indeed, that men whose prominence in ward politics alone raises them to positions of temporary author- ity in a city should on this account be espe- cially suited to direct in the management of a library, either as to the administration of its affairs, the choice of its books, or the selec- tion of the librarian. The second element in the relations of a town or city to the library is that of financial support. This, of course, is a vital factor in the growth and usefulness of the institution. Given an efficient management, it then fol- lows that the more money which is at the disposal of the trustees, the greater will be the benefits secured. Of course, the amount must be regulated to a considerable extent by the population and wealth of the municipality; but the public library deserves, and should receive, a fair proportion of the amount which is appropriated in a town or city for educational purposes. Provision should be made for all current expenses which an efficient management of its affairs demands, and also for such a supply of new books as will secure its healthy and vigorous growth. And this supply should be broader and more comprehensive than the range of a mere circulating library which pro- poses to furnish the current literature of the day. It should contemplate meeting the more earnest and serious needs of the community by additions to the departments of the library which are best adapted to aid in the acquisi- tion of substantial knowledge. If we put this claim for liberal appropria- tions on no higher ground, we might urge that none of the material interests of a city can certainly be more important to its well- being than the development of its citizens in intelligence, in practical knowledge, in culti- vated skill, and in power to apply to industrial pursuits the constantly increasing discoveries THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. in science and the arts ; that no money expended will bring such a rich return as that which is devoted to secure this development; and that no instrumentality is more effective in securing this end than the maintenance of a public library, on a broad and generous basis. But, in addition to these advantages, who can doubt that the public library secures to the city or town in which it is located a full return for all reasonable appropriations in a more orderly, intelligent, and useful popula- tion? Who can doubt that pauperism and crime are lessened by its influence, and that every moral and social, as well as material, interest is promoted ? We have thus very briefly indicated the financial claims of the library upon the town or city. But we cannot fail to recognize the fact that the future of a library is somewhat uncertain at best, when the dependence for growth and support is entirely contingent upon the annual vote of a town or city govern- ment, whose members are constantly chang- ing, and whose action is affected by so many influences which can neither be foreseen nor controlled. The cry of retrenchment may at any time be raised, and retrenchment often begins where it should end ; that is, with the appropriations for educational purposes. Or the demand for some so-called material im- provement may assume disproportionate importance, and the more vital interests of a city be sacrificed for a time for the attainment of those of minor consequence. A library thus dependent, is therefore, con- stantly in danger of such a reduction in its income as will seriously impair its efficiency. Moreover, in a free library thus dependent, those interests are liable to suffer which are in reality the most essential to its welfare and usefulness. Rarely can an appropriation be expected which will do much more than provide for the necessary current expenses of the library, and supply the constant demands of its readers for the popular literature of the day. The only assurance which a library can have for its stability and for the attainment of its highest usefulness is to be found in the possession of an endowment fund for its reference department, adequate to provide for its regular and symmetrical development. The history of libraries will show that most of those which are of real and acknowl- edged value have been supported, in part at least, by endowment funds ; while those insti- tutions which have been entirely dependent upon city or town appropriations have been largely libraries of a popular character and of less value. Though we would not underrate the impor- tance of the circulating department of a library, nor fail to appreciate the advantages which result from the introduction of the popular liter- ature of the day into the homes of the people, we desire to emphasize the fact that in its ref- erence department is found the highest util- ity of a public library its greatest efficiency in. developing the mental power as well as advancing the industrial and commercial in- terests of a community. We have thus briefly considered the gen- eral topic, and it will be seen that the dangers arising in the practical working of a library controlled and supported by town or city are two-fold. 1. From unwise and unintelligent manage- ment, resulting in frequent changes of policy, in undiscriminating purchases of books, and often in the appointment of incompetent librarians. 2. From insufficient support, crippling the library in its most important departments, and thus essentially impairing its usefulness. The discussion of this subject furnishes me with an opportunity to present to you a brief history of the City Library Association of Springfield an opportunity which I had in mind in suggesting to your committee my topic on this occasion. I desire to give this history of a successful experiment, because it suggests a form of organization which would be practicable in many towns and cities, and which would result in the establishment of a library more desira- ble in some respects than the public library proper, maintained and supported by the city or town alone. The City Library Association of Springfield RICE. 57 was organized to supply a great public need. In 1855, through the efforts of a few intelli- gent and enterprising citizens, a petition was circulated and signed by 1,200 people, asking for the establishment of a public library. The city government considered the subject favor- ably, but, as the appropriation bill for the year had passed, no action could be had upon the subject. The next year the City Hall was built, and the city government decided that it was inex- pedient to make any appropriation for a public library, in view of the heavy indebted- ness of the city. Disappointed in this direction, the friends of the library enterprise determined to make a vigorous effort for the establishment of a library by means of a voluntary association. For this purpose the City Library Association was organized Nov. 2 7> T 857- The members of two existing institutions, the Young Men's Literary Asso- ciation and the Young Men's Institute, united 'with other citizens in the new enterprise, and their small libraries were made over to the new organization. A committee was appointed to solicit sub- scriptions among the citizens, a considerable sum was raised, and accessions were made to the library by donations of books. In 1859 another appeal was made to the city government. The Hon. W. B. Calhoun, the Mayor of the city, recommended in his inaugural an appropriation for this purpose, and argued that, " In view of the benefit of a public library as a fruitful source, not of the ordinary and acknowledged blessings of intelligence merely, but of an efficient and all pervading economy, it would be literally an institution of saving." But the city govern- ment, still feeling the pressure of its debts, declined to make any appropriation for a library. They consented, however, to pro- vide a room in the City Hall for the use of the Association, and also to furnish fuel and lights. No funds, however, were received from the city for the support of the library until 1864. In 1864 the Association petitioned to the city government for an appropriation to supplement the yearly subscriptions of $.i, which sum was charged for the use of books, and, as a consideration to the city, agreed that the use of books on the premises should be free to all. The city government responded favorably to this request, and from 1864 to 1870 appro- priated an average of about $1,600 a year. The library now contained about 17,000 volumes, and at least $45,000 had been con- tributed by citizens to the funds of the Asso- ciation. It was, therefore, apparent that the library had become an established institution, and it was felt that provision must be made for its permanent accommodation and con- tinued growth. The Association was there- fore reorganized under a new charter, which constituted it a " corporation for the purpose of establishing and maintaining. a library for the diffusion of knowledge and the promotion of intellectual improvement in the city of Springfield." The corporation was authorized to "hold real and personal estate to the amount of $150,000 (since increased to $300,000), exclusive of the books in its library, and the collections of natural history and works of art in its museum." All its real and personal estate was to be held in trust for "the uses and purposes appropriate for a public and social library and museum, to be used and enjoyed by the inhabitants of Springfield, under such regulations as the corporation might from time to time pre- scribe ; " and the city of Springfield was authorized to make appropriations for its maintenance so long as the corporation " allowed the inhabitants of the city free access to the library at reasonable hours for the purpose of using the same on the premises." The officers of the Association, consisting of a president, vice-president, and ten directors, were invested with the entire supervision and control of the library. But to give the city government some voice directly in the management of the library, the by-laws were subsequently changed, so that the Mayor of the city, the President of the Common Council, and the Superintendent of Schools were constituted, ex officio, mem- bers of the Board of Directors. It was provided that any citizen might be- THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. come a member of the corporation, with the right to vote at the meetings, on payment of $50. The rooms hitherto occupied by the As- sociation in the City Hall were now filled to overflowing, and the necessity for more com- modious quarters was obvious ; and at the first meeting of the new organization, a lot of land for a new building was donated by Hon. George Bliss, with a subscription in addition of $10,000; and the directors voted to proceed at once to obtain farther subscriptions and plans for a building. In the spring of 1871, the new building was completed, at an expense of $100,000. The Association was about $25,000 in debt, at the completion of the building ; but this amount was soon raised, and, at the annual meeting in 1874, the Treasurer reported that the entire debt had been paid. On the removal of the library to the new building, application was made to the city for an increase in the annual appropriation, in view of the large increase in the current expenses of the Association. They were able to present as an argument to enforce this application, the fact that the amount of funds contributed by the Associa- tion, and used for expenses, or invested in land, buildings, or books, had reached the sum of $185,000. The city government res- ponded favorably to this appeal, and though the annual appropriations varied from year to year, with the varying exigencies of the city, and the varying moods of the officials, the average annual appropriation from 1870 to 1885 was about $6,000. The Association also had an income during this period, from the annual subscription fees of $i each from the cardholders, and from the interest of its invested funds, aggregating about $2,000 a year. During this period, the importance of additional endowment funds was urged upon the public in the annual reports of the direc- tors. The desirableness of making the library entirely free, by an increased appropriation, was also presented, from time to time to the city goverment. In 1884 a special effort was made to in- crease the endowment funds. A plan was adopted by which it was provided that all subscriptions of $5,000 and upwards might at the request of the donors be separately in- vested, and the fund thus created be known by the name designated by the donor, and the annual interest on such fund be expended for the benefit of the specific department of the library indicated by the donor. Thus the contributors to these funds were enabled to secure a lasting memorial of themselves or their friends, while at the same time they provided for a regular and perpetual growth of some department of the library. This plan met with approval, and $30,000 was almost immediately subscribed. More- over, about $50,000 in addition has been given in legacies to the library, contingent for the present on the lives of other legatees, but which the Association will receive in comparatively a few years. In connection with this movement for in- creased endowment funds a more decided effort was made to secure an increase in the annual city appropriation, for the purpose of making the library entirely free in its circu- lating as well as in its reference department. The subject was fully presented to the city government by the officers of the Associa- tion ; and, as the result, an additional appro- priation of $3,000 was unanimously voted for the new departure. The library was opened to the public as a free library on the ist of June, 1885. The success of the free library was beyond the expectations of its most sanguine friends. The number of cardholders increased during the year from 1,100 to over 7,000, and the circulation of books from 41,000 to 154,500. This success was so satisfactory that the Association easily secured a farther addition to the appropriation in 1886, and it now receives from the city, including the "dog tax," the sum of $15,000 a year. We have now in the library 60.000 volumes. We have a reading-room, well supplied with newspapers, magazines, and reviews, and a museum of natural history, which is used in connection with the study of natural science in our schools. In conclusion I would say that the points BURR. 59 to which I wish to call attention, and which, it seems to me, may be suggestive to the friends of the library enterprise elsewhere, are these : i. As to library management and con- trol. We have, in this somewhat unique enterprise of ours, a library supported, as to its current expenses and its circulating department, en- tirely by public funds, and yet under the supervision of a Board of Directors elected by the Association (a corporation composed of intelligent, cultivated, and enterprising men, who are interested in the library, and who have shown their interest by contribut- ing to its funds), in which body the city is represented, ex-officio, through its Mayor, the President of the Common Council, and the Superintendent of Schools, certainly a wiser Board of control than could ordinarily be secured through the direct agency of a city government. 2. As to funds. We have secured this generous support from the city government, because we have not only been able to show the value of the library to the public welfare, but also to pre- sent to them from time to time the fact that the liberal appropriations of the city were, after all, but a reasonable interest on the large amount which the Association had already contributed for the public benefit. We have also been successful in raising endowment funds, because we have been able to show to our wealthy and generous citizens that our library in its current ex- penses and circulating department would undoubtedly be liberally supported by public funds, and that the amount of their donations would be appropriated solely to the building up of an increasingly valuable reference de- partment, thus placing the library upon a stable foundation, and insuring its healthy growth and its permanent usefulness. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AT ITHACA. BY GEORGE L. BURR, LIBRARIAN OF THE WHITE LIBRARY, CORNELL UNIVERSITY. first collections thus sought were in compara tive philology and in the ancient classics. 1. Franz Bopp, the father of modern com- parative philology, died at Berlin in 1867, the year before the opening of Cornell. His library of 2,500 volumes included nearly the whole literature of the infant science up to that date. Like that of his equally venerated colleague, Leopold von Ranke, on whose heir- ship a sister American college has just earned our congratulations, it "held no trash." Bought from his heirs, it was transferred to the shelves of the university before her doors were opened to students. Its chief wealth, apart from the beginnings of compara- tive philology, is in the literatures and gram- mar of the Oriental, African, Polynesian, and American tongues. A Sanskrit manuscript or two are its only curiosa. 2. Scarcely less thoroughly equipped in his own field was that patriarch of American classical commentators, Professor Charles T^HAT much-quoted philosopher who divides education into the two stages of learning something about everything and of learning everything about something, has un- wittingly denned the ideal difference in scope and aim between the public and the private library the library of reference and the library of research. But the university library is a nondescript. Standing where the two educations join, it must supply tools for both ; and, if it may not hope, like those rare universal geniuses, the national libraries, to know everything about everything, it must at least, for training's sake, aim to know everything about several somethings. It was perhaps some such instinct as this which led the founders of Cornell Univer- sity at the very outset to combine with broad general purchases the acquisition of special collections. To those who hold Cornell a technical school in danger of forgetting her original calling, it may seem strange that the 6o THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. Anthon, of Columbia College. His death occurred in the same year with Bopp's, and his library passed with the latter's to the shelves of Cornell University. Its 7,000 volumes were preeminently a "working" col- lection the authorities and editions used in the preparation of the classical dictionary, the dictionary of antiquities, the annotated Greek and Latin classics, familiar to so many generations of students. Yet Prof. Anthon was by no means above bibliographical luxury. Not a few such exquisite typographical indulgences as the Bodoni Homer and Picart's Ovid, such rarities as the Aldine Aristotle, the Elzevir Livy, Plautus, Curtius, Vitruvius, be- tray the book-lover as well as the scholar. 3. With these, which swelled its total to about 16,000 volumes, the university began its work. Among the first to feel the poverty of its library was its Professor of English History, Goldwin Smith, late Regius Profes- sor at the University of Oxford. To the gift of his own services he now added that of his books; and in 1869 his rich collec- tion upon the history and literature of Britain was transferred from its English home. Among its treasures were rare editions of ancient, as well as of English, classics ; but its main fullness is in the political and social history of the mother-land a department in which it has received and still receives frequent accessions from the generous donor. 4. President White at the same time placed at the disposal of his students in the history of continental Europe several thou- sand volumes of his own private library; and in 1870 he gave outright to the newly organ- ized school of architecture his store of works over a thousand in that favorite field, with a sum for its increase. The sum has multiplied in the using. The collection, swollen to several-fold its original size, is especially rich in rare and costly illustrated works, and has of late years been supple- mented, from the same source, by what is probably the largest collection of architectural photographs yet brought across the Atlantic. 5. In 1870, too, the Hon. William Kelly, one of the trustees of the university, as a protest against certain attacks upon it, gave a sum in money for the collection of a special library in mathematics. About this nucleus have gathered some 4,500 volumes, covering nearly the whole field of mathematical science, both pure and applied. The collection is especially rich in mathematical periodicals. 6. In the same year, Ezra Cornell, the founder of the university, whose collection in agriculture (he was himself a farmer) had found its way to her shelves, added $1,000 for increase in this field. 7. Of the library of Jared Sparks, the historian, President of Harvard University, which came to Cornell in 1872, it would be a work of supererogation for me here to speak. Its 5,000 volumes and 4,000 pamphlets relate almost wholly to the history of America. Many of them are enriched by his marginal notes. His manuscripts, as is well known, went to Harvard all save one vol- ume of autograph documents, among whose priceless contents are the interlined and blotted original of Franklin's closing speech in the Constitutional Convention and the sheet written "with a toothpick and a little boot-blacking" from Lafayette's dungeon at Magdeburg. Of the military maps and plans used by Washington during the Revolution, which also came to Cornell, we shall all doubtless soon learn more through Mr. Winsor's history. 8. From the Rev. Samuel Joseph May, of Syracuse, came in 1873 the nucleus of a col- lection of which the university is especially proud that on slavery and anti-slavery in America. Mr. May's gift found generous co- operation, and the joint appeal of W T illiam Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips, and Gerrit Smith to their old co-workers has brought a flood of contributions, both from America and England. Although the number of titles is not definitely known, the collection is believed one of the richest existing. 9. A value out of proportion to its numbers belongs to the little group of 600 volumes given to Cornell in 1884 by the Hon. Eugene Schuy- ler, historian and diplomat. They deal mainly with Russian history, literature, and folk-lore, and include the printed sources used by him in the preparation of his "Peter the Great." BURR. 61 10. In 1886 was bought for the projected law-school of the university the law library of Merritt King, of Ithaca, an excellent selec- tion of its sort. And not to be overlooked is (n) the growing patent collection of Cornell, the gift of the American, British, and Canadian governments. The British patents already fill alone 3,000 quarto volumes. 12. The only other collection of which I have to speak the latest and greatest gift of all is the historical library of the university's first President and first Professor of history, Andrew Dickson White. Broader in its scope than most of the other collections named, its contents demand a less hurried review. In general, it may be said to differ also in this, that it is the library as well of a teacher as of a writer. The fullness of illustrated and illustrative works, the unusual number of epoch-making books, the abund- ance of all that goes to make history vivid, bespeak the lecture-room rather than the study. Striking, too, is the preponderance of biography and of material bearing upon the history of civilization, as against mere political and dynastic narrative. In ancient history the library is respectable, but by no means remarkable. It is only with the Middle Ages, and especially with the rise of the modern states, that it becomes noteworthy. Its mediaeval MSS., classical and ecclesiastical, many of them illuminated, have mainly illustrative value. Its incunabula, on the other hand, though representing most of the leading printers of the I5th century, have been chosen chiefly for intrinsic historic interest. But it is with the period of the Reformation that we reach the first of its special collections. The thousand or so of titles are in large part contemporary impres- sions. In Lutherana it is surpassed, indeed, by the Beck collection at Hartford; but in the works of the minor Reformers, in the editions of Erasmus, of Hutten, of Melanch- thon, in the anonymous satires and caricatures of the period, it has perhaps few American rivals. In German history the only other collection of note is a body of pamphlets on the Thirty Years' War. In the history of France the library's special wealth begins with the wars of religion ; the Fronde is illustrated by several hundred Mazarinades ; but it is upon the French Revolution that the collection is phenomenal, its contemporary pamphlets alone numbering from 5,000 to 7,000. Of the other countries of the continent, Italy and Russia are covered with greatest fullness. In the history of Great Britain it is the period of the Stuarts that receives most attention, the pamphlets coming largely from the library of Macaulay. In American his- tory, although there are not a few early Americana Ptolemies, Margaritas, the Im- ago Mundi of Pierre d'Ailly, the Cosmogra- phies Introductio^ the Psalter of Giustiniani, among the rest it is the civil war alone that is voluminously represented by contemporary material. There are, however, considerable collections upon Santo Domingo and upon the Maximilian episode in Mexico. Even richer, on the whole, than these collec- tions upon national history are those upon certain phases of the general history of civili- zation upon monasticismand chivalry, upon the Inquisition and the Index, upon the Counter-Reformation and the Jesuits, upon the struggle beween theology and the natural sciences, upon the growth of international law, upon judicial torture and its abolition, upon the dark history of persecution for witchcraft. In the field last named, where its titles count by many hundreds, and include not a few manuscripts, it is perhaps the foremost of its kind. Of the White library a complete catalogue is approaching publication, whose first section that on the Reformation will soon ap- pear. A word as to the catalogues of the remaining collections. The Bopp and Sparks libraries were catalogued for sale, and brought these printed catalogues with them. Of the Kelly, White Architectural, and Schuyler collections, catalogues have been printed in the official bulletin of the University Library. Of the Anthon, Goldwin Smith, Cornell Agri- cultural, May, and King collections, manu- script catalogues alone exist. Such are the special collections which, with 62 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. the 30,000 or 40,000 volumes of its own direct purchase, make up the library of Cornell University. But no account of the " special collections at Ithaca " would be even approximately com- plete which should fail to mention also the rich library of Professor Hiram Corson upon the earlier periods of English literature, that of Professor T. F. Crane upon the folk-lore and popular tales of Europe, especially those of the Middle Age, that of Mrs. Henry A. St. John upon the life and works of Words- worth. And still other collections are in the making. PLAN FOR COURSE OF READING FOR PUPILS OF THE POUGHKEEPSIE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. BY J: C. SICKLEY, LIBRARIAN CITY LIBRARY, POUGHKEEPSIE, N. Y. " '"T'HE world is full of books ; but there are multitudes which are so ill-written, that they were never worth any man's reading ; and there are thousands more which may be good in their kind, yet are worth nothing when the month or year or occasion is past for which they were written. Others may be valuable in themselves for some special purpose, or in some peculiar science. . . It is of vast ad- vantage for improvement of knowledge, and saving time, for a young man to have the most proper books for his reading recom- mended by a judicious friend." So wrote Dr. Watts many years ago, and, if true in his day, how important that some direction should be given to the reading of the young at this time, when the publication of books has so greatly increased. When a child first begins to use the public library, he is like one who, never having visited the Thousand Islands, starts out for a day's boating trip without a guide. There are so many beautiful objects to attract him, he has heard of so many more that he wishes to see and know, that, gliding to and fro among these charming isles, he becomes confused and finally loses himself among them. So a child, when he first enters the library, sees around him thousands of books; he picks up one. glances through another, thinks of sev- eral that companions have told him to read, till he, after a time, becomes confused, and unable to decide what he wants or needs. Children prefer to read entertaining books. They like to read books that have a reputa- tion ; books which they have heard about, or which have been recommended to them. This is shown by the eagerness with which the "Arabian Nights" and "Robinson Crusoe" are read and re-read. Children are always glad to read a book which has been recom- mended by their parents. The recommenda- tions of companions are of ten relied upon, and in this way sensational and trashy books are brought to their notice, when otherwise they would not hear of them. Most parents desire their children to read instructive as well as entertaining books, but the time and attention required to make suita- ble selections render this a difficult task. We have several admirable lists of books for chil- dren ; Mr. Larned's "Books for Young Read- ers" and Miss Hewins' "Books for the Young" contain as good selections as can be made; and would parents provide themselves with copies of these manuals, and select from them books for their children, the general reading of young people would be vastly improved. For some time I had thought that a list of books adapted for a child's reading for a cer- tain time ; one that he could have himself, and use and consult and select from, and one that the parent could see, would be useful and prac- tical. Impressed with this idea, I began early in November last to prepare a course of read- ing, or list of books, for the pupils of the pub- lic schools of Poughkeepsie, wishing to have it ready at the beginning of the present year. Many other duties prevented my completing SICKLE Y. it till June. I then presented it to our Board of Education, which has the control and super- vision of the library as well as the schools, and it was approved, and a resolution passed that it go into effect at the opening of the schools in September. The plan proposed is as follows : The course at the public schools of Poughkeepsie is divided into twelve grades. The first four years are called "Primary Grades," the fourth being the lowest grade, the next four " grammar grades ; " the next year is the second department of the High School, and the last three years are the High School proper. I began with the first primary grade, the fourth year of school, the average age of the pupil being 10 or II years. This is about as soon as a child begins to use the library, and is probably as soon as he should be permitted to. I selected a list of books for the pupil to read for that year, adapting the books as far as I could judge to the age. This I did for each year of the succeeding grammar grades and the high school. Selec- tions have been made in science, history, biog- raphy, poetry, and general literature as well as fiction or story, books. My plan for the details of operating the arrangement is to notify each teacher, giving her full information in reference to the subject. The names of those pupils who use the library, and those who wish to use it, will be taken, and the list sent to the library. A notice will then be sent to the parents informing them that a list of books suitable for the child's reading has been recommended by the Board of Education, and requesting that they signify their wishes in the matter. This seems to me a method of reaching parents and obtaining from them an expression of their wishes in reference to their children's reading. The lists of books will be printed on cards, one for each year. The pupil may thus have his list with him, and consult and check off his books as he reads them. I do not think a course of reading for children in history or on any special subject would be practicable, nor is such my idea; ray object being only to provide the child or his parents with some- thing from which to make a selection, and to bring to the notice of the child the better class of books, and, if possible, to keep him from reading the silly and sensational ones which are often selected, and cultivate his taste for wholesome literature, so that he shall not acquire a taste for any but the best books. By this plan the necessity for many dupli- cates will be avoided, as no particular order need be followed in reading the books. Some duplicates will be necessary, but not as many as though a regular course on some special subject had been arranged for. As to the lists of books selected, I do not pretend they are the best that could be chosen. As stated before, I have endeavored to avoid the sensational, and adapt the books to the age and acquirements of the several years of the course. A test of the plan will undoubt- edly suggest many changes. Some books may be too much beyond the years in which I have placed them ; others may not be far enough. Then other and better books may be suggested to take the place of some that are not so desirable. Valuable suggestions can be made by members of the A.L.A., and in fact I see no reason why a*course suitable for any graded schools or any school could not be prepared by cooperation of the Associ- ation and used throughout the country. FIRST PRIMARY GRADE. FOURTH YEAR OF SCHOOL. (Average age of pupil 10 or n.) FICTION. Abbott, Jacob. Franconia stories. Alcott, L. M. Lulu's library; My boys; My girls. . Anderson, H. C. Fairy tales. Hatuthvrne. Wonder book. Lodge, H. C., Editor.- Six popular tales i-. " " " 2. Molesworth. Cuckoo clock ; Grandmother dear ; Tell me a story. Stowe. Dog's mission ; Little Pussy Wil- low ; Queer little people. Swinton &* Cathcart, Editors. Book of tales ; Golden book of choice reading. Woolsey, S. C. Eyebright; Mischief's thanksgiving ; Nine little goslings. 6 4 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE, MISCELLANEOUS. Abbott, J. Heat. Abbott, J. S. C. Columbus and discovery of America; De Soto and the Mississippi; La Salle and the Northwest. Angus, D. The Eastern wonderland. Browne, Maggie. Chats about Germany. Coffin C. C. Following the flag. Conant, Helen S. The butterfly hunters. Darwin, C. What Mr. Darwin saw, etc. Du Chaillu. Country of the dwarfs ; Gorilla country. Francis, B. Isles of the Pacific. Gray. How plants grow. Hawks, F. L. Uncle Phillip's talks about New York. Heild, Mary. Glimpses of South Amer- ica. Higginson, T. W. Young folks' history of United States. Ingersoll, E. Friends worth knowing. Phillips, E. C. All the Russias; Peeps into China. Wonder Library. Intelligence of ani- mals ; Wonders of water. FOURTH GRAMMAR GRADE. FIFTH YEAR />F SCHOOL. FICTION. Abbott, Jacob. Rollo's tour in Europe. 10 vols. Alcott, L. M. Old-fashioned Thanksgiv- ing ; Proverb stories. Anderson. Fairy stories. Craik (Miss Mulock.) Fairy book. Grimm. Fairy stories. Hawthorne. Grandfather's clock ; Tangle- wood tales. Jerdon, G. Keyhole country. Molesworth. Christmas child ; Rosy ; Tapestry room. Richards, Laura E. Joyous story of Toto. Woolsey. Cross patch ; Little country girl; New Year's bargain. MISCELLANEOUS. Abbott, J. Alfred the Great ; Hannibal. Abbott,}. S. C Miles Standish and the Pilgrims ; Captain Kidd and the buccaneers ; Peter Stuyvesant and New York ; Benjamin Franklin. Brues, C. Round Africa. Butterworth. Young folks' history of America. Chesney,- J. Around France ; Land of the pyramids. Coffin, C. C. Days and nights on the bat- tlefield. Drake, S. A. Indian history for young folks. Goodrich, S. S. The animal kingdom. Gray, A. How plants behave. Heild, Mary. Land of the Temples. Herrick, Mrs. S. B. Plant life. Ingersoll, E. Old ocean. Macgregor, John. Thousand miles in Rob Roy canoe. Wonder Library. Thunder and lightning ; Wonders of the ocean. Yonge. Young folks' history of England ; Young folks' history of France. THIRD GRAMMAR GRADE. SIXTH YEAR OF SCHOOL. FICTION. Black, William. Four Macnicols. Day. Sanford and Merton. Diaz. William Henry letters. Edgeworth. Harry and Lucy. Ewing. Lob-lie-by-the-fire ; Six to six- teen ; We and the world. Jackson, H. H. Nelly's silver mine. Molesworth. Four Winds farm. Otis, James. Mr. Stubb's brother; Rais- ing the pearl ; Toby Tyler. Ruskin. King of the golden river. Stoddard, W. O. Dab Kinzer ; The quar- tette ; Saltillo boys ; Among the lakes. Woolsey. Round dozen ; What Katy did ; What Katy did at school; What Katy did next. MISCELLANEOUS. Abbott, J. Julius Cassar; Alexander the Great. Abbott, J. S. C. Washington and the revolution ; Daniel Boone and Kentucky ; Kit Carson and the far West ; Paul Jones and the navy ; Davy Crockett and Texas. Bert, Paul. First steps in scientific knowledge ; Part first, animals ; Part second, plants. SICKLE Y. Bryant. (Selections from Poems.) Death of the flowers ; Little people of the snow. Coulter, M. Farming for boys. Du Chaillu. Apingi kingdom ; Lost in the jungle ; Wild life. Edwards, Arthur M. Life beneath the waters. Figuier. Insect world ; Ocean world. Longfellow. (Selections.) Children's hour; Rain in summer ; Snowflakes. Whittier. (Selections.) Barbara Fretchie ; Barefoot boy; Flowers in winter. Wonder Library. Egypt, 3,300 years ago ; Wonders of engraving ; Wonders of the heavens. Anon. Young Mechanic. Yonge. Young folks' Germany ; Young folks' Greece ; Young folks' Rome. SECOND GRAMMAR GRADE. SEVENTH YEAR OF SCHOOL/ FICTION. jEsop. Fables. Alcott. Old-fashioned girl ; Little women ; Little men. Arabian Nights. Burnett. Little Lord Fauntleroy. De Foe. Robinson Crusoe. Eggleston Hoosier schoolboy. Hawthorne. True stories. Hoppin. Two Compton boys. Porter, Jane. Scottish chiefs. Reid. Cliff climbers ; Plant hunters. Taylor. Boys of other countries. Wyss. Swiss family Robinson. M I SCELLANEOUS. Beard. American boys' handy book. Bert. First steps : Part 3, stones and rocks ; Part 4, physics. Bryant. (Selections.) Night journey of the river ; Planting of the apple tree. Coffin. Boys of '76 ; Boys of '61. Cowper. John Gihoin's ride ; Winter morn ing walk. Gibson, W. H. Camp life in the woods. Hou^hton, N. Country walks of a natural- ist; Seaside walks of a naturalist. Longfellow. (Selections.) Flowers in au- tumn ; Light of the stars. Stokes. Microscopy for beginners. Wiggin, E. Lessons in manners. Wonder Library. Acoustics ; Glass-mak- ing; Human body; Sun. Wood, J. G. Popular natural history. Wordsworth. The longest day ; The red- breast. FIRST GRAMMAR GRADE. EIGHTH YEAR OF SCHOOL. FICTION. Alcott, L. M. Eight cousins ; Jo's boys; Rose in bloom ; Silver pitchers ; Under the lilacs. Aldrich. Story of a bad boy. Biart, L. Adventures of a young natural- ist. Carroll. Alice's adventures in wonder- land ; Through the looking-glass. Ewing. Story of a short life ; Jackanapes. Hale. Mrs. Miriam's scholars; Ten times one is ten. Porter. Thaddeus of Warsaw. Trowbrtdge. Lawrence's adventures. Warner. Being a boy. MISCELLANEOUS. Adams, W. H. D. Secret of success. Blaikie. How to get strong. Bert, Paul. Part 5, chemistry ; Part 6, ani- mal physiology ; Part 7, vegetable physiology. Byron. (Selection.) The ocean (from Childe Harold.) Coffin. Old times in the colonies. Coulter, M. Ten acres enough. Davies. T. How to make money and how to keep it. Lossing. United States navy for boys. Mace, Jean. History of a mouthful of bread. Nordhoff. Politics for young Americans. Pepper, J. H. Play book of science. Proctor, R. A. Flowers of the sky. Scott. Lady of the lake. Shelly. The cloud. Thompson, M. Witchery of archery. Thurstan, R. History of the steam engine. Wonder Library. Heat; Pompeii; Sub- lime in nature. Wordsworth. Influence of natural ob- jects ; The green linnet. 66 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. HIGH SCHOOL SECOND DEPARTMENT. NINTH YEAR OF SCHOOL. FICTION. Aldrich. Marjorie Daw. Baldwin, J. Story of Siegfred. Bunyan. Pilgrim's progress. Cooper. Deerslayer ; Last of the Mohicans ; Pathfinder; Pioneers; Prairie. Dickens. Christmas stories ; Old curiosity shop. Hale. Man without a country; Christmas eve ; Crusoe in New York. Hawthorne. House of the seven gables ; Marble faun. Hughes. School days at Rugby; Tom Brown at Oxford. Irving. Sketch book. Scott. Kenilworth ; Ivanhoe. Stowe. Oldtown folks ; Uncle Tom's cabin. Thackeray. Christmas books, etc. Whitney. Faith Gartney's girlhood ; Les- lie Goldthwaite. MISCELLANEOUS. Alcott, W. A. Young housekeeper. Burroughs. Wake robin ; Winter sunshine. Butler, N. F. The wild north land. Burns. The Cotter's Saturday night. Campbell. Lord Ullin's daughter. Cheney, Mrs. Young folks' history of America. Coleridge. Youth and age. Craik, G. L. Pursuit of knowledge under difficulties. Hale. How to do it. Harrison, Mrs. C. C. Woman's handi- work in modern homes. Irving. Condensed life of Washington. Jackson (H. H.}. Bits of Talk. Lockyer. Elements of astronomy. Moore. The Mohawk. Pittinger. Capturing a locomotive. Proctor, B. W. 1\\& sea. Stanley. Through the dark continent. Thompson, James. Sheepwashing (from Summer) ; The snow storm (from Winter). Thoreau. Week on the Concord and Mer- rimac. Wonder Library. Meteors, aerolites, etc. ; Sculpture. HIGH SCHOOL FIRST DEPARTMENT. (JUNIOR CLASS.) TENTH YEAR OF SCHOOL. FICTION. Aldrich. Continued. Buliver. " Cooper. < '' Dodge, Mary M. Donald and Dorothy. Dickens. Continued. Ewing. " Hale',E.E. " Hawthorne. " Irving. Alhambra ; Knickerbocker, N. Y. Lamb. Tales from Shakespeare. Scott. Continued. Thackeray. " Whitney. " MISCELLANEOUS. Ay res, A. The mentor. Butterworth, H. Zigzag journeys in Eu- rope. Coffin. Our new way round the world. Coultas, H. What may be learned from a tree. Cowper. England. (From the Timepiece.) Dole. Young folks' history of Russia. Geddie. Lake regions of Central Africa. Gilman. History of the American people. Holland, J. G. Letters to young people. Lowell. Fireside travels. Ober, F. A. Young folks history of Mex- ico. Parton. Captains of industry. Ruskin. Sesame and lilies. Shakspeare. Julius Caesar; Macbeth. Smiles. Self-help. Southey. (Selections.) Taylor. Views afoot. Ttrhune, Mrs. Cottage kitchen. (Chap- ters on " Familiar Talks.") Tyndall. Heat as a mode of motion. Warner. My summer in a garden. Wonder Library. Bodily strength and skill ; European art. Wordsworth. Continued. HIGH SCHOOL FIRST DEPARTMENT. (SUB- SENIOR CLASS.) ELEVENTH YEAR OF SCHOOL. FICTION. Bulwer. Continued. LARNED. 67 Cooper. Continued. Dickens. " Goldsmith. Vicar of Wakefield. Irving. Bracebridge Hall ; Tales of a traveler. Kingsley, C. Alton Locke ; Hypatia. Scott. Continued. Thackeray. Continued. MISCELLANEOUS. Blackie, J. Self-culture. Burroughs. Birds and poets ; Locusts and wild honey. Croll, P. Climate and time. Daives, Anna M. How we are gov- erned. Emerson. Behavior (from Conduct of Life) ; Books (from Society and Solitude). Goldsmith. Deserted village. Gray. Elegy. Howitt, W. The country year book. Huxley. Science and culture. Mackenzie, K. America. Mathews. Getting on in the world. Mitchell. My farm of Edgewood. Munger. On the threshold. Parloa. Household management, etc. Chapters I to 12. Ruskin. Work (in Crown of wild olives); Unto this last. Smiles. Duty ; Thrift. Shakespeare. Continued. Stickney. True republic. Tyndall. Forms of water. Warner. Back log studies. HIGH SCHOOL FIRST DEPARTMENT. (SENIOR CLASS.) TWELFTH YEAR OF SCHOOL. FICTION. Austen. Pride and prejudice ; Sense and sensibility. Bulwer. Continued. Cooper. " Dickens. " Hawthorne. " Irving. Woolfert's Roost ; Crayon mis- cellany. MacDonald. Annals of a quiet neighbor- hood ; Seaboard parish. Mitford. Our village. Scott. Continued. Thackeray. Continued. MISCELLANEOUS. Amicis. Holland ; Spain. Atkinson. The right use of books. Fields. Yesterdays with authors. Green. Short history of English people. Hamerton. Intellectual life. Holmes. Autocrat. Lowell. Among my books. Lubbock. Ants, bees, and wasps. Mackenzie. Nineteenth century. Miller, H. My schools and schoo Imas- ters ; Old red sandstone. Porter. Books and reading. Rennie, J. Insect architecture. Shelley. Selections. Southey. The Inchcape rock ; Battle of Blenheim. White. Natural history of Selborne. Williams, W. M. Science in short chapters. Wilson, W. Congressional government REPORT ON LIBRARY ARCHITECTURE. BY J. N. LARNED, SUPERINTENDENT BUFFALO LIBRARY. '"THE chief object, as it seems to me, of these successive reports which we have planned for our meetings, on certain matters of permanent interest in the library field, is the record of ideas and experiments, of movements and developments, that may thus of that object demands more of regularity and continuity in the reports than we have realized as yet. I find on looking back that only one of the six topics with which we opened the scheme, at our Cincinnati meet- ing, in 1882, has been reported on at each be preserved. But a satisfactory attainment meeting since, and that is the important 68 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. topic of "Aids and Guides for Readers." On " Charging Systems " we have had no report since ; on " Classification " but one. On " Cataloguing " and on " Reading for the Young" there have been two reports pre- sented, but we missed them last year. On " Library Architecture " there have also been two excellent reports, but one of them was unwritten and very little of it appears in the printed transactions of the Association. So the continuity of the record which we hoped to have preserved is being unfortunately broken on several of the lines along which we intended to trace it. Some new lines of importance have been taken up, in reports on the subject of " Libraries and Schools," for example, and on " Fiction in Public Li- braries," but none of them has been pursued. In fact, the scheme of yearly topical reports seems likely to lose the greater part of its worth unless we resolve to carry it out with more consistency and regularity. The high value attaching to it in my mind is the excuse I must offer for going somewhat out of my way to speak a little urgently of the matter. My own present report on Library Archi- tecture has been prepared to cover as far as practicable the two years that have passed since the preceding report was made. I have endeavored to list the new library buildings in this country which have been finished with- in the two years, or that are now in progress, or that are definitely in contemplation, and to gather the essential particulars of information concerning them. No doubt there are omis- sions that will be discovered in the list, but I trust they are not numerous. The following is a summary of the facts I have gathered: Number of new buildings finished within two years past, 18. Number now in progress, 23. Number in contemplation (plans being con- sidered), 9. Total, 50. Eleven of the finished buildings and 12 of the buildings in progress, being 23 out of 41, or more than one half, are gifts from private individuals to the public. I have reports of the cost of 14 of these gift-build- ings, and it aggregates $916,000. A reason- able estimate for the remaining five will raise the generous total to $1,250,000. And the stream of bounty is still flowing; for five of the new buildings in contemplation which I have in my list will be gifts, and their cost is not likely to be less than half a million more. The reported cost of 32 among the 41 buildings finished or now in progress is $2,617,000. This does not include the great building just begun at Washington for the Library of Congress, the expenditure on which is sure to run far into the millions. The reported capacity of 23 among the same 41 buildings is for 1,378,000 volumes. From the descriptions that are given of them, I estimate that the remaining 18 buildings will store some 375,000 volumes. Three of the finished buildings and eight of those now in progress are of fire-proof construction. Three are of the method of construction called slow-burning. In ten of the new buildings, including nearly all of the largest class, the shelving of books is in iron stacks, or intended to be. In several others that mode of construction will probably be introduced, but is not yet determined. In the Library of Congress, it is understood that the arrangement of books will be in alcoves, at first, with an ultimate addition of stacks. In four other libraries, the reported arrangement is in alcoves, with a single gallery in two of them, and with no gallery in the other two. Twenty of the 41 buildings finished or in progress are for library uses exclusively; 21 are 'designed in part for other uses. The buildings which I enumerate as being in immediate contemplation are for the Boston Public Library; the Yale College Library; the Library of the University of Pennsylvania ; the Newberry Library, Chicago ; the Howard Library, New Orleans ; the Cambridge (Mass.) Public Library ; the Quincy (111.) Public Library; the Library of Northfield Seminary; and the Library of Syracuse University. The notable features of this record are: (i) The remarkable number of new building enterprises which two years have initiated or brought to completion : (2) the great sum expended in them or appropriated for them; LARNED. 69 (3) the large proportion of that expenditure which has been a gift to the public from generous private hands; (4) the extent of fire-proof construction that is placing so many libraries out of danger of all ordinary casual- ties; (5) the manifest great improvement in architectural forms and arrangements. Touch- ing this latter point, the exhibit is a very striking one. The old type of library build- ing, which Mr. Poole has denominated the Cathedral or Gothic Church type, with its wall-scaffolding of book-shelves, in galleries of alcoves, with its profligate waste of inner space, and with its many zones of tempera- ture from floor to ceiling, has nearly disap- peared. Except as it may appear in the new building for the Library of Congress, its only important survival, among the new construc- tions of this list appears to be in the build- ing which the Library Association of Newark, N. J., has now under way. It is approached, perhaps, also, in two or three of the smaller edifices described here. But, speaking gen- erally, we need not hesitate to say that American library architecture has distinctly taken a new departure, the departure from mediaeval to modern conditions, which we joined our voices to the strong voice of Mr. Poole in demanding six years ago, at the Washington Conference. The notable paper read at that meeting by Mr. Poole, emphasized by the warm endorsement which was given to it, has unquestionably exercised a remaik- able influence. If all that has resulted from it, in the disseminating of rational ideas of library construction and arrangement, derived from the experience of librarians, were taken out, we should certainly find the exhibit that I am bringing to you to-day a very different one, and much less satisfactory than it is. The fundamental principles of library con- struction which were formulated first by Mr. Poole, are affirmed by the common experience of librarians, and have been accepted almost without dispute. But some features of the application of them which he recommended have seemed more questionable ; and the tendency of opinion, I think, is against his views. We are all in agreement with him that no book-shelf should be built above hand-reach, or 7 to 7 1-2 feet, from a floor. But here starts a difference. If we call this hand-high arrangement of -books the strati- fication of a library, then Mr. Poole's plan makes each stratum of the library determine a story of its building. He would give one full story of 1 6 feet height to each range of 7-feet cases, believing the 9 feet of vacancy above them to be a necessary heated-air space. On the other hand, there are many among us who find this concession to atmos- pheric demands excessive, involving too much of the very extravagance of building- room which Mr. Poole has condemned. We would have a wholesome air-space above our books, keeping the topmost shelf of them some proper distance below the ceiling of their room ; but, doing that, we feel safe in piling two or three ranges or strata of books upon one another, in a compact stack. For my own part, I should object to more than three tiers in the stack, and my preference is for two ; but within those limits I believe that the stack, by its compactness, economizes labor immensely, while the air at its top-level may be as cool and as pure as the air at the floor. In the stacks which I planned for the library under my own charge, there are two tiers of 7 feet each in a room 22 feet high. To reach the farthest books in the lower tier there are 140 feet of level distance to travel. To reach the nearest books in the upper tier there are 7 feet of stairway to climb. Which is to be preferred, for econ- omy of time and muscle ? If the same books were spread out on one floor-level, those now nearest in the upper tier would be put farther away than the farthest of the present lower tier ; and, whatever plan the arrangement of stacks or cases may be made upon, the rela- tions of distance, as between one level and two, will vary little from the ratio that appears in this case. Which, then, shall we prefer the 140 feet of floor-passage, or the 7 feet of stairs ? Which journey is the less labori- ous ? If we decide to prefer the stairway, we have decided against one story of Mr. Poole's plan, so far as concerns economy of library work. But when a second story is THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. added to Mr. Poole's structure, then the question changes. Then it is he who re- trenches longitudinal distances and moves vertically; but, instead of climbing 7 feet to his second stratum of books, he would make us climb 1 6. The objection has now become very heavy, indeed, and it outweighs, in my judgment, all the advantages of the plan. A book-stack of two or three tiers is almost sure to be preferred to it, even though the high stack of five or six tiers is condemned. It has occurred to me that these principles of construction may be applied with advan- tage to small library buildings, and I have given some study to the subject. The result is submitted in the accompanying sketch of a suggested floor plan for a library building which may be shelved in the first instance for about 20,000 volumes, with a provision in reserve for 20,000 volumes more. It is important, of course, in such a library to so arrange that books, delivery desk, and read- A, Reading-room. B, C, Rail. D, Delivery Desk. E, F, Book-stacks. G, Library Working-space. PLAN FOR SMALL LIBRARY. I would offer an amendment, therefore, to Mr. Poole's scheme of library-building, rais- ing his bookrooms to a height of 20 or 21 feet between floor and ceiling, and introduc- ing stacks of two tiers in each, which will leave 6 to 7 feet of air space above the books. The addition of but 5 feet of height to each story will thus double the capacity of the building, economizing cost, room, labor, and making the whole arrangement more convenient. ing-room may be under the supervision, if necessary, of one person. That is perfectly accomplished by the plan here proposed. One large room, 70 x 42 feet in interior dimensions, contains the whole. It affords an unusually spacious reading-room, 42 feet by 29 feet 6 inches, divided from the books by a light open railing. It gives the librarian ample space, 30 x 1 6 feet, for his work, and exposes to him at all times every part of the reading- room, when he looks into it through the open LARNED. passages between the stacks of books. The latter may be book-cases instead of stacks, made of wood, 21 feet long, 7 feet high, and limited to the 20,000 volumes which that shelving will contain. Or they may be cases of the same height framed of gas pipe and cast iron, on top of which another stage of similar cases may at some time be added, to produce stacks for 40,000 volumes. If the latter is contemplated, the height of the room should be 21 feet, we will say ; otherwise, it may be less. An experienced architect has estimated for me that such a building as the one sketched here may be constructed, fire proof, with a pretty porch and without scantiness of architectural ornamentation, for $20,000 to $25,000. These suggestions and observations are rather obtrusive perhaps, and I have en- deavored to be brief in them. I return now to my stricter duties as a reporter. The following is a succinct account of the new library buildings projected or now in prog- ress, or completed within two years past, concerning which I have been able to pro- cure information : ALLEGHENY, PA. Carnegie Free Library. The Free Library and Music Hall building which Mr. Andrew Carnegie will build and present to the city of Allegheny, Pa., is now at the point of being commenced, as I am informed by the architects, Messrs. Smith- meyer & Pelz, of Washington, and is to be finished in about 14 months. The cost of the structure will be $260,000. Its style of architecture is the Rhenish Romanesque ; the materials used will be granite for the street facades, red brick for the court facades, and the whole construction will be fire proof. The library part of the building is its westerly part, and embraces, besides the library, two picture galleries, a lecture room seating 400 people, trustees' room, etc. The Music Hall, to which the eastern part is appropriated, will seat 1,200 people. The dimensions of the whole building are 140x160 feet; library portion, 90x140, not including projecting parts, in two stories, with a memorial tower ; reading-room, 50 x 40 feet, with annex to same for ladies, 15x35 feet, both seating 100 readers ; catalogue-room, 36x40 feet; "bibliographing-room," 25x46 feet; collating-room, 19x24 feet; one book mag- azine, 36 x 40 feet ; one book magazine, 24 x 30 feet. The shelving will be in stacks of two tiers, each 7 feet high, with cast-iron per- forated floors between tiers, which will be lighted from two sides, with direct light in each passage. The arrangement for daylight in the larger book magazine and the adjacent "bibliographing-room" is similar to the sys- tem employed by the Harvard College Library since its extension. The book-stacks will be made of iron, with hard-wood shelves. The capacity of the two magazines is estimated to be for 98,000 books, while 6,000 additional will be contained in cases in the reading- room. The building will be heated by low- pressure steam, and ventilated by induction through the fire stack. I am indebted for these descriptive particu- lars to a communication courteously made to me by the architects, who have also placed in my hands a perspective view of the edifice, with ground plans, which appeared in the Inland Architect of last April. The building will undoubtedly be a very beautiful one, and there are some excellent features in its plan; but in several particulars it seems likely to prove disappointing. The provision of room for dealing with the public at the delivery coun- ter is exceedingly restricted ; the book maga- zines are small for the probable growth of such a library, within the period which so costly a building ought to be calculated for ; and the light in the reading-room promises to be scant, though possibly it may suffice. AURORA, ILL. Public Library. An addi- tion to the original library building, to accom- modate growth, costing about $7,000, and affording room for about 25,000 books, was completed and opened Jan. I, 1886. BALTIMORE, MD. Enoch Pratt Free Li- brary. The Enoch Pratt Free Library, founded by Enoch Pratt, of that city, with an endowment fund of $833,333.33 and a noble building, which cost $225,000 more, was opened with formal ceremonies on the THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. 4th of January, 1886. I have abridged the following description of the building from an elaborate account published, with illustra- tions, in one of the Baltimore newspapers, on the day following the dedication : It has a frontage of 8r feet 10 inches on Mulberry street, with a depth of 140 feet. The style of the architecture is bold Roman- esque. A tower in the middle of the front rises to the height of 98 feet. The delivery room, at the right of the entrance, is some- what small, being but 30 feet square. The registrar's room, at the left of the entrance, is the same in size. Behind these rooms, and communicating with each of them, are two bookrooms, one above the other, in half stories of nine feet each. These are 75 feet long and 37 feet wide, having an open space of 20 feet wide on each side for light and air. The low ceiling means, of course, low cases, or stacks, and no book out of reach from the floor. The two rooms are estimated to be capable of storing 210,000 volumes. Above the bookrooms, in the second story of the building, is a notably fine reading- room, 75 %35 feet, and 25 feet high. It is a handsomely wainscoted and decorated apart- ment, excellently lighted on two sides, and capable of seating 250 readers. A reference room adjoins it, and the librarian's office, with other administration rooms, are on the same floor, in the front part of the building. The broad stairway to that floor is of marble and very fine. BARRE, MASS. Woods Memorial Li- brary. H: Woods, a native of Barre, Mass., but resident in Boston, has erected a library building in the former town, which he gives to the public. The building is reported to be finished, but waits the return of Mr. Woods from Europe for its dedication and formal opening. It is a square, substantial edifice, of brick, with Longmeadow brown sandstone trimmings, 40x60 feet in dimen- sions, and two stories high. A cut of it appeared in the Library journal i July, 1887. The library reading-room, directors' room, and waiting-room take up the first floor, while the second is divided between a lecture hall and a museum of antiquities and curiositise. The books of the library are shelved in cases of ash, which are intended to contain 6,000 volumes. The cost of the building has been about $20,000. A son of Mr. Woods is the architect. BATAVIA, N. Y. Richmond Library. Mrs. Dean Richmond, of Batavia, N. Y., is erect- ing at that place a fine library building which will be presented to the village when finished. It was commenced in July last. The archi- tect of the building is Mr. James G. Cutler, of Rochester, who has supplied the following information : " The building will cost, com- plete, about $25,000. The front building, which shows from the street, contains the reading-room, librarian's room, and toilet- rooms, and is entirely of cut stone, with a tile roof. The stackroom at right angles with the main building is built of brick and is entirely fire proof. The stackroom is 14 feet high, and as the present cases will be only 7 feet, you will see that we can double the capacity of the library by putting in another tier of cases. I have not yet designed these cases, but expect to make them of gas pipe, with wooden shelves. The reading-room is about 24x42 feet. It has a large open fire-place at the end of it, over which we shall place a bronze memorial tablet. The part of the front building occupied by the hall, toilet-room, and libra- rian's room will have a second story which will be available for extra workrooms. Has a good cellar under the whole building, of course provided with an outside entrance. The capacity of the stackroom, as at present fitted up, will be from 12,000 to 14,000 volumes." BELCHERTOWN, MASS. Clapp Memorial Library. A fine library building erected at Belchertown, Mass., in accordance with the bequest of John F. Clapp, was dedicated on the 3oth of June last. It is an edifice of the Norman order, in Greek-cross form, 102 feet long by 50 feet wide, constructed of Long- meadow stone, with granite base. The apart- ment distinctly called the Library is 40 feet square, and 27 feet high. Adjoining it is a LARNED. 73 reading-room, from which it is separated only by a screen of carved cherry wood. The books are arranged in alcoves, estimated to hold 15,000 volumes, with possibilities, it is thought, equal to 50,000 volumes. The fund bequeathed by Mr. Clapp five years ago was $40,000, three quarters of which was to be expended on the building. BLOOMINGTON, ILL. Library Association. The Library Association of Bloomington, 111., is erecting a building which is promised to be finished by the first of the coming October. Mr. Charles L. Capen, of the Board of Trustees, has kindly supplied the following notes of information : " The estimated cost of the building is $17,000. The lot, worth $5,000, was given us, making the entire value $22,000. The money is raised and to be raised by public subscription. We receive nothing from public funds. The architect is George H. Miller, Bloomington. The style of architecture is composite. Materials of con- struction, pressed brick and stone trimmings. The building is 6ox 80, maximum dimensions. The principal floor has rooms of the following dimensions : Library room, 30 x 57 ; reading- room,22X36; directors' room, i6x 12 ; recep- tion hall, 13x20; librarian's office, 16x9; waiting room, 15x25. The upper floor is divided up into rooms of nearly the same size and proportions. This upper floor is to be rented, for "the purpose of aiding in raising a revenue for the library. It is now rented to Th e Bloomington Club ' for a term of years. The mode of shelving is in rows of book- stands, through the room, separated by aisles none against the wall; material and size not fully determined upon. The building is to be heated by steam, with numerous grates. These grates are the only means of ventila- tion provided." BOSTON, MASS. Boston Athenceum. Plans are under consideration for raising the walls, putting on a mill roof, and filling the third story so heightened with stacks having a capacity of 280,000 volumes. The rest of the building has a capacity somewhat exceed- ing 100,000 volumes. The architects are Messrs. Cabot Chandler. BOSTON. Public Library, The present situation of the building project for the Boston Public Library is explained in the following note from the Librarian, Judge Chamberlain : " By act of the Massachusetts Legislature the plans and construction of the new building for the Boston Public Library were placed in the hands of the Trustees, and recently they employed McKim, Mead & White to prepare plans and estimates. They have submitted sketch plans of the interior, and it is expected that the Trustees during the summer will suggest such modifications as occur to them. No work will be done on the erection this season, but it is hoped to go forward in the spring of 1888." BRADDOCK, PA. Carnegie Library. The munificent Mr. Andrew Carnegie is said to be erecting a beautiful library and lecture-hall building at Braddock, Pa., which he will give to the town when it is finished. The building is expected to cost $80,000. The library room in it is 86x30 feet in size, and is intended for 5,000 volumes. BRATTLEBORO, VT. Brooks Library. The Brooks Library at Brattleboro, Vt., erected and presented to the town by George J. Brooks, who died two days before the formal inauguration of the building took place, was opened and dedicated on the 25th of January last, Hon. Mellen Chamberlain, of the Boston Public Library, delivering an admirable address upon the occasion. The building is of pressed brick and Longmeadow brown stone, on a foundation of granite, one story in height. The bookroom, projecting at the rear, 33 1-2x40 feet in dimensions, contains eight double cases of oak, with a capacity for shelving 13,000 volumes. The main building, 50 x 28 feet, contains two fine reading-rooms, finished in California redwood. Committee room and other apartments are in the basement. The building is illustrated and fully described in the Library journal of March, 1887. BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Public Library. Mrs. Hills, Librarian of the Bridgeport Public Library, writes under date of May 21, with reference to the commodious building that is 74 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. now being made ready for that institution: " The work upon which we are engaged is the alteration of an already existing building which was bequeathed to us several years ago for library purposes. As originally erected it was intended for stores and offices; it is admirably located, and is valued at up- wards of $100,000. It is estimated that the alterations will cost about $30,000. We shall retain the stores for the present, as the rent makes a welcome addition to our scanty income. On the floor above the stores, we shall have a book and delivery room for the circulating department, shelved for about 50,000 volumes, a catalogue room, and a pleasant parlor which will serve the double purpose of director's room and librarian's office. Upon the next floor we shall have a large, well-lighted reading-room, the reference collection, a room for quiet study, and a room in which chess and other games may be played. Above this is a large hall which will be ultimately used as an art gallery and museum. We have a vacant lot at the back, so that, as the library grows, an extension can be easily built. The main details of the furniture and other interior arrangements will be copied from the Buffalo Library. BUFFALO, N. Y. Buffalo Library. The new building of the Buffalo Library, designed and erected for joint occupation by the Library and by the Buffalo Fine Arts Acad- emy, the Buffalo Historical Society, and the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences, was begun in October, 1884, and finished in the spring of 1887. The formal dedication and opening of the building took place on the 7th of February, 1887, the library having been in occupation of it since the beginning of the year. The building may be called Romanesque in style of architecture, and is peculiarly effective in color, offering none of the strong contrasts that are common in the architecture of the day. The materials are a warm brown sand- stone, Trenton pressed red brick, and red terra-cotta, with red slate upon the roofs. It is of fire-proof construction throughout. The library occupies its main floor, with parts of the second floor and the basement. The delivery room, to which the entrance from the lobby leads, is a large apartment, irregular in form, 40 x 60 feet in dimensions. Behind it, in the northeasterly wing of the building, is the book room, or rooms, divided by heavy walls, with large open arches, into what may be called three rooms or three sections of one room. As a whole, it is 47 feet wide and 132 feet long, about one fourth of the total length being in each of the end sections, and one half of it in the middle section. All these sections may be filled with book-stacks when needed. At present there are book-stacks erected in the middle and westerly sections only. The book-slacks are but two stages of 7 feet each in height. The room having a height of 22 feet, from floor to ceiling, it is possible, at any time, to add a third tier to the stacks, but that is not to be recommended. As now con- structed, their capacity is for something more than 150,000 volumes. When extended into the easterly section of the room, they will store 200,000 volumes. Supporting nothing but their own weight, with that of the books which they carry, the stacks are of a simple and light construction. Thin cast-iron cross- pieces, or bearings, slide upon standarcis of one-inch gas pipe, being adjustably fixed in place by steel set-screws, and these are flanged for holding the shelves. The platform which constitutes the floor to the second stage is of light iron gratings and rough glass in about equal proportions. The stacks are 15 feet long, each divided into five shelf-sections of 3 feet each. They are 18 inches in depth, from face to face, thus giving a shelf 9 inches wide on each face, and there is no partition between these two opposed shelves. The passage between the stacks is 32 inches wide, and this is found to be quite sufficient. There are two rows of these stacks, with a broad passage inclosed within iron railings carried down through the middle of the room between them. The passage is bridged to establish easy communication from one row of book-stacks to the other. The purpose of LARNED. 75 this passageway is to give public entrance to the large room at the easterly end of the book- stacks, which will not be needed for book storage until many years hence, and which is assigned meantime to class studies and similar special uses. To the right of the delivery room, on enter- ing, and separated from it only by the piers of three large arches, is the catalogue-room, containing the card catalogues and bibliog- raphy of the library. A door from this room leads into "the study," or reference reading-room, which is an apartment S 2x 33/4 feet in size, well lighted with windows on two sides. In the opposite direction are the librarian's office and the reading-room for periodicals, the latter occupying the large bow front of the building, 54x38 feet, with windows on three sides. On the second floor are the ladies' reading- room, 54x38 feet, the Board of Managers' room, 21x40 feet, a chessroom, 21 x28 feet, and a lecture-room, 33 x 52 feet, with seats for 225 people. Packing and storage -rooms and a prospective bindery are in the basement. The Society of Natural Sciences occupies the greater part of the basement, which is high and light. The Fine Arts Academy has its picture galleries and classroom on the second floor, and the third floor is occupied by the Historical Society. The engine and boiler house is at the rear, and entirely detached. BUFFALO, N. Y. German Young Men's Association. The German Young Men's Association, of Buffalo, have nearly completed a large and costly Music Hall and library building to replace an inferior building of the same character which burned some two years and a half ago. In the main, the fine edifice is for musical uses ; but the Association which builds and owns it is essentially a library organization, and the maintenance of its library is the primary object with which it is concerned. The library is provided for in an apartment 38 x 67 feet in dimensions, occupying the northeasterly corner of the building, with an independent entrance at the side. The books will be placed in iron stacks constructed on the plan of those in the Buffalo Library. A committee-room adjoins this. The building as a whole has a fine fagade of 190 feet on the main street of the city and a depth of 260 feet. It is four stories in height, with a massive and picturesque tower, and is of the Romanesque style of archi- tecture. The materials are brown sandstone and red brick. The great Music Hall on its main floor has capacity for seating an audi- ence of 3,000 people and more, with a stage on which a chorus nearly equal to that in numbers can be placed. On the second floor is a smaller hall for minor concert occasions, 66 feet square and seating 1,176 people. In other parts of the building, apartments are provided for several of the German musical societies of the city, with a large banquet hall, reception-rooms, etc. The building is to be opened with an important musical festival in October, and will be entirely finished somewhat later. Its cost will be $200,000 to $225,000. The architect is Mr. Richard A. Waite of Buffalo. BURLINGTON, VT. Billings Library . The Billings Library of the University of Vermont is now being enlarged by the addition of a room about 30 feet square, at a cost of perhaps $15,000. The room is to hold the 12,000 vol- umes of the library of Geo. P. Marsh, given to the University by F. Billings, who also provided the building. CAMBRIDGE, MASS. Harvard Divinity School Library. I am indebted to Prof.J. H. Thayer for the following description of the new library building which is being erected at Cambridge for the Harvard Divinity School. Prof. Thayer wrote last week while absent from Cambridge, and could not give precise dimensions: "The architects are Messrs. Peabody & Stearns; the builders, the Messrs. Norcross, of Boston. The cost of building and furniture will be between $35,000 and $40,000. The building is of face-brick, with free-stone trim- mings ; not absolutely fire proof, but of what the architects call ' slow combustion.' The main building is occupied by a spacious hall 7 6 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. or passageway, on the right of which are two lecture-rooms accommodating each say 25 students ; two similar rooms occupy the second story. From the left of the hall the reading-room is entered ; it is lighted mainly from the top. At the east and west ends of it are alcoves, three on a side, for books ' reserved ' for the common use of students and for works of reference. The shelving in these alcoves is of wood, and runs only head high. At the end of each alcove is a narrow, high window, beneath which there is no shelving. To the north of the reading-room and entered by an iron door from the librari- an's room, is a fire-proof ' stack ' lighted by slit-windows in its northern wall and from above ; built of brick, flooring and shelving of perforated iron, as in the University library ; capacity about 30,000 volumes. The building is heated by steam, although the reading-room is provided with a large and ornamented open fire-place." CAMBRIDGE, MASS. Public Library. Mr. F. H. Rindge, formerly of Cambridge, Mass., but resident lately in California, has promised a building site and $70,000 to $80,000 in money to the city in Cambridge for a building in which to house the public library of 20,000 volumes known as the Dana Library, which Cambridge already possesses. CHELSEA, MASS. Public Library. On the 22d of December, 1885, the Public Library at Chelsea, Mass., was opened in a new building, the gift of which to the city was made at the same time by Mr. Eustace C. Fitz. The dedicatory address, delivered on the occasion by James Russell Lowell, has been widely read and admired. The building was originally a private residence, of solid and costly character. It was remodeled by Mr. Fitz for its library use, and affords room for 50,000 volumes. It is surrounded by spacious grounds, which are made part of the gift. The first cost of the property is said to have been $60,000. The cost to Mr. Fitz, alterations included, was $25,000. CHICAGO, ILL. Newberry Library. The appointment of Dr. Wm. F. Poole, lately at the head of the Public Library in Chicago, to be the Librarian of the nascent Newberry Library, in the same city, is the first step taken toward realizingthe magnificent bequest of Walter L. Newberry. It is understood that the settlement of the estate will probably produce an endowment for the library of more than $2,000,000. That a worthy building for it will be erected in due time is a matter of course; and what is known as the "old New berry homestead " in the north division of the city of Chicago, being a block bounded by Pine, Rush, Erie, and Ontario streets, has already been fixed upon for the site. But there will be no haste, I am told, in building. Ample time will be taken for the studying and maturing of plans, while a collection of books is being formed, and we may be sure that under Mr. Poole the studying of plans will lie wisely and carefully done. It is extremely fortunate that so important a library building is to be designed and constructed under the eye of a gentleman who has given more attention to the problems of library architect- ure than any other librarian has done, perhaps, and who has brought a very wide experi- ence to bear upon them. It is extremely fort- unate that Mr. Poole has been given the opportunity to produce a conspicuous model of library construction on the large scale, according to the well-determined and excel- lent principles that are matured in his mind. CONCORD, N. H. Fowler Library Build- ing. The Library journal 'of June, 1 887, reports the purchase of a house which is to be fitted for the City Library of Concord, N. H., by William P. Fowler and his sister, Miss Clara M. Fowler, of Boston, and which will be presented to the town when finished. The cost of the building was $12,000, and $10,000 more will be expended upon it. The gift is for a memorial of Judge Asa Fowler and wife, by their children. CORTLAXD, N. Y. Hatch Library. A new library building, erected at Cortland, N. Y., by Mr. Franklin Hatch, to be a gift to the Franklin Hatch Library Association, will be completed this fall. The cost of the build- ing, exclusive of ground, will be about $8,000. It is constructed of Trenton pressed brick, LARNED. 77 with terra-cotta and gray limestone trimmings. The library room proper, occupying the whole front of the structure, is 50 feet long by 25 feet wide and 26 feet high. The arrangement of books will be in alcoves around the walls, with a gallery. At the rear is a reading-room. The building is a handsome and attractive one. DAYTON, O. Public School Library. At Dayton, O., a fine new building is being erected for the Public School Library. The architects, Messrs. Peters & Burns, of Day- ton, have supplied the following notes of description and information : The cost of the building, so far as con- tracted, which includes everthing but gas fixtures, furniture, and the finishing of second story, will be about $90,000, including the architects' fees of 5 per cent. It is con- structed as nearly fire-proof as practicable, by the use of stone, brick, terra cotta, and iron. The exterior walls are laid up in rock- faced " broken ashlar " of native blue-gray limestone, trimmed freely with Lake Superior red sandstone of very fine quality and color. The roof is of heavy red slates, with terra cotta crestings, finials, etc. In style it is a free treatment of the Romanesque. The general dimensions of building are 40x120 feet, with two wings, 20 x 52 feet each. The architects sent a rough sketch of the first floor plan, with dimensions, also a print of the architects' perspective view. A better idea of the appearance of the building may be had, it is said, by reference to The American Architect, of February 6, 1886. It is being built at the cost of the Dayton Board of Edu- cation, upon ground owned by the city and heretofore used as a small park, the tract being about 300x375 feet. Work was begun in November, 1885, and the building will be completed, as far as intended at present, some time during the coming autumn. The shelving will be in alcoves, without galleries at present. Details of cases are not yet decided upon. Provision is made for both gas and incandes- cent electric lighting. Heating will be done by steam ; ventilation by means of heated ducts. Provision is made at present for the accom- modation of 65,000 volumes, and the second story unappropriated. The books now in the library number 24,775 volumes. EAST SAGINAW, MICH. Hoyt Public Library. A new building at East Saginaw, Mich., for the Public Library founded by bequest of the late Jesse Hoyt, of New York, was begun last May, with the intention that it shall be finished in June next. The material of which it is being built is a bluish gray lime- stone, from Bay Port, Mich., trimmed with Lake Superior red sandstone. The architects are Messrs. Van Brunt & Howe, of Boston. Mr. Poole, then of the Chicago Public Library, was consulted in the preparation of plans, and of course they are admirable. I have sketches of them, which I owe to the kindness of Mr. James B. Peter, Secretary of the Board of Trustees, who has also supplied the information which I summarize'. The en- trance to the building is in its southerly wing, through a fine porch, vestibule, and hall lead- ing to a large delivery-room, 32 feet 4 inches x 47 feet 10 inches in dimensions. Behind the delivery counter (easterly) is the bookroom, 52 feet x 31 feet 4 inches, filling the whole width of the main building, and well lighted on both sides. What form and arrangement of shelving will be adopted is still a question. The inten- tion is to provide at present for 40,000 volumes, and the building is planned to permit future extensions. The northerly wing contains a nobly lighted reading-room, 27 feetio inches x 47 feet 10 inches, with a large projecting bay, and the librarian's office. On the second floor are a lecture-room, 47 feet 10 inches x 32 feet 4 inches, trustees' room, a room for special col- lections, etc. The estimated cost of the build- ing" is $50,000. GARDNER, MASS. Levi Heywood Me- morial Library. A fine new building, erected - at a cost of $30,000, was presented to the town on the 4th of February, 1886, by the children of Levi Heywood, who have since given additionally a fund of $25,000 to the library. In compliance with their wish, the institution is now known as the Levi Heywood Memorial Library. The following account of THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. the building is condensed for the most part from a description prepared by the architects, Messrs. Fuller & Delano, of Worcester, Mass., and published in the Gardner Weekly News of June 27, 1885. I am indebted for it to Miss Osgood, the Librarian : The building is in the Romanesque style of architecture, 70 x 58 feet in size, two stories in height, with large gables on front and east side. The basement is built 5 feet above the sidewalk, of rock-face granite ashlar. Above the granite, the first story is of pressed brick, with brown stone and terra cotta trimmings. The ap- proach to the main entrance is by two flights of broad granite steps, leading up to an open porch, px 16 feet. This porch is the striking feature of the front. The first floor is occu- pied with the library proper and the rooms appertaining to it, including a waiting hall, reading-room, 20x25 f eet > reference-room, 12x14 feet; trustees' room, librarian's office, delivery desk, and bookroom, 38x25 feet. The bookroom is built in a half-circular form. It is 18 feet in height, to allow of a gallery being built when it becomes necessary to have more bookroom. It is lighted with frequent windows in the circular wall and a light in the ceiling. The forms for the books are set in the floor of the bookroom, radiating from the centre, and on the inside walls. There will be shelfroom for about 17,000 volumes, and there can be shelves added which would double the capacity. The second floor will have a waiting-room, 10x20 feet, with a fire- place, and a hall, 24 x 36 feet. In the trustees' room and reading-room are handsome memo- rial fire-places, in brown stone and terra cotta, to be surmounted with busts of Levi Heywood and Charles Heywood. The heirs of Charles Heywood have given a fund of $5,000 to the library reading-room. There are also two memorial windows in the trustees' room, representing Art and Science. KXOXVILLE, TENN. Public Library. The Library journal of July, 1887, announced the completion and occupation of an elegant building erected for the Knoxville Library, at a cost of $40,000, by Col. C. M. McGhee, in memory of his daughter. It is 5ox 100 feet in dimensions, and is constructed of pressed brick, terra cotta, and marble. The first floor is designed for business uses, and contributes its rental to the support of the library. The second and third floors contain the library rooms and a pretty lecture hall. The books, about 4,000 in present number, are shelved in cases of cherry wood. LITTLETON, MASS. Town Hall and Reu- ben Hoar Library. The August, 1887, issue of the Library Journal reports at length the dedi- cation, on the 28th of July last, of a new build- ing at Littleton, Mass., designed for the Town Hall and for the Reuben Hoar Library. Its cost was $11,000. It was built by the town, but the undertaking was stimulated by a gift of $10,000 to the library from Mr. W. S. Houghton, of Boston, who stipulated that the name of Reuben Hoar, a former resident of Littleton, should be perpetuated in it. Hon. John D. Long delivered the dedicatory address. LIVERMORE, ME. Public Library. A Gothic library building, of granite, erected by surviving members of the Washburn family in memory of their father and mother, Israel Washburn and wife, was presented, together with 2,000 volumes of books, to the town of Livermore, and dedicated with suitable cere- monies on the 5th of August, 1885. The building is 32x48 feet in dimensions, with a porch. It is handsome in design, with high slated roof and stained windows. LUDLOW, MILLS, MASS. Hubbard Memo- rial. The Library journal of May, 1887, describes a beautiful memorial library and lecture-room building which is being erected at Ludlow Mills by the children of the late Charles T. Hubbard, of Weston. It was designed by W. R. Emerson, of Boston, and is to be a Gothic structure, built of Long- meadow brownstone and pressed brick. The library will contain about 8,000 volumes, arranged in alcoves. If expectations are realized, the building will be finished during the coming winter. MALDEN, MASS. Converse Memorial Li- brary. The Converse Memorial Library, LARNED. 79 erected at Maiden, Mass., by Hon. Elisha S. Converse and Mary D. Converse to the memory of their son, was finished and dedi- cated on the ist of October, 1885. It was designed by the late H. H. Richardson, and built richly of Longmeadow brown sandstone, at a cost not made known. The main library room, 50x36 feet in dimensions on the floor, has a high vaulted ceiling, and is beautifully finished in polished white oak, with elaborate carving. The books are in alcoves, with one gallery ; and the present provision is for 35,000 volumes, but the ultimate capacity is estimated at 60,000 volumes. The delivery- room is 25 feet square. An art gallery, 24x37 feet in size, and other apartments are contained in the building. MANSFIELD, O. Sailors and Soldiers Memorial Library. At Mansfield, O., the tax which a State law permits to be levied and applied to the building of a monument to the dead of the civil war has been appropriated, on petition of the surviving soldiers, to the erection of a public library building, named " The Sailors and Soldiers Memorial Library." The sum to be expended on it is $50,000, and the building will be one of considerable char- acter. For the maintaining of the library, a Ladies' Library Association has been organ- ized, and is actively engaged in the raising of funds. Mrs. J. E. Dixson has been employed to select books for purchase. The basement and the upper floor of the building are assigned to the use of the G. A. R. The hook-stack room and the reading-room of the library will be on the main floor. MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. Public Library. I am indebted to Mr. Herbert Putnam, of the Athenaeum Library, Minneapolis, for the fol- lowing description of the magnificent building that is being erected for the Public Library of that city, and in which the books of the Ath- enasnum are to be placed, under a lease of 99 years to the city : "Land was purchased for our Public Library building in the winter of 1885 ; a cor- ner 132 feet on one of our principal avenues (Hennepin), with 190 feet of depth on abroad cross street. The plans were arrived at by a competition, in which six local and two non- resident architects took part. After various modifications, the present design was decided upon, and Messrs. Long & Kees, a Minneap- olis firm, put in charge. Ground was broken last July, and the building has nearly reached its second story. The contract calls for its enclosure by November. It should in that case be ready for occupancy by next summer. "The design contemplates a quadrangle, of which the elevation exhibits the two outer wings. These alone are to be built for the present. The building is for the use, not merely of the library, but also of the Minn. Academy of Natural Science and a Society of Fine Arts. Making allowance for the differ- ences in site, you will see that the general arrangement of the interior is similar to that of your own Buffalo Library, except that with us the Museum is to occupy the second (main) floor, the library taking the high basement, as well as the first floor. The Art Gallery and the stack-room are placed exactly as yours. "The building is no feet in front and 142 feet on the side street. The entrance is about midway down the side facing upon the avenue. Directly within the doorway is the main staircase hall (32 feet square), lighted from above and from the long windows over the entrance door. Back of the hall is the delivery-room, 24 x 52 feet. The main reading- room occupies 40 feet square of the corner. The newspaper reading-room is directly below this, of like dimensions, and reached by a separate entrance direct from the street. A third reading-room is to the right of the hall on the main floor. Back of this, and adjacent to the delivery-room, are the administration- rooms, occupying also a small magazine story. Their area is about 24x48 feet. " The bookroom (that section at present building) runs back on the side street too feet. It is 28 feet deep to the court. On the street side are to be alcoves for student reference. Along the court the books are to be stacked as closely as practicable. The room (as well as the whole of this floor) is to be 1 8 feet high, and will admit of a double tier of shelves. The exact system of stack to be used has not yet been determined. We 8o THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. are at present inclined to some such economic material as you have used at Buffalo. A second bookroom will be available in the basement whenever necessary. In the base- ment also are to be the patent-room, storage, dressing, and directors' rooms. " The second floor will contain meeting- rooms and museum-rooms. The third will be given up to classrooms and the art gallery. The two remaining wings, when built, will nearly double the present capacity, and fur- nish in addition a lecture hall to seat 600 people. The building will have a clear space on every side of not less than 20 feet, on three sides of 50 feet, besides the inner court of 50 feet square. The material of the exte- rior is to be Bayfield (brown) sandstone. The whole building is to be fire proof throughout. " The cost is being defrayed as follows : Bonds issued by the city . $100,000 City tax, 1886 .... 23,000 do 1887 .... 37,000 Private subscription (to date) . 70,000 $230,000 " Of this amount $63,000 was paid for the site. The cost of the building (the two wings already in process of construction) will be about $190,000. This leaves about $25,000 still lacking, which it is hoped to raise by further private subscription. The constitu- tion of the new library was described in the Library journal of April, 1885." MONTPELIER, Vx. Vermont State Library. A new building for the State Library and the Supreme Court was erected in 1886, as an annex to the west wing of the State House. The library-room is on the second floor, 45 by 50 feet in size, and 28 feet 6 inches in height. There is an estimated capacity for 70,000 volumes, upon shelves in iron frames or stacks. The building is of fire-proof con- struction. The architects were Messrs. J. R. & W. P. Richards, of Boston. The sum appropriated for the building was $36,000. MORGAN PARK (!LL.) Library. "A build- ing costing $10,000 has been erected for the valuable collection of books gathered at the Theological Seminary." Library journal, May, 1887. MX. VERNON, O. Public Library. A move- ment toward the collecting of money for the purchase of books to form a small public library was started at Mt. Vernon, O., not long ago, among some of the citizens whose circumstances are narrow and who could only contribute very moderate sums. This action opened the eyes of a wealthier class to the needs of the town, and they promptly sub- scribed a library endowment fund of $20,000, besides buying and remodeling a pretty church, which serves excellently for a library building. The building is just finished, and the initial collection of books is being gotten ready for it. NEWARK, N. J. Library Association. The Newark (N. J.) Library Association is now engaged in reconstructing for its use a building in that city which was lately the Park Theatre, having previously been a church. The front half of the old building is to be entirely razed and a new edifice erected on the site. The rear portion will remain stand- ing, and is to be ready for the removal of the books of the library into it by November next. In the new part of the building, forming its front, are to be placed the reading-rooms and administration offices of the library, together with a small lecture hall and other apartments. This new section of the edifice will be 75 1-2 feet front, extending back 46 feet, and rising to three stories in height, with a central tower 65 feet high. It will be of Newark stone, the facade in Romanesque style, the entrance round-arched, with considerable carv- ing. The construction will be on what is called the slow-burning system, with open- timbered ceilings, showing the full depth of the beams. The bookroom, or library proper, in the old section of the building at the rear, will be 60 x 63 feet in floor dimensions, and 45 feet high to a cove ceiling. It will be lighted by four cathedral windows on each side. The books will be shelved in alcoves, with one gallery above the floor. Contracts for the entire work upon the building were lately given out, and it is now being carried on with vigor. The completion of the building early next spring is expected. LARNED. 81 These particulars have been derived from newspaper reports kindly supplied to me by the librarian, Mr. J. E. Layton. NEW HAVEN, CONN. Yale College Li- brary. Concerning the intended new library building at Yale, which is to be a gift to the college from the Hon. Simeon B. Chittenden, Mr. Van Name writes, Aug. 19, as follows : " We have made slower progress than we an- ticipated with our plans, and have not yet arrived at anything definite enough for publica- tion. The plan which we are at present con- sidering may prove too costly, and something quite different may be substituted. We shall begin work as soon as our plans are ready, I hope this fall ; if not, early in the spring ; and the building, I suppose, may be completed in a year from that time. The only state- ments which can be safely made at present are that we have $100,000 for the building, which is to be of stone (brownstone, though of what quarry is yet undecided) ; that, while it will have a temporary connection with the present library building, which is still to re- main in use, it will be a part rather of the future building than an annex to the present ; that we expect it to contain administration-rooms, a reading-room which will seat not far from 100 readers, and shelf-room for 200,000 vol- umes, and that we hope to make it fire-proof or nearly so." NEW ORLEANS LA. Howard Library. In March last, the Library journal contained a statement to the effect that Miss Annie F. Howard had determined to carry out the in- tentions of her father, Mr. Charles T. How- ard, who, for many years before his death, contemplated the erection of a great public library in New Orleans ; that a site for the building had been purchased, and that it would be constructed at once, in accordance with designs prepared some years ago for Mr. Howard by the late H. H. Richardson, and which had in view the accommodating of a collection of 150,000 books. I wrote lately to New Orleans for fuller information, but have been told in reply that Miss Howard and her brother are abroad, and that nothing can be learned at present, except that Mr. Richard- son's plans have been accepted. NEWTON, MASS. Free Library. Exten- sive additions to the library building, and changes remodeling several parts of its interior, have been recently completed, at a cost of $24,000. The result is said to be remarkably satisfactory in every view. The library-rooms are strikingly beautiful, and the convenience of the working arrangements of the library is unsurpassed. The bookroom, the delivery-room, the reference-room, the newspaper-room, the document-room, and the librarian's room are all reported to be of liberal dimensions, well lighted, and hand- somely finished. NEW YORK CITY. Young Men's Chris- tian Association. It is announced that the Young Men's Christian Association will erect, further up town, a new central building, and that its library will be transferred to it. NEW YORK CITY. Free Circulating Li- brary. Two new buildings for branches of the New York Free Circulating Library are being erected. The George Bruce Branch, for which a fund of $50,000 has been fur- nished by Miss Katherine Bruce, will be ready for occupation, it is hoped, early in the coming winter. For the Vanderbilt Branch, ground has just been cleared, and the work of building is to go forward at once. NORTHFIELD, MASS. Seminary Library. A fire-proof library building of granite and brown stone, with capacity for 40,000 vol- umes, is about to be erected on the Northfield Seminary grounds, at a cost of $25,000. It is to be the gift of James Talcott, of New York. OAK PARK, ILL. Sco-ville Institute Li- brary. The Scoville Institute Library build- ing at Oak Park, 111., plans of which were exhibited at the Lake George meeting of the A.L.A. in 1885, is now far advanced toward completion. Work upon it was begun in the spring of 1886; the exterior is finished, and the building is expected to be ready for occupation next spring, or early in the summer. The architects are Messrs. Patton & Fisher, of Chicago, 111., who have made a special study of library architecture, and who have intro- duced the most approved ideas of arrange- 82 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. ment. The building (of which a view, with floor plans, has been published in the Inland Architect) is in the modern Romanesque style. The outer material is a hard bluish white limestone, laid with a bold rock face, and with trimmings of Buff Bedford limestone. The construction is fire proof throughout. On the main floor, the proper library apartments are grouped around a spacious octagonal rotunda, which is the delivery-room. They include a bookroom, 33 x 40 feet, well lighted, with a compact and judicious arrangement of cases capable of containing 30,000 volumes ; a reference library-room, 21 x 33 feet ; a reading- room, 17x19 feet, with toilet-rooms, etc. In the second story is a lecture-room, also in- tended to be made an art gallery, and there are several smaller apartments for various purposes. The attic will afford room for a gymnasium. The estimated cost of the building was $60,000; but it is said by the architects that the actual cost will somewhat exceed that sum. It will be a gift to the public by Mr. James W. Scoville, of Oak Park, who intends to place the property under the care of 15 trustees. PHILADELPHIA, PA. Library Company. The annual report of the Library Company of Philadelphia, made in May last, urges the need of an enlargement of the present library building, and states that the Directors have issued an appeal to the members and the community generally for contributions to a building fund. It is believed that $75,000 will be required for the purpose, and it is pro- posed to raise that sum by annual subscrip- tions running for five years, in amounts varying from $12.50 to $100 per year. "Already," says the report, "a number of subscriptions have been secured ; notably one from Henry C. Lea, of $5,000, payable when $50,000 shall have been obtained from other sources; but the response to their circular has not been sufficiently general to justify the expectation that the addition can be made in the course of the current year." PHILADELPHIA, PA. Library of the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania. The University of Pennsylvania is contemplating the erection of a worthy fire-proof building for its library, on the university grounds, east of the college building, in Philadelphia. Plans are already under consideration, but nothing has yet been decided. The Provost of the university, Dr. Pepper, lately visited a number of the im- portant libraries of the country, to study their arrangements ; and it is intended that the new building shall represent the best that have yet been evolved, in all respects. According to present purposes, the building will contain, besides the library, a large and beautiful theatre for commencement exercises and for the performance of Greek plays. About $300,000 is the sum proposed to be expended ; and Mr. Wharton Barker, of the Board of Trustees, is engaged in gathering a fund for the undertaking. Dr. Pepper, in a letter received lately, writes : " The fund is increasing rapidly, but we shall not build until we have matured our plans thoroughly. Our project is to erect a library for 300,000 to 500,000 volumes ; free for reference to the community, though, of course, specially adapted to needs of students. We have ample space, and I trust shall have the build- ing completed in three years." I learn from the Librarian of the university, Mr. Gregory B. Keen, that' there are now about 40,000 volumes of books and 65,000 pamphlets and unbound periodicals in its library. PITTSBURG, PA. Keystone Bridge Works, Workmen's Library. A library building which cost $28,000, with $1,000 for the pur- chase of books, was presented last year by Mr. Andrew Carnegie. The building, nearly new, is adapted from one which formerly con- stituted two dwelling-houses. QUINCY, ILL. Public Library. Prepara- tions are being made at Quincy, 111., for the erection of a Public Library building, intended to cost about $20,000. But the plans have not yet been definitely determined upon. ST. Louis, Mo. Mercantile Library. Concerning the new fire-proof building of the St. Louis Mercantile Library, Mr. Dyer wrote in May last : " We have secured $ 1 20,000 from the sale of perpetual memberships, at $100, and will borrow the balance that may be nee- LARNED. essary to complete the building say $250,- ooo. We broke ground on the 22d of March ; the foundations are in, and we hope to have the roof on by the ist of November, and to occupy our new home by or before the ist of May next. The building will be as near fire- proof as it is possible to construct ; the esti- mated cost is $300,000. The issue-room will be on the first floor, reading and stack rooms on the sixth, reached by two modern elevators ; the reading-room finished in antique oak, and furnished with every convenience. When the A.L.A. meets here in the fall of 1888, I hope to show you a model library building." SOMERVILLE, MASS. Public Library. A new building, erected by the city, was occu- pied by the library in the autumn of 1885. It is a handsome brick structure, with Rockport underpining, Longmeadow freestone sills, belts, and trimmings, and slated roof. It is made fairly safe from fire by slow-burning or mill-construction floors. The area covered by the building is 3,650 square feet, of which one half is carried to the height of two stories. According to the architect's description, " the height of bookroom is about 17 feet, and admits very high cases ; but as planned to meet the present requirements, half that height suffices. Should the future demand more bookroom, the height of the cases can be raised." It is to be hoped that some other method of meeting the demands of the future can be found. The cases in the bookroom will contain, it is said, 3 5,000 volumes. There are now 13,550 volumes in the library. Mr. Geo. F. Loring, of Somerville, was the archi- tect of the building. Its cost was $30,740. TORONTO, ONT. Legislative Library. The Legislature of the Province of Ontario has begun the erection of new legislative build- ings, including a room of about 40 x 70 for the library. The site is in the Queen's Park, Toronto, close to that of the University of Toronto, which has an excellent library. WARREN, R. 1. Geo. Hail Free Library. The Library journal announces the laying of the corner-stone of a new building for this library on the 24th of June last. The build- ing is to be of rock-faced granite, in the Ro- manesque style of architecture, two stories in height, with a square tower carried up to three stories. It is expected to cost $15,000. The library proper is evidently to be of the old Gothic-church fashion, which Mr. Poole has so vigorously condemned, giving much room to few books. The books are to be in cases under stained-glass windows, which will be raised 7 feet above the floor to make wall space for them. WASHINGTON, D. C. Library of Congress. Mr. Spofford, Librarian of Congress, informs me that work preliminary to the laying of the foundations of the great building planned for the National Library is in progress. The act of Congress making provision for the con- struction of the building and appointing the commission to be in charge of the work became a law on the I5th of April, 1886. Some six months were then consumed by the proceedings necessary to acquire title to the land purchased for its site, which is 8 acres in extent, facing on ist street and adjoining East Capitol Park. The buildings on the grounds were sold and demolished, which involved some further delay. The whole site_ required then to be brought to one level, by much cutting and excavation, and that has been done. Contracts for the excavation of the trenches which surround the building, for the extensive system of sewerage or drainage pipes, and for the excavation of the basement have since been let, and are, in fact, approach- ing completion. The question of a building- stone for the superstructure is now before the commission, which will test samples of every variety in the great collection it has gathered ; but the choice is expected to lie between granite and white marble. The enormous building will cover about 3 1-4 acres of ground. The front on ist street will be 460 feet long. The plan of the building, designed by J. L. Smithmeyer, of Washington, is familiar to librarians from many publica- tions of it. WASHINGTON, D. C. United States Medi- cal Museum and Library, Surgeon-General's Office. The new building in which the Medi- cal Museum and the Medical Library of the THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. Surgeon-General's Office of the United States Army are to be accommodated together, at Washington, is approaching completion. The Librarian, Dr. Billings, writes : " I hope the building will be finished next fall, so that it can be occupied, but am rather doubtful about it." The floor plans of the building were pre- pared by Dr. Billings, while the elevations were designed by Messrs. Cluss and Schulze, architects, of Washington. It is of brick and iron, and to cost $200,000, exclusive of stacks and furniture. The work of construction is being done by contract, under superintend- ence of a Colonel in the Engineer Depart- ment, acting under the orders of the Secretary of War. A brief description of the edifice, with a cut, appeared in the Medical News of Philadelphia Sept. 18, 1886, and it was also illustrated in the American Architect of Jan. 16, 1886. I am indebted to Dr. Billings for a lithograph view, with plan of main floor. Dr. B. has also sent to me a copy of the specifications for the book-stacks, from which I condense the following descrip- tion : The second story of the west wing of the building is allotted to the library ; it is 55 x 130 feet in size, has an open roof construction, is 32 feet high to the eaves, illuminated by three tiers of windows in the side walls, and by a continuous lantern light over the roof ; it is warmed by steam-heated hot air, and ventil- ated through registers near the floor, com- municating with a heated ventilation shaft. The book-stack is three stories, of 7 feet 9 inches in height, and composed of cast-iron open book-cases, parted and surrounded by passages, with floors of perforated cast-iron on the galleries. Nine open cast-iron frames of 2 feet in width at the base, and 7 feet 9 inches in height on each tier, are placed at distances of 34 inches ; they are connected by 64 light, flanged cast-iron girders oh the level of the main floor, galleries, and ceiling, and form one book case. The lower part of each story is dimensioned for folios and quarto volumes, and is parted from the narrower upper part, of proper width for ordinary sized books, by fixed oak shelves, resting on ledges cast to the sides of the frames, and bolted to lugs at- tached to the latter. Besides this fixed shelf, there must be provided two movable shelves on the upper part of the frames. One shelf extends along the space between the frames (2 feet 9 1-2 inches), and their ends are sup- ported by Z shaped shelfholders of No. 14 ductile steel. These in turn rest in indenta- tions of the frames, spaced all the way up, one inch between centres, so as to facilitate the adjustment for different sizes of books. The oak shelves for the book-stacks are 33 1-4x8 X7-8 inches for the upper tiers, and 33 r-4x 12 1-2 x i inches for the lower tiers. The estimated capacity of the 22 stacks is about 150,000 volumes, or about 6,800 volumes per stack, closely packed, or about 130,000 volumes loosely packed, as I wish them to be. Sufficient space has been reserved on the library floor to place at least 11 additional stacks for future growth. A large reading- room adjoins the stackroom. WASHINGTONVILLE, N. Y. Moffatt Li- brary. At Washingtonville, Orange County, N. Y., a library and public hall building, erected at a cost of $25,000, has recently been presented to the village (his native place) by David H. Moffatt, of Denver, Col. The building is of brick, with brown stone ornamentation, and has a fine fagade of 100 feet, with a clock tower. The style of architecture is Eliz- abethan. It was designed by J. Hearney, of New York. The main portion of the build- ing, at the rear, is designed for a public hall. The front, on either side of the entrance lobby, is assigned to library and reading room. Mr. J. Owen Moore, the Secretary of the library, writes me that a fund is in hand for the pur- chase of about 1,000 volumes of books for the beginning of the library collection. It is to be free for consultation, but books will be loaned out only to members paying $2 per year. At present there is no provision for the mainte- nance of the library except these dues and the rental of the hall; but it is believed that Mr. Moffatt contemplates an endowment. WILKESBARRE, PA. Osterhout Library. The Osterhout Library, founded at Wilkes- barre, Pa., by the bequest of Isaac Osterhout, SANDERS. with an endowment fund of nearly $400,000, is to be placed during the present month in a building remodeled from a church. Miss James, formerly of the Newton Free Library, has been appointed Librarian. WINCHESTER, MASS. Town Library. or the discussion which followed the reading $10,000 has been appropriated to add a wing for the library to the town hall now building. It is to be partially fire proof, to contain a reading-room and a bookroom with a capac- ity of 30,000 volumes. It will be ready for occupancy early in 1888. Messrs. Rand & Taylor are the architects, of this paper, see PROCEEDINGS (Fifth session). THE POSSIBILITIES OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN MANUFACTURING COMMUNITIES. BY MRS. M. A. SANDERS, LIBRARIAN PUBLIC LIBRARY, PAWTUCKET, R. I. CIR JOHN HERSCHEL, in an address to the working people of Windsor and Eton upon the occasion of opening a public library for their use in 1839, sa 'd : " If I were to pray for a taste, which should stand me in stead under every variety of cir- cumstances, and be a source of happiness and cheerfulness to me through life, and a shield against its ills however things might go amiss and the world frown upon me, it would be a taste for reading. " Give a man this taste and a means of grat- ifying it, and you can hardly fail of making a happy man, unless, indeed, you put into his hands a most perverse selection of books. "You place him in contact with the best society in every period of history; with the wisest, the wittiest, with the tenderest, the bravest, and the purest characters who have adorned humanity. " You make him a denizen of all nations, a contemporary of all ages. The world has been created for him. It is hardly possible but the character should take a higher and better tone from the constant habit of asso- ciating in thought with a class of thinkers, to say the least of it, above the average of humanity. " It is morally impossible but that the man- ners should take a tinge of good breeding and civilization from having constantly before one's eyes the way in which the best-bred and the best-informed men have talked and conducted themselves in their intercourse with each other. " There is a gentle but perfectly irresistible coercion in a habit of reading well directed, over the whole tenor of a man's character and conduct, which is not the less effect- ual because it is really the last thing he dreams of. " It cannot, in short, be better summed up than in these few words : It civilizes the conduct of men, and suffers them not to remain barbarians." Recognizing this love of reading as the keynote to broader culture and a higher standard of morals, one by one, during the last half-century, libraries have been thrown open to the public that were before only accessible to the scholar (and often grudg- ingly even to him), and new libraries estab- lished, till, in every community, a free public library is as much a necessity to-day as its churches or its schools. Even in the troublous days of the Revolu- tion our forefathers were awaking to this demand, for in 1776 there were 29 "partially public libraries in the colonies;" in 1800 there were 49; in 1876 the number had increased to over 3,000; while to-day we number between 5,000 and 6,000 public libra- ries, comprising a total of over 20,000,000 volumes. The influence of a public library is contin- gent upon many circumstances its com- 86 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. munity, its finances, and largely upon its management. Possibilities which may be developed in one library, in another remain unnoticed; while something of equal import- ance is made of incalculable benefit to its own community. Thus, though working on a general principle, each library independ- ently works out the problem of the greatest good to the greatest number of its own patrons. Happily, therefore, there is no cause for the rivalry and jealousies that dis- turb the harmony of so many fraternities. It is my pleasure and privilege to live in a manufacturing community; to watch the development of practical ideas; to follow the progress of mechanical improvement, and witness with pride their results, for the dis- tinctive feature of Pawtucket is the variety of its industries. We remember with pride our parentage and the honor due to it ; but surely when Samuel Slater, after a weary time oi toil and discouragement, perfected the first power machinery for cotton spinning in this country, and with a pardonable pride saw it in success- ful operation in the first bona fide cotton mill in the United States, which still stands in the centre of our city (I speak with authority, though I am fully aware that this is a case parallel to the " Seven Grecian cities striving for Homer dead.") when, as I said, this was accom- plished in 1791, there was no power of the imagination that could have foreseen the change from the little mill village on the Blackstone River, with its few hundred inhabitants, to the present city of 25,000, 13,000 of whom are engaged in industrial pursuits, its 70 schools, its 600 manufacturing establishments, embracing the greatest variety of industries. But Pawtucket is only one of many thriv- ing manufacturing communities. Waltham, Mass., the adoptive parent of the American Watch Co., which had in 1865 a population of but 7,000, now numbers over 16,000, with not less than 7,000 employe's, 2,500 of whom alone are employed by the American Watch Co. Lowell, Mass., according to the census of 1883, had a population of 66,000, one third of whom were employed in its 300 manufactories. Manchester, N. H., with a population of 40,000, employs 15.000 persons in its 102 manufactories. And so I might go on enumerating special statistics, but these are simply representative communities. It is sufficient for my purpose to say that there are in the United States about 254,000 manufacturing establishments, employing nearly 3,000,000 persons, at an average wage of $1.15 per working day. It is to this great class that we look for much of the prosperity of our country ; for we find that the value of the product of the manufactures of the United States for the last ten years was $5,400,000,000. It is also an important factor in our govern- ment, for the pride and principle of our country is "Vox popidi, vox Dei" In these days when skilled labor is at a premium, when issues are constantly arising requiring the best legislative ability, and the demand for both is far greater than the supply, how are we to meet it? The reply comes from far and near, " Educate the people." Yes, educate the people ! for they are very ready to be educated, many of them striving with a self-denial known only to themselves to give to their children the education that was denied them : our schools of to-day are showing good work from the sons and daugh- ters of these parents, and its influence is blessing their homes. But many are denied that privilege, and cannot afford to spare their children's wages for even the three months covering the com- pulsory law of education. .At the average wage a private library though small is unattainable ; a newspaper may be a luxury indulged in. Where, then, is the royal road to learning ? We do not hesi- tate to say the free public library is that long- sought highway. Then open wide the doors; let us stock our shelves with the best mechan- ical and scientific works ; see that each craft is especially represented ; supply the works on the leading questions of the day, also works pertaining to the civil government. In this we must not be partisan ; these subjects SANDERS. must be considered in all their bearings, and in the broadest manner. The biographies of working men who have attained honor by their practical worth and preseverance either in mechanical, civil, or military service must have a prominent place ; history and travel will receive their share of attention; while we will not forget that the working man and woman must have some amusement and recreation, and that " strong meat " is not always desirable ; our fiction department must be supplied with all that is bright, fresh, inspiring, and helpful, but nothing that will create a craving for greater stimulant, or tend in the least degree to weaken the moral character; for the office of a public library is to develop to its fullest capacity the best powers of a community. The extent of such develop- ment must depend largely upon the manner of its use. Believing that the first entrance into a library should bring with it that most delightful sensation, the companionship of books, we have at our own library, contrary to the custom which now obtains, thrown open our shelves to the public, with the title and name of author plainly printed on each vol- ume, so that literally "he who runs may read." An old man said to me a few days since : " I get little time for reading now, but I love to come in and look at the books ; they bring to mind many a thing that I read long ago, and I carry it with me all the day through ; 't is an education just to be with them." You say, How can this be done without loss of books ? Ten years of experience has taught us that there is a point of honor in these working people in this regard, with which we must come in contact to fully appreciate ; we have lost no more books with our open system than other libraries with their closed shelves. Understanding fully the value of a cata- logue, especially a closely classified one, to the scholar, to an uneducated man it is a labyrinth through which he gropes till in despair he either lays it aside or appeals for help. What is a catalogue to a man who asks for "a book on birds," and when we direct an attendant to give him a certain work on ornithology, quickly replies, " 'T is not that I want; 't is a book on birds ;" or the girl who wants an "adequate book" to furbish up her society manners. Not one in ten persons comes to a library with a definite object. Roaming at will among the books, the sight of Blaikie's "How to get strong" has been the first step toward the recovery of health otherwise lost; John B. Cough's " Darkness and daylight " has brought in the same way happiness to a wretched household ; while Andrew Carneigie's " Triumphant De- mocracy " has awakened in more than one citi- zen an interest and pride in his native or adopted country heretofore unknown. There are the contents of the shelves to select from ; no fear of any one leaving the library without a book; whereas, after pre- senting from the catalogue a list of books to be returned as "not in," he either " has n't time," or " will make no further trouble," and passes out unsatisfied. I have already said that a possibility in one community may be impracticable in another ; with us this open system has proved an un- qualified success. A community of this class is not aggres- sive ; on the contrary they are in a library rather shy. They should be met with prompt service, and the courtesy of the drawing- room. Make them welcome as they enter the library ; it is their own ; help them to cultivate a personal pride in it ; ascertain their tastes, (many of them will surprise us), and call their attention to such works as will gratify them, gradually leading them to higher standards when it is necessary. If they are seeking special subjects and need our help, let us exhaust our references. To "give to him that asketh " and "the Lord loveth a cheerful giver" should be a librarian's watchword. What does it matter if half of the pleasures, and all of the ills of our patrons be poured into our ears? It only brings us nearer to them, and shows us how to be more helpful, and widens the influence of our work. 88 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. 'Tis a wise community that enables its trustees to give to their librarian sufficient clerical assistance to allow him to mingle with the people, to learn their habits and tastes, to direct their reading (especially of the young), and to assist them in their researches ; for we all know that peculiarly inherent weakness of human nature, to seek for information from the highest source, and to be better satisfied, even though the same help may be rendered us by a subordinate. The reading-room in connection with a public library may be made an important agent in the education of a community, especially of its young men and children. After a day of hard work, what are the homes to which many of these young men return? The acccommodations of a cheap boarding-house, which means a room generally occupied by two or more, with barely furni- ture for necessity, to say nothing of comfort. What inducement has he to spend his evenings at home ? Where, then, will he go ? Into the street, to drift into the place offering the most attraction for the least money ; alas ! too often at the bitter cost of misery to himself and sorrow for his friends hereafter. This, then, is our work, to make our read- ing-rooms so attractive that they will be drawn hither. Have them well lighted, well heated and ventilated, supplied with the daily papers of our own and other cities, also the current magazines. We cannot afford to be niggardly in this work. Let us supply our tables with illustrated mechanical and art works, also the best literature of the day. The more freedom that we can give, the better the results. The young man will pass in and out at his pleasure, spending an hour or two with whatever pleases him best, till the reading-room largely takes the place of home, and reading becomes a part of his daily existence, the beneficent effect of which he will carry through life. There are lying on our tables week after week by actual count 600 papers, magazines, and books, from " Baby Days " to " The Cathe- drals of the World," free to the public. This has ceased to be an experiment, for during the ten years our losses have not amounted to $10 ; and there are days when nearly if not quite 500 persons sit at our tables. The greater possibilities, however, are with our children, the future parents and guar- dians of our commonwealth. What are we doing for them as public libraries as educa- tors? Working hand in hand with the schools faithfully and well, as shown by the valuable and interesting reports published in the Library journal, without which we would know as little of the library work outside our own as we would know of the outside world without our newspaper. Long may it live ! Does our responsibility rest here? What of the multitude of waifs worse than homeless, without restraining or guiding influence, to be thrown into the community to swell the num- bers of paupers and criminals, many of whom, yes, the majority of whom, have the same gentle instincts and latent ability as our own little ones so tenderly nurtured. We may say this is the work of charitable institutions and humane societies ; not so; this is essentially our work. We call ourselves educators, and have the honor to be recog- nized as such ; the work of a public library is to teach, to elevate, to ennoble; there is no limit to its possible influence. Must we wait, then, until our children (for they are all ours as a community) are four- teen years of age or upwards before we begin to teach them the first principles of right liv- ing, of mental growth, of love to their neigh- bor? We maintain that we cannot begin too early, and that this is a part of library work from which we get the greatest percentage of reward. Again I ask, What are we doing for these children, the future pride or dishonor of our communities ? Brockton, Mass., has a reading-room to which children are admitted, and which they are encouraged to visit, so well patronized that it will soon double its seating capacity. Waltham, Mass., has taken a step in the right direction. The trustees of the public library have supplied two tables in their waiting-room with Wide awake and St. Nicholas for the children. Lowell, Mass., admits children during the SANDERS. 89 day, and supplies them with juvenile magazines. Manchester, N. H., admits children to the reading-room ; but unfor- tunately, from various causes, they are unable to offer the necessary attractions, and few visit it. Newport, R. I., can only furnish St. Nicho- las for want of money, but children may come and go at their pleasure. Olneyville, R. I., is offering every induce- ment that their means will allow to draw children to their reading-room ; and to interest and instruct them seems to be the object of those in charge. Willimantic, Conn., admits children at the age of 12 years. Somerville, Mass., supplies juvenile maga- zines, and has no limit to age. Springfield, Mass., also admits children at all ages. The Boston Public Library, the parent of the public libraries of New England, true to its paternal instinct, begins to exert its influence over the children at the earliest years. There are doubtless others from whom we would be glad to hear, but I confess that, after visiting and inquiring among public libraries concerning this work, I became disheartened and ceased investigation, for the popular ver- dict seems to be "Children and Dogs not allowed." With our experience in this work with the children since the opening of our library in 1876, and knowing the possibilities only wait- ing for development, I am emboldened to speak earnestly. Let us gather the children in ; give " milk for babes," in the illustrated books which they may understand though they cannot read; juvenile magazines and literature of a healthy nature to counteract the pernicious trash that is flooding our communities. It is only necessary to refer you to the spec- imens of flash literature which our boys have relinquished to us, with pale faces and tremb- ling hands, after reading from the scrap- book here on exhibition the cuttings from the newspapers of the day showing the bad influence of the dime novel. It tells its own story far better than I can tell it, and the one in whose mind this great remedial agent originated is daily blest in seeing the good results of his experiment. Help the children to begin early to under- stand that even they are of use in a com- munity ; awaken their pride and ambition in the right direction, and their future is assured. If there are those who doubt the practi- cability of this work, and, like Hosea Biglow, would " Give more for one live bobolink Than a square mile of larks in printer's ink," come and see our " Flower Band," numbering 200 children, gathered from the little girls and boys who frequent our library and reading- room, from five years of age to 14 ; from the little fellow who brings three wilted daisies, or a rose without a stem, to the dainty miss with a bouquet from the greenhouse. Their badges signify a pledge to bring flowers once a week (if possible), and to respond to a call to distribute them in any place where they will add a bit of brightness to a shadowed household; also to seek out such homes and report them. Several names have been already stricken from our list, of those who have died leaving a blessing for these little missionaries. The influence of this work upon the chil- dren and the community cannot be told. It must be seen to be appreciated. I have endeavored to show that upon the influence of the public library working in harmony with the spirit of the churches and the schools, with - the single object of the highest welfare of the people, depends much of the prosperity, morality, and culture of our industrial communities I might also say of our country ; but when we consider that there are less than 6,000 public libraries in the United States, are we not tempted to say in the words of old, " What are they among so many?" But let us remember that the same spirit that gave power to feed the multitude from the " five loaves and fishes " still lives in the hearts of men to animate them to good works, THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. as shown by Messrs. Ames, Hail, Pratt, as public benefactors on the tablets of public Carneigie, Osterhout, Newberry, and a host libraries. of others whose names are yet to be engraved May God speed the work ! For the discussion which followed the reading of this paper, see PROCEEDINGS (Fifth session). LIBRARIES AND SCHOOLS. THE RESULTS OF A NEW EXPERIMENT IN WORCESTER, MASS. BY SAMUEL SWETT GREEN, LIBRARIAN FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY. T WROTE an article for the number of the Library journal issued in March, 1887, for the purpose of giving an account of the results of some new experiments which had been re- cently tried in the Free Public Library in Worcester in adding to the facilities, which, up to the time of the trial of those experi- ments, had been afforded to the schools of that city. It was stated in the article that, during the first library year in which statistics of the regular school work were kept for a full year, namely 1880-81, 7,501 volumes were given out to teachers on the two kinds of cards which they are allowed to have in the Worcester library, and that the use of these cards had been growing steadily until 298 teachers (that is to say, nearly all those then in the city) had availed themselves of the privilege of having teachers' cards ; and 210, or three quarters of the whole number of in- structors, had also taken out pupils' cards, and until 12,511 volumes, the record of the last complete library year, were being annually drawn out of the library on cards of these kinds. That is to say, 875 volumes drawn out on cards of the kinds specified were in use by pupils and teachers, on the average, every day that schools were in session during the library year last closed at the time when the article was written. An account was also given in the article of several successful experiments that had re- cently been tried by the library. It was written, however, mainly with the purpose of showing what results had followed the use of little libraries that had been placed in the rooms of schools of the 6th, 7th, 8th, and Qth grades occupying one of the grammar school buildings in Worcester dur- ing the two months and a half that had passed by since they had been placed in the school- rooms. This paper is written principally for the pur- pose of announcing the results of the last- named experiment as shown by the records of a whole school year. There have been 156 pupils in the four rooms in which the libraries have been placed 53, 43, 29, and 31 in those respectively of the pth, 8th, 7th, and 6th grades. The books from the libraries have been taken out to be used by the teachers and pupils at home 2,696 times, and have been con- sulted for purposes of reference, when suffi- cient time was consumed in the use to make it seem desirable to record the fact, 6,027 times. That is to say, during the last school year, reckoned as 40 weeks of five days each or as 200 days, 13^ volumes were taken home from the school libraries every day the schools were in session, and more than 30 volumes on the average were used within the school building every day for purposes of reference. The use was divided among the four rooms as follows : Grade IX. Home use 856 Reference use 2522. " VIII. " " 595 " " 1565. " VII. " " 650 " " 1032. " VI. " " 595 " " 908. As appears from these statistics, books have been taken out freely to use at home. The principal of the school informs me that the scholars in the rooms containing the libraries have been so continuously employed in read- ing books taken from them, or suggested by GREEN. their use, as to have been kept almost wholly from poor books, which would otherwise have been read in large numbers. The books have, he says, been in constant use for purposes of reference and of great as- sistance in prosecuting studies in different departments of school work. He would find it difficult, he tells me, to over-estimate the value of the results that have come from their use by the scholars and teachers in the Qth grade. They have been in constant use in learning lessons in geog- raphy and American history and in preparing for the reading exercise. It has been very noticeable that a taste for reading has been growing in the schools, especially among the boys, and that scholars are learning how to use books in order to get from them what they want. These benefits have been secured without any exercise of force. In using books for purposes of reference, the plan has been for a teacher to look up for himself the fact sought for or for him to send a scholar to a book to look it up, care having been taken to have the pupil conduct the inquiry himself when it has been one that he was capable of prosecuting without assistance. Scholars started in this way have soon come of their own accord to look up facts which they thought would be required in class exercises. An interest has not infrequently been awakened by a teacher in some useful and en- tertaining book by giving a description of it to the scholars in a class. Thus, for example, the principal of the school when preparing on a certain occasion for a lesson in history read for his own information a volume published in Harper's Half-hour Series entitled " Six Months in a Slaver " and, when the hour for recitation came, told the boys and girls in the class about it. One of the boys asked him to lend it to him to read. Then others wanted to take it home, and in the course of four weeks many of them had read it fourteen whose names the teacher remembered. An- other instance of the same kind is that sixty out of sixty-four children read a book in which they had become interested through remarks by a teacher. A few of the books in the little libraries have been read by nearly every scholar in the four rooms. Books from the libraries have frequently been read by other members of families than the scholars who took them home and sometimes by pupils belonging to other schools. An increased direct use of the Public Library has been made by the scholars of the schools in which the libraries have been placed since their introduction into the school- rooms. Pupils, for example, have often gone there to get other copies of a book in general demand among members of a school, and to get information not obtainable from the books in the school libraries. It will be understood, of course, that the use of the books in the school libraries is ad- ditional to that of such as have been taken out from the Public Library on teachers' and pupils' cards and on cards held or used by individual pupils, and to that of the immense number of books used by instructors and school children within the building of the general library. Such beneficial results have followed the plan of having little libraries at hand in school- rooms of one building, that two or three months ago I invited teachers in four other grammar school buildings to hand to me lists of such books as they would like to have in libraries in their schools. The teachers in Worcester have now used the books of the Public Library freely for several years, and many of them Have found out what kinds of books and what especial works are the most useful for their purposes ; and the lists which have been sent to me in response to the invitation have, therefore, been selected with great intelligence. It is interesting to note, also, that they reflect the individuality of the teachers who have made them out. It is apparent that, while all the teachers have been careful to ask for books that would be of service in pur- suing the studies of the regular school course, and most of them to provide for the general reading of the children, some have manifested an especial taste for geography, others a pre- dilection for history, and two principals 9 2 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. a decided interest in the study of natural history. I have bought this summer $1,600 worth of duplicates for use during the coming school year. The little libraries were placed in the school- rooms by agreement with the Superintendent of Schools. Now that we have had a year's experience in their use, it is my plan to bring the work that has been done to the attention of the School Committee or, at least, to that of a sub-committee of the School Committee. If obstacles prevent librarians from placing li- braries in schoolrooms, similar advantages to those which follow their presence there may be- secured by letting teachers take out large numbers of books at a time, and keep them for longer or shorter periods as they may desire. It must be understood, of course, that if libraries are placed in schoolrooms, the books in them will have to be changed from time to time as new desirable books appear and some of the old ones become comparatively undesir- able and as exigencies arise. I would add that our experience in Worces- ter is in harmony with convictions which have been showing themselves in New York City and elsewhere in regard to providing reading for children that are quite young, and I am sure that it is wise to begin to cultivate the taste for good literature among scholars in the lower grades of schools. I mean soon to try some experiments with young school children ; little children certainly get hold of poor papers containing unwhole- some stories, and often read them with avidity. Considerable testimony has been collected from dealers in blood-and-thunder literature in Worcester to the effect that books of that class are not sold there nearly so much to boys as to men. May we not congratulate ourselves that the efforts at the library and in our schools to provide children with whole- some and at the same time interesting books have had no inconsiderable influence in satis- fying the craving in the young for stories and kept them from debasing literature, which, if the right kind of books had not been furnished, would have been sought for, purchased, and read ? For the discussion which followed the reading of this paper, see PROCEEDINGS (Sixth session). HOURS OF OPENING LIBRARIES. BY ERNEST C. RICHARDSON, LIBRARIAN OF HARTFORD THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. HP HE June number of // Bibliqfilo 1885 con- tained an article by G. Signorini entitled 1'Orario. Starting from the fact that the libraries of London and Brussels are open the greater part of the day, he complains of the short open hours of Italian libraries (those of Florence e. g. being uniformly, except the Marucelliana, 9 A. M.-3 p. M.), and, after a little discussion of the users and needs, concludes that libraries should be opened in the early morning and in the evening, say from 7-10 A. M. and 3-10 P. M. 10 hours. The editor of the Neuer Anzeiger in the August number of the same year gives an analy- sis of this article with further observations, re- marking that this topic is so important and so interesting to librarians in every part of the world, that the contents of the article deserve to have the attention of all directed to them in order to bring light upon this much neg- lected matter. In his article he mentions the petition of the Hessian Medical Associa- tion to the Grand-ducal Minister of the In- terior, that the library at Darmstadt should be open to readers 10 hours each day in summer and at least seven in winter instead of five (9-12; 2-4) as at that time. The two complaints fairly represent the general state of continental libraries as to hours of opening. American scholars who are anxious to do original work, in many lines are more and more compelled to use these libraries during RICHARDSON. 93 their brief vacations, and it is with much re- gret that they find themselves able to work only four to six hours a day. My own interest in this subject was started by a bit of personal experience, roused again by these two articles, and stimulated by the experience of a friend who spent last year among the MSS. of German libraries. I make no apology for introducing personal experience beyond remarking that it is under- stood to be permitted and encouraged in this Association. I shall introduce nothing but what I hope to have make a line in the picture of the present state of libraries in this regard. The year before the above articles appeared I used a four months' vacation to get a little glimpse of European libraries ; to see espe- cially what hints could be gotten on library economy, but taking advantage of the oppor- tunity also to obtain a little familiarity with the art of manuscripts. To this end I chose a work which needed much a new edition, and hunted out and col- lated MSS. for it as I went along. Being anx- ious to see as many libraries as possible and also to get as many collations as pos- sible, it was with surprise, which deepened into vexation and pretty nearly to despair, that I found instead of ten or a dozen hours to work in, only five to six on the average. It seems ungracious to criticise those who have exercised hospitality towards one, and if it were any reflection on the librarians whose almost universal politeness helped to get the most out of the hours, and sometimes extended them, I should stop short, and keep my impa- tience and chagrin to myself ; but it is not, and as these papers have opened the way to a, to me, very interesting subject, after suppressing myself for two years more, I venture to express the feelings which the fact that they embodied roused, and the comparisons which they suggested. In reviewing the condition of European libraries, a very brief statement will dispose of unique and peculiar hours of opening, and clear the way for some groupings and gener- alizations. I mention ; I. The British Museum, open (in 1884) 10 A. M.-6.55 P.M. 8 h. 55 m. The rules say 10-7, but this is not true. Stinted for time, and wishing to make cer- tain necessary collations, I carefully noted one day the readings which I considered most necessary, and kept careful watch of time to get the most possible of the most necessary in the given time. At five minutes before seven, with half a dozen more readings to note, I was startled by a bell, followed by the peremptory suggestion, and still more peremptory look, of the attendant, demanding that I put up books and evacuate. " But, my good friend, you advertise 7 o'clock. I will be out of the reading-room by that time ; I have only half a dozen readings to note." He would n't help it. It was the rule five minutes before seven. I could come next day. "But I start to-morrow morning at half past four for Oxford on my way to Liverpool." He was inexorable. I looked about for Dr. Garnett, but he was gone. I snatched a few more readings, saw all excepting the last two or three lines, deposited my books politely, and in spite of delays got out of the reading-room before 7 o'clock. I value the blank in these readings as an illus- tration of red tape. Its only parallel in the seventy or so libra- ries that I visited was at Vienna, and here again I bear witness to the politeness of the librarians, while admiring with a sort of won- der the red tape which seemed an inextricable part of the system. I had but two days, and three rather unimportant, to be sure, MSS. to examine. Being summer, the library was only open three hours any way, and with a curious democratic wonderment at monarchical institu- tions I waited two mortal hours chatting with a very well-posted assistant, as one person after another from the " court " took precedence of my little request. At last the assistant saw the chief, and in five minutes I was buried in the MSS. which five assistants, including the chiefs of two departments, could n't let me see, until one of them had gone through the form of asking the chief, who knew nothing of me but what he told him. These were of course accidents, but were in distinct contrast to the volunteered and marked politeness in extending time, espe- 94 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. daily at the Bodleian, at the Bibliotheque Nationale, in Paris, and at Carlsruhe, where they volunteered permission to work as long as the attendants were there. The second example of curious openings is that of a valuable French library of 30 to 40,000 volumes in a well-known though not large city, which is open two days in the week for three hours in the day. Contrast this with Springfield, Mass., if you like, 1 1 hours in the day, or Woburn, Mass., 12,000 inhabi- tants, 20 odd thousand volumes, and open 10 hours in the day, and you have a perfectly fair contrast of the average French provincial library and a corresponding American one. A third library was to me of all unique ones the uniquest so to speak. A French city has a capital library in an elegant building, but the hours of opening depend on the libra- rian's health. After traveling a good many miles out of my way to see a very unimportant MS. I found myself at the library, and interviewed the janitor. " When was the library open ? " He didn't know; the librarian was sick. He supposed it would be opened when he' got well. " But could you show me the MS. ? " Impossible. Then I took M. le Bibliothe- caire's address, and wandered off to see when he expected to get well or die. After wrest- ling with various gamins, and finding it as difficult to understand their patois as they mine, I gathered directions enough to get there. " Yes. Monsieur would see me." I was ushered into the presence of a very com- fortable looking convalescent a very intelli- gent man, I take it, as he seemed to under- stand my French with no great difficulty. " Would it be possible for me to see the MS.?" No, he was sick, and could n't go. " But might the janitor let me see it?" Impossible. " Was there no one in the city director, trus- tee, or mayor, or policemen, or any one who for love or any amount of compensation could let me look at the MS. for half an hour if no more ? " There was no one. But if I should return on next week. (This would take me many miles out of my way again.) He could n't tell. It might be I would find it open, and might not. I gave it up. I have a suspicion not verified, I may say that that librarian has died, and with him all access to the library has perished. I fancy I see the janitor waiting for the Res- urrection day, when his Bibliothe'caire shall return to open his library. I see but one way of reaching the MS. If I should hear of his demise I might venture to suggest it to the authorities of his city, perplexed as they must then be as to means of access to the books. As in the favorite story of the organ builder, his wonderful organ bursts spontane- ously into strains of fullest and sweetest music when the body of the fair Samaritan is borne up the aisle of the cathedral, so, I fancy, were the remains of the defunct Bib- liothe'caire carried for sepulture to his library, the gates would swing open to receive him. Almost equally remarkable in the other direction were the Bodleian, where I was able to get in 12 hours work in the day, and the library of St. Gall in Switzerland, where the librarian, world renowned among students for his courtesy, more than sustained his reputation by saying that the library was open 8-12 and 2-6 and as much more of the day as desired. But these are exceptions. It took me six weeks in Paris the first one at the library and the last to leave, and allowing only 10 minutes for lunch to do what I could easily have done at the Bodleian or a dozen American libraries in three. It was even harder at Munich, where one works from 8 to I, and then has to waste all the rest of the day sight- seeing a very delightful sort of waste to be sure, not like giving a stone when one asks for bread, but much like substituting sugar plums for good roast beef. And it was much the same everywhere. The general spirit in respect of the matter is well represented by the circular of M. Goblet, the French Minister of Instruction, concerning the regulations of university libraries, in which he fixes the hours of opening at six, regretting that the funds for assistance do not permit of longer hours, and increasing the borrowing facilities as a partial compensation. This, it should be said, applies less forcibly to English libraries, which, since RICHARDSON. 95 the Public Libraries Act, have steadily im- proved in this regard. The average hours of opening of the 38 European libraries of which I happen to have figures is 6.1 hours. If I had the figures of more English public libraries, the average would be raised; but a real comparison ought to be restricted to con- tinental libraries, as the English ones are cer- tainly "on the move" that of Mr. Yates (Leeds P. L.) and the London Corporation e. g. being open 1 1 hours, and the British Museum say 9 or 10. Summarizing briefly the hours of the coun- tries from which our two complaints came, Italy and Germany : Seventeen representative Italian libraries average 6j hours and 15 similar German ones, 4#. Contrast with this American libraries, the average of the 41 from which I received answers to my circular is ioi-2hours. I sent a little arbi- trarily, but in general to all the largest, whether reference, public, institutional, or state, with a few smaller for sake of contrast with the pro- vincial foreign libraries. I chose about the same number, and of corresponding classes, as what I had of the foreign libraries. 10 1-2 hours is the average of all. Selecting all the general libraries and all the university libraries at hand, we find that the general libraries average n 1-2 hours, and the university libraries 9 1-2, or together aver- age 1 1 hours. In brief, the hours of opening of conti- nental libraries are not much more that 1-2 those of American. But the question of hours of opening in- volves two kindred topics ; I, Library vacations (not librarians') and 2, Hours of service, including the subject of librarians' vacation. i. Here among us the sentiment against any such thing as library vacations is very strong, and libraries which close for any considerable time are few and far between. The only holiday recognized by Columbia e. g. is Good Friday. The number of libraries which open on Sunday is very largely increasing ; and one must recognize, although he may have serious doubts, as I do, about opening Sunday just the same as other days, that the tendency is to the abolition of all holidays. 2. The question of hours of opening is very closely linked in most of our minds with the hours of service. " Open all the day, but not with the same force of attendants," is the motto. You remember the man of whom Mr. Yates spoke, earlier in the session, who wanted libraries open all night not a new idea, by the way, as Mr. Nelson reminds me that Charles v. (I suppose of France) is said to have ordered his libraries to be kept open and lighted all night. A little questioning of librarians this week has brought the following answers to the question, What do you consider a day's work in your library : 6 hours, two ; 6% h., one ; 7j h., three; 8 h., two; 8j4 h., one; 9 h., three. The prevailing opinion is that in real- ity these hours are too much, but necessary in order to keep the libraries open as they ought to be, and so the experience of Ameri- can librarians seems to agree with that of M. Goblet, that six hours of opening is about all that ought to be demanded of one set of librarians, and that twelve or fourteen hours of opening requires two sets of workers in the lending department at least. The verdict of the Prussian Minister of Education, as expressed in an official notice to the chief librarians of the universities con- cerning hours of service, seems very apropos. It is given in the Centralblatt of Jan. 1887, p. 31-2. The following distinctions are made: I. The chief is not confined to set hours, but will be expected to spend as many hours in the library work as the "scientific " (wis- senschaftliche) librarians, as directed in II. II. Thirty-four hours per week is required of the other "scientific" librarians. The chief has authority to increase hours in special pressure of work, or to diminish them in vacation time. III. Forty-eight hours is required of the subordinate librarians (unterbeamten). The state of the case as to hours of open- ing is this : abroad a vigorous and partly sue- THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. cessful demand for increased hours of open- formation through papers in the A.L.A. Pro- ing, and here a more successful and constantly enlarging demand, (i) for increased hours in the day, (2) the abolishment of all " library " vacations and holidays, but withal, not at the cost of overworking the librarians. I should like in this connection to see in- ceedings or Library journal, concerning : (1) Sunday opening (information, not dis- cussion). (2) Hours of service. (3) Library vacations. BRIEF REVIEW OF THE LIBRARIES OF CANADA. BY JAMES BAIN, JR., CHIEF LIBRARIAN TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY. HTHE history of the different library sys- tems of Canada is largely a history of the origens of the people. Up to the time of the conquest in 1760 the circumstances of French Canada were such that learning, even of the humblest character, was almost entirely neglected, and the reader of Parkman will easily understand that the sole representatives of culture were the two seminaries at Quebec. Four years later the first Canadian news- paper, the Quebec Gazette, was published and the first book, a church catechism. The war of 1776 led however to the influx of a population different from the purely French one which occupied the land. The Loyalists brought with them into the wilds all that love of reading and culture which distinguished the best families of Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia. Their little stores of books were very carefully guarded, and, while they them- selves were too widely scattered and too few in number to form public libraries, theirimme- diate descendants were able to effect what their fathers had found impossible. I had the pleas- ure recently of examining such a collection of books, which were brought from Boston in 1 777 ; and among other volumes noted a copy of the history of Virginia by R. B. Gent, from the library, and containing the autograph of, the Rev. Thomas Prince. In 1779 a number of the officers stationed at Quebec, and of the leading merchants, undertook the formation of a subscription library. The Governor, General Haldimand, took an active part in the work, and ordered on behalf of the subscribers ^500 worth of books from London. The selection was en- trusted to Richard Cumberland, the dramatist ; and an interesting letter from the Governor addressed to him, describing the literary wants of the town and the class of books to be sent, is now in the Public Archives. A room for their reception was granted in the Bishop's Palace ; and as late as 1806, we learn from Lambert's Travels that it was the only library in Canada. Removed several times, it slowly increased, until in 1822 it numbered 4,000 volumes. The list of subscribers having become very much reduced, it was leased to the Quebec Literary Association in 1843. In 1854 a por- tion of it was burnt with the Parliament Build- ings, where it was then quartered ; and finally in 1866 the entire library, consisting of 6,990 volumes, were sold, subject to conditions, to the Literary and Historical Society for a nom- inal sum of $500. The fire was not, however, an unmixed evil ; for the partial destruction of the library, to- gether with the Parliamentary library, called attention to the danger which existed of the total loss of many valuable books referring to the early history of the country ; and it was re- solved, in consequence, by the Canadian gov- ernment to reprint the entire series of the Relations des Jesuites in three 8vo volumes, a book for which librarians have been grateful everywhere. This was supplemented in 1871 by the Journal des Jesuites in one volume 4to. Naturally on the organization of each of the BAIN. 97 provinces, libraries were established in con- nection with the Parliaments. We have therefore the following : Nova Scotia. Halifax, . . . 25,319 New Brunswick. Fredericton, 10,850 Prince Ed. Island. Charlottetown, 4,000 Quebec. Quebec. I7)4OO Ontario. Toronto, .... 40,000 Manitoba. Winnipeg, . . . 10,000 Northwest Territory. Regina, 1,480 British Columbia. Victoria, . 1,200 Dominion of Canada. Ottawa, 120,000 Total volumes in Parliamentary libraries, 230,249 By far the most important of our Canadian libraries is the Dominion Library of Parlia- ment at Ottawa. Almost corresponding with the Congressional Library at Washington in its sources of income and work, it has grown rapidly during the past ten years, and now numbers 120,000 volumes. Originally estab- lished on the union of the provinces of Upper and Lower Canada in 1841, it was successively removed with the seat of gov ernment from Kingston to Montreal, to Que- bec, to Toronto, again to Quebec, and finally to Ottawa a wandering life which effectually prevented its attaining large proportions. The unfortunate fires in Montreal and Quebec still further injured it, robbing it of much that was very valuable ; for, as was to be expected it contained many of the early books relating to the history of, and travel in, the northern part of this continent. On the federation of the different provinces in 1865, the library of the two provinces only, passed into the hands of the Federal government, and was removed to Ottawa. Placed in a beautiful building be- hind the Houses of Parliament, it presents a prominent feature in the magnificent pile of buildings which crown the heights overlook- ing the Ottawa River ; and from the windows the spectator gazes across the rocky gorge, over the Chandiere Falls, toward the Laurentide hills, which form one of the most picturesque scenes on the continent. On the confederation, in 1865, of the prov- inces which now form the Dominion, the union which existed between the provinces of Upper and Lower Canada was dissolved, and, as we have seen, the library passed into the hands of the Federal government. Each of these provinces, now known as Ontario and Quebec, established new libraries at Toronto and Quebec City, which, by the last returns, number respectively 40,000 and 17,400 vol- umes. In 1872 the Canadian government instituted an Archives Branch for the preservation and collation of MSS. documents relating to Canada. Large numbers of these have been copied at the Public Records office and other national repositories in England. A prelimi- nary examination of others in the Colonial Archives, Department de la Marine, Paris, has ' been made, and many valuable records and papers have been secured in the country. I would refer, for a list of these, to the an- nual reports, commenced in 1881, by the able archivist, Mr. Douglas Brymner ; and when I add that the War office transferred their en- tire Canadian military correspondences for nearly 100 years, amounting to upwards of 200,000 documents, you will see that I do not exaggerate its value. The library contains about 4,000 printed books and pamphlets and i, 800 volumes of MSS. The 38 colleges in Canada are provided with libraries containing 429,470 volumes, or an average of 11,302. The senior of these, Laval College, Quebec, is famous as being, after Harvard, the oldest on the continent, being founded by Bishop Laval in 1663. During the dark days which witnessed the long struggle, first with the Iroquois, and after- wards with the English and Americans, little progress was made in the collection of books, and it was not until it was converted into a university, in 1852, that it commenced to in- crease rapidly. On the suppression of the Jesuit order and seminary, their books were transfered to it. It now numbers 100,000 vol- umes, and is unrivaled for the extent and character of its French collection and its many scarce books in early French Canadian literature and history. The student of the history of New France is always under deep obligations to it. Their collection of the suc- cessive volumes of the relations or reports written by the early Jesuit missionaries is, I 9 8 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. believe, the most complete in existence. Un- fortunately the library has never issued a printed catalogue. Under the patronage of the university was published in 1870 a com- plete edition of the various voyages of Cham- plain, in six volumes, edited by L'Abbe" Laver- diere, librarian and professor of history, which, like the originals, is fast becoming scarce. The wealthy province of Ontario, settled almost entirely by an English speaking popu- lation, is, however, the only one which has attempted to grapple with the question of public libraries. In 1848 the late Dr. Ryerson, Superinten- dent of Education from 1844-1876, drafted a school bill which contained provisions for school and township libraries, and succeeded in awakening a deep interest in the subject. Ever anxious to impress on his hearers the importance of libraries as the key-stone to a free educational system, he urged it on every op- portunity. Lord Elgin, at that time Governor- General, was so strongly impressed with the importance of the movement that he styled it. the "crown and glory of the institutions of this province." In 1854 Parliament passed the requisite act and granted him the necessary funds to carry out his views in the matter. The regulations of the department authorized each county council to establish four classes of libraries 1. An ordinary common school library in each schoolhouse for the use of the children and ratepayers. 2. A general public lending library avail- able to all the ratepayers in the municipality. 3. A professional library of books on teach- ing, school organization, language, and kindred subjects, available for teachers only. 4. A library in any public institution under the control of the municipality, for the use of the inmates, or in any county jail, for the use of the prisoners. To aid this work, a book depository was established in the Education office to enable the smaller libraries to obtain readily good literature. The books were supplied at cost, and a grant of 100 per cent on the amount re- mitted was added in books by the depart- ment. During the 30 years of its existence 1,407,140 volumes were so supplied. The proposal to establish the second class was however premature ; and accordingly, find- ing that mechanics institutes were being de- veloped throughout the towns and villages, the Educational Department wisely aided the movement by giving a small grant proportionate to the amount contributed by the members and reaching a maximum of $200, after- wards increased to $400 annually. In 1869 these had grown to number 26, in 1880, 74, and in 1886, 125. The number of volumes possessed by these 125 is 206,146, or an aver- age of 1,650. In the Library List, however, only 80 appears as containing over 1,000 vol- umes, the remaining 45 containing from 500 to 950 volumes. With a total membership of 13,701 the circulation for 1885-86 amounts to 296,830, or an average of 21.6 books to each member, which is a very creditable return, considering that only 49 per cent of it is fiction. The subscription is generally $i a year, and additional grants are usually re- ceived from the town or village councils. In the cities, however, the mechanics in- stitute, with its limited number of subscribers, has been found unequal to the task assigned it, and accordingly in 1882, the Free Libra- ries Act was passed, based upon similar en- actments in Britain and the United States. Six cities and towns have availed themselves of it. Berlin, 2,255 Brantford, 5.442 Guelph, 4,171 Simcoe, 2,822 St. Thomas, 2,677 Toronto, 48,000 Total number of volumes, 65,367 By the Free Libraries Act, the maximum of taxation is fixed at 1-2 a mill on the annual assessment ; and while in Toronto, this is sufficient to produce $48,000 per annum, in the towns and villages where the assessment is low, it rarely produces as much as the vol- untary contributions to the mechanics' insti- tute. These latter lack the element of stabil- PUTNAM. 99 ity, they owe their existence in most cases to the energy and faith of two or three members ; and, when these men cease to take an active part, the institute barely exists. The problem therefore before us is to convert these institute libraries into free public libraries with sufficient income to pay a regular librarian. Two courses lie before us either by giving them a larger area from which to draw a share of the taxation or by altering the act so as to increase the maximum. To this later proposition serious opposition would arise in the cities, where the feeling exists that it would be dangerous to permit a body not directly elected, power to enforce a higher taxation. As I have said, none of the other provinces have followed Ontario in this matter ; but the generosity of the late Mr. Fraser and of a number of gentlemen in Montreal has pro- vided a fund for the establishment of a free library in that city, which was opened in October, 1885, under the title of the Fraser Institute. The Mercantile Library Association transferred to it 5,500 Eng- lish books and L'Institut Canadien, 7,000 French. In St. John, N. B., a free library was founded in June, 1883, to commemorate the landing of the loyalists a century previous. In the more recent province of Manitoba the energy of the Literary and Historical Society has provided a library which contains, including the Isbister collection loaned to them by the university, 12,000 volumes; and, though a subscription fee is demanded, yet the liberal donation towards it made by the City Council enables the Board to act with great liberality. The fact that Halifax is largely a military and naval centre, is marked by an Officers' Garrison Library, numbering 12,260 volumes, which was founded in 1847 by Lord Dalhousie. Having thus taken a hurried survey of our Canadian libraries, let me briefly glance at the tale told by the figures, as set forth in the Library list. Estimating the population at 4,757,288, and having a total number of 1,103,000 volumes, we have an average of one book to every 4.3 persons throughout the Dominion. But when we look at the individual provinces, very varied results are found. In Prince Edward Island the rate is one book to every 21.2 persons ; BritishColumbia, r to every 16 persons. New Brunswick, i " 10.6 " Nova Scotia, i " 5.7 " Ontario, i " 4.7 " Manitoba, i " 4.4 " Quebec, i " 4.1 " The latter alone possessing more than the general average of the Dominion. It is curious to notice on closely examining the latter, however, that no less than 72.8 per cent of the whole books in libraries of the province of Quebec are contained in colleges a fact which speaks more for the education of the clergy than for that of the people, while in Ontario only 24.2 of the books are thus placed. In making these calculations it should be noted that I have excluded the Parliament- ary Library, the Archives, the Geological Sur- vey, and the Supreme Court, as being com- mon to the whole Dominion. BIBLIOGRAPHIC BUREAUS. BY HERBERT PUTNAM, LIBRARIAN MINNEAPOLIS ATHENAEUM. A NOVICE glancing over the Proceedings notation, registration every other detail of of the Library Conventions, or the more .library management receives devoted, at miscellaneous discussions in the Library journal, must be struck with their persistent silence upon two questions: The selection and the purchase of books. Classification, times belligerent, attention. With catalogues, with reference lists, with familiar talks, the most engaging methods are discussed for rendering the captured hare popular, palatable, IOO THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. and nutritious ; but for capturing the hare or even for determining it to be a hare and not a rabbit, or less savory quarry he will find hardly a suggestion. He will be the more surprised at this, as he would have thought this very preliminary the selection of the books themselves to be the most difficult, as well as the most essential, of a librarian's duties ; one that he would be most anxious to systematize as far as possible ; one at any rate too responsible to be left to mere caprice. It may be that the topic has been avoided intentionally ; that a methodical system has been deemed impracticable in a matter vary- ing so much with the needs of the individual library; or, if practicable, that its very sugges- tion would affront the discretion of the indi" vidual librarian. I trust the latter may not be the real cause. If it is, I must shift the responsibility of my own misdoing upon your committee, who have themselves invited the impertinence. For the eastern libraries within easy reach of the book centres, the problem of choice is not so difficult a one. In most cases they can make their selection from volumes act- ually before them sent in by the publishers for inspection or at least open to examina- tion on the shelves of the book stores. It is the libraries of the West, however, whose difficulties I would more particularly suggest for discussion. In the larger cities of the West there is no lack of book stores. But the editions which they find most profitable to keep in stock are not always those most serviceable for library use. They will send for any book published ; but, for purposes of examination merely, they can in many cases offer only cheap reprints gdod enough for the household, but by no means economical for the public library. And even with this stock they are beyond the reach of most of the smaller libraries, distances being so great and transportation so expensive in the West. For the libraries of Minnesota, for instance, Chicago would be the natural reservoir. But the majority of the libraries in Minnesota are small and poor; they cannot afford to send their librarians to Chicago to make their selections. They are thus reduced to merely descriptive information, all at second hand, and in some cases merely inferential. They must rely upon (i) publishers' catalogues; (2) catalogues of other libraries ; (3) biblio- graphic manuals such as Hall's bibliogra- phy of Education or Adams' Historical Manual ; and (4) book reviews. The latter class covers, of course, only current literature. Of the others it may be said, in brief, that the catalogues of individual publishers, while exact enough as to prices, show small light as to the relative worth of different editions, and no light at all as to the best work on a given topic. And the same may be said of the general trade lists. The bibliographic manuals are indeed most useful as far as they go ; but they cover, as yet, only a few of the topics on which information is needed. Of course the works of Dibdin, Watts, Ebert, Graesse, and the like are for large libraries priceless. But their cost puts them beyond the reach of the smaller libra- ries, to which, indeed, the curios of which they largely treat are equally unattainable. At the other extreme are the lists in the Best Reading the most useful compilation, per- haps, for small libraries. Their very merit of brevity and compactness prevents the full- ness of detail necessary to a choice. They undertake to indicate the best work and the best cheap work on every topic. Even were such exact discrimination practicable, it is too bald, too dogmatic, to content a conscientious librarian. He must know something of the comparative merits that go to determine this graded scale of excellence. He must know what works are mutually exclusive. He must assure himself that the standard of desir- ability laid down in a work of general appli- cation is exactly the standard for the very particular institution which he represents. He may, indeed, get much light from the experience of other libraries similar to his own. He may take it for granted that their librarians have investigated thoroughly, ac- cept their choice as his own, and make up his lists from their catalogues. But he can- not always feel safe in this. The volumes in the catalogues do not always represent the PUTNAM. 101 judgment of the librarians. They may have been presented; they may have been pur- chased with bequest funds hampered by special conditions ; they may have been pur- chased (as in some college libraries) at the request of professors, ordering recklessly from foreign catalogues tangential works that touch nobody's circle on more than one point ; they may have been purchased at the application of any reader, ordering vagari- ously from book reviews ; they may have been purchased at the bidding of trustees, ordering sentimentally under importunity from book agents. In none of these cases would the catalogue indicate the librarian's own preferences. Such being the limitations of each partic- ular authority, it is evident that only by a care- ful collation of them all can a conscientious decision be arrived at. And this process of collation grows daily more laborious. The American Trade List Annual alone includes the names of 200 publishers. The publications of a single year in the English language alone amount to nearly 10,000; while of the standard authors there will be sometimes a dozen, and quite commonly half a dozen edi- tions to choose from. Perplexed at the immense mass of undigested bibliography lying before him, perplexed still more at the pos- sible revelations of bibliographies which he cannot get access to, it is small wonder that the librarian concludes to shirk the responsi- bility altogether. He writes to the bookseller to make the choice for him. This has accordingly become quite the fashion among the smaller libraries ; and not merely in the case of isolated volumes, but of large lots purchased at one time, the book- sellers being willing to compile the lists for the profit of supplying the books. This method of disposing of the problem has no doubt some features of advantage, pre- suming a firm to be selected whose candor may be relied upon. On the other hand, it must occasionally cost the library dear. An experienced bookseller may know more about editions than the average librarian ; that is his business. But the librarian knows more about books ; or should, for that is his busi- ness. The endeavor of a bookseller is to supply people with what they want to read; the duty of a librarian is in many cases to supply people with what they ought to read. A bookstore must cater to the taste of the public ; a library hopes to direct it. And the higher the claim of the library to be con- sidered an educational institution the nearer it approaches to a university of learning the less seemly to have its books selected on a trade basis. I am sure, however, that there is no need of urging upon a convention of librarians that the selection of books should belong to the library profession, nor of demonstrating in detail the looseness and the heterogeneity of the methods of selection now in use. It remains to suggest a remedy. The ills (it will be remembered that I am speaking particularly of the western libraries), the ills are : (1) Remoteness from book centres. (2) Poverty in bibliographic material. (3) Repetition on the part of each library of the investigation gone through with by its neighbors. (4) The impropriety of calling upon other librarians for the information needed ; and (5) The necessity of relying for this informa- tion upon correspondence with distant pub- lishers. To obviate this, we need the cooperation of neighboring libraries, the concentration of their bibliographic material, its classification into a ready working system, easy reference facilities to this of all desiring bibliographic information. And what I would propose is for each State a Bibliographic Bureau, which should undertake to do methodically, syste- matically, and on business principles for the whole district the work which any one library of its district is too feeble to accomplish properly by itself. Let me take Minnesota as an instance. There are now in the State upwards of 90 public libraries. The largest of them has less than 25,000 volumes ; the rest vary from 300 to 14,000 volumes. Only one of them is endowed. All of them must practice close economy ; and in all of them economy must IO2 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. tell first upon the department that affects the public least the library tools, the bibliog- raphy. Few of them can afford $40 for the English catalogue. Fewer still are within reach of the large general bibliographies. Only six of them out of 60 find it practicable to buy their books from local dealers. The most, not being able to send their librarians to Chicago or New York to make their selec- tions, must depend for their lists upon stray catalogues and distant correspondence. I would propose the establishment of a Bibliographic Bureau, in connection with the chief Public Library of the State. By the chief library I mean the library purchas- ing most books, so having most interest in the introduction of a methodical system, and willing to take the initiative in establish- ing it. Let this library announce that it intends to pay special attention to building up a department of bibliography, not merely for its own use, but for the benefit of all the libraries in the State ; that it will be the aim of this department to render unnecessary the ownership of expensive bibliographic material by those various smaller libraries ; that to this end it will not merely be made as com- plete as possible, but will be so classified and systematized as to furnish the readiest in- formation, not merely as to the history of a given book, but as to the best books on a given topic, the special merits of different works on the same topic, and all other mat- ters of bibliographic interest; that this col- lection will, of course, be open for purposes of consultation like the rest of the library; but that, in addition, the special assistant in charge of it will be prepared to furnish by letter any information desired, and especially that he (the Bureau, that is to say) will, upon application, prepare purchase lists of books to comprehend any desired expenditure ; that no preliminary subscription will be asked of any library, but that, besides the actual expense of the work, a small fee will be charged for such special services, which shall go solely towards the improvement of the collection. Presuming the Bureau established, any town in the State (Duluth, for example, with 25,000 inhabitants and no public library) wishing to establish a library, and ready to purchase the books, need only send to the Bureau, and in a fortnight, perhaps, receive back the lists, the prices, editions, and pub- lishers specified, and the various classes proportioned to the needs, not of Boston or Cincinnati or St. Louis, but of the railway centre and chief shipping port on Lake Superior. It would have to pay something for the service, but the fee would be a trifle compared with the indirect saving. The money would be spent in building up the central collection of bibliography, and thus yield a perpetual return for itself. There can be little doubt, I think, that the various smaller libraries would soon see the advantage of using the Bureau. It is only the central library itself whose gain would be at first doubtful. The Bureau would have to be started, and the department of bibliography built up out of its own funds. But the ultimate profit of having the Bureau" under its own roof should justify this outlay. The Bureau must be above suspicion. It must not be an independent trade concern. It must not be a money-making concern. It must emanate from the libraries themselves as a money-saving concern. It should not undertake to purchase books. Its work should be simply to inform. Above all, to keep itself informed. With the cooperation of other libraries this would be easy ; combin- ing the money now spent in purchasing frag- ments of bibliography, it could gather in one mass the best bibliographic aids attainable ; it could afford to send a representative East once or twice a year to explore and to verify. It would be welcomed by the publishers as saving them an immense amount of scattered and repeated inquiry. It might induce in time what is so desirable uniformity in trade catalogues. In short, instead of being a pas- sive recipient of the advertisements of the publishers, it would itself be active and aggres- sive in prying out the best of the market. It is probable that the libraries already established would at first make use of the Bureau only for reference. The librarians might be loth to relinquish the office of PUTNAM. 103 selecting their books ; they would repair in person to the central collection and make up the lists themselves. Even in this way they would get the benefit of the concentration of the material and of suggestions from the official in charge. In case the use of the Bureau never went beyond this personal refer- ence, it might be proper to invite a regular subscription from all those wishing such access to it. But I am confident that its use would be far more general ; that its methodi- cal system would be found so exact, so speedy, and so economical that it would be reg- ularly employed to make up the purchase lists, and that the graded fees for this work should suffice to pay its expenses. Nor do I see why the various librarians should be loth to avail themselves of this service any more than they should be loth to avail themselves of the various labor-saving devices of the Library Bureau. The selection of books is a high func- tion of library work, but not the highest func- tion ; for that is to interpret those books to the public. Cataloguing is also a high function ; but cooperation in cataloguing is esteemed no indignity. And, however much good sense be ascribed to the individual librarian, he cannot be expected to do with poor tools what can be done well only with the best of tools. If the Bureau would be an economy for Minnesota, it would be as much so for any other of the Western States. Among these Minnesota is by no means backward in the matter of libraries ; in proportion to her population her libraries sum up as many volumes as those of any State west of Ohio California alone excepted. But they share with all the others in their remoteness from book centres and their need of organization for bibliographic work. I have suggested the State as an appropri- ate district, because the work of the Bureau could be done more thoroughly in a small area, because the sense of a common interest and of a common proprietorship easily at- taches to such a line of division. And for one further reason the possibility that in time the Bureau might come to have the name and the character of a State institution. I am not yet clear that such an event would be desirable. I am certain that its biblio- graphic work would be done no better in that capacity. But it cannot be denied that its benefits might be incalculably extended. In California the libraries of the district schools have been most successful. Their books are selected by the State Board of Education. Our own Superintendent of Public Instruc- tion is urging upon the Legislature to build up the school libraries of Minnesota in a like manner. It is true that the selection of the books by the State is in these cases part of the State control, and justified by the appro- priation of State funds for the part support of the libraries. But there is a tendency towards the enlargement of the educational functions of the State visible in many direc- tions. It is the least to be regretted, perhaps, of all phases of centralization. Quite in harmony with this educational function would be a State Library Bureau, which should in no wise constrain or control local and indi- vidual effort, but should furnish free of charge to free libraries the best practical information about books and reading. Such an institution would assuredly be grateful. But the libraries must first prove themselves that it would be practicable. For the discussion which followed the reading of this paper, see PROCEEDINGS (Seventh session). IO4 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. REPORT ON CATALOGUES AND AIDS AND GUIDES FOR READERS. 1885-87. BY W: C. LANE, ASSISTANT, HARVARD UNIVERSITY LIBRARY. / "pHE report made by Mr. Crunden on Aids and Guides at the meeting of the Asso- ciation in 1886 was principally devoted to a detailed statement of what means were taken to help readers in the various more important libraries of the country. The information was obtained directly from the libraries by means of circulars sent out by the com- piler, and was so full and exact that no further work in the same line is needed at the present time. This report will, therefore, be confined to a consideration of the bibliographical works which have appeared since 1885, not including any which were mentioned by Mr. Crunden in a list appended to his report which was brought down to June, 1885, and omitting also all which were described in a report on catalogues made by Mr. Nelson at the meeting of the Association in 1885 (Library journal, p. 263 ; Papers and Proc. of the A.L.A., p. 69). A list of titles with occasional notes must therefore form the main portion of this paper ; but a few introductory remarks will not be out of place to sum up some of the results, and to call attention to a few points not noticed below. In the first place I have included in the fol- lowing list only independent separate publica- tions. The titles of the numerous special bib- liographies and reference lists which have appeared in periodicals or in books have already been indexed, as far as they have come under my observation, in two numbers of the Harvard University Bulletin for October, 1885, and January, 1887, and have been issued sep- arately as Bibliographical Contributions, Nos. 20 and 24. These will shortly be consolidated into one alphabet, and combined with the " Index to notes about books " in the Boston Public Library's Handbook for readers, 1883, and published by the A.L.A. Publishing Sec- tion, so that I consider it unnecessary to repeat here any of the information contained in those lists. I have also omitted all men- tion of the great biographical dictionaries now in progress or recently completed, though they are closely related to the subject of this report. There is in the first place the great Diction- ary of National (British) Biography, edited by Leslie Stephen, of which eleven volumes have been received, bringing the work down to Con. Two volumes of a Cyclopcedia of American Biography, edited by J. G. Wilson and John Fiske, and published by the Appletons, have appeared during the current year, including names from A. to Grim. The eighth volume of the Belgian Bio- graphie Nationale, begun in 1866, bears the imprint 1886, and brings the work down to Hel. In Italy Prof. Attilio Brunialti has begun the publication of an Annuario Biografico Universale, of which two volumes have appeared for the years 1884-85 and 1885-86. Its articles are for the most part on men who have just died, but others living or dead are also included who have been brought into prominence by the erection of a statue, the publication of a biography, or in any other way. A Nou-velle Biographic Normande, by N. N. Oursel, in two volumes, was published in 1886, and a Lexikon der Schleswi^-Holstein- Lauenburgischen und Eutinischen Schrifl- steller von 1866-82 by Ed. Alberti was published at Kiel in two volumes in 1885 in continuation of an earlier work by the same author, covering the period from 1829 to 1866. Four volumes, the 5ist to 54th, of Wurz- bach's Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiser- thums Oesterreich appeared in 1885 and 1886, which nearly completes the work. Owners of Vapereau's last (5th) edition of his Dictionnaire Universel des Contempo- rains should not fail to notice that a supple- ment of 129 pages was published in 1886. LANE. 105 The recently (1887) published supplement to Vallde's Bibliographie des Bibliographies, which supplies some of the many deficiencies of that work, should also be obtained by those who possess the original. As a contribution to a solution of that problem with many anwers, Which are the best books? the Pall Mall Gazette's "Extra, No. 24, The Best Hundred Books " is inter- esting. The discussion started with a list made out by Sir John Lubbock, and this " Extra " contains the whole controversy as carried on in the columns of the Pall Mall by many distinguished writers. The literature of pseudonyms has been en- riched by four notable works : Cushing's Initials and Pseudonyms, 1885; a second edition of Weller's great Lexicon Pseudonim- orum, 1886: a second edition of Doorninck's work on Dutch and Flemish pseudonyms, and an Italian work by G. B. Passano, a supple- ment to Melzi's well-known Dizionario, 1848- 59. The third volume of Halkett and Laing's Dictionary of Anonymous and Pseudony- mous Literature of Great Britain should also be added to the number. The fourth volume, which will complete the work, is still lacking. Indexes to Harper's, the last series of Notes and Queries, the Revue des Deux Mondes, and the Deutsche Rundschau are the more important contributions in this special class of Aids and Guides. An extensive index to Littell's Living Age and an index to the obituary notices in the Gentleman's Maga- zine from 1731-80 are also under way, but still far from completion. The New York Daily Tribune has followed the lead of the London Times in issuing an annual index to its contents. The records of current literature have been enriched by the publication of an Annual American Catalogue for 1886 ; the first volume of a continuation of Lorenz' Catalogue Glne- rale de la Librairie Franqaise, for 1876-1885, and an additional volume to each of the three great German records, the i8th volume of Heinsius, 1880-84 the 7th volume of Hinrichs, 1881-85, an d the 23d and 24th volumes of Kayser, 1883-86. The latter still lacks a little of completion, but has been published with extraordinary rapidity. The valuable monthly index to current periodical literature given in Book Chat should not pass unmentioned. The July number indexed the principal contents of 240 different magazines, including 29 French, German, Italian, and Spanish periodicals. Book Chat also gives lists of the new serials begun in magazines and a title index of current poetry in magazines. Of special bibliographies of places, persons, or subjects a very large number have been recently published, but no special mention beyond the notes appended to many titles in the list below is necessary. Some of these are vast and trackless wastes in which no guiding paths can be found, but by far the larger part are well classified or provided with subject indexes. The prevailing form for such publications seems to be an alphabetical author list with index of subjects, but from Germany come some excellent specimens of a systematic arrangement by subjects with author index. Several important catalogues have been published within the last two years. The first two volumes of the Astor Library catalogue have been often mentioned in the pages of the Library journal, and require no further com- ment. The second and third volumes of the great catalogue of the Peabody Institute bear the dates 1885 and 1887, and open up a vast mass of material not hitherto accessible by means of any one instrument. The British Museum has issued a catalogue of its printed maps, charts, and plans, which shows that library to be infinitely richer even in maps of our own country than any library here except, perhaps, the government libraries. The Museum has also printed a subject index to the modern works added to the library in the years 1884-85, which forms, as it claims to be, " a nearer approximation to a general index of current literature than has yet been attempted elsewhere." The catalogue of the Milwaukee Public Library requires special mention, as its author, Mr. Linderfelt, has not been content to follow blindly in beaten tracks, but has introduced ideas of his own. The system of arrangement is in the main io6 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. Mr. Dewey's decimal system, with more or less complete change in the sub-divisions of politi- cal science, law, sermons, Africa, and North America, and minor changes in many other places. A synopsis of classification with an alphabetical index of subjects is given at the end of the volume, with the Dewey numbers. These numbers are printed at the head of the page throughout the body of the catalogue, and are used in references ; but the arrangement of the titles on the page is to a considerable extent independent of them, different head- ings, either more or less numerous than the divisions of the synopsis, being used, and num- bered or lettered independently. In some cases, as under geography and history, the arrangement of the titles is directly at variance with the succession of the numbers. The change is doubtless an improvement in the arrangement of the catalogue, inasmuch as it brings together the history and description of the same place ; but it is a little puzzling to be referred in the index to 948 for the history of Scandinavia, only to find that 929 is the high- est number in regular succession on the page- headings, and that 948 is back with 914. If I am looking for the description of Scandinavia on the other hand, I am referred to 914.8, and unless I am fortunate, or familiar with the cat- alogue, have to run through 45 pages headed 914 in order to find Scandinavia, which is headed "12 Europe. h. Scandinavia, 2 Description," when I find it, and not 914.8 at all, which only appears in the shelf-marks. Of course one learns how to handle such mat- ters in a short time, but it tempts one to wish that Mr. Linderfelt had thrown aside the Dewey notation altogether, or else adapted it more completely to his wants. An index of authors (including also anonymous, striking, and indefinite titles) stands at the beginning of the volume, and refers by page (or rather column) numbers (but without shelf-mark) to the full entry in the systematic catalogue. An alphabetical index of biography completes the volume. In this reference is not made to the full title, but simply the shelf-marks are given. In looking over a new catalogue, especially when it strikes out on a somewhat new plan, one always notices first its deficiencies, the kinds of information it does not undertake to give; so, in examining the Milwaukee cata- logue, one is struck first of all with the fact that one cannot find all of an author's works together in one place, but must hunt them down in succession from the references in the author index, which does not give shelf- marks. Neither can one find the titles of all the works about a person in one place, except the strictly biographical ones ; and in order to find these, one has to find first in the biography index the author of some work on the subject, then look for the author's name in the author index, which will refer to the page of the systematic catalogue, where that and other titles will be found. The references to ana- lyzed articles on the other hand cannot be looked up at all, except by sending for the books, which, it must be confessed, is the essential point, and Mr. Linderfelt is perhaps wise in not attempting anything further. What the catalogue attempts to do is to group its titles systematically in such a way as to give all that the library has on a special topic in one place, and all that it has on closely related topics side by side, and in connection with general works which cover the whole ground. This it succeeds in doing perhaps better than any catalogue yet printed, unless it be the Brooklyn Library Catalogue ; every librarian knows that the problem is incapable of a wholly satisfactory solution, and that each attempt has its peculiar weaknesses and its special advantages. Mr. Linderfelt has worked out on some new lines, and has succeeded in overcoming some old difficulties. No one else starting over again would follow in just the same paths, so every one finds something to criticise ; but the Milwaukee catalogue is one which I know from experience is practi- cally useful in other libraries besides the one which has made it. Notes on other library catalogues recently published are given with the titles below. GENERAL. BIRMINGHAM, ENG. FREE LIBRARIES. Books for a reference library. London, 1885. 192 p. O. Lectures on books on law and jurisprudence, books on legal and constitutional history, the Greek and Latin classics, books LANE. 107 on Shakespeare, botanical books, botanical books of the nine- teenth century, some art books ; with bibliographical appen- dices to each lecture. Reviewed in Library journal, 1887, p. 69. The BEST hundred books. London, 1886. 32 p. Q. (Pall Mall Gazette " Extra," no. 24.) Sir J: Lubbock's list, with criticisms and other lists by many writers. VALLEE, L. Bibliographic des bibliographies. Supplement. Paris, 1887. 354 p. L. O. Alphabetical by authors, with alphabetical index of sub- jects, like the original work. It supplies many of the defects noticeable in the latter, and includes recent publications. BOOK-PRICES current. A monthly record of the prices at which books have been sold at auction. London, January, 1887-. O. It is to be hoped that the volume will be concluded by an alphabetical index, as the titles are now given in short separate lists according to the sales. LIBRARY notes. Improved methods and labor- savers for librarians, readers, and writers ; edited by Melvil Dewey. Vol. i. June, 1886- March, 1887. Boston, Library Bureau. O. Quarterly. PSEUDONYMS AND ANONYMS. GUSHING, W. Initials and pseudonyms, a dic- tionary of literary disguises. N. Y., 1885. 603 p. L. O. DOORNINCK, J. I. VAN. Vermomde en naamlooze schrijvers opgespoord op het gebied der neder- landsche en vlaamsche letteren. 2 e uitg. der "Bibliothek van anonymen en pseudonymen." 2 pt. Leiden, 1883-85. O. The first part is devoted to initials and pseudonyms, the second to anonyms. PASSANO, G. B. Dizionario di opere anonime e pseudonime in supplemento a quello di Gaetano Melzi. Ancona, 1887. 514 p. L. O. WELLER, E. Lexicon pseudonymorum. Wor- terbuch der Pseudonymen. aller Zeiten und Volker. 2 e aufl. Regensb., 1886. 627 p. O. INDEXES. General Register zur DEUTSCHEN RUNDSCHAU Band 1-40 (i-io jahrgang). Nebst system- atischer Uebersicht der Hauptartikel. Berlin, 1885. 160 p. O. Index to the obituary and biographical notices in the GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, 1731-80; by R. H. Farrar. Part I. A-Gi. London, Index Society, 1886. O. Index to HARPER'S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE, alphabetical, analytical, and classified. Vols. 1-70. 1850-85. N. Y., 1886. 783 p. O. Printed on one side of the leaf only. Very full and elaborate. A complete index to LITTELL'S LIVING AGE; by E: Roth. Vol. i (first too volumes). Nos. i-io. Phila., 1883-86. O. Nos. 7-10 were issued in 1885 and '86. Index to the NEW YORK DAILY TRIBUNE for 1886; J: L. Weinheimer, compiler. N. Y., 1887. 95 p. S. NOTES AND QUERIES. General index to series 6th (1880-85). Vols. 1-12. London, 1886. 147 p. Sq. O. REVUE DES DEUX MONDES. Suite de la table generate, 1874-86. Paris, 1886. 204 p. O. A threefold index, alphabetical by authors, analytical (systematic) and geographical. NATIONAL, Etc. American. The ANNUAL American Catalogue. 1886. N. Y., Publishers' Weekly, 1887. L. O. This is made up from the titles printed in the Publistiers 1 Weekly thrown into a single alphabet. All notes, etc. , are reproduced. An author, title, and subject index follows. LEON AND BROTHER. Catalogue of the first edi- tions of American authors. N. Y., 1885. 58 p. O. A priced catalogue. American (Government). POORE, B. P. Descriptive catalogue of the government publications of the United States, 1774-1881. Washington, 1885. 1,392 p. O. A strictly chronological arrangement is followed ; with an index of subjects somewhat deficient in cross-references. The list comes down to March 3, 1881. For later publications see the American catalogue (supplement), which covers the term from Jan. i, iSSi, to June 30, 1884. Hickox's monthly cata- logue begins with Jan. i, 1885. The best complete index is on the cards of the Boston Public Library. See review in Library journal, 1886, p. 4. American (Pennsylvania). HILDEBURN, C: R. A century of printing ; the issues of the press in Pennsylvania, 1685- 1784. 2 vols. Phila., 1885-86. Q. Arranged chronologically, with index of authors and titles. Compiled with great care and exactness. American Poetry. STOCKBRIDGE, J. C. The Anthony memorial ; a catalogue of the Harris collection of Ameri- can poetry, with biographical and biblio- graphical notes. Prov., 1886. 320 p. O. Reviewed in the Nation December 30, 1886 ; Library journal, 1887, p. 69. Unsatisfactory, grossly inaccurate, and disappointing. Belgian. BIBLIOGRAPHIE nationale. Dictionnaire des ecrivains beiges et catalogue de leurs publica- io8 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. tions, 1830-80. Livr. 1-7 (A-Dye). Bruxelles, 1882-86. L. O. Livr. 5, 6, and 7 in 1886. Dutch. BRINKMAN. Repertorium op Brinkman's cata- logussen, 1850-82. Bewerkt door R. van der Meulen. Amst., 1886. O. A subject index to Brinkman's Catalogus (1883-84), which includes all works published in the Netherlands, 1850-82. English (Aberdeen). EDMOND, J. P. The Aberdeen printers, 1620- 1736. Aberdeen, 1886. 274 p. O. Franciscans. DIRKS, S. Histoire litteraire et bibliographique des Freres Mineurs de 1'observance de St. Fran9ois en Belgique et dans les Pays-Bas. Anvers, 1886. 456 p. O. French. LAPORTE, A. Bibliographic contemporaine ; his- toire litteraire du 19* siecle; supplement de Brunei, de Querard, de Barbier, etc. Tom. 1-3. A-Dre. Paris, 1884-87. O. LORENZ, O. Catalogue general de la librairie fran9aise depuis 1840. Tom. 9. 1876-85 (A-H). Paris, 1886. O. German. HEINSIUS, W. Allgemeine Biicher-Lexikon 17" Bd. 1880-84. Lpz., 1886 ['85-87]. Q. HINRICHS' fiinfjahriger Biicher-Catalog. 7 er Bd. 1881-85. Lpz., 1886. O. KAYSER'S vollstandiges Bucher-Lexikon. Bd. 23, 24, lief. 1-3. 1883-86 (A-S). Lpz., 1887. Q. Greek. LEGRAND, E. Bibliographic hellenique ou De- scription raisonnee des ouvrages pub. en grec par des grecs aux 15* et 16* siecles. 2 vols. Paris, 1885. L. O. With extensive literary, historical, and critical notes, and a valuable introduction on the history of Greek literature in the middle ages. Icelandic. BRITISH MUSEUM. Catalogue of the books printed in Iceland, 1578 to 1880, in the library of the Museum. London, 1885. ^ v P- F. FISKE, W. Books printed in Iceland, 1578- 1844; supplement to the British Museum catalogue. [Florence, 1886.] O. (Bibliog. notices, i.) A list of 139 titles not in the British Museum. Mexican. ICAZBALCETA, J. G. Bibliografia mexicana del siglo 16, I" parte. Catalogo razonado de libros impresos en Mexico, 1539-1600. Con biografias, etc. Mexico, 1886. 419 p. Q. Spanish (Aragon). LATASSA, F. de. Bibliotecas antiqua y nueva de escritores aragoneses, aumentadas y refun- didas en forma de diccionario bibliog.-biog. por M. Gomez Uriel. 3 vols. Zaragoza, 1884-86. Q. SPECIAL CLASSES. Academic Dissertations. JAHRESVERZEICHNISS der an den deutschen Universitaten erschienenen Schriften. I. 15 Aug., 1885-14 Aug., 1886. Berlin, 1887. O. MOURIER, ATH., and DELTOUR, F. Catalogue et analyse des theses fran9aises et latines admises par les facultes des lettres. Annee scolaire 1885-86. Paris, 1886. 40 p. O. A continuation of the authors' " Notice sur le doctoral es lettres, 46 d. 1880," which contains a catalogue of theses from 1810 to 1880, and has been followed by annual supple- ments. Full table of contents of each thesis is given, and at the end an index of authors and subjects. FRANCE. Mm. DE L'!NSTRUC. PUBLIQUE. Cata- logue des theses et ecrits academiques. Fasc. i, 2. Annees 1884-85, 1885-86. Paris, i88s-6. O. A much more comprehensive list than the last (which in- cludes only the faculte's des lettres). Titles very brief and no index. Societies and Periodicals. ITALY. Mm. BELLA ISTRUZIONE PUBBLICA. Elenco delle pubblicazioni periodiche rice- vute dalle biblioteche pubbliche governative d'ltalia nel 1884. Roma, 1885. 8. (Indici e cataloghi. I.) Of especial value for Italian publications. Arrangement alphabetical by titles (including publications of societies). The current volume only is recorded. Noticed and described in Library journal, 1886, p. 61. LASTEYRIE R. DE, and LEFEVRE-PONTALIS, E. Bibliographic des travaux historiques et archeo). pub. par les societes de la France. Livr. i, 2. Paris, 1885-^6. Q. Arranged alphabetically by towns under departments. The work, when complete, is to be furnished with an index of authors and of subjects. The contents of the different pub- lications is given with great detail. MULLER, J. Die wissenschaftlichen Vereine und Gesellschaften Deutschlands im 19 Jahrhun- dert ; Bibliographic ihrer Veroffentlichungen seit ihrer Begriindung bis auf die Gegenwart. i e -9 e Lief. Berl., 1883-36. Q. Gives contents of the publications in many cases. Arranged by cities. LANE. 109 YEAR-BOOK of the scientific and learned societies of Gr. Brit, and Ireland; an account of their origin, constitution, and working; from official sources. ist-3d annual issue. 3 vols. L., 1884-86. O. The first volume gave historical and descriptive particulars in regard to each society. Succeeding volumes have given the titles of papers read or published during the preceding year. SPECIAL PLACES. Agenais. ANDRIEU, J. Bibliographic generale de 1'Age- nais et des parties du Condomois et du Baza- dais incorporees dans le dep. de Lot-et- Garonne. Tom. i. A.-K. Paris, 1886. O. An alphabetical list of works pub. in or relating to Agenais, with biog. notes on the authors. America. CLARKE (ROBERT) AND Co. Bibliotheca Ameri- cana, 1886. Catalogue of a valuable collec- tion of books and pamphlets relating to America. Cincinnati, 1886. 280 p. O. Belgium. LAHAYE, L., and others. Bibliographic de 1'his- toire de la Belgique ; ouvrages parus en Bel- gique et a 1'etranger de 1830 a 1882. Fasc. I. Liege, 1886. O. Promises to be one of the most valuable and complete historical bibliographies. Dorset. MAYO, C. H. Bibliotheca Dorsetiensis. Ac- count of printed books and pamphlets relating to the history and topography of Dorset. London, 1885. 296 p. Sq. O. Egypt and Soudan. IBRAHIM-HILMY, Prince. The literature' of Egypt and the Soudan from the earliest times to 1885. Vol. i. A-L. London, 1886. 398 p. Q. Extended notes and contents freely given. England. AIRY, O. Books on English history (Birming- ham reference library lectures). London, 1886. 41, xv. p. O. A lecture, with list of books of reference. Frankfort. GROTEFEND, H. Verzeichniss von Abhand- lungen und Notizen zur Geschichte Frank- furt's ; aus Zeitschrif ten und Sammelwerken. Frankf. a. M., 1885. 95 p. O. Gaul. RUELLE, C. E. Bibliographic generale des Gaules jusqu'k la fin du 5 e siecle. Paris, 1886. 1732 col. O. An elaborate bibliography brought down to 1870, arranged in two parts, systematically by subjects, and alphabetically by authors, with a topical index. Germany. WEISE, A. Bibliotheca germanica; Verzeich- niss aller auf Deutschland und Deutsch- Oesterreich beziiglichen Origin al-Werker die 1880-85 i m gesammten Auslande erschienen sind. Paris und Lpz., 1886. 142 p. S. Includes also the more important magazine literature. Alphabetical catalogue, with subject index. Italy. BLANC, J. Bibliographic italico-franjaise uni- verselle, ou Catalogue methodique de tous les imprimes en langue fran9aise sur 1' Italic ancienne et moderne, 1475-1885. 2 vol. Milan, 1886. L. O. The first volume contains works on the history of Rome, the Church, and Italy; the second gives the French trans- lations of Latin and Italian works, articles in French reviews, a supplement for the first half of 1886, and indexes of places, persons, authors, and translators. Kassel. ACKERMANN, K. Bibliotheca Hassiaca; Reper- torium der landeskundlichen Litteratur fiir den k. preussischen Regierungsbezirk Kassel. Nachtrag i. Kassel, 1886. 60 p. O. A supplement of 700 titles to an earlier bibliography. Madagascar. SIB REE, J. A Madagascar bibliography [with] a list of publications in the Malagasy language, and a list of maps of Madagascar. Antana- rivo, 1885. 92 p. O. In two parts alphabetically by authors, and chronologi- cally under topics. Steiermark. SCHLOSSAR, A. Die Literatur der Steiermark in historischer, geog. und ethnog. Beziehung. Graz, 1886. 171 p. O. United States. ABBOT, G. M. Contributions towards a bibli- ography of the civil war in the United States. I. Regimental histories. Phila., 1886. 34 p. O. Reprinted from the Jan. Bulletin of the Library Company of Philadelphia. ALLEN, J. G. Topical studies in American history. Rochester, N. Y., 1885. Sq. S. For grammar school use. A topical outline of the subject, with a few references for parallel reading. DUNBAR, C. F. Political Economy 8 [topics and references on the history of financial legisla- tion in the United States]. Camb., 1886. 12 p. O. IIO THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. FOSTER, W. E. References to the history of presidential administrations, 1789-1885. N. Y., 1885. T. (Economic tract, No. 17.) TAUSSIG, F. W. Topics and references in Political Economy 6 [in Harvard College : Tariff history of the United States]. Camb., 1886. 31 p. O. A synopsis of lectures, with current references to authori- ties. WILLIAMS, G. A. Topics and references in American history. Syracuse, N. Y., 1886. 50 p. S. Intended for use in schools. Venice. SORANZO, G. Bibliografia veneziana. Venezia, 1885. 938 p. - Q. Intended as a continuation and supplement to E. A. Cicogna's Saggio della bibliog. ven. Classed. Extremely full and extensive. Worcester, Mass. PAINE, N. Bibliography of Worcester history. Worcester, 1885. 18 p. O. SPECIAL PERSONS. Dickens. JOHNSON, C. P. Hints to coi'ectors of original editions of the works of Charles Dickens. London, 1885. 56 p. S. With careful bibliographical notes. KITTON, F. G. Dickensiana. Bibliography of the literature relating to C. Dickens and his writings. London, 1886. xxxii., 510 p. O. Contains some 570 titles, and quotes frequent and extensive extracts from the articles named. Eliot, George. WOOLLEY, C. P. George Eliot. Suggestions for clubs and private reading. Chicago, 1886. 10 p. S. Hamilton. FORD, P. L. Bibliotheca Hamiltoniana. List of books by or relating to Alexander Hamilton. N. Y., 1886. 159 p. O. Full titles and critical notes. Printed on one side of the leaf only. Lipsius. VAN DER HAEGHEN, F. Bibliographic Lip- sienne ; CEuvres de Juste Lipse. 2 vol. Gand, 1886. S. Reprinted from his Bibliotheca Belgica, now in course of publication. An elaborately annotated bibliography. Longfellow. BENJAMIN, W. E. Longfellow collector's handbook. Bibliography of first editions. N. Y., 1885. 55 p. D. Petrarch. FISKE, W. Hand-list of Petrarch editions in the Florentine public libraries. Florence, 1886. O. (Bibliog. notices, 2.) Raleigh. BRUSHFIELD, T. N. The bibliography of Sir Walter Raleigh, with notes. Plymouth; Exe- ter, 1886. 36 p. Q. Reprinted from the Western A ntiquary. Schiller. HETTLER, A. Schiller's Dramen ; eine Bibliog- raphic, nebst einem Verzeichniss der Aus- gaben saemmtl. Werke Schiller's. Berlin, 1885. 57 p. O. Shakespeare. MORGAN, Appleton. Digesta Shakespeareana. Topical index of printed matter (other than literary or aesthetic commentary or criticism) rel. to S. or the S. plays and poems, printed in English to 1887. N. Y., Shakespeare So- ciety, 1887. 224 p. S. Arrangement alphabetical by topics. An addenda of foreign titles is in preparation, and the society intends to issue annual supplements. Not intended to be exhaustive. Shelley. FORMAN, H. B. The Shelley library. An essay in bibliography. Parti. London, 1886. 127 p. O. With extended bibliographical and historical notes. Thackeray. JOHNSON, C. P. Hints to collectors of original editions of the works of Thackeray. London, 1885. 48 p. S. With careful bibliographical notes. Waitz. STEINDORFF, E. Bibliographische Ubersicht iiber Georg Waitz' Werke. Gott., 1886. 34 p. O. SPECIAL SUBJECTS. Chemistry (Explosives). MUNROE, C. E. Index to the literature of explosives. Pt. i. Bait., 1886. O. Contains the titles in 442 volumes of periodicals, arranged in the order of the periodicals referred to. To be followed by a subject and author's index. The periodicals indexed in the first part are : Amer. J. of Sci. ; Philos. Trans. Roy. Soc. ; Proc. U. S. Naval Inst. ; Revue d'Artillerie ; Journ. Roy. Unit. Serv. Inst. ; Reports of H. M. Inspectors of Explo- sives. Chemistry (Uranium). BOLTON, H. C. Index to the literature of uranium. Wash., 1885. 36 p. O. From the Smithsonian report for 1885. LANE. in An earlier index was printed in the A nnals of the lyceum of natural history, Feb. 1870. Church History. FISHER, J. A. A select bibliography of ecclesi- astical history. Boston, 1885. 55 p. S. Reprinted from " Methods of teaching and studying his- tory," edited by G. S. Hall. Education. HALL, G. S., and MANSFIELD, J. M. Hints toward a select and descriptive bibliography of education, arranged by topics and indexed by authors. Boston, 1886. 309 p. O. SCHULZE, C. Systematische Uebersicht der veroffentlichten wertvollen Aufsatze iiber Padagogik, 1880-86. Hannover, 1887. 276 p. O. Carefully classified, and giving extracts from or summaries of the most important books and articles. The contents of 65 German educational periodicals are included. English Literature. BLISS, R. Reference list. "English poets and dramatists." Unity Club, Newport, R. I., [1886.] 8 p. Q. Faust. ENGEL, K. Zusammenstellung der Faust-Schrif- ten vom 16. Jahrh. bis Mitte 1884. Olden- burg, 1885. xii., 764 p. O. A very complete and elaborate compilation. Franco- German war. SCHULZ, A. Bibliographic de la guerre franco- allemande (1870-71) et de la commune de 1871. Paris, 1886. 128 p. O. Alphabetical catalogue, with index of subjects. Genealogy- (American). DURRIE, D. S. Bibliographia genealogica ameri- cana; alphabetical index to American gene- alogies and pedigrees contained in state, county, and town histories, printed genealogies, and kindred works. 3d ed. Albany, N. Y., 1886. 245 p. O.' Indexes the genealogical information in over 400 separate works, amounting to some 20,000 references. Genealogy (English). MARSHALL, G. W. The genealogist's guide. 2d ed. London, 1885. 682 p. O. An index to the English pedigrees in every important gene- alogical and topographical work, as well as to those in many of minor importance. History. ALLEN, W. F. History topics for high schools and colleges. Boston, 1886. S. With list of books of reference in English. History (Mediaeval). CHEVALIER, U. Repertoire des sources his- toriques du Moyen Age. [Vol. i.] Bio- bibliographie. P., 1877-86. L. O. This first volume is an extremely full list of mediaeval names, with copious references to the works from which information can be obtained. The second vol. is to be devoted to places, the third to literary works. OESTERLEY, H. Wegweiser durch die Literatui der Urkundensammlungen. 2 Theile. Berlin, 1885-86. O. Of the greatest importance in the study of mediaeval history when any considerable collection of original records is at hand for consultation. Hunting. SOUHART, R. Bibliographic generale des ouvrages sur la chasse, la venerie et la fauconnerie, depuis le 150 siecle jusqu'a ce jour. Paris, 1886. 750 col. O. With critical notes on value and prices. Jewish question. JACOBS, Joseph. The Jewish question, 1875-84. London, 1885. 96 p. S. A list of 1,230 items. Reprinted from Trilbner? Oriental record. Local institutions. GOMME, G. L. The literature of local institu- tions. London, 1886. 248 p. S. This is an essay on local institutions, with a review of the literature of the subject and bibliographical references. Natural history and Mathematics. FRIEDLANDER, R., & SOHN. Bibliotheca his- torico-naturalis et mathematica; Lager-cata- log. Berlin, 1886. O. Unites in a volume of about 1,000 pages the separate classed catalogues of the firm for the last three years. Political economy. DUNBAR, C. F. Topics and references in Political economy 4 [Economic history of Europe and America since the Seven-years' war]. Cambridge, 1885. S. Politics. Fox, G. L. The study of politics. Chicago, 111., 1885. 16 p. S. (Unity leaflets, no. 10.) Printing. BIGMORE, E. C., and WYMAN, C. W. H. A bibliography of printing, with notes and illus- trations. 3 vol. London, 1880-86. O. Reprinted from the Printing times and lithographer. An alphabetical list without index. Protozoa, etc. THOMPSON, D. W. A bibliography of proto- zoa, sponges, ccelenterata, and worms for 1861- 83. Camb., Eng., 1885. O. Trades unions, etc. BLANC, H. Bibliographic des corporations ouvrieres avant 1789. Paris, 1885. 102 p. O. 112 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. CATALOGUES. ASTOR LIBRARY, New York. Catalogue. (Con- tinuation.) Authors and books. Vol. 1-2 A-K. Camb., 1886-87. O- A supplement to the earlier catalogue of the Library pub- lished in 1857-61. An author catalogue,' with scattering subject entries, for the most part under names of persons. Reviewed in the Library journal, 1886, pp. 160, 215; 1887, P- 253- BRITISH MUSEUM. Catalogue of the printed maps, plans, and charts. London, 1885. 4648 col. F. Strictly alphabetical by places and not classed. The ar- rangement under a place is chronological. Entries are made under authors as well as under places. Catalogue of books placed in the gal- leries in the reading-room. London, 1886. 6np. O. A brief-title author-catalogue of the books most frequently called for in the Museum. A useful index of subjects follows. A subject index to the modern works added to the library 1880-85. B Y G. K. For- tescue. London, 1886. 1044 p. O. This is intended only to supplement the general catalogue of the Museum, hence no personal names will be found among the headings, and the heading Bible has been omitted. Novels, tales, plays, and poems have also been omitted. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY. TRINITY COLLEGE. Catalogue of the English books printed before 1601 now in the library; by Robert Sinker. Camb., 1885. 488 p. O. Arranged by towns and printers, with index of authors. FITCHBURG, Mass. PUBLIC LIBRARY. Classi- fied catalogue, compiled by G. W. Cole. Fitchb., 1886. 758 p. Q. An author and title catalogue (including also biographical entries) is followed by a subject catalogue on the Dewey- decimal plan, with a synopsis of classification and subject- index. The library contains over 16,000 volumes. FONDATION TEYLER. Catalogue de la biblio- theque; par C. Ekama. Livr. 1-4. Harlem, 1885-86. Q. A classed catalogue of a library devoted to natural history. GLASGOW. FACULTY OF PHYSICIANS AN-D SUR- GEONS. Alphabetical catalogue of the li- brary; preceded by an index of subjects; by Alex. Duncan. Glasgow, 1885. ccxlii., 828 p. Q. The alphabetical index of subjects covers 242 pages. Peri- odicals, reports, and society transactions are catalogued separately. The library contains 25,000 volumes. LEIPZIG. BORSENVEREIN DER DEUTSCHEN BUCHHANDLER. Katalog der Bibliothek. Lpz., 1885. 708 p. O. A carefully classified catalogue (7,564 titles) of a library de- voted to works on bookmaking, bookselling, and bookkeeping. Index of authors. MANCHESTER PUBLIC FREE LIBRARIES. Cata- logue 'of the Hulme branch. 4th ed. Man- chester, 1885. 196 p. O. MILWAUKEE PUBLIC LIBRARY. Systematic catalogue of the library, with alphabetical author, title, and subject indexes. Milwaukee, 1885-86. O. NEVINS MEMORIAL LIBRARY, Methuen, Mass. Catalogue of the library; by Harriet H. Ames. 2 vols. Boston, 1887. O. A library of 10,000 volumes, which were selected, arranged, and catalogued by Miss Ames. The catalogue is on the ordi- nary dictionary plan, and seems to be carefully compiled, and a good amount of analytical work done. It is noticeable that no class-lists of fiction, essays, or poetry are given, but a list of dramas is included. NEW YORK. UNION LEAGUE. Catalogue of the library ; by Ellsworth Totten. 1886. O. An author-title-subject alphabetical catalogue. PRINCETON, (N.J.) THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. Catalogue of the library. Part I. Religious literature. Princeton, 1886. O. Rio DE JANEIRO. BIBLIOTHECA NACIONAL. Catalogo da exposisao permanente dos cime- lios. Rio de Janeiro, 1885. O. A careful and elaborate catalogue of a collection of rare or representative works designed to illustrate the history of printing and of letters, and arranged according to places of publication. The collection includes MSS. as well as printed books. ROCKFORD (///.) PUBLIC LIBRARY. Catalogue. Rockford, 1886. 275 p. O. A dictionary catalogue of a library of 13,000 volumes. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. A list of books received at the library of the department; with references to international treaties and articles on subjects relative to the law of nations and diplomacy in magazines. Published at intervals of a month or more, beginning July i, 1886. BARLOW, S. L. M. A rough list designed as the basis of a more complete catalogue of [his] library; by J. O. Wright. Americana, 1477- 1799. N. Y., 1885. 220 p. O. HAWKINS, Rush C. The library of Gen. R. C. Hawkins. N. Y., G: A. Leavitt & Co. March, 1887. O. Remarkable as containing a large number of black-letter and other rare works. Generously annotated. LoCKER-LAMPSON, F. The Rowfant library; catalogue of the printed books, manuscripts, autograph letters, etc., collected by L. Lon don, 1886. O. A remarkable collection of English literature, and specially rich in first editions. PROCEEDINGS.. THE PROCEEDINGS. ROUND ISLAND HOUSE, THOUSAND ISLANDS, JEFFERSON COUNTY, NEW YORK, TUESDAY TO FRIDAY, AUGUST 30 TO SEPTEMBER 2, 1887. FIRST SESSION. (TUESDAY AFTERNOON, AUGUST 30.) WILLIAM F: POOLE, LL.D., President, in the chair. The meeting was called to order at 2.40 P. M. President Poole read the PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. (Seep, i.) MELVIL DEWEY, Secretary, gave extempo- raneously the SECRETARY'S REPORT. In a ten-minute speech he pointed out that the year has been markt by greater interest in libraries than ever before ; that new libraries were starting in all directions ; that old ones were waking to new life and improving their methods and increas- ing their efficiency ; that the place of the library had been recognized by the leaders of public thought, and that year by year the great body of thinkers were coming to respect heartily the new profession ; and, in brief, that the air was full of hope. At the end he said : There are many other things of which I should like to speak to this body ; but the shortness of time and the length of program submitted by our committee con- strain me to use the time for some general announcements, and hope for opportunity later. It is specially necessary this year that members be promptly in place at the hour of opening. We are forced to adjourn every day sharply at noon, and no minutes can be lost in getting business started promptly at 9.30. The question box on my table is open for any- thing pertinent to our sessions. Group your queries about that general topic on the program, if there be any. If not, put them in early, and they will be taken up at the first opportunity. If you fail to put them in, do not go home and say that the wants of your special kind of library were not sufficiently considered. There are some interesting new devices, blanks, catalogs, etc., here. There are others in trunks or bundles. Bring them in at the early sessions, and give all a chance to examin them at odd moments during the week. If left till the last day, no one will have time or opportunity. As is usual, any contributions of this kind unclaimed by the owners will be added to the A.L.A. Bibliothecal Museum, which is at last arranged and displayed at the Library School where it will do the greatest good to the largest number. Time is precious, but we want no member to carry home any good new idea which he intended to divide with us. Give us the points in five minutes if there is not the half hour you would like for elaborating them. The A.L.A. has won the reputation of doing its business with an unusually small amount of talk- ing against time. If each will make his points crisply and promptly, we shall get thru. Our able Assistant Secretary, Mr. Richardson, will again take entire charge of the records. Papers are to be handed to him as soon as read. Speak- ers will be furnisht with tablets and pencils when they sit down, and are expected to give a correct abstract of their remarks for the minutes, as this year there is but one stenografer present, and she is private property. Do not defer writing out your remarks till later or till you get home. You will forget either to do it or what you really said. There are a growing number of details requiring the attention of the Secretary, which title is, as you know, a euphemism for "maid of all work." There are mail, telegrams, excursion tickets, etc., to be attended to. I move that Arthur N. Brown be appointed Second Assistant Secretary for this meeting. Voted. It is our pleasure this year to have three dele- gates from England : Rev. W: H: Milman, Librarian of Sion College, London; James Yates, Chief Librarian of Leeds, England where he has twenty-seven branches, and Edward G. Allen, the well-known agent for American libraries in Lon- don. Mr. Yates was with us in '76 when the A.L.A. was organized. To Mr. Milman the American delegates to the London Conference of 1877 were indebted for perhaps the most charm- ing of many delightful dinners in our honor. It also happens that the Chairman of one of our committees will attend the English meeting, but I was about to say two. I have just learned that Mr. Bowker has reached New York, and is on THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. his way to this meeting. I move that the Secre- tary be directed to forward to the Secretary of the L.A.U.K. the credentials of Miss E. M. Coe, Librarian of the N. Y. Free Circulating Library, as our delegate to its meeting in Birmingham on September 20. Voted. A later letter informed the Secretary that another member, Mr. Gardner M. ' Jones, one of the pupils in the Columbia College Library School, would also attend the English meeting. Mr. S: S. GREEN. I move that the record of the proceedings of the last meeting of this asso- ciation be amended by striking out the word " committee " in the third line of the second col- umn of the 378th page of the eleventh volume of the Library journal, and putting in its place the word " community." Voted. H: J. CARR, Treasurer, read the TREASURER'S REPORT. A. Mr. James L. Whitney, Treasurer for previous year, reported at the Milwaukee Conference to July I, 1886, showing a balance on hand to new account amount- ing to $422 08 To which should be added sundry membership fees received by him after that date up to Oct. 5, 1886 196 oo Also correction in bill of Publishers' Weekly, as entered Dec. 22, 1885 (see note in Milwaukee Conf. report) ... 4 oo Total $622 08 The Treasurer's books show payments to his credit, subsequent to report of July i, 1886, and prior to transfer, as follows : 1886. July 10. Paid stamps, $3.00; express, 5 $35 Sept. 2. Paid express to E. Magnusson, 75 " 2. " Custom-house fees on E. Magnusson package ... i oo " 24. Paid J. P. Murphy & Co. en- gravings for E. Magnusson's article in Transactions . . 20 oo Oct. 4. Paid Library Bureau, printing circulars, July, 1886 ... 9 oo " 4. Paid Same, postage on circu- lars 6 50 Payments $40 75 Balance transferred to H: J. Carr, Treasurer, Grand Ra- pids, Mich $581 33 B. HENRY J. CARR, Treasurer. In account with the AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION: 1886. DR. Oct. 9. To balance received from Jas. L. Whitney, Treasurer, per report A $581 33 Oct. 5 to Aug. 26, 1887. To 198 annual membership fees, viz. : For year 1884, i .... 2 oo " 1885, 4 .... 8 oo " 1886, 37 .... 74 oo " 1887, 155 .... 310 oo " 1888, I .... 2 00 $396 oo To i life membership Mrs. Louisa C. F. Mann, to date from 1885 $25 oo To interest, viz. Concord . . $6 85 Grand Rapids 4 98 $11 83 1886. Total $622 08 Total $1,014 16 CR. Oct. 12 to Aug. 26, 1887. By freight ($2.85) and postage ($22.03) on Proceedings (275 copies rec'd, 255 distrib.) . $24 88 By supplies for Treasurer's office, viz. mailing stamp and pad and blanks 2 75 By postage, express, and ex- change 10 52 1886. Oct. 12. By W. F. Poole, bill Aug. 5, expenses on account Mil- waukee Conference and pro- gram 3 60 1887. Feb. 23. By W: I. Fletcher, bill Nov. 2, for Cooperation Committee expenses, 1885-86 .... 19 25 March 2. By Rockwell & Churchill, bill Oct. 1 6, 1886, for 275 cop- ies Proceedings Milwaukee Conference (196 pp.) . . . 489 66 Jan. 31. By Library Bureau, bill Dec. 17, 1886, ads., etc., for Mil- waukee Conference in Li- brary Notes, No. i .... 50 oo " 31. By Library Bureau, bill Jan. 14, 1887, stationery and print- ing for Secretary's office . . 13 oo April 12. By Rockwell & Churchill, bill March 31, 1887, for 50 copies E. Magnusson's article on spiral building, Oct. 12, 1886, 3 50 $617 16 Aug. 27. Balance on hand to be ac- counted for $397 oo Total $1,014 16 PROCEEDINGS. 1887. DR. Aug. 27. To balance to new account . . $397 oo Account examined with vouchers, and found correct. SAMUEL S. GREEN, J. N. LARNED, CHARLES C. SOULE, Committee on Treasurer's Account. C. A few details from the Treasurer concerning the Proceedings and membership of the A.L.A. may not be untimely with view to the future. Of the last four published Proceedings, the editions and cost were as follows : Cincinnati Conference (1882), 86 p., 750 copies, cost $260 96 Buffalo Conference (1883), 146 p., 350 copies, cost 418 20 Lake George Conference (1885), 160 p., 300 copies, cost 461 97 Milwaukee Conference (1886), 196 p., 275 copies, cost 493 16 (Expenses of $25.25 on account of E. Magnus* son's article, not included in cost of 1886 Pro" ceedings.) It is not found that the amounts stated above include anything for editorial services or other than regular cost of manufacture, properly speaking. Each year, it will be observed, the number of copies has been less; but, owing to larger number of pages, the expenditures have increased. The charges made for the last year's Proceed' ings (Milwaukee Conference, 1886) were on a lower basis for work and material, however, than those of any year previous. It is also understood that 300 copies were really ordered of said 1886 Proceedings, which quantity would not have cost more than for 275. By mistake of the printers the lesser number only was issued, and is the total number received for distribution, of which 15 copies were delivered thru the office of Mr. Dewey, Secretary, and 240 by the Treasurer, leav- ing a balance of 20 copies yet on hand. Of the above 255 distributed, 35 went to tem- porary members of 1886, 5 to special use (compli- mentary, etc.), and 215 to regular members. As against the 20 copies on hand, there are 19 members owing for 1886, and 6 for 1885 and 1886, making 25 entitled to copies of the 1886 Proceed- ings, if they pay arrears. All of whom have been "cordially invited" so to do; but it is doubtful now if more than 10 or 12 will finally comply. Including postage, these last Proceedings cost quite $1.90 a copy. Therefore, the Treasurer has not felt warranted in putting a nominal price upon the few which might be spared, and hence has not disposed of any by sale, altho two or three parties have expressed a desire to obtain extra copies. He submits it to the Association. The 20 copies of 1886 are all that remain in the present Treas- urer's hands. If any copies of prior years remain undisposed of, he does not know who has them, nor where. Since the Milwaukee Conference the list of regu- lar membership has been reduced as follows : Death, i ; resigned, 4; dropt under by-law, over three years in arrears, 17; total decrease, 22. And has been increased by new members up to the date of this report, 19. The membership status is now as follows : Life members 22 Paid to 1888, inclusive i " 1887, " 154 Owing for 1887 only 52 " 1887 and 1886 19 " 1887, 1886, and 1885 6 Total 254 With $397 in the treasury, as reported (of which $25 is for a new life membership, and awaits disposal in accordance with prospective action taken at Milwaukee, looking to funding such items), the prospective additional revenue for 1887 is from the number in arrears, as above, viz. : 52 for i year, 19 for 2 years, and 6 for 3 years. Presumably from $90 to $100 may be received from the same, which, with such fees as new and temporary members will contribute, may be likely to carry the avails for 1887 to quite #500. At the same time the prospect, in connection with other current expenses, is not such as to warrant other than a conservative outlay upon the Proceedings of the 1887 Conference. Respectfully submitted, H: J. CARR, Treasurer. Mr. GREEN. As no member of the Finance Committee is present, I move that a committee of three be appointed by the chair to audit the Treasurer's accounts, and to take into consider- ation the suggestions which he has made. Voted, and Messrs. S: S. Green, J. N. Lamed and C: G. Soule appointed. Mr. DEWEY. The state of our finances suggests that we were overwhelmed last year with matter, so many permissions to print were given, and some THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. of the papers were so long. There ought to be some authority to edit or condense any or all papers so as to bring the printing within the limits of our funds. Mr. GREEN. I move that this matter also be referred to the committee just appointed. Voted. Mr. W: I. FLETCHER, Chairman, gave the COOPERATION COMMITTEE'S REPORT. I accepted the position of Chairman of this com- mittee last year under protest, having hoped that some one else might have been found for it who would be more free from other duties in connec- tion with our cooperative work. Having the Publishing Section to look after, as well as the Cooperative Index to Periodicals, and, in the last few months, the forthcoming five-year supplement to Poole's Index, I have found it impossible to give attention to the development of any new work. Fully satisfied, however, that there is yet a large field for such work, I had hoped to secure a meeting of the committee early in the present season, with a view to getting something on foot before the present conference, so that we could give a report showing at least the semblance of life. The absence of one member of the committee in Europe and other circumstances have conspired to prevent such a meeting. Consequently, there is nothing left for the committee but to confess that nothing has been done by the committee as such, and to emphasize the demand thus indicated for the appointment of a new committee, or at least one with a new head, for the ensuing year. Mr. Fletcher called on Mr. W. S. Biscoe to give an account of the cooperation work of the New York Library Club. MR. BISCOE. The main task we attempted this year was the publication of a list of all the periodi- cals currently received by the New York and Brooklyn libraries. To this we added such other magazines as are included in Poole's Index and its supplements. By four varieties of type we have indicated what magazines are received by each library, and how complete a set it has : complete and current; partial and current; partial and not current; and current numbers only, not preserved after a few weeks or months. The lists of half a dozen of the larger libraries were first printed in proof, and these were sent to the cooperating libraries for them to add such other magazines as they received, and to place their initials against those already on the list. These 30 or 40 lists were then consolidated, and the final copy made. The expense of the undertaking is paid by subscriptions on the part of the different libraries who have taken such number of copies as each desired some only two or three, others 100 or more. A library contributing lists did not thereby incur any responsibility for expense of publication. In this way we have printed a pam- phlet of about 60 pages, each library giving the needed work and paying in addition such money as it chooses. It has cost a good deal of labor, but will be of great value, enabling us to direct inquirers after our periodical literature to the library best able to satisfy them. I hope this may lead to a more extensive work, which shall give us for the whole country a list of the non-scientific magazines similar to Bolton's Catalogue of Scien- tific Periodicals. Mr. FLETCHER asked that the Report of the Publishing Section might be postponed until later in the meeting, to allow another meeting of its Executive Board. Mr. S. S. GREEN read the REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE SCHOOL OF LIIiRARY ECONOMY. Hearty thanks from the librarians of the United States and from all friends of libraries and of education in this country are due to Mr. Melvil Dewey for the strenuous efforts which he has made to establish a school of library economy. Before he entered upon that undertaking, we had incurred a heavy weight of obligation because of his enthusiastic and well-directed efforts to bring about an organization of the librarians of the United States, and to found the Library journal, and for numerous and fruitful suggestions in regard to the management of libraries. The American Library Association, as the re- sult of his skill and energy, has become firmly established several years before it would other- wise have come into existence. The Library journal, in consequence of his exertions, and through the self-sacrificing labors of Frederick Leypoldt and the wise management of its business affairs and admirable conduct from an editorial point of view by Mr. Bowker and Mr. Cutter, has become one of the few really good sources of information on the subject of Library Economy, and the best expositor of cur- rent opinions, as well as purveyor of news that is of interest to librarians and other persons who have a taste for library pursuits. Finally, a School of Library Economy has been established, and, during a year's existence, has PROCEEDINGS. 117 fully justified the opinions of those persons who favored its establishment. Let us with the utmost cordiality, and gratefully, express our thanks to Mr. Dewey for taking this additional step in advance, and for inaugurating and carrying to a successful issue a movement that is of the greatest importance when regarded in the light of the influence which it will exert in raising the standard of librarianship among us, and in the education of the people of the country. We ought also to express to Columbia College the thanks of this Association for its readiness to allow its well-informed and energetic Librarian to carry out his plans for the benefit of education, and our admiration of the faith which made it willing to second a new movement by lending its name, affording its support, and giving from its resources to make it successful. I had the pleasure of visiting the School of Library Economy during the season of the in- tensest work going on in it, and was delighted with what I saw there. The Director of the school, the teachers, and pupils, all of them engaged in the work of the school with manifest enthusiasm. Energy and wisdom were apparent in adminis- tration. The instruction given was thorough, liberal, and profuse. The devotion of the scholars was remarkable, and their intelligence, capacity, and preliminary general education very noticeable. Were it important to criticise keenly and to point out defects in the school, the task of the critic would be a hard one. Any slight short- comings that appeared during the first year of its existence will be removed another year, and, under the watchful eye of its Director, improvements will be introduced into it. Perhaps it would be proper to say that it seemed to me that something of that quality which is known in art as repose was lacking in the conduct of the exercises of the school. I seemed to be, while there, in an atmosphere that was slightly feverish. There are certain dangers to which a school of the kind under consideration is liable, which may be mentioned, but which I feel sure this one will steer clear of. One of these is provincialism. It seems to me to be a matter of prime impor- tance that, in respect to the subjects in Library Economy upon which there exists a difference of opinion among thoughtful and practical librarians, those subjects should be studied in all their aspects; and that Columbia College would do well, in the interests of breadth in education, to offer inducements to experts of assured reputation who entertain different views from those held by the officers of its own library to go from other parts of the country to New York to present those views. This does not mean merely that com- pensation in money should be offered for services to be rendered, but also that lecturers who go to the college to aid it in its undertaking should receive their appointments from the corporation of the college, be regarded as a part of its regularly established corps of instructors, and be received, when they visit New York, with such attentions from the higher officers of the institution as would show that gratitude is felt for their presence and assistance. Another danger to which a school of library economy is subjected is the exaggeration of the importance of instrumentalities by its pupils, and a failure on their part to catch the spirit of help- fulness which is essential in libraries, and to acquire the disposition to serve all men faithfully, and make of the institutions to which they are to belong great centres of educational influence in which enthusiasm for the dissemination of knowl- edge and wisdom, the choicest fruits of study, ability and culture, is to provide the motive power and make manifest the spirit which, only, can justify the labor expended in becoming acquainted with the approved appliances and methods which are taught in a school of library economy. I presume that it is unnecessary even to allude to the last danger which occurs to me. No graduate of the School of Library Economy of Columbia College will become a conceited prig, or believe, as some of the graduates of other educational institutions do, that the knowledge obtained in school or college is adequate in any calling or profession until supplemented by the teachings of experience. For the Committee. SAMUEL SWETT GREKN. Mr. W. E. FOSTER being called upon by the President, as a member with Mr. Green of the committee on the Library School reporting in 1885, stated that he wished only to add to the report presented by Mr. Green the fact that the school had in its very first year so closely approxi- mated to the conception presented as desirable in advance, and was also greatly impressed on visiting the school during the winter with what might be called its " spirit." This was not merely one of enthusiasm, but of complete devotion to the work, as shown in many ways ; notably in the refusal by some of the pupils of offers of library positions in THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. order to complete their course at the school, in the petition by the pupils to have the length of the term extended, and in their evident preference of the school and its discipline over the attractions of various entertainments in the city. The whole aspect is very promising for the future. The report by Miss H. P. James, a third mem- ber of the same committee, was received at a later session, but is inserted here. I am glad of an opportunity to make a report upon the School of Library Economy, because of my special advantages in observing its methods during a two weeks' visit to it, and also because I am having a daily proof of the excellence and thoroughness of its practical outcome in the work of two of its pupils. What especially impressed me at the school, apart from the enthusiasm of the students, which was almost phenomenal, was the breadth of the teaching which was aimed at. Not only was library work of every description, from the minut- est detail to the broadest generalization, carefully considered, but the utmost pains were taken that no one system should be taught exclusively. The Dewey System was taught as a matter of course, but all other systems had a fair and candid hearing, and the students were constantly obliged to do their own thinking, and arrive at their own conclusions after a fair exposition and discussion of other methods had been presented by different visiting librarians. No more delightful task ever fell to me, than to speak upon library work to a class of such eager, interested listeners, and I know I only voice the experience of others in saying so. The many questions asked concerning the methods I had touched upon were so direct and practical as to show the excellence of the training and the ear- nestness of the students. I felt that a grand and needed work was well begun, and that the aim of the school was in the right direction. I am not competent to go into any detail upon the methods of the school. Doubtless many improvements will be made this year and in future years, but I know I am right in saying that the school will continue to be of the utmost practical value, and its establishment marks the beginning of new life and zeal in library adminis- tration. HANNAH P. JAMES, Librarian Osterhout Free Library. Wilkes Barre, Pa., Aug. 1887. ACTION OF BURNING-GAS ON LEATHER. Mr. B. P. MANN read the paper of C. S. WOOD- WARD, B. Sc., entitled A PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENTAL INQUIRY AS TO THE ACTION OF BURNING-GAS ON LEATHER USED FOR BOOK-BINDING. ABSTRACT OF A PAPER TO BE READ AT THE CONFERENCE OF LIBRARIANS IN BIRMINGHAM, ENG., SEPTEM- BER, 1887. (Seep. II.) ACTION OF ELECTRIC LIGHT ON PAPER. Mr. Woodward, in a letter accompanying the paper, said : " I should particularly point out that I regard the experiments as preliminary only. There has not been time to make an exhaustive enquiry. A variety of leather should be examined. I have tried but one. Again, a very great number of strips should be tried ; as the two, though prob- ably of equal strength, cannot with any confidence be said to be so." Mr. CRUNDEN. In accordance with the request that kindred matters be brought up in their relation, I should like to speak of a letter which I have received from Mr. Dyer, of the St. Louis Mercantile Library, enclosing a communica- tion to him relating to certain alleged dangers resulting from the use of electric light. The writer had read in Public Opinion, of London, an extract from some foreign periodical, which stated that electric light changed paper to a yellow color. Mr. Dyer asks me to bring the matter before the con- vention and secure a thorough discussion of the subject. He is naturally anxious to get all the information obtainable on this subject, as they are erecting a $300,000 building and want to have the very best light in existence. If the detrimental effects of gas are matched or exceeded by new dangers from electricity, it is important to all that it should be known. I should be glad to hear from those who can speak from personal observa- tion on this point. Mr. DEWEY. Half a dozen people have sent me this same cutting. It has come in original, copies, and translations with a persistence that suggests a wealthy gas company behind its circula- tion. It must refer to the old arc light. The same thing was said about the injurious effect of the electric light on the complexion it would produce freckles. But I see no increase in freckles nor reduction in the number of ladies who use our reading-rooms. One who cares for his eyes will surely use the incandescent electric light. We use the Edison PROCEEDINGS. 119 system, which is infinitely better than any use of gas. Mr. GREEN. I had to look into this matter. The paragraph referred to related to books in a library in Vienna. The point made seemed to be that intense light like the electric changes the color of paper made of wood pulp. Why would not it be possible, supposing this to be a fact, to place curtains before the books of the library, and still avail ourselves of the advantages of unvitiated air to books, library attendants, and readers ? I showed the paragraph referred to to a prominent manager of a large industrial institution in Wor- cester. He has agreed to send a copy of it to a distinguished expert in electic lighting for consid- eration. If I receive an answer of importance, I will send it to the Library journal. President POOLE. This same clipping has been sent to me in various forms, and I assure you there is nothing in it. It does not prove nor even tend to prove that the electric light is injurious. I have had experience of Edison's. There is noth- ing better in the world except sunlight. I have been surprised that that paragraph should attract so much notice. It only proves that certain papers made of wood pulp will change color in a strong light. Mr. MANN. Then any light will change it. Mr. CRUNDEN. I have seen the experiment tried in sunlight, with the same result of changing, so that whatever will apply to the electric light in this respect will also apply to sunlight. Mr. DEWEY gave the REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF ARRANGE- MENTS After careful consideration your committee selected Round Island as best for this year's meet- ing. Your programs and itinerary give details, which I need not repeat, for the post-conference excursion. The elaborate program posted in the main hall shows what good things the cottagers here have prepared for us. To-night a comedy, with music and recitations, in the dining-room ; to-morrow night an Adirondack camp-fire at Shady Ledge, with glee club, orchestra, brass band, humorous entertainment, and land and marine fire- works ; Thursday afternoon athletic games of various kinds, including a base-ball match between the librarians and the cottagers. As to this I assured the committee that only two of our mem- bers were sure which end of the bat was for the hands, and the committee promist a cottage nine equally proficient. I move that Messrs. Crunden and Hild be put in charge of the A.L.A. ball team, with power to appoint associates. Voted. Thursday night is set apart for a general illumi- nation of all the cottages on the island, with fire- works and music by the Clayton Brass Band, end- ing with a hop in these parlors. Friday afternoon is filled with a marine parade, amateur and profes- sional sailing and rowing races, tub races, etc. Besides all this we have chartered the large side- wheel steamer John Thorn, for the famous forty- mile trip among the Thousand Islands. We leave promptly at i.oo P. M. Wednesday, and will be back by 6.30. The total expense for this, as for the Thursday trip to Kingston on the same boat, is 50 cents each. Tickets can be had from Assist- ant Secretary Brown. If you do nothing else while here, take this trip among the islands. We shall land at the Thousand Island Park, go over to Gananoque, Can., through the Lost Channel and the famous Lake of the Islands, where no other steamer goes, and land at Westminster Park and at Alexandria Bay for a brief inspection of their attractions. On Thursday we go in the opposite direction to the edge of Lake Ontario, and have time in Kings- ton to see Fort Henry and the various objects of interest in that ancient city, getting back before 7.00 P. M. On Friday night, the full of the moon, the large side-wheel steamer St. Lawrence will take us through the islands to see the illuminations, stop- ping an hour at Alexandria Bay, where we are invited to inspect the large hotels. To those wishing to row, sail, or fish ample facilities are provided at the dock in front of the hotel at very reasonable rates. Evidently no one need stagnate in the four days allowed to Round Island. Now a word about rooms. We have with us this first day double the number we have ever had at hotel headquarters before. The unexpected success of this meeting is our only embarrassment. We learned at seven o'clock last night of the size of the party coming. The hotel manager, Mr. Davis, has done everything in his power that we could possibly ask, and will continue to do so. He has declined guests paying nearly double, to save rooms for us. When we found that these were insufficient he at once offered to run a free steamer to Clayton and furnish needed extra rooms at the best hotels there at his own expense. He and I took the steamer due before the A.L.A. train to give this notice, so that those who were unwilling to " double up " here might go at once to rooms I2O THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. alone in Clayton. Our boat was late. The size of the party led to the firing up of another steamer, and, before our boat had touched the dock, yours had left it with all on board. Mr. Davis and I came down with you only by making two danger- ous jumps across clear water. He had his own boat, the Farrington, fired up, and took back a load to Clayton; and during the week she will run, after the close of the exercises here, to the large hotel at the Thousand Island Park, two miles below, carrying both ways free any who prefer the extra room to be had only in this way. For fear that more excursions have been pro- vided than the members care to make, I will take a show of hands as to the number wishing to go. We thought that on these large steamers specially chartered for us, there would be ample room and as good opportunity for committee meetings and our little 7x9 conferences as at the hotel. The result showed that the majority wisht to include all the excursions. Mr. BROWN reminded members that the return- trip certificates must be used within three days of final adjournment. Mr. DEWEY moved that the final adjournment of this conference be on Saturday, September 10, till which time we should still be together in a kind of traveling conference. Voted. Mr. EDMANDS read a paper on LETTERING BOOKS. (Seep. 12.) Mr. NELSON, after expressing the author's regret at not being present, read Mr. FREDERICK SAUNDERS'S paper A SKETCH OF DR. J. G. COGSWELL, FIRST LIBRA- RIAN OF THE ASTOR LIBRARY. ( This will l>e published hereafter in the Library journal.) President POOLE. It has been thought best by our sagacious Secretary, seconded by myself, on account of the crowded program, to continue this session till six o'clock. Voted. Mr. CUTTER gave his paper A NOTATION FOR SMALL LIBRARIES. (Seep. 14.) Mr. S. S. GREEN. How does that differ dis- tinctively from your classification for a large library ? Mr. CUTTER. The classing is in the main the same. The difference lies in the marking. I have 26 principal classes instead of 29, and, using for the sub-classes 25 letters only, instead of 36 letters and figures, I was obliged to reduce by a quarter the divisions in each class. But as, on the other hand, I gained two places in many classes by the improved local list, I found that I seldom lost much that was important by the change. Mr. FLETCHER. Do I understand that if you were to make your large classification over again you would use only the 26 characters rather than the 36? Mr. CUTTER. lam not prepared to say that. The chief difficulties of classification come when one gets down into the details, and I have not worked this out in detail yet. Some advantages over the Athenaeum scheme it certainly has, but I think I discern some dangers in the dim distance. There will be, I fear, an incapacity in a few places for a subdivision minute enough to meet the wants of a very large library, unless it shall aban- don its simplicity of notation in classes like local history and geography, and permit in them a slight mixture of letters and figures. But if that is made, should think that the points in which the new plan is inferior to the old will be fewer and less impor- tant than the points in which it is superior. Mr. GREEN. Are you willing to make an index to it, as Mr. Dewey has done to his, so that it can be used as readily ? Mr. CUTTER. Yes. I consider an index abso- lutely necessary to the easy use of any classifica- tion. I have at the Athenaeum an index to the larger classification used there ; it is kept on cards at present, but is to be printed as soon as I have worked out that scheme into all its details. Mr. MANN. As a library grows, will it be necessary to change the notation ? Mr. CUTTER. I began with the idea of making several notations for libraries of different sizes, the list of which would have read as follows : No. i. For a library of 1,000 volumes. (N. B. I do not recommend any library to use so little classification as this. The smallest library will find No. 2 better.) No. 2. For a library of 1,000-5,000 volumes. (N. B. For a library of this size having a pros- pect of considerable increase, I recommend No. 3 or No. 4.) No. 3. For a library of 5,000-10,000 volumes. (N. B. A rapidly growing library of this size will put off the necessity of changing for a longer time by using No. 4 or No. 5). No. 4. For a library of 10,000-20,000 volumes. (N. B. No. 5 is but little fuller, and will last longer). No. 5. For a library of 20,000-100,000 volumes. PROCEEDINGS. 121 These several notations would have been sub- stantially the same, except that No. 2 would have had more divisions than No. I, and No. 3 more than No. 2, and so on. No. I perhaps would have had only the 26 main classes, possibly not even so many. No. 2 would have divided some of these classes, using, however, the same notation as No. i, but adding to it. For instance, No. I might have had a class English liter- ature marked Y. No. 2 would certainly find it necessary to take out English fiction and make a separate place for it, say YF. No. 3 would no doubt differentiate English poetry YP, and No. 4 English drama, YD. Whether I shall publish these as separate lists, I do not know. Perhaps variety of printing would accomplish the same end ; subjects and marks that were to be used by the smallest library (corresponding to list No. i) being put in the largest type ; the additional subjects recommended for No. 2 to be in the next size of type, and so on. A small and slowly growing library may be arranged in this way, with few subdivisions ; and when it has grown large, if it has a card catalogue, any subject can be rearranged at any time ; but, if its catalogue is printed, the opportunity may be taken when it reprints (as all libraries do from time to time, if they print at all), to rearrange those parts which need subdivision. Note, ist, that these parts can be subdivided without touch- ing at all the rest of the library, and, 2d, that even in the part that is rearranged the general works remain as they were, and, 3d, that even in that part of the subject which is not general, and so requires subdivision, only the class-marks have to be altered (by adding one or more characters to them). There is no need whatever of altering the author-marks. For example, if we wanted to divide English history F 41 into nine parts, and we had already the marks F4I. A24 F4i. B79 F4i. 084 F4I. Dl6 of which the first is to go into the ninth period, the second to remain among the general works, the third to the second period, and the fourth to the fifth, we should have F4i. B79 F4I2. 84 - Di6 A24 the whole change consisting in adding the 2, 5, and 9 to the class-marks, the whole mark of the second work remaining untouched, and the author-marks of all the rest. This elasticity, common to all alfabetic and decimal systems, by which an entire rearrangement is avoided, is a very great advantage. Mr. EDMANDS read his paper on ALPHABETING. (Seep. 16, 122.) Mr. PHINNEY. The principles of arrangement set forth by Mr. Edmands I find to be in general those that I have worked out myself and have followed in arranging the cards in the Library of the University of Rochester. Of course the differ- ence between glancing down a printed page and turning over cards one at a time modifies the appli- cation of those principles. I have here a code of short rules which show how the general principles have been applied to our card catalogue, which embraces authors, title-subjects (not systematic subjects), and in part titles. I will read them. Cards are to be arranged alphabetically by words and by sentences, except 1. The initial of a title is disregarded, however transposed. 2. Personal names precede other words spelled like them. 3. Names of sovereigns distinguished by num- bers precede the same names without numbers. 4. Several cards headed by the name of the same person are arranged thus : (a) books by him ; (b) books compiled, edited, or translated by him; (c) books written or edited in conjunction with others ; (d) lives, memoirs, etc., about him ; (e) others. 5. Several titles alike are arranged by authors' surnames. 6. Several titles alike as far as a numeral are arranged in the natural order of the numeral. 7. Reference cards follow all other cards headed by the same word or phrase. 8. Various spellings of the same person's name are disregarded. President POOLE announced the Committee on Resolutions, Mellen Chamberlin of Boston, W: E. Foster of Providence, C: C. Soule of Boston. Committee on Nominations, J. N. Larned of Buffalo, C: A. Nelson of New York, R. B. Poole of New York, F: M. Crunden of St. Louis, W: I. Fletcher of Amherst. Mr. DEWEY moved to begin the morning session at 9.00 A.M., because of extent of program. Voted 122 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. SECOND SESSION. (WEDNESDAY MORNING, AUGUST 31.) President POOLE called the meeting to order at President POOLE. Yesterday we had the mat- ter of alphabeting brought up, with strictures on various indexes Mr. Cutter's catalogue, Poole's Index, etc. I am glad the matter has been brought up. So far as Poole's Index is concerned, I would say that the nucleus is now more than 40 years old, and is not as scientifically arranged as it would be if done now. The new edition is largely the work of Mr. Fletcher, and, for my part, I think it is admirably done. I shall call on Mr. Fletcher, who will have something to say on the subject of the alphabeting. I will just say that there will be a five year supplement to the Poole's Index. [Applause.] It will be made up in the same way as the Index, so that the volumes, as they come out, can be numbered 2, 3, etc. They will cost the same rate per page as the Index. It is not yet known how many pages there will be. We hope to make the Supplement pay the expenses of printing, and that is all we ask. That is more than the Index has done, as yet. I may say that I am still $3,000 out of pocket on it. The plates are my own property. I have been trying to get the remaining copies of the edition from the publishers, but have not succeeded as yet, although my check has been in Mr. Soule's hands for some time. I will call on Mr. Fletcher now for some remarks on ALPHABETING. Mr. FLETCHER. I was much interested yestet- day in Mr. Edmands's most judicious discussion of this subject, especially as the alphabeting of the titles in Poole's Index, to which he made frequent reference, in the main commendatory, was mostly my own work. With nearly all his decisions of questions connected with alphabeting I agreed, and most of the variations in Poole from his principles must be set down as accidental slips. But there are a few points on which there is yet room for discussion ; and Mr. Edmands has kindly placed his MS. in my hands, to enable me to touch briefly upon some of them in order. Mr. Edmands favors considering the article in alphabeting titles where it occurs after the first word, and criticises the practice of Poole in such cases as: For his country For the king For king and country For ladies For the last time, etc. My own impression is that the wisest rule is that the articles should never be given weight as factors in alphabeting. This is the only rule which can be given of equal simplicity, and this seems to me a sufficient reason for it. Under his heading, " Connected words," Mr. Edmands cites from Poole : Book Book auction (2 words) Bookbinding (i word) Book plates (2 words) Book stall Book thief This is one of the most difficult points I have met in the whole matter of alphabeting. Mr. Edmands's rule is the one which I think has generally been followed, namely, that those titles in which the word Book, for instance, is a separate word should all stand (alphabeted by the next word) before all those in which Book is but a part of a word, This would give us : Book auction Book plates Book stall Book thief Bookbinding, etc. But there comes in this prime difficulty that the same combination is, by equally good authorities, treated sometimes as one word and sometimes as two. This is the case with Book worm, which, if treated as two words, would be before Bookbinding, if as one, a considerable distance after it. After considerable backing and filling on this point, I have decided that the only safe rule is to treat all adjective use of nouns as constituting them a part of a compound, to be alphabeted as a consolidated word, whether printed as one or as two, with or without the hyphen. Variations from this rule in Poole or in the Cooperative Index under my charge must be ascribed to the hesitation with which I have come to this conclusion. Another point in which I differ from Mr. Ed- mands is where he attempts to make a distinction between a word used as a subject-heading and the same word used as part of a compound title. He instances Heat, causes of of the sun Theory of as an example of confusion resulting from the PROCEEDINGS. 123 failure to observe this distinction. 1 have not found sucn a distinction necessary or desirable. The distinction I have made is the simple one between a word used in its real or natural sense and the same word used in a fanciful or arbitrary sense,- as History, abstract of in modern education History of an adventurer the last title belonging to the class of fanciful uses, and the word History being repeated instead of being replaced by the dash. As to plurals I have wavered considerably, but am still disposed to adhere to the practice of plac- ing the plurals after the singulars, though strict alphabetical order may be violated. This is a prin- ciple, however, which I would apply to a printed index or a written one in which many titles are before the eye at one time, but would hesitate to apply to a card or a dictionary catalogue. The question of placing the article after titles was touched upon by Mr. Edmands. My prac- tice has been to use the article in this way when it seems necessary in order to preserve the full understanding of the meaning. When used at all, I am satisfied that it should always be placed after the whole phrase to which it belongs, rather than after the first word, either with commas or parentheses. Mr. GRISWOLD. How have you distinguished Bookworm in the real sense and in the artificial ? Mr. FLETCHER. By repeating the word in- stead of using the dash. Mr. SWIFT. I should like to ask some one who is more familiar with the German usage than I am about the transposition of " ein " and " eine " in alphabeting. Mr. LINDERFELT. Strictly speaking, there are cases where " ein " would not be transposed ; but, as a matter of usage in alphabeting, it is safe to say that there are no exceptions that all should be transposed. I can see no good reason why any exceptions should be made in alphabetical ar- rangement, why, e. g., the " the " should be dis- regarded. I find that the German catalogs and Lorenz have introduced this confusion, but see no reason why Americans should bother with them. As to compounds, I think with Mr. Fletcher that the only way to consider compounds is as compounds. Mr. GREEN. There is another thing which ought to be considered the use of the umlaut in German. I incline to stick to the old method, arranging a, 6, ii as if spelled ae, oc, uc, but I see Mr. Dewey adopts the new plan. Mr. LINDERFELT. The Germans themselves are changing over. The tendency in works for general circulation is to use the e as if it were written out. Against this, however, is the custom which is becoming universal of printing all um- lauted vowels with the two dots rather than written out. Mr. TYLER. Hinrichs puts vEschylus after Aschbach. I should like to know if this is the usage of other catalogues, or if there is any kind of reason, even in German, for putting a latinized word in this order. Mr. VAN NAME. There is another considera- tion which is not unlikely to finally decide this question of usage in Germany, and that is the philological. The e does not belong there. It is only a sign of the modification of the vowel caused by an e or / in the following syllables, and the authority of scholars will be naturally against the writing of it. Mr. CRUNDEN. I don't think we ought to go into philology a great deal. The matter is prac- tical, and lies just here. The Germans distin- guish between the names Moller and Moeller (M61- ler). Now in alphabeting, if the e is not regarded, it mixes up names which are really different.* Mr. LINDERFELT. I don't see as that will make any difference in the arrangement. Ten to one Miiller or Muller, Moller or Moller, will be Miller when he gets over here anyway. [Laughter.] Mr. CRUNDEN. But I don't think we are called on to naturalize a man before he has ap- plied for papers. Mr. VAN NAME. It might happen that Muller (Mueller) would be separated from Muller by inter- vening names, e. g., Muff. The better plan would be to treat them as distinct vowel-letters (which they really are) and place u in alphabetic order imme- diately .after or before u; and follow the same course with the other umlaut-vowels. Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Crunden's point is * e.g. In the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographic, v. 22 : 122, there are n Mollers and 13 Mollers grouped. Now a strict disregard of the e would result in a series, Moller, A; Moller, Bartold; Moller, Bernhard; Moller, C. F. A.; Moller, Daniel; Moller,- Daniel W. ; Moller, Ed.; Moller, Gustav; Moller, Heinr. ; Moller, Heinr. Ferd ; Moller, Joach. ; Mol- ler, Joach ; Moller, Johann; Moller, Johannes; Moller, J. G. ; Moller, J. G. P., etc. Now, Moller, J. G.P., and Moller, Gustav, are father and son, but have interposed between them in the alphabet three men of different stock and different names, interposed simply because their names happen to be spelled somewhere near alike. E. C. R. 124 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. well taken. It is the same problem that we have in English with Smith and Smyth and Smythe. If these were regarded as the same word, it would mix up families un pardonably. There would be just as much reason for putting Smollet in the midst of the Smiths as in putting Smyth. We would ri't think in American usage of mixing A. A. Muller among the Millers. O is a discrimination recognized both in writing and in pronunciation, and no logic which finds no place for an addi- tional discrimination, but simply neglects it, as if what is there were not there, can stand. In preparing a bibliography which I have just finished and which has a very large proportion of German titles, I examined a large number of Ger- man bibliographies, and, while the usage was about half and half, I concluded that on the whole the weight of usage was toward the recognition of the umlaut as if it included an e. Mr. DEWEY. If we look at a little history of language and alf abets and printing, we shall get some important side light on this question. The use of the e seems to be a blunderbus method of indicating the umlaut which has attained a wide currency and is now going out of use. No scholar claims that tttere is any e there. There was a sound with no independent letter to indicate it. It was allied to a, and a markt a was adopted. In capitals the face of the letter fills the whole body of the type, and there is no space above for the two dots, which could only be put on with kerns. As a rule the printers had no umlaut caps. When the letter occurred it had to be represented by the simple a or by adding something to it, and the e was added. In the Roman alphabet when a tail is wanted for any luckless kite, e is apt to be chosen. We use constantly what scholars call the " servil e," to indicate that a preceding vowel is long, as in pin, pine, pan, pane, etc. We have a similar case in our ng, which is of course not an n followed by a g, but a distinct sound represented by tacking on the diacritic letter to n to which it is allied. Now, so long as there is only this two-let- ter way to represent the sound, there is no question that we ought to follow both letters in alfabeting. But we thought we had already passed that time with the umlauts, and that a few years later a cata- log arranged as if the e were written would be de- cidedly old fashioned. The new letter has taken its place as a distinct letter. Printers have it in their box, and the best offices now have umlauts on caps as well as on lower case. This is done by cutting down the body slightly to allow space for the dots. The same evolution went on with i and j and u and v till they won their places as dis- tinct letters, and it seems rather quaint to us already to read the catalogs where they are mixt up as one letter. Examination of the trend of alphabetic science for the past dozen years, in which great advances have been made, convinces me that the umlauts are to take their places after the a, o, and u in the alphabet as distinct letters, as much as j and v, and that there is not the slightest chance that these sounds will long be written ae oe ue. To continue to alphabet a as ae seems to be trying to revolve the wheel of time backward. This would make it clear that the umlauts ought to be kept together after the plain letter, just as the j and v follow i and u. This course gives the minimum of confusion, avoiding the evils of both the other plans. In our arrangement at Columbia we have not yet ventured farther than to keep all the umlauted names after the same without umlauts, putting Muller, A., after Muller, W., thus getting all of each family together. Mr. GREEN. I should like to know what Mr. Cutter intends to do about this matter in his re- vised rules. Mr. CUTTER. In the first edition I advised arranging umlaut vowels as if written ae, oe, ue. Afterwards I was dissatisfied with this. The a is an a modified in sound, and therefore accented (compare the French e and e and e). The accent (umlaut) is often written, and was formerly often printed as a quirl much resembling a small e over the a. Printers who had not the letter a with dots or a little e over it, represented the accent by put- ting an e after the a. This they did especially with capitals, because there is not usually room on the body of the type for accents over a capital ; but the practice was in time extended to lower- case letters. The e therefore is not in its origin a letter but an accent, and it should not have the rights of a letter. I don't think this is a very strong argument, but it moved me (as I found the Germans nearly equally divided in their practice) to recommend to the A.L.A. Committee on Con- densed Cataloging rules the rule that " The Ger- man ae, oe, ue are always to be written a, 6, ii, and arranged as a, o, u." The committee assented, and this is now the A.L.A. rule. As I said, I do not think the etymological argument of much weight in deciding this practical question. Well-established usage would be of much more importance; but, since the German custom does not decide the matter for us, I am inclined to let the linguistic ar- PROCEEDINGS. 125 gument have the casting vote, and I have in the new edition of my Rules reversed the directions given in the first edition. As to the objection drawn from mixing up fami- lies, it is not to the point. A catalog is not a genealogical dictionary. Moreover, families are already mixed up and separated on every page of every catalog printed. Allow me to add, in regard to the inconsistencies of arrangement which Mr. Edmands points out in the Boston Athenasum catalog, that when I began printing that catalog there were no rules for arrange- ment, or indeed for cataloging, that went at all into minutiae. I had to work out a system for myself; and it was my experience in carrying the first two volumes of the catalog through the press that led to the compilation and publication of the " Rules for a Dictionary Catalogue." It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that there are traces, principally in the earlier volumes, of considerable wavering of opinion, especially as the attention of all concerned in that work had to be closely fixed on weightier matters of the law. Mr. POOLE. I suggest a committee to consider this whole matter and to report next year. Mr. CUTTER. I hope it will rather be in time for the new edition of my Rules. Mr. DEWEY. I move that the Cooperation Committee be requested to report a code of rules for alphabeting in the Library journal. Voted. Mr. FLINT. I hope we shall not make too great haste. The matter is important. We should take steps to secure uniformity. Mr. SWIFT read Mr. HARRIS' paper THE BRITISH MUSEUM SYSTEM OF PRESS-MARKS. (See p. 21.) Mr. DEWEY. This ingenious skeme will hardly be clear to those who have not seen a model or studied the diagrams sent with the paper. This wide doorway between these parlors happily illus- trates. The Museum aisles are about this width and are much lighter and roomier than our narrower, compacter plan. With a six-foot aisle we should insert a i6-inch double-face case in the center and have a 28-inch aisle left on each side without having to move the suspended cases. A 28-inch aisle works very well if lighted by elec- tricity. But if the i6-inch case were suspended, it would give a s6-inch aisle on its free side, if only one case were suspended. President POOLE. I don't see any advantage in the plan. It is better to build wide enough to put in another case of shelves if necessary. Mr. SWIFT. But take the case of the Boston Public Library. We have a narrow space between the cases, not enough for another case, but wide enough for this plan. A little misunderstanding and talk at cross pur- poses was cleared by Mr. DEWEY. Mr. Swift's point is that if you have a narrow aisle you must have some such system, in order to utilize a building which cannot be built over on the wiser plan. President POOLE. But if you are building, get the room some way, and, if you want more room, take it. Mr. DEWEY. No one questions the wisdom of this advice to " take all the land you want" for those who live on the prairies where land can be had for 50 cents or so an acre. But I am just now the victim of the other circumstances that our Presi- dent seems to forget exist. Land in our vicinity is worth about $500,000 per acre. Add to that item the second, that on all sides we are surrounded by very costly buildings that only a millionaire could demolish. Our campus is a vest-pocket edition of a fit size to frame and hang in a dining-room. In our case the only possibility is to go well toward the stars (my plan is for 10 stories of book stacks) and to get every aid from mechanical devices for economizing room two things which our able President insists are never necessary. In our case the abolition of the library seems the only alternativ. In justice to this Museum plan I must point out that if we could get along with a narrower aisle four eight-inch faces of books could be suspended, leaving a 4O-inch aisle out of the 72-inch space, while we should put in only two faces and have only a 28-inch aisle. Mr. CRUNDEN read his paper BUSINESS METHODS IN LIBRARY MANAGEMENT. (See p. 25.} President POOLE introduced Mr. James Yates, of Leeds, Eng., reminding the Association that Mr. Yates was present at the original meeting of the A.L.A. in 1876, speaking of his kind recep- tion of the American deputation on their visit to Great Britain in 1877, and welcoming him in behalf of the Association. Mr. YATES. I have listened with great pleasure to the paper read by Mr. Crunden, and I think he might have laid greater stress upon his illustra- tion of the necessity of the chief librarian having full control over his staff. If we take an ordinary work shop, the employer is bound in his own 126 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. interest to see that his employees are provided with true and good work tools, and that when they flinch they must be replaced. Another point should be pressed home ; that is, the cooperation of the press in our work. There is no doubt that the members of the press are under great obligations to our libraries. Recently the Editor of the Yorkshire Post remarked that he sometimes would find it an advantage to have the library to use throughout the night. It is a fact that the librarian must possess and exercise all the qualities of a business man. . Mr. CRUNDEN. About the way to get this help from the press : Reporters like it if you have items sketched out in such a way that they can take them, and present them as news which they have gathered. President POOLE. Mr. Crunden, you under- stand, is from St. Louis, where enterprise has to be worked up in this way. [Laughter.] Now, in Chicago we have about a dozen re- porters in the library every day, and if we give them one item they make a column of it. Mr. CRUNDEN. You see there is so little stir- ring in Chicago that they are ready to pick up any- thing for news. [Laughter.] Mr. VAN NAME gave his paper THE LIBRARIAN'S DUTY TO HIS SUCCESSOR. (This has not been furnished for publication.} Mr. DEWEY. I supposed that Mr. Van Name was going to say, in closing, that the librarian's dutv is to leave on record what he carries in his head, so that there can gradually be gathered a collection of subject helps, greater than any one head could ever hold. By the old skeme, if the librarian is at dinner, or on vacation, or engaged, or in heaven, you are utterly destitute of all the priceless infor- mation which he has acquired in his lifetime among these books. Is there any duty to his successor so great as leaving clearly arranged notes of all this, so that the new incumbent may begin approxi- mately where the old one left off, and go on with the great and good work ? All my experience and observation tend strongly to this conclusion the libraries (witness Harvard) where most of this is done are the ones that are doing most for Ameri- can scholarship and letters. I yield to none in appreciating the cost of such work, and the necessity of cooperation in bringing out subject bibliographies. But after we have got all we hope to get, there remains an enormous amount which the librarian may record for the benefit of his successors. To do this I believe, so far #s time and strength allows, is his bounden duty. I am surprised that a paper so utterly at variance with our common library orthodoxy, should be passed without question. Mr. MANN. And yet Mr. Van Name is right. Much of such work is supplanted by bibliographies. President POOLE. I believe in subject cata- logs. I have never found at Chicago that we carried the subject cataloging too far. We go very much into such matters, and I hope that next year we shall have a paper on the value of subject catalogs. Mr. FLETCHER. Perhaps I may offer a few words by way of an irenicon on this subject. I certainly agree in the main with both Mr. Van Name and Dr. Poole. Few of us would fail to recognize the necessity of such a subject catalog as Dr. Poole describes, at least until something better is offered to take its place. But on the other hand, there is certainly no duty of a librarian to his successors more important than that he shall not undertake and bequeath to them elaborate undertakings in the line of cataloging work, which will become a burden and nothing else. It is to be hoped that through our present cooperative work we shall soon have the means of relieving the individual libraries from the necessity of keeping up a great deal of the close analytical work which forms so large a part of our present subject catalogs. Mr. R. B. POOLE read his paper THE BRITISH MUSEUM CATALOG AS IN USE IN THE LIBRARY OF THE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK CITY. (Seep. 28.) Mr. TYLER. When I went into the Y.M.C.A. library and saw this system in use, I .could hardly believe my eyes. Mr. CARR. The suggestions in Mr. Poole's paper, and the work shown by him, are especially interesting to me, and encourage the continued hope that sooner or later some form of a manus- cript catalog will be devised which, for certain uses, will prove more satisfactory than one upon cards. For, while the many and undeniable ad- vantages of the usual card catalog are well recog- nized, yet, considered from the standpoint of the public, or as a continual user, it proves very unsatisfactory, and at times almost a nuisance, and always extremely slow to consult. Hence I do not take at all kindly to a card catalog. After some eight years' search and study upon this gen- eral question of a better form, or of a substitute PROCEEDINGS. 127 for it, either by some sort of sheet form, as in the British Museum practiced, or that now shown by Mr. Poole, or the Leyden form as shown at the Lake George meeting, or else one of the many other devices from various minds working in the same direction (some more and some less well known), I have finally come to almost despair of its accomplishment, chiefly for lack of an adequate temporary binder. Out of several .dozen variations known to the stationery trade or found in the files of the patent office (of the majority of which I have obtained samples or patent copies), while some answer well for other varied applications, none " fill the bill " completely for this purpose; that is, to prove of easy use ; be readily filled, changed, or replenisht ; admit of freedom in access to the leaves and all parts of the leaves ; and, speaking generally, ap- proximate sufficiently to the usual flexibility of a bound book, and yet admit of change and interpo- lation without too much machinery and bulk. The same thing is wanted for many commercial purposes ; and I am told of a person in Chicago who for several years has made a standing offer of $500 for a suitable binder of that character to hold salesmen's price lists and the like. I fully believe that what is sought there is the one thing needful in this library connection. Mr. MANN. What objection do you find to such temporary binders as allow the passage of a cord through holes in the sheets ? Mr. CARR. Such binders are sufficiently flexi- ble when they contain few sheets, but when they get thick they cannot be opened to the hinge. Mr. MANN. I find that two hundred manila sheets can be opened conveniently, but, if in any case they cannot, it is only necessary to make two books of one. As to the objection urged to the use of cords that it is difficult to reinsert the cords when new sheets are inserted, if holes are made at a definite distance from the front edge, and from the bottom of the sheets, the sheets can be shaken down upon a smooth surface, and needles can be passed through the holes without difficulty. Mr. FLETCHER. I would like to ask Mr. Dewey if he knows Mr. Burr's new idea of a binder. A sample was in the room, and by request Mr. BROWN exhibited the binder, and explained its workings. Mr. DEWEY also described some other devices, and came to the conclusion that the " Common- sense binder " is on the whole the most practical thus far, but referred to his discussion of this very point with several cuts in the last Library notes, no. 5, p. 31-37. Mr. DEWEY exhibited BURR'S PATENT LOCKED CARD ROD FOR CARD CATALOGS. Long experiments have proved the great supe- riority of the rod that fastens cards at the bottom but many have been dissatisfied with even the best devices for keeping it in place and manipu- lating it. This device, made plain by the two working models before you, is simple, effectiv, con- venient, and the Library Bureau says it will apply it cheaply to card cases. The rod, instead of passing out through the back of the drawer, is put in thru the front. It has this small ornamental knob, in which is the slot for a Yale key. A spring catches it and holds it firmly in place. The key prest in and given a half turn relieves the rod from the spring. Of course one key fits all the cases in any one library, so that each cataloger entitled to add or remove cards may have it, and all others are prevented from tampering with them. The device seems worthy general adoption. Mr. CARR read his paper FREQUENCY OF REGISTRATIONS OF BOOK-TAKERS. (See p. 30.) Mr. EDMANDS reported for the Committee on Nominations the Executive Committee for the coming year : Messrs. Van Name, Lamed, Dewey, Foster, and Cutter, who were elected. Mr. S: S. GREEN gave the AUDITING COMMITTEE'S REPORT. The report of the Treasurer has been examined, with vouchers, and found correct. Entries in his books were shown to the committee, covering transactions of the previous Treasurer subsequent to the date of his report. Vouchers for those entries were not seen by the committee, but the entries seemed to be correct. The balance in the hands of the Treasurer is invested as follows : Middlesex Institution of Savings, Con- cord, Mass $78 93 Grand Rapids (Michigan) Savings Bank . 260 07 Temporary loan, for which the Treasurer holds himself responsible 58 oo The committee recommends that the Proceed- ings be printed as hitherto, and that Mr. Cutter, who edits them, shall have intrusted to him the 128 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. power of making such abridgments in the reports of the papers and Proceedings as it seems to him wise to make. SAMUEL S. GREEN, } J. N. LARNED, Committee. C. C. SOULE, The report was accepted. President POOLE proposed that several hundred extra copies of the Proceedings be struck off and sold to members at cost price. Mr. CRUNDEN moved that 500 extra copies be printed and sold to members at cost price. Mr. GREEN. The committee considered this, but thought it best to go on as heretofore, without change. I move to amend by adding " if in the opinion of the Finance Committee the cost will permit." Several rose to speak, and, as the hour was late, the whole matter was laid on the table. On motion of Mr. Green the session was declared adjourned at 11.50. THIRD SESSION. (THURSDAY, SEPT. i, 9.15 A.M.) President Poole in the chair. Mr. VAN NAME for the Executive Committee moved that the Executive Commiitee lie requested not to nominate the same person for president two consecutive years. Voted. The committee also asked that an informal ballot be taken and put in the hands of the committee without announcement, as a guide to the preferences for president. Mr. DEWEY. The committee do not consider this in any sense an election, but simply as the quickest way of asking members who they would like for president next year. Mr. DEWEY. On account of the limited time, papers need to be given in as brief a form as possible. Mr. COLE read his paper A QUICKER WAY OF MEASURING BOOKS. (See p. jj-.) Mr. UTLEY gave orally his paper on NEWSPAPER VOLUMES IN A LIBRARY. (See p. 39.) Mr. CRUNDEN. Mr. Utley's plan of binding newspapers in quarterly volumes is unquestionably the best one. Such volumes are as thick as can be securely bound or conveniently handled. As to shelving newspapers, the folios must necessarily lie flat. Several may, without serious inconvenience, be placed on one shelf, and thus save space. Quartos can, I think, stand on edge without damage. Our old cases, made in the days of blanket sheets, were arranged for laying vol- umes flat. Our later cases are made in square sections of the size of a quarto paper, so that the volumes may be shelved either way. I prefer to place them upright, as making them more acces- sible and saving space, and also preventing damage to binding caused by dragging heavy volumes along the shelves. This, of course, can be avoided by using sliding shelves or the roller shelves which I described at Milwaukee, and which we use for heavy folios with perfect satisfaction. I wish opinions on the relative durability of leather and cloth for books little used. I have concluded that cloth is decidedly more durable as well as cheaper on first cost, and so have deter- mined to bind all reference copies of periodicals and other books not much used in cloth. I have found old reference books in original cloth bind- ing in much better condition than others which were rebound in leather some years later. I tried buckram, but did n't find it a success, as the letter- ing was illegible. Mr. UTLEY. As to buckram, I first tried pasting on labels, but now our binder stains the place with a dark green aniline dye, and the let- ters are legible enough. There is no trouble. Mr. CRUNDEN. I am glad to hear this, because that was the only objection to buckram. Mr. R. B. POOLE. I have come to the same conclusion to bind a good many books in cloth. We bind newspapers in cloth or % sheep. Mr. SWIFT. The trouble in getting a volume out if kept flat would be obviated by inserting a thin shelf between the books. Mr. LARNED. If you bind in duck, I don't think you will have the difficulty about wearing in pulling out. I don't see how newspapers, except the smaller ones, can be stood on end. Mr. NELSON. We might take a lesson from the mercantile houses. There duck is universally used to cover ledgers as we cover our acces- sions catalogs. Mr. UTLEY. Our newspapers are in constant use. Those bound in duck show very little signs of wear. Mr. NELSON. At the Astor Library, news- papers are, next to Patent Office reports, the most used. Mr. R. B. POOLE. In our library, too, they are very much used. Mr. WESTON FLINT. In the Patent Office Library we bind large folio drawings of patents in strong half morocco, and place on end, but PROCEEDINGS. 129 protect the volumes from rubbing by lining the top of the shelves with soft leather, and inserting thin wooden partitions every two or three vol- umes, to keep them from falling down. These books are in constant use and wear well. I think if there were a separate partition for each volume they would last fully as long as if placed hori- zontally, and are much more convenient for reference, as we have the text arranged above the drawings in corresponding order. ADJUSTABLE PERIODICAL CASES. As there may be no better opportunity, I will explain the present plan of arranging unbound periodicals in the Patent Office Library, where we have nearly 500 at present. In order to have them together by classes, and for immediate reference by any one, I planned, with the aid of one of my assistants at the time, a periodical case, which has proven quite valuable to us. All our files of periodicals have to be kept in order for reference, so we use Hutchinson's Strap and File Binder, as the most convenient, having each binder fully lettered on back and side. These file bind- ers are placed in the case as shown by the photo- graph and drawing. This case may be briefly de- scribed as an ordinary book case, with thin ad- justable or movable shelves, but rather short, not over two feet long. Through these shelves about one-third distant from the front edge are bored one-quarter inch holes an inch apart, or arranged as desired, but all the shelves in one case must be perforated precisely alike. Through these shelves pass galvanized iron rods from top to bottom as shown in the drawing, the rods dropping into holes in the bottom of the case and passing through a board at the top of the case, so that each rod can be taken out or changed separately without disturbing the rest, by simply dropping all the shelves in the case to the bottom. The shelves are easily moved and set at any distance apart up and down on the rods without difficulty, to fit large or small sizes of files, as desired, thus permitting files of various sizes to be arranged close together, as seen in the photograph. One great advantage of these rods is the separation of each periodical file, so that there is no falling down in removing; besides their being back from the front and nearly out of sight, permits the file to be taken out and replaced easily; and, if a peri- odical happens to have no file, it can just as well be put in its place without falling down, the rods being a sufficient support. I think this case might be used for pamphlets and other collections that are needed for constant reference, or for classes of them that must be kept together. I regret that the hurried drawing and photograph do not show more fully this case, which has solved the difficul- ties we had to contend with in arranging our peri- odical files for use. They are so simple that any messenger can keep them in order by having the files numbered and lettered to correspond with the spaces in the cases between the rods and shelves. Mr. BASSETT. I found that we had some books which were being injured by being drawn out. I pasted strips of ordinary listing across the shelves, and it has worked admirably to prevent wear. I don't think we could find anything better. Mr. EDMANDS. What kind of cloth is used for the binding commended ? Ordinary cloth has little strength. Is there a suitable cloth ? Mr. CRUNDEN. I think buckram would serve. We rebind well-worn books that are hardly worth leather binding, in cloth. This costs 25 cents as against 45 cents for one-half morocco; and the binding lasts as long as the book. Every lot sent to the bindery contains a number of such books. Mr. BAIN. We bind books that are much used in one-half roan, with satisfactory results. Refer- ence books I bind in buckram ; if intended for permanency, in one-half morocco. Newspapers are in continual use with us. The roller system has been in use, and I am much pleased with it. Mr. GREEN asked to hear from Mr. E. G. Allen of London on the subject of binding. President POOLE introduced Mr. Allen, who had just come in. Mr. ALLEN. Mr. President of the A.L. A. and members of the same : I wish to thank you for a kind welcome to me, a stranger. Technically speaking, I am, perhaps, a foreigner, but the greatest creative intellect of all time and the great- est master of humanity has said that " one touch of nature makes the whole world kin." I am satisfied with this kinship of humanity, but more so with the kinship of your country and mine. I am not myself a librarian, but rather the essence of one, supplying the raw material for the librarian to work up into that condition which Shakespeare describes as "order which gives each thing view." It is generally admitted that the American people are distinguished for their high intelligence, for the number of books they possess ; are distinguished for the number of their libraries, and distinguished for the number of their librarians. Hence I con- clude that librarians are distinguished. I am happy to find myself in the company of distin- guished men, and, let me add, of women, also. Privately I may say that I look upon myself as a 130 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. second Columbus, having only this week dis- covered America a second time on my own account. The question of binding is a wide subject, and, if a little time were allowed, I should be happy to prepare a paper on the subject in its general bear- ings ; as it is, I shall be very glad to answer any questions. The latest thing in binding is the reintroduction of pigskin. It is very durable, looks very well, and is likely to supersede all others. Mr. CRUNDEN. We have been asking for in- formation as to the relative merits of cloth and leather for books not much used. Don't you think the cloth will last as long ? Mr. ALLEN. I think the cloth will last quite as long in the case of little-used books. Mr. RICHARDSON. You know you seldom find an old book bound in pig skin where covers are not badly warped. The binding lasts forever, but won't it warp just as badly now as it used to ? Mr. ALLEN. That warping was, I think, be- cause it was put on while it was green. Mr. S. F. WHITNEY. I learned at Glasgow that it was used almost exclusively there. It was thought that in America, as we have a few pig- skins here, it might be found a cheap material when our tanners have learned how to prepare it. Mr. ALLEN. We sent some volumes bound in pigskin to Mr. Van Name. He did n't quite ap- prove the looks, but I only claim advantage for their durability. Mr. SOULE. Pigskin has been used in this country for several years in binding the law reports of some of the states. Librarians might get information as to its value in standing wear and tear from the experience of those who have used them. Mr. SWIFT read his paper. PAMPHLETS AND CONTINUATIONS OF SERIALS. (Seep. 40.) Mr. FLETCHER. I move, in view of the crowded program, that for the rest of the session we listen only to the reading of papers and omit all discussion. Mr. GRISWOLD. I would rather hear the dis- cussions. The papers will be printed and can be read anyway, while the discussions cannot if they are not had. Mr. DEWEY reinforced this idea. Mr. CUTTER. I move, as an amendment to Mr. Fletcher's motion, that only such papers as are likely to provoke discussion be read, and others passed. Voted as amended. Mr. NORMAN C. PERKINS read his paper HOW TO BIND PERIODICALS. (Seep. 44.) Mr. LARNED. Is the value of a sewing machine in the preparation of periodicals generally under- stood ? I find it of the greatest use. Mr. CRUNDEN. What is the custom as to bind- ing more than one copy of general periodicals, such as the Ninteenth Century or Quarterly Review ? If you bind only one copy, do you let it circulate ? We keep one copy for reference and generally circulate three copies. Prest. POOLE. You are about right. That is the way to do. Mr. BAIN. I found in my library that novels were too much used. I introduced 20 copies of the Nineteenth Century and put them into circula- tion. It worked admirably. They are much taken. I look to the periodical part of a library as most important. Mrs. SANDERS. We bind all we can get. When half worn they are retired to reading- tables. Mr. SWIFT. Our rule is the ten-year limit. Mr. CRUNDEN askt how many took more than one copy of any excepting the strictly popular peri- odicals. I mean more than one copy of the Nine- teenth Century, the North American and the like. Six hands were raised. Of those who only took one copy, 15 let it circu- late and 8 kept the one copy strictly for reference. Mr. DEWEY moved that Mr. Crunden be askt to collect full data and prepare a paper on this subject for next year. Voted. Mr. DEWEY spoke of OUR CHEAP AND EFFECTIV CATALOG OF SALE DUPLICATES. The duplicate question is one of the most puz- zling with which librarians deal. To print a catalog of duplicates is too costly. One in ms is annoying, for when wanted it is usually in the hands of some one at a distance who is patiently reading it thru (or promising to do so" to-morrow ") to see if there is anything in his line that he will buy or exchange for. After considerable study I pro- pose adopting this plan. First, we class all our duplicates, putting in the number of the subject in pencil and arranging them in the duplicate room. Then for the catalog we use these new small standard catalog slips recently put on the list by the Library Bureau and only two fifths the length of the P sixe; i. e., 5 x 7.5 cm. On the Hammond typewriter 20 letters will go on the short way and PROCEEDINGS. 30 the long, thus giving ample room for a brief heading, and the catalog is very compact for mail- ing. These cards are, like the books, arranged by subject numbers. Now, if a man comes to the li- brary, we take him to the books themselves as the best catalog and let him look over the subjects in which he is interested. A botanist will take time to look over 300 duplicates in botany when he could not be induced to go over our 6,000 v. finding only one in 20 in his subject. Exchanges are greatly facilitated by this grouping. If it is not practi- cable to examin the books personally, the cards for the topics in which the buyer is interested can be sent him by mail or in large quantities by ex- press. He lays out the cards of those he wishes, and his list is already made up ; and either he or we both can enter on the margin or back the price askt or offered. With the books when exchanged the cards can be sent, or they can be kept stampt with date and name of person buying, and ar- ranged in an alfabet, thus making a complete in- dex to books sold, which serves as a check on ir- regularities. We have also compact and ingen- ious blanks in which we have the record, with little labor, of the number of duplicates in each subject, and also the number added and sold from that subject during the year. The balance must of course agree with the number on hand, or some one has been carrying off our duplicates. A com- mon adoption of this plan would add wonderfully to the facility with which exchanges could be made. I wish here to put on record my surprise at the short-sightedness of the founders of new libraries and of the librarians who buy for them but neg- lect the large duplicate collections of our large li- braries. I have e. g. about 6,000 duplicates. Among them are many books in good editions and in good condition, that any respectable library must have. We would gladly sell them for less than they can otherwise be had, as we need the room and also the money to buy new books. And yet men who ought to know better will ignore the duplicates and pay a higher price to pick up the identical editions from second-hand catatogs. Of the duplicates preserved till they crumble because no one will give them shelf room, I have nothing to say ; but I speak of really valuable books suit- able in every way to form part of a reputable library. We are making many extensiv ex- changes, but wish to do still more. Mr. COLE, by permission, passed to the Printing Committee his paper on SOME THOUGHTS ON CLOSE CLASSIFICATION. (Seep. 46.) Prof. H. B. ADAMS gave an oral abstract of his paper LIBRARIES AS FACTORS IN SEMINARY WORK. This paper will be published in the Johns Hop- kins University Studies. Mr. BURR. The seminary method was in operation at Cornell University as early as 1877, caried on very vigorously under Prof. C. K. Russell. In our new library building we shall have not less than a dozen seminary rooms, just as each depart- ment of natural science has its laboratory. Mr. BAIN. I found the want of some such thing as this for a public library. I went to the heads of various corporations, and got them to invite their men. I had a part of the library opened and lit up. I had men who were engaged in a special branch of manufacture come on a given evening, and had all the things relating to that branch gathered and spread out for use. Then I had one of their number read a paper on the subject. I found it a very profitable method. Mr. NELSON read his paper, LIBRARIES FOR SPECIALISTS. (See p. si.) Miss PLUMMER read her paper THE COLUMBIA COLLEGE SCHOOL OF LIBRARY ECONOMY FROM A STUDENT'S STAND-POINT. . (See p. S3-) The informal ballot for President of the A.L.A. was taken and the votes put in the hands of the Executive Committee without counting. On call Mr. CRUNDEN reported for the Base-ball Committee. The managers were given the power to appoint the nine, and after careful consideration have made out the list : pitcher Poole. catcher Winsor. ib Chamberlain. 2 b Poole, R. B. 3 b Rice. s. s Dewey. 1. f Cutter. c. f Lamed. r. f Green. Umpire to be agreed on by the two sides. 132 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. Dr. RICE read his paper THE RELATIONS OF CITY GOVERNMENTS TO LIBRARIES. (See p. 54.} Mr. CRUNDEN, in behalf of the Mercantile and Public libraries of St. Louis, invited the A.L.A. to meet there next year. Referred to a special Com- mittee on Invitations : Messrs. Edmands, Larned and Linderfelt. FOURTH SESSION. (THURSDAY EVENING, September i.) Meeting called to order at 8.40, President Poole in the chair. Mr. BURR gave his paper SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AT ITHACA. (See p. 59.) Dr. GUILD read his paper NOTICE OF CHARLES C. JEWETT, FIRST SUPERINTENDENT OF THE BOSTON PUB- LIC LIBRARY. ( This will be printed hereafter in the Library journal.) Mr. J. C. SICKLEY gave his paper A COURSE OF READING FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN. (Seep. 62.) A recess was taken at 9.40. FIFTH SESSIOA\ (FRIDAY MORNING, September 2.) The meeting was called to order at 9.15, Presi- dent Poole in the chair, who resigned the chair to Mr. Fletcher for a meeting of the A.L.A. Pub- lishing Section. (For proceedings see Appendix.) CLASSING AND ARRANGING MAPS AND CHARTS. Mr. WINSOR gave some particulars of the way in which the 20,000 book maps in the library of Harvard University are kept, in folds of tough card-board, laid four or five deep on sliding shelves. The arrangement of the maps is a pro- gressive geographical one, and a label on the outer edge of each fold gives the character of the contents. The folds are numbered with gaps, to allow of intercalated folds. The maps are num- bered in each fold. Two catalogues have been made one showing the geographical progression in which the maps are arranged ; the other is a topical index to the place or region covered by each map. Mr. Winsor closed with giving some in- stances of the value of maps, as historical docu- ments.* Mr. LARNED gave the REPORT ON LIBRARY ARCHITECTURE. (Seep. 67.) Mr. FLETCHER. Has iron any advantage over wood with only two stories in a stack? Wood is cheaper. Mr. CARR. An iron contractor at Grand Rapids offered to put in cases cheaper than the wood contractor. Mr. DEWEY. You mean the sheet-iron cases of course. The cast-iron form commonly used costs vastly more than wood. Mr. EDMANDS mentioned a building at Dan- ville, Pa. Mr. DEWEY spoke of the new library buildings at Madison, of Syracuse University, the Osterhout at Wilkes Barre, Pa., and at Mansfield, O. Mr. BOWKER. It may interest the conference, though it is going far afield, to know how much is being done in London in this direction of pro- viding for the people, largely as the result of a book which many of you have read, Walter Besant's "All sorts and conditions of men." I found this summer that the People's Palace is already a fixed fact, the great Queen's Hall being now open for the use of the East End public. When the scheme is completed, there will be in front of it an enormous circular or part circular room, welcoming all comers to the advantages of a finely fitted reading and conversation room, while at the back will be an enormous octagonal bookroom, second only to the reading-room of the British Museum. Mr. WINSOR. I wish to enter a protest against the sacrifice of any of the cubical contents of a library. Mr. Larned puts only 16 feet of stack in a 2ofoot room. The President of this Association and I, even if we do not have the game of base ball which was proposed, are at least to run a race in this matter of library building ; I mounted on a little, shaggy polo pony, and President Poole on a great elephant, for he has the great Newberry library, and I the oversight of the building to be erected for the Cambridge Public Library. Prest. POOLE. Mr. Larned has made -a very instructive and entertaining report ; and, after the complimentary mention he has made of my contri- butions to the reform of library construction, it * The Secretary greatly regrets his inability to secure a report of this speech, which was received with great interest. It is hoped that it may later be printed as having great interest historically, and illustrating the importance in international relations of old maps with MS. additions. PROCEEDINGS. 133 may seem ungracious in me to indulge in criticism on his paper. I will do so only on a single point, where I think he has not understood my meaning, and where he has not fully explained his own meaning. Mr. Larned says : " The fundamental principles of library construction, which were first formulated by Mr. Poole, are affirmed by the common experience of librarians, and have been accepted almost without dispute." One of these fundamental principles was, that the climbing of galleries is unnecessary, and that galleries them- selves are nuisances. Hence galleries are wholly eliminated from my theory of construction. Mr. Larned thinks that, in the form of a stack, one or two tiers of galleries are rather desirable ; but he will not tolerate the idea of having more than two. If two are desirable, why not three or four ? If a person finds it refreshing to climb two pair of stairs, when there was no need of climbing at all, it is not easy to see why this delectation should end at the top of the second flight. At the Lake George Conference I had some- thing to say about the felicities of climbing stairs ; and, as the printed volume is before me, I will read an extract (see Library journal 10: 329). In the Chicago Public Library about 120,000 v. are shelved on a level floor, and their average distance from the delivery desk is about 45 feet. Suppose one half of the book-cases be taken from their present position and placed on the top of the other half. Will Mr. Larned say that the books in the cases removed to a second story in the air are more accessible than before they were removed ? He is a candid man, and will acknowl- edge that they are less accessible. The whole ques- tion, as to principles, between Mr. Larned and myself lies just here, and I shall nominate him as my referee. He will further admit that, if he could take the second tier of his stack from its present position and place it on the floor alongside of the first tier, he would greatly improve the administra- tive facilities of his library. This is the precise thing he could not do, for he had not the space at his disposal. The very elegant building which his library occupies is the home of several other insti- tutions, and in the division of space his storage room for books is restricted in size. Hence he is obliged to place his books in a stack of two stories, which, in his case, was proper; for it is the best thing he could do. My only criticism on this part of his report is, that he seems to claim as an advantage what was really an inconvenience, which necessity obliged him to submit to. I should probably have done, under the same conditions, what Mr. Larned did; but I should not have boasted of it as a better arrangement than shelv- ing the books on one floor. If iron was to have been used in the stack, Mr. Larned's device of using gas pipe is much better than cast iron, which is constitutionally treacherous. I think, however, I should use wood in a stack. If we have fire- proof buildings, I see no sense in shelving books on iron. I wish to speak of one other point on which I think Mr. Larned has misunderstood me. He says that I " would give one full story of 16 feet height to each range of 7 feet cases, believing the 9 feet of vacancy above them to be a necessary heated-air space." For a large structure, where the rooms 50 feet in depth were to be lighted, I would give 16 feet stud; but I never gave the height of the bookcases less than 8 feet. In smaller libraries, with narrower depth, a height of 14 or 15 feet is enough for the story. Mr. Larned thinks so much height is " excessive, involving too much of the very extravagance which Mr. Poole has condemned." I cannot agree with him on this point. It is all needed for the distribution of light, which is mainly done above the bookcases. I have no doubt but that we shall substantially agree upon principles when we come to understand each other. Mr. CRUNDEN. I think your argument about going around an obstacle depends on the time at one's disposal. If one was in a hurry to get to a place he would choose to go up 7 feet (the height of a library gallery) rather than a block around. Mr. YATES. The President has proved that Mr. Larned, like the fox having his tail cut off, wishes the rest of us to follow suit. We in Leeds unfortunately have had ours cut off by the architect of our new building. Mr. BOWKER. The question has to be dis- cussed with a strong sense of practical limitations. What will be best in one set of circumstances will not be in another. Mr. LARNED. It is certain that there must come a time in every library when a man is obliged to decide whether he will travel 140 feet on a level, or 7 feet up. Mr. FLETCHER. I don't see that the 6 feet of unused space is any objection. I notice in visiting in some of the New York flats, that the tallest flats have the highest rooms. If you are to use an elevator, it makes little difference whether there are a few feet more or less. Mr. TYLER. I am sorry that all of our tall 134 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. libraries don't have elevators. As to going 140 feet on a level, or climbing 7, the question is who is to do the climbing. I think any one of the 10 young lady assistants that I had when I was in Indianapolis would have rather gone round a block than up the stairs. Prof. CLARK of Syracuse How would you light the lower floors of such a building as Mr. Lamed or President Poole suggest ? Prest. POOLE. You ought to have light on both sides. Experiment shows that light is not available more than 25 feet away, and so no room should be more than 50 feet wide. Mr. FLETCHER. That is true where the cases run to the top of the room, but I am under the im- pression that if a space were left above for the diffu- sion of light, a room might be made 80 feet wide. Mr. GRISWOLD. Why not make an elevator unnecessary by having a boy on each story with a simple " lift " for the books ? Mr. DEWEY. Mr. President, what is your ex- perience of being on the top floor of a tall building with quick elevators? Do you find any incon- venience or disadvantage ? Prest. POOLE. Not the least. It is better be- cause it is quieter. The elevators make it just as convenient as being lower. Mr. DEWEY. I am especially glad to hear this testimony from a source so high, from the top of a very tall building, and of a very able profession. As some of you may remember, it has been for many years my theory that in cities where land is costly, and streets are dark and noisy, the quick elevator was the solution of the library building difficulty. The library needs to be central and accessible to the last degree, and that means the most costly land. My plan was to have the de- livery on the ground floor, so that a book could be returned or drawn with the fewest steps. Then to run quick elevators to the top of tall buildings, where it was quieter and lighter, and space was cheaper, and to have there reading and reference and other needed rooms. I understand that it is substantially this plan adopted for the fine new building of the St. Louis Mercantile. This en- ables the valuable lower stories to be rented, thus securing a most satisfactory source of income. The result of no little study of this question leads me to prefer for a large building a con- struction combining the opposit theories of Mr. Winsor and Mr. Poole. I would have fire- proof floors, cutting the tall building into floors with i6-foot ceilings, thus avoiding the danger in the common stack plan of water, smoke, dust, and heat going thru the floors. But as soon as growth required it, I would put on the first 8-foot stack a second running to the ceiling, thus utilizing all the space. Assume that such a room can be ventilated so to keep pure air and not too hot at the ceiling, since modern methods make this feasible. With these 1 6-foot fire-proof rooms, I should spend no extra money in cast-iron uprights. The danger of fire is almost infinitly small in such a room containing only stacks of books ; and the iron, beside costing so much, warps badly and is less pleasing in appearance than wood. Mr. FLETCHER. Mr. Dewey says that his statement that ventilation can be secured if the stack runs to the top of the room is an assumption. I should call it presumption. All experience is to the contrary. Mr. LARKED. I am sure Mr. Dewey in pre- ferring wood to iron in a stack does n't know of the gas-pipe stack. This doesn't warp. Mr. BOWKER. As to ventilation, the British Museum has an ingenious and interesting system of ventilating through the gas-pipe supports of the readers' desks. Mr. DEWEY. They have a system some- thing like this in Australia, where the air is conducted back of the shelves, so one goes to the shelf, and gets at once a fresh volume and some fresh air. My strictures on the cost and bad warping of iron were directed wholly to the common construc- tion as used in nearly every library that has adopted iron. The sheet-iron shelving made in Milwaukee gives excellent promise. I have now in my office working models of them. The gas- pipe construction I have seen only twice, but Mr. Larned's good opinion should be conclusive to any of us who know the thoroughness with which he examines methods. As to my assumption about ventilation, my critics are talking of the old efforts at ventilating without proper appliances. By the down draft, or by a direct fan run by a steam-engine (both of which plans we use at Columbia) you can change the air clear to the ceiling as often as you wish. It is a mere question of coal. Mr. EDMANDS. If iron book-cases are more costly than wood, it is certainly useless to incur the additional expense, because if a fire gets started in a library the water used in extinguish- ing it will do more damage than the fire. There- fore the chief care should be to make the exterior of the building fire-proof, and also the floorings. PROCEEDINGS. 135 In the fire at the Mercantile Library of Phila- delphia the amount paid by the insurance com- panies was over $40,000, and not five books were burned. Mr. BOWKER. I would like to hear next year a thorough report on fires in libraries, including practical lessons, rates of insurance, etc., and move that a special reporter be appointed for the next conference. Mr. LARNED. I should like to have him treat especially of the scheduling of insurance policies. Voted. Mr. GREEN read the REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE DISTRIBU- TION OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. At one of the meetings of this Association held at Milwaukee, a report of this committee was ac- cepted which recommended the renewal of efforts to secure the passage by Congress of the last joint resolution, introduced at our request into the pro- ceedings of that body by Senator Hoar of Massa- chusetts. The resolution reads as follows : Resolved by the Senate and House of Repre- sentatives of the United States of America in Con- gress assembled; That the public printer shall de- liver to the Interior Department a sufficient num- ber of copies of the Congressional Record (bound), Statutes-at-Large, and of every other government publication, not already supplied for this purpose, printed at the government printing-office, includ- ing the publications of all bureaus and offices of the government, excepting bills, resolutions, docu- ments printed for the special use of committees of Congress, and circulars designed, net for communi- cating information to the public, but for use within the several executive departments and offices of the government, to enable said department to sup- ply a copy to every depository of public docu- ments designated according to law. The committee went promptly to work to try to carry out the wishes of the Association. At the last session of Congress, before our Milwaukee meetings, the Senate Committee on Printing had been directed to look into the matter of the printing and distribution of public documents, and make a report on the subject at the following session ; that is to say, at the session which closed its sittings March 4, 1887. I sought for an interview with the late Mr. Ben: Perley Poore, Secretary of the Senate Committee on Printing, secured it, and had a pleasant talk with him in regard to the wishes of librarians in respect to the distribution of public documents. He readily promised us his assistance, and asked me to make a formal statement of our wishes to be addressed to Senator Manderson, Chairman of the Committee on Printing, and sent to the Sec- retary. I made out such a statement, had it signed by the four members of our committee, and endorsed by the present and past higher offi- cers of the American Library Association, and sent it to Mr. Poore, accompanied by a letter of some length addressed to Mr. Poore himself.* I received from him a cordial response to my com- munications, and a renewal of his promise to do for us all that he could. He asked for the infor- mation, which I gave him in writing, in order that he might embody a statement of our wishes in the report which Congress had ordered the Printing Committee to prepare, and which that committee had asked its Secretary, Mr. Poore, to write. For some reason which I have not been able to find out, the report was not presented to Congress ; probably it was never written out fully by Major Poore, who, as we all know, has died since the adjournment of Congress. The recommendation of the members of the committee of the Library Association, who are present at this meeting, is that we take steps to have the joint resolution recited above introduced again into Congress at the next session. This course is recommended after consultation with Senator Hoar, who has been an enthusiastic and efficient advocate of legislation desired by this Association, and who can always be relied upon to do everything in his power to further the interests of the libraries of the country. It has long been apparent to the Chairman of this committee that the quality particularly needed by its members and by librarians generally, when seeking for the passage of laws by Congress calculated to effect a wise distribution of public documents to libraries, is patience. Our prayer is that patience may do its perfect work, and our hope is that by persistence we shall obtain the legislation which is demanded by the obvious interests of the community. For the Committee, SAMUEL S. GREEN, Chairman. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ) WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 1887. ) MY DEAR MR. GREEN : I find, much to my regret, that it will be imprac- ticable for me to be present at the meeting of the American Library Association. I have been de- layed in getting the Blue Book in hand by failure of the Treasury Department to make prompt re- * The statement and letter were pnnted in Library jour- nal, 2: 482-3. 136 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. turns ; and to be absent now, would, I fear, delay the work still more. I am anxious to issue the first volume, if possible, early in December, and so must press the work. I hope your committee, or the Association in general, will not lose interest or grow discouraged in the matter of public documents. I think some- thing is being accomplished each year, and persist- ent effort will in the end bring about most of the reforms desired. Little was done by Congress last year, as the Senate is waiting for its Committee on Printing to make a full report in the premises. Major Poorehad been, at the time of his death, for several months engaged, to some extent at least, upon an exhaustive and voluminous report touching the printing and distribution of docu- ments, but what progress he had made I have not learned. I suppose his successor will take up the work and endeavor to have something ready in the way of a report when Congress meets. He will labor of course under some disadvan- tages, as it is not easy for one unfamiliar with the subject to ascertain what is being done under existing laws and regulations, or to determine what recommendations to make in the interest of wise reform. On the other hand, it may be well for all concerned to have a " new hand " at the work who will not be influenced by old conceits or prejudice, or by the convictions of superior knowledge which long service is likely to en- gender. What I fear is that any attempt to revise the entire subject of printing and distributing docu- ments will fail in Congress, because of its extent and complexity. In my judgment this matter will have to be dealt with piece-meal, if anything satis- factory is to be accomplished. I think if one or two points are pressed each Congress, something may during each Congress be achieved. The first thing to aim at is to secure for deposi- tories all documents issued by the government additional to those now sent them, and the next thing to provide for the regular supply to our principal libraries, not depositories, of the most valuable publications of the government. Senator Hoar is a good man through whom to work, and if the western librarians would see or communicate with Senator Manderson, Chairman of the Committee on Printing, it would be a good thing. In the House I don't know of a man who could do better service than Gov. Long if he were thoroughly interested in the matter. I was able, at the last session, to secure some legislation providing for the sale of documents at cost price, which will be found a great convenience to many, and will to some extent regulate the price of documents in the hands of dealers, and prevent exorbitant charges. The exchange of documents through my office continues, greatly, I venture to think, to the advantage of our libraries. I have written quite fully to Mr. Barton on this matter, and so will not enlarge here. I am about to send out five other lists in the interest of exchange, copies of which I send herewith. I wish the Association would urge all libraries to co- operate in this effort, as the larger the number the greater the good accomplished. Besides, it is not probable that any other opportunity of this kind will ever be offered our libraries to supply deficiencies in these series of documents. I would like to see some action taken by the Association advising and urging the preparation by the government of a thoroughly good index of public documents, a continuation of Maj. Poore's work, but under quite a different method. The publications of the government should be indexed day by day as issued, and an index published yearly, and these annual indexes combined. But some system should be adopted, approved by the best indexers amongst our librarians, and then the work be steadily prosecuted, leaving no breaks, such as now exists between the date of Maj. Poore's work and the present. I began the preparation of such an index of the documents of the 4Qth Congress, but had time only to prepare a few sample pages, and those not entirely to my satisfaction. I have talked of this matter, and of others relat- ing to documents, with Col. Flint, who will repre- sent the Patent Office at your meeting. He can speak more at large on the subject, and I hope will have an opportunity of doing so. I sent you, I think, my last annual and special reports, but take the liberty of inclosing another copy, calling attention especially to what I say regarding the titles of public documents, another thing in which reform based upon common sense should be introduced. Excuse the length of this epistle, and attribute it to my interest in the work. With best wishes for a successful meeting of the Association, I remain very sincerely yours, JOHN G. AMES, Superintendent of Documents. PROCEEDINGS. 137 " WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 1887. " I hope you and others will not get discouraged by the slow progress being made in the matter of reform in printing, distributing, indexing, redis- tributing, etc., etc. of public documents. " I think we are gaining something every year, and have only to keep on in the same line to accomplish decided results at an early day. "As you are specially interested as to the dis- position of duplicates in our public libraries, I wish to say that exchanges through my office are going on all the time. I suppose I have received at least 32,000 volumes, most of which have been again sent out to supply deficiencies. " A large number, however, of prominent libra- ries have not yet begun cooperation in the work. The best results cannot be realized until all do this. " If I am not at the convention, I wish you would urge upon all the importance of joining in this effort, and for this purpose of putting them- selves in communication with this office. "I have already sent to all our prominent libraries five lists of documents suggesting ex- changes, and have prepared five more which I shall send as soon as my other work will permit. " This work, you know, is all extra volunteer work, and can be taken up only when I have leisure from other duties. "JOHN G. AMES, " Sup' t of Docs," Mrs. SANDERS read her paper THE POSSIBILITIES OF LIBRARIES IN MANUFAC- TURING COMMUNITIES. (Seep. 83.} Mr. YATES. I listened with deep interest to the able paper read by Mrs. Sanders, but regret that I should have to appear to criticise adversely one subject touched upon in it; viz. the admissi- bility of allowing borrowers to go to the shelves and help themselves. This plan might be possible in a small village library where everybody was known to everybody else, but in a large town li- brary the catering must be on the principle that your chain is only so strong as its weakest link. The power of borrowers to help themselves in our library would mean such an abuse of the privi- lege that it would have to be discontinued directly. Our aim is to make the contents of our library as well known and accessible as possible without risking undue responsibility of loss to the town. Mr. SWIFT. It ought to be said of that class of papers to which Mrs. Sanders refers that they are not, strictly speaking, immoral. They are trash and nonsense and of course injurious. To satisfy myself as to their real character, I got some copies and read them for myself. Judge CHAMBERLAIN. Few matters of library administration are more difficult, or more impor- tant, than to determine what freedom of access to the books and periodicals in a library should" be accorded to the public ; and for that reason I have listened with great interest to the paper of Mrs. Sanders. The lateness of the hour prevents any extended remarks, but I am unwilling that the matter should pass without a single observa- tion. Mrs. Sanders' paper has shown that the question is a practical one, one to be settled by actual experiment. I hope, therefore, that the government will arrange for one or more papers on this subject to be presented at the next annual meeting, setting forth the practice in dif- ferent libraries, and suggesting expedients by which the contents of a library can be made more accessible to the public, and at the same time be secured from spoliation or misuse. Mr. DEWEY announced that there would be an extra meeting at 2 o'clock. Adjourned. SIXTH SESSION. (FRIDAY AFTERNOON, September 2.) Meeting called to order at 2.15, President POOLE in the chair. PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. Mr. BAIN. -*- Public documents are really the life of the history of a country. In Canada the government prints and binds a certain number of sets which are presented to members of Parlia- ment. I think I could a'rrange to have such sets sent to, say 25, representative libraries in the United States. All that I ask in return is that you will help me to get the U. S. Documents, about which I have had the greatest difficulty. I tried to get some Patent Office reports, but they told us we were neither a State library nor a uni- versity library nor anything else, and they could find no authority to send. Mr. FLINT. On the other hand we, at the Patent Office, have had the greatest difficulty in getting Canadian documents. We have now at the office the MS. of one which we actually had" to have transcribed in order to get access to it. Few of you would think of searching for book rarities among Patent Office reports, but I can assure you that there are certain of these volumes that are now so scarce that several dollars THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. each will not secure a copy. It is well known that the average public document is out of print, and cannot be had after three years ; hence the im- portance of the subject of Mr. Green's report. I had a conversation with Dr. Ames just before I left Washington in which he stated that the ex- changes with libraries had brought back 32,000 volumes the past year, and the plan was to be ex- tended to other sets published by the government, by other circulars. The plan of indexing all gov- ernment publications in a thorough and intelligible manner would be a great boon to all libraries as well as the public. I would suggest a complete title and subject-matter index to the publications of each Congress at least, and as soon as possible an index of the publications to date, with, say ten- year supplements. This may in time be secured, tho' it is difficult to get such matters before Con- gress for action amid the press of other business ; but this Association can do much to further the work. INDEXES MADE BY THE PATENT OFFICE LIBRARY. While upon this topic of indexing I may state briefly what has been done by the Patent Office Library of late. A complete subject-matter index of French patents in English to date, has been compiled and printed as you know, and lately the French government sent for copies of it, as they have only annual indexes. A new edition of the complete Subject-matter Index of Italian Patents to date, will be issued from the press in a few days, which has also been translated and arranged in the Patent Office Library. It is proposed to make similar indexes, in English, of the Belgian, German, Austrian, Swedish, and other patents in due time and keep them indexed to date. We have nearly ready a complete subject and title index of the Scientific American and Supplement from its commencement to date, of course some- what imperfect, but which will, we hope, be valua- ble for reference in many libraries, especially for inventors, mechanics, and general readers. I am sorry to say that Dingier 's Polytechnisches Journal is not yet fully indexed ; but as a compensation I will hint at a plan we have in contemplation for making a complete subject-matter index of current scientific and technical periodicals, of which we have "about 500 on file. The plan suggested is to index these periodicals monthly, like the cooperative index plan, and have this printed, and then as fast as possible take up whole sets of the various tech- nical periodicals not found in Poole's index. This may seem a long work, and it is ; but since I came here librarians have suggested the cooperative plan, which might aid very much in carrying on the work, and would add but a little labor to a large number of libraries, if they would join in making the cards, leaving the Patent Office Library to do its part also, and print the index. If this work can be done, it will be a supplement to Poole's index on the practical 'and technical side of great value, which, though not yet fully decided upon, is one of the possibilities, and I hope will soon be a reality. Mr. LINDERFELT, with brief remarks, submitted his paper on HERESIES. ( This was not furnished for publication.) Mr. CUTTER praised Murray's English diction- ary, and made some remarks on the words begin- ning with Biblio. Mr. CUTTER introduced resolutions concerning postage on library books. Resolved, That the bill introduced hi the last session of Congress, through the instrumentality of the committee appointed by this Association, re- ducing the postage on books sent through the mails to one cent per pound, meets with our ap- proval. Resolved, That the committee be continued and requested to renew their efforts to accomplish the object for which they were named at the coming session of congress. Voted. Mr. FLETCHER introduced RESOLUTION CONCERNING STATE LIBRARIANS. On information that the State librarians of the United States are corresponding in regard to the formation of a State Librarians' Association, Resolved, That the American Library Associa- tion extends to the State Librarians a cordial invitation to join in its next conference ; and, in case there are subjects which they may wish to discuss, not of special interest to general libraries, the formation of a separate section of the Asso- ciation for State and law libraries is suggested. Mr. MANN moved the reappointment of the Committee on Public Documents. Voted. Mr. GREEN read his paper on SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES. (Seep, go.) Mr. CRUNDEN. At every meeting of our Li- brary Committee it is said that more copies of Alger and like works are wanted. The question always comes up as to whether we should have only one copy or more or none. Mr. GREEN. When we issued a new printed catalog I brought up the question of dropping PROCEEDINGS. Alger, but found the same difference of opinion. I have had but one copy of such works. Mr. FLETCHER read Miss BURT'S paper THE RELATION OF STANDARD LITERATURE TO PUBLIC SCHOOL WORK. ( This has been accepted for publication by the Bureau of Education.) Dr. POOLE. Miss Burt hoped to be here her- self to read her paper, but was prevented. I may say that she has a book in preparation which will express something of this same line of thought. Mr. MANN. I move that the U. S. Bureau of Education be requested to print this paper as one of its circulars. Mr. RICHARDSON read his paper on HOURS OF OPENING LIBRARIES. (Seep. 92.) Mr. SOULE did not read his paper on CLASSES OF LAW BOOKS SUITABLE FOR GENERAL LIBRARIES and it is held for the next conference. Mr. VAN NAME read the report of the Executive Board appointing the OFFICERS OF THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSO- CIATION FOR 1887-88. President. <3: A. Cutter, Boston Athenaeum. Vice- Presidents. S: S. Green, Free Public Library, Worcester, Mass. Hon. Mellen Chamberlain, Boston Public Li- brary. J. N. Lamed, Buffalo Library. F: M. Crunden, St. Louis Public Library. Secretary. Melvil Dewey, Columbia College Library. Assistant Secretaries. H. E. Davidson, Library Bureau, Boston. A. N. Brown, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis. Recorder. E. C. Richardson, Hartford Theological Semi- nary. Treasurer. H: J. Carr, Public Library Grand Rapids, Mich. Finance Committee. W: E. Foster, Providence Public Library. C: C. Soule, Boston. A. Van Name, Yale College Library. Cooperation Committee. W. S. Biscoe, Columbia College Library. C: A. Nelson, Astor Library, New York. R. B. Poole, Y. M. C. A., New York. Standing Committee (with power to appoint Sub- committees). The President, ex officio. The Secretary, ex officio. R. R. Bowker, Publisher Library journal. Councillors. Justin Winsor, 1876-1885, Harvard University, Ex-President. W: F. Poole, 1885-1887, Newberry Library, Chicago, Ex-President. James Bain, Toronto Public Library. E. M. Barton, American Antiquarian Society, Worcester. W : H. Brett, Cleveland Public Library. R. C. Davis, University of Michigan. C. R. Dudley, Denver Public Library. J : N. Dyer, St. Louis Mercantile Library. R. A. Guild, Brown University. Miss C. M. Hewins, Hartford Library. H: A. Homes, New York State Library. K: A. Linderfelt, Milwaukee Public Library. Mrs. M. A. Sanders, Pawtucket Public Library. A. R. Spofford, Library of Congress. H : M. Utley, Detroit Public Library. Miss T. H. West, Milwaukee Public Library. A. W. Whelpley, Cincinnati Public Library. Judge CHAMBERLAIN read the REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS. Resolved, That the thanks of the Association be extended to the various railroad and steamboat lines which have offered greatly reduced rates on this occasion ; to the newspapers which have re- ported its proceedings ; and to the proprietors of the Round Island House, not only for their re- duced charges, but for the use of their parlors during the meetings. Resolved, That we gratefully acknowledge the courtesy of Mr. F. H. Taylor and of the other gentlemen and ladies on this island, who have done so much to render our stay an agreeable one by their comprehensive, varied, and most successful series of entertainments; and that we especially appreciate the kindness of some of them in open- ing their houses for our accommodation. Resolved, That this Association has observed with pleasure and gratification the first year's workings of the School of Library Economy at Columbia College, and that it regards the work there initiated as of great promise for the future. Mr. EDMANDS reported on PLACE OF MEETING FOR l888. He introduced an invitation from Mr. Dyer on behalf of the libraries of St. Louis, remarking that 140 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. we were " sure of a warm reception there at any time of year " and mentioned an informal invi- tation from Boston. An animated discussion as to time and place of meeting was cut short by postponement. A recess was taken till 8 p. M. SEVENTH SESSION. (FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 2) The meeting was called to order at 8.20, Presi- dent POOLE in the chair. Mr. BAIN presented his paper BRIEF REVIEW OF THE LIBRARIES OF CANADA (Seep. 96) and said that instead of reading it he would prefer to bring up a subject for practical discussion ; viz. reform in method of appointing library assistants. They come to us, he said, with an ordinary school education, can read and write (often very poorly), and expect to get positions by the influence of some trustee. I have succeeded in getting permission from the trustees to hold an examination for junior assistants. The Association should take strong ground upon this subject. The English have already begun to do so. The examination should be equivalent to that of a third-class assist- ant in the civil service. I recall an instance where a gentleman in our library sought for something on the history of the corn-laws in England, and was given by an assistant Froude and Macaulay. We want assistants who are trained to help the readers. We can only get this by preliminary examinations. Mr. CRUNDEN. The Buffalo conference adopted a resolution pledging this Association to civil ser- vice reform ; appointments to be made only on defi- nitely ascertained fitness, and if possible by promo- tion and retention during good behavior. In my library all the higher positions have been filled by promotion, except one where I obtained an assistant on Mr. Dewey's recommendation. They usually begin as messenger boys. I advertise for a boy and get perhaps 40 answers. I select from these 12 or 15 for personal examination, and sift them down to four or five. Then I bring it before the committee, and generally get the one I want. Mr. BAIN. You are fortunate in advertising. We have the applications shoved upon us. Mr. UTLEY. I have applications nearly every day. A few years ago the board adopted a system of examinations, and about 200 presented them- selves. The examinations are written, two or three hours long. From those who do best, temporary assistants are appointed for extra duty. As they show adaptation to the work, and vacancies occur, they are promoted to the regular staff. We are get- ting a much better grade of talent than formerly. Mr. FLINT. In the civil service rules there is a form for applicants to the Patent Office Library. They might be better applied than they are, but they serve to keep out some incompetent persons. An applicant must know two modern languages, and we have even required three or four. Mr. PUTNAM'S paper BIBLIOGRAPHIC BUREAU (Seep. 99) was read in his absence by Mr. Biscoe, and pref- aced by an extract from Mr. Putnam's letter ac- companying the paper, as follows : " I had occasion last winter to make up a pur- chase list of 10,000 volumes for our new library. They were to be added to the 14,000 already in the Athenaeum. I went east for the work, and did most of it in connection with the libraries about Boston and New York. It is needless to say that I had every facility, as well as every courtesy, offered me ; and I availed myself of both with a shameless liberality that I trust may not be laid up against me by my victims. At the end of my inquiry I began to wonder whether some method couldn't be devised for rendering other such inquiries simpler, more systematic, and less of an imposition upon one's fellow-librarians, whence these presents. I hope to see the Bureau started in Minnesota in Minneapolis ; for our library will be best able to afford the experiment of any in the State. But we shall not be in condition to undertake it for over a year. Were it fair to our own tax-pay- ers, I should consider it the duty of the richest library in the State to furnish gratuitously this bibliographic assistance to its feebler brethren. As it is, it seems only right to have the work paid for on a business basis, but only at its actual cost. A State Bureau at present may seem chimerical; it may, one of these days, seem less so. Free public libraries are on the eve of a hard struggle with the free public taste. Even now it is hard to keep out vicious books that people want to read; and very few librarians have the courage or the power to withstand the pressure. The most are, at any rate, glad to compromise by admitting the vapid books, if they can keep out the vicious ones. But with the authority of the State to back their choice (even though this be not mandatory, but merely advisory), they could feel far bolder in PROCEEDINGS. 141 excluding the relatively as well as the absolutely bad. But there are cons as well as pros. Mr. BAIN. In Ontario, several years ago, the experiment was tried of establishing a number of libraries and a central office, for supplying them with books. For the first ten years it worked very well. Then a stock of old books had accumulated at the central office, and the libraries became dis- satisfied at receiving so few new books. I have persuaded the minister of education to prepare a quarterly list of 250 volumes, designate by stars their relative value, and have offered to supply brief notes characterizing the works. President POOLE. A State bureau, such as Mr. Putnam suggests, is impracticable. It would not meet the exigencies of the case. Small libraries must inquire and every large library receive many such questions. A bibliographical collection to which they should come would not work. They could not use it, any more than one could make a watch if the tools were given to him. I never had a librarian come to Chicago to use our bibliographi- cal collection, which is large. A country librarian has usually not learned the alphabet of bibliography. Mr. Putnam has made a good collection of books, and wishes to aid others. But I can tell him a better way. Get the Boston Public Library catalogue (an admirable collection of books largely selected by Mr. George Ticknor) and go through this and select the books he needs. Use the Chicago lists. He has the thing already in his hand in these catalogues. The scheme is ingenious, but impracticable. Mr. CRUNDEN. Again in accordance with the suggestion of the Secretary, that miscellaneous topics be brought up in connection with papers on allied subjects, I wish to ask the custom of libra- rians on this point. I assume that you all, like myself, have frequent applications for information on all sorts of things. These come to me, not only from my own constituents, but from people all over the country. A person from Iowa or Texas writes to ask about a legal advertisement that appeared in a St. Louis paper, or wants to know the best book on house-building or the manufacture of vinegar. I have always answered these questions to the best of my ability, and have never made any charge or had any offer of pay- ment until a few months ago, when a real-estate firm wrote to inquire about two men who were said to have lived in St. Louis between 1870 and 1875. The request that a bill be rendered rather took me by surprise. I charged 50 cents, and received a letter inclosing a postal note for that amount, thanking me for the information, and hoping we might have further business relations. I should like to know whether other librarians make any charge for such services. Mr. TYLER. The Astor Library used to charge for work of this kind. It was done by the assist- ants outside of library hours. Mr. CRUNDEN. Large jobs are always charged with us, and are given to an assistant as outside work. Mr. CUTTER. We have the same practice. Mr. NELSON. Mr. Putnam's plan is simply the A.L.A. catalogue in another shape. Mr. Saunders, of the Astor Library, is constantly receiving in- quiries of all sorts, on the market value of books, about a coat-of-arms, etc., and these are answered without charge. Mr. MANN. Libraries for their own protection should refuse to do this work gratuitously, except for their own constituency. There is a bureau in Washington undertaking to answer just such inquiries with the facilities of the large libraries, and at moderate cost, and such work should be sent there. Mr. SWIFT. Do you encourage the asking of trivial questions by the readers ? We endeavor to answer all inquiries brought to us, giving a great deal of time, even to unimportant things. I spent a long time looking up for some one the author of " Mary had a Little Lamb." Mr. CARR. I wish to show to the Association how not to do it ; viz. the Michigan way of buy- ing books. A printed list is prepared and pub- lished in the daily paper. This one just issued by us makes 24 columns. It is then made up in pamphlet form and printed in the proceedings of the boards and lies over for 30 days. This list cost us $60, and as the only way to get any good from it I have had it triple leaded, so that we can add our library numbers and use it for bulletin pur- poses as the books are received. Mr. FLINT. Mr. Poole's remarks remind me of the difficulty I have had in reading the reports of the A.L.A., because when I had read a paper about which I doubted much whether the librarians agreed with it, I had to turn over several pages to find the antidote for the paper. Could not the papers and the discussions upon them come in their con- secutive order ? It would certainly be much more convenient. As to Mr. Crunden's question of charges for questions to be answered, I would say that in the Library of the Patent Office some years ago I had a rule made charging regular rates for work done by assistants in searches or translations, 142 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. generally at the rate of $i per hour. The great point gained was this, that the calls made to answer questions or render services has been greatly lessened. Mr. LARNED. I want to correct a misappre- hension of our President. Mr. Putnam proposes not to give them the tools and have them make a watch, but to make a watch and sell it to them. In this connection I would inquire also for the A.L. A. catalog : Where is it ? Mr. DEWEY. It is almost a reality, as Mr. Larned will find from Mr. Fletcher's report from the Publishing Section. The forthcoming works are nearly all simply sec- tions of the A. L. A. catalog as was planned from the first. As fast as these are ready they will be printed and later gathered into a volume. As to answering inquiries, the rule we adopt at Colombia is a good one. Local libraries should not use the money of tax payers for such purposes. We publish in our circular that we are willing to do the work and charge exactly what it costs us. Any call for investigation, translation, copying, typewriter or stenographic work I look at and turn over to the lowest salaried officer that can do the work satisfactorily. The library facilities are all free. We charge at rate of annual salary, counting 2,000 hours as a year, or 200 hours as a month. If a $500 clerk can do the work, the charge is only 25 cents per hour for time actually used, or for copying and duplicating we charge the fixt prices per folio of too words 6 cents for one copy, with reductions for duplicates. The time given by the staff is in regular hours, and is de- ducted from the pay roll. If certified copies are wanted, one of our officers is a notary public and has a seal for use in the building. Every one then feels free to come and ask for help, where 'otherwise they might feel delicate about applying for it. Mr. Putnam's idea of bibliografic bu- reaus is admirable. The mistake is in limiting it to a single State. Let us get one before we try to establish 30 or 40. One good bureau is all and perhaps more than the country will support at present. To try to make several will result in none of them being good enough to command patronage. A discussion participated in by Messrs. NELSON, CUTTER, DEWEY, and others, followed on the best method of making a closer connection in the printed proceedings of the A.L. A. between the papers and the discussion thereon ; either by exact reference to pages both ways or by inserting the discussion immediately after the paper as is done by many scientific societies. All were agreed that it was desirable, and it was left to the secreta- ries and the editors to devise the best practical way of accomplishing it. Mr. TYLER asked whether Miss Hewins' list of " Reading for the young," to be published as part of the A.L.A. catalog, was to include books which could not now be obtained ; a third of her last list are now out of print. Mr. LINDERFELT. We cannot even find the existence of some of them. Mr. BOWKER. We hope to make the record number of the Library journal a permanent feature. We propose for next year a list of valuable private libraries, giving the specialty of each collection, and hope this may be a means of interesting pri- vate owners in the public libraries and the work of the A.L.A. and Library journal. This list can be prepared only by cooperation, and the librarians in the cities especially must give us all the information hi their power if it is to succeed. Mr. DEWEY. That is certainly part of the work of the A.L.A. ; and in the same way we must have the cooperation of every one on the A.L.A. catalog. All criticisms and suggestions on Miss Hewins' "Reading for the young" should be sent at once either to her or to Mr. Fletcher, so they may be considered. Don't wait till we print, and then criticise, but help make it as it ought to be. Mr. CUTTER read portions of Mr. LANE'S REPORT ON CATALOGUES AND AIDS AND GUIDES FOR READERS, 1885-87. (See p. 104.) Mr. DEWEY read by title Mr. ABBOT'S paper, SOME RECOLLECTIONS OF LLOYD P. SMITH, which will be printed hereafter in the Library journal ; also part of a letter from Mr. SPONABDK : " PAOLA, MIAMI Co., KAN., Aug. 24, 1887. " I find that it looks now as if I cannot be with you this year. I regret it very much. " I send you a list of Kansas libraries so far as I could learn; also the laws of Kansas relating to free libraries. Also I hope that the draft of an association I sent you last year may be con- sidered. I am inclined to think that there are people in the United States that would like to join an organization to promote and organize libraries where needed. I think Kansas is about the only State that has made a lawful free library law by act of Legislature. This law is PROCEEDINGS. very new, and to put it in full force it needs some good missionaries. Name of Library. Place. Kind. No. Vols. Firth Atchison Free.. 1,800 Public Atchison . ...... Sub. . . 2,894 St. Benedict's College Atchison Free.. 4,600 1,100 Baker University Ladies' Baldwin Blue Rapids. . . . Free.. Sub. . . 1, 600 1.917 Citv Emporia Free.. 2,500 College of Emporia Emporia Free.. 1,000 State Normal School Emporia Free.. 2,738 U. S. Inf. and Cav. School. Ft. Leavenw'th. Free.. 1.854 Paola City Paola Free.. 6,000 Highland University Highland 5,000 Public School Holton .... 'Free. ! ',237 Trott's Select Junction City. . . Sub. . . 1,200 State Penitentiary City. Lansing Lawrence Free.. Sub... 4,66s 4,000 University of Kansas Lawrence Free.. 7,700 Bethany Normal Institute.. Lindsborg 2,000 State Agricultural College. . . Manhattan Free.. 5.559 Public School... ; Marysville Free. . 1, 060 Library Association Olathe Sub... 1,200 Free . I 1OO City Ottawa Sub. . - Ottawa University Ottawa Free. . 1,000 Memorial and Historical. . . . Parsons 4,780 Library Association Peabody Free.. 1,822 St. Mary's College... St. Mary's 8,000 Reading-rooms Association. St Mary's. . . . fW} Sodality of the Blessed Vir- 1 gin Mary St. Mary's I.OOO Salina Normal University .. Coll. of Sisters of Bethany. Salina Topeka Free . . 1,000 1,028 Kansas State Topeka Free*. Topeka Free Topeka Free.. 12,000 Washburn College City Topeka Wichita Free.. Sub... 5,000 2,500 " I send you draft of bill that will be submitted to the next Congress of the United States, for making post-office buildings in the smaller towns. I think librarians will appreciate the change." Mr. DEWEY moved that the Standing Com- mittee be authorized to appoint each year corre- sponding members from England, France, Germany, etc., who should send reports of library progress in their respective countries, and that Mr. Yates be appointed the corresponding member from England for next year. Voted. Mr. CRUNDEN. We have had too good a feast prepared this year. We want more discus- sions. It is very awkward for the presiding officer to rule out a paper or to restrict discussion, and I submit the following resolution : Resolved, That at all future conferences the Standing Committee be authorized and requested to examine the papers to be presented, and decide with regard to each whether it is to be read entire or by abstract, or to be submitted for printing. Mr. NELSON. I suggest that they give us a smaller number. * Railroad. Mr. CRUNDEN. This is hardly necessary after the experience of this year. I do not mean that all papers are be submitted complete beforehand, for many of us do not prepare them till the last minute ; but their character and length should be made known to the committee. Mr. MANN. The American Association for the Advancement of Science requires a written abstract of all papers to be presented to the Pro- gram Committee, and under no circumstances will admit a paper till so submitted. Mr. NELSON. If we print papers that are not read, are we not in danger of getting our proceed- ings so long that we cannot afford to print them ? Mr. BAIN. That may be left to common sense and the law of evolution. Mr. DEWEY. Evolution has already largely settled it. The Program Committee has been abolished, and the Standing Committee has the matter in charge. I like Mr. Crunden's resolu- tion. Many papers are very valuable, but it is not desirable for us to listen to them when we can read them at home as well. Mr. GREEN. Can the matter not be left to the committee now without a vote? Mr. DEWEY. Some people might think the committee autocratic. Mr. CRUNDEN'S resolution was then voted. The motion on the PLACE FOR THE NEXT MEETING was taken from the table. Mr. CRUNDEN. I did not say as much as I wished in regard to St. Louis this afternoon. I desire to second most heartily Mr. Dyer's invita- tion. Most of our large cities have been visited already. It would be good for you to go to St. Louis, and it would be good for our city to have you come. Every city where the Association has met has been benefited by it. But I don't want to have you come if the members cannot turn out and make the meeting a success. St. Louis has the reputation of being hospitable, and I can assure you that she will not fail to maintain it if you come there for your next meeting. Mr. PERKINS. A large city is the last place for us to meet in. We need a quiet place to read our everlasting program. I amend that our next meeting be on the Atlantic coast at a place to be selected hereafter. We want the smell of salt water and a taste of quahaug. Mr. DEWEY. The place and time must be se- lected beforehand, and not left to the committee. Many people complained two years ago about 144 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. Lake George. Last year we decided at Milwaukee to come here at this time, and we have much the largest attendance in our history. If we go .to a city, I advocate St. Louis. For a summer resort the White Mountains, Catskills, Mount Desert, and Old Point Comfort have been named. At these we might cultivate the spirit of repose for which Mr. Green yearns. No three men should be asked to decide a ques- tion on which every member has a preference. Let us decide before adjournment, and begin now to plan for the meeting. Mr. GRISWOLD. I don't want to go to a city; but the Atlantic coast has no place cheap and desirable. The Catskills are good. Mr. LARNED. Is there not danger in going- to summer resorts that the meeting becomes, at least in the view of outsiders, a picnic ? Mr. NELSON. In a city we separate and lose our common feeling. I am more disposed now to go to St. Louis than I was earlier in the session. Mr. GREEN. I should like to take again the expression of opinion on St. Louis. If enough cannot go there, I would prefer either Bar Harbor or the White Mountains. I move to lay the pres- ent motion on the table. Voted. I move that the meeting of the Association next year be at St. Louis in October. Voted. BADGES, Mr. MANN. One of the most agreeable and profitable portions of our meetings is the social. When we are coming to the meetings it is often difficult to tell on the train who are our fellow- members, and also to remember the names of those we have met before. I therefore move the follow- ing resolution : Resolved, That in order to facilitate recognition and to promote social intercourse, the Committee of Arrangements for the next meeting be requested to provide badges of appropriate design to be worn by the members and to bear the names of the wear- ers respectively. Some think this will be too expensive, and it is suggested to print numbers instead of names. The badge would be a permanent one, however, and I will guarantee that the expense of printing names shall be met. Mr. BOWKER moved that the part in regard to names be stricken out, and various members objected to wearing the name so prominently. Mr. DEWEY. It has been already decided that there should be a badge. A committee was ap- pointed at Milwaukee to prepare one ; but Miss Coe, the Chairman, is in Europe as our delegate to the L.A.U.K. If wished, the name might be detach- able and put on only after getting to the place of meeting. Mr. BOWKER' s amendment was voted, and then Mr. Mann substituted "number" in place of "name," and the resolution was passed. THANKS. MR. MANN also moved the following. Voted. Resolved, That the thanks of the A.L.A. be tendered to Messrs. H. E. Davidson and A. N. Brown for their arduous, courteous, and prompt services in facilitating our travels. MUTUAL LIBRARY. Mr. CARR read a letter from Mr. S. P. Ferree, of the Mutual Library of Philadelphia, a sub- scription library resembling Mudie's. "PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 29, 1887. " H. J. CARR ESQ., TREASURER, "My Dear Sir: I am very much disappointed to find at the last moment that it will be impossi- ble for me to leave for the Thousand Islands, as the representative of the Mutual Library of this city. I have always taken the greatest interest in the published proceedings of your Association, and have never finished reading the papers and accounts of your meetings without a sigh of regret that I had not been present. This year I had fully determined to go, but must content myself by giving you a sketch of the growth and success of the Mutual Library, believing it will interest you and some of your co-laborers. "In the spring of 1879 I found myself 'stuck,' through the failure of an advertising scheme, with some 500 copies of Franklin Square and Seaside Library issues, bound in cloth covers. Being unable to sustain the loss, I devised the check register system, and, having secured as librarian a young lady familiar with the business, on May i, 1879, we announced the opening of the Mutual Library on its new system of 100 books for $i, with no fines. In addition to the cloth-bound issues above named, we did not have a dozen regular bound books.. " It was more than amusing to have the old patrons of my lady librarian, after their usual con- gratulations, look around the room at the empty shelves, and ask, ' Well, Emily, where is the library?' and hear her smilingly explain, as she pointed to the shelf of tall Seaside & Franklin Square issues, ' These are all the books we have at present. We were disappointed in getting a lot of books, but they will be here shortly.' And so confidingly they paid their dollar, which was PROCEEDINGS. quickly turned into books; and in a little while we really looked like a library, and were soon com- pelled to add new cases for books, and in a few years seek our present enlarged quarters, where we have been for five years, but are now negotiat- ing for permanent quarters to give us greater facilities. "The register of additions now numbers, includ- ing duplicates, upwards of 40,000 volumes. We seek to keep our books in circulation. We loan more books than any other library in the city, for our terms are more liberal. We allow two books at a time on a $i check register, or three at a time on a $i subscription for three months., " We are frequently asked what security we have for the books loaned, as a dollar hardly covers the cost of two or three bound books. We believe in the honesty of the community, and trust our sub- scribers as such. We have lost a few books, but doubt if a single instance reflects on the integrity of the subscriber. Hundreds have paid the value of lost books. Each subscriber is treated as though he was our only patron, and his taste in reading so closely consulted that a large number rely entirely on the librarian for the selection of their books. " We loan current issues of all the leading maga- zines and reviews as books, but do not bind them into volumes. You would be surprised to know the extent to which magazines, and especially the heavy monthly and quarterly reviews, are bor- rowed. " The library is run on purely business principles to make money; and while it has been claimed that the cheap issues of books has ruined the library business, and many of the old circulating libraries relinquished business in consequence, it is a fact that the Mutual Library successfully built up its business on the cheap issues. They have made a host of readers ; and, when America and England justly acknowledge the claims of authors to international copyright, it will be found that the tastes formed from the present glut of cheap issues will make a demand for books, no matter what their cost may be, that no other medium could have secured. " I believe the possibilities of library influence and extension in this country are not appreciated. Not only should every town have its circulating or public library, but every neighborhood should be united by its local institution. Every bank, insurance, trust, and manufacturing company should have its library of standard books and journals devoted to its special interest, as well as all the leading magazines and reviews, as issued ; for they all contain articles of vital interest to the intelligent clerk or workman. It pays to give brain food to your employes. It elevates and stimulates them to higher excellence in their lives and duties. " Very truly yours, "SAMUEL P. FERREE, " Treasurer." Mr. CRUNDEN. At Milwaukee we received a very cordial invitation to meet at Denver, to which they have received no answer. If none has been made, the invitation should receive now a formal recognition, and an explanation and hearty acknowledgment be sent to them. Mr. DEWEY. I think such a resolution was passed, and have a pretty clear recollection of signing the type-written copy to mail to Denver. I will, however, send a duplicate when I get home. Mr. DEWEY then read by title Miss James' REPORT ON THE SCHOOL OF LIBRARY ECONOMY (See p. 118) and part of a letter from Mr. W: C. LANE: " I hope for the next conference the various re- porters will be appointed at your meeting now. If I had been appointed to do this a year or two years ago (the report covers two years), I should have made notes for it right along, and could have pre- sented something much more complete and valu- able than the present production. I shall be glad to try it again (if it is desired), as it lies quite within my line ; but I should like to know it now, and not be called on a month or two before the next meeting, when it will be impossible to go over the ground thoroughly." Mr. DEWEY called attention to the " Uebersicht der systematischen Ordnung der Stadtbibliothek zu Hamburg, 1885," and the "Classified catalogue of the Public Library of Fitchburg, Mass., com- piled by G : Watson Cole," which were on exhi- bition. Mr. DEWEY offered the following resolution, with a brief introductory tribute, saying that almost the last work of Mr. Jackson was his efforts in welcoming the Association to the Northwest and to St. Paul : Whereas, In the death of Frederick Jackson, of St. Paul, the American Library Association has lost one of its original members, for many years one of its most active and efficient officers, en- deared to all who knew him by his rare qualities of head and heart; therefore Resolved, That we unite with the family and friends of our late associate in a keen sense of our 146 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. common deep bereavement, which has left us only a memory in which there is nothing we would forget in place of the generous, unselfish, modest spirit, whose worth grew more and more apparent every year to all who had the happy lot to know him. Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be sent to his family. Mr. GREEN. Mr. Jackson was one of our most useful associates, and most dear to the early members. I move the passage of the resolutions by a rising vote. The resolution was passed by a unanimous rising vote. Mr. DEWEY moved to refer to the Standing Com- mittee the binding of a part of the copies of the Proceedings. Mr. GREEN inquired if this was not in the province of the Finance Committee, and after some discussion the following by-law was moved by Mr. Dewey and voted : Resolved, That no bills against this Association be incurred by any officer or committee in excess of the appropriation allowed for the purpose by the Finance Committee. The whole question of printing and binding the Proceedings was by vote referred to the Standing Committee with power. Mr. LINDERFELT offered the following : Moved, That the Finance Committee be author- ized and instructed to collect and manage all the rules, regulations, by-laws, or resolutions, which have been passed from time to time by the Associ- ation for the regulation of its business transactions, and to cause them to be printed in pamphlet form before the next regular meeting of the Association and distributed among its members. Voted. Mr. DEWEY moved to take a recess for the excursion to Quebec. Voted. By the vote of Aug. 30 (see p. 120) the Conven- tion finally adjourned on Sept. 10. '( APPENDIX 1. The A.L.A. Publishing Section met at the open- ing of the session on Friday, September 2. In the absence of the President, Mr. C. Alex. Nelson was chosen President pro tent. Messrs. W: E. Foster, R. B. Poole, and H. L. Koopman were appointed a committee on nomi- nations. The report of the Executive Board was read by the Chairman, W: I. Fletcher, and also the Treas- urer's report. REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD FOR 1886-87. Following the lines indicated at the meeting last year, your Executive Board have gone forward to carry out, as far as possible in the first year, the work of the section. 38 persons joined as provisional members at the last meeting, paying $i each; and, with the funds thus provided, circulars were prepared and sent to all the considerable libraries in the country, setting forth the plans of the section, and asking for annual subscriptions of $10 to consti- tute regular membership. 42 libraries have responded with these sub- scriptions. The report of the Treasurer is re- ferred to for a statement of the receipts and dis- bursements. It will be seen that the total receipts have been $458, the total expenditures $85.67, leaving a balance of $372.83. As to the use of the funds of the Section, it has been decided by the Executive Board that this money should be divided between two purposes, that of employing clerical assistance in the prepara- tion of matter for publication, and that of the actual publication of such material, in so far as it cannot be secured without cost to the Section as such. With regard to the several undertakings outlined in our preliminary circular, we report progress as follows : 1. The Index to General Literature: Its scope and plan have been more closely defined, and a list of the works to be covered by it has been begun, and carried well towards completion. 2. The Handbook for Readers : It has been outlined by Mr. Soldan of Peoria, to whom it was entrusted for preparation. His outline has been submitted to us, and he informs us that he has written out a considerable part of it, and hopes to have it finished in a short time. [Mr. Soldan 's " Outline " was here read.] 3. Catalog of Bibliographical Reference Lists : Mr. Lane reports this as nearly ready for issue. This and the Handbook for Readers will prob- ably be the first and second issues of the section. 4. Printed catalog cards : Subscribers to the section were asked to state their choice between three classes of cards on which the work of fur- nishing printed cards might be commenced. AH but one of those who expressed a preference voted for the third class named ; viz. cards of bib- liographical reference under topics. Two consid- erations have prevented us from following at once this indication of preference. APPENDIX. 147 First, the fact that Mr. Lane's forthcoming list will, to some extent, cover the same ground ; and, second, that special facilities are now offered for printing author-cards of new books through the offer of Mr. Bowker to give the use of the electro- typed titles now being prepared for the Annual American Catalog. The Board have decided to commence immediately the printing of cards, of both standard sizes (postal and index), from these electrotypes and their distribution to the members of the section, and to others who may subscribe for them. This is an experiment, but one which can be tried with slight expense, and which we believe may lead to important good results. 5. The A.L.A. Catalog: Your Board have made arrangements with Hon. -N. H. R. Dawson, the U. S. Commissioner of Education, for the publication by the Bureau of Education of the sections of this proposed catalog. The Bureau will assume the expense of the publication and distribution of these sections, and it only remains for us to submit the material ready for publication to the Bureau. It is proposed to bring out a new edition (with some changes in form) of Miss Hewins' "Reading for the Young" as the first of these sections. A list of works in the department of Travels which has been partly prepared by Mrs. Dewey, and one in Political Science by Mr. Bow- ker may follow. Your Board note with encouragement the spread of dissatisfaction with the results of the old sys- tem of absolute individualism among the libraries in cataloging work, and the increasing readiness to join in cooperative work for the common good. STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS, AUG. 24, 1887. Receipts. 38 Preliminary subscriptions of $ I. oo . . $38.00 42 Regular subscriptions for 1887 of $10 . 420.00 Expenses. Stationery, printing, and postage . . . $31.67 Clerical labor on " Essay Index "... 54.00 85-67 Balance 372-33 $458.00 The Nominating Committee reported the follow- ing names of officers for the ensuing year, and they were duly elected : President, J. L. Whitney. Secretary, W: I. Fletcher. Treasurer, W: C. Lane. Executive Board, W: I. Fletcher, M. Dewey, C: A. Cutter, R: R. Bowker, and Miss E. M. Coe. Adjourned. APPENDIX 2. THE ATTENDANCE AND THE EXCUR- SIONS. BY MELVIL DEWEY. [From the Critic^ The attendance has grown from 60 or 70 till this year it numbered 175. They came from 23 States, from Eastern Maine to Western California; and Great Britain sent three dele- gates ; while two members of the American Association were in attendance on the Library Association of the United Kingdom in session at Birmingham, the senior delegate being the lady (Miss Ellen M. Coe) who has accomplished so great a work at the head of the New York Free Circulating Library. Two interesting facts are to be observed in the registration this year. Except in Boston, the number of women up to 1885 never exceeded 20. In '85 it rose to 25, in '86 to 54, and this year to 90, as against 85 men. A part of these are wives, sisters, and daughters of mem- bers, drawn by the social features ; but 19 lady chief librarians and 23 assistants were present ; and of the other 48, some were ex-librarians, or assistants, or trustees actively interested, as shown by their faithful attendance on all sessions. Of the 85 men, 42 were chief librarians, 13 assistants, five other officers, five publishers or booksellers (regu- lar members and attendants on the meetings), and 20 ex-librarians, editors, clergymen, and others interested in the work. Geographically, the regis- ter is noteworthy. The North Atlantic States were all represented ; of the South Atlantic, there were only Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. None of the seven Gulf States ap- peared. The Lake States came next to the North Atlantic. For the past three years the largest single delegation has come from Columbia College Library. The New England party alone numbered 70, 148 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. while New York sent half as many more. At Clayton a special steamer took them to Round Island, where the four days' session was held. The commodious steamer John Thorn was char- tered for two afternoons to make the trips around the Islands and to Kingston, and the St. Lawrence for the moonlight trip to Alexandria Bay. A stroller about the boat on any of these trips was sure to find committees at work here and there, and animated little groups discussing matters of common interest ; and yet there was always present the atmosphere of a thoroughly enjoyable outing. The cottagers on Round Island showed many courtesies. An Adirondack camp-fire at Shady Ledge, with brass band, orchestra, glee club, fine land and marine fireworks, and an exceedingly clever humorous entertainment, filled one enjoy- able evening; a comedy in the hotel dining-room another ; and a general illumination and fireworks, with a band, occupied a third. On Saturday morning about 125 took the steamer Corsican, shooting the famous rapids, and arriving at the Windsor Hotel, Montreal, for an admirable late dinner, which the hungry libra- rians will long remember. The Canadian Pacific sent up special cars for those who wished to hurry on to Quebec on Sunday and Monday ; but the main party enjoyed Montreal, and went on to Quebec by moonlight on the Monday night steamer, devoting all day Tuesday to that quaintest of American cities. Here four parties broke off. One went up the Saguenay, another to Ottawa and Toronto, where various courtesies were ex- tended by local committees; another returned via Lakes Champlain and George ; and a fourth via the St. Lawrence and the Thousand Islands. The main party, however, took the side-wheel steamer Miramichi for Pictou. THE WESTERN PARTY. BY WM. F. POOLE. A section of members residing at the West (with the addition to their number of Prof. Van Name, of Yale College Library, and Mrs. Van Name) accompanied the eastern section to Quebec, and shared with them the pleasures of sight-seeing in that interesting city. Parting with them at Quebec, the Western party returned via Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Niagara, and Buffalo. Spending a day at sight-seeing at Montreal, they left on the morning of September 7th for Ottawa, and were met at the station by a committee consisting of Messrs. Douglas Brymner, the Dominion Archi- vist, A. D. De Celles and M. J. Griffin, the libra- rians of Parliament, and others, with carriages, and were driven through that enterprising and picturesque city. They were conducted through the splendid Parliament buildings and its gem of a library ; also through the building where, under the care of Mr. Brymner, the Canadian Archives are kept the most valuable collection of manu- scripts for historical purposes to be found on this continent, and to the museums of geology and natural history. The party then drove to Chaudiere Falls, and to Hull which gave an idea of the immense lumber interests of Ottawa and later to the Russell House to dine. Nothing could exceed the cordial and generous hospitality which was extended to the party in Ottawa. . In the evening Pullman sleeping-cars were taken, and the party arrived at Toronto in the morning, where similar hospitalities awaited them. After they had taken breakfast at the Rossin House, Mayor Howland and the Public Library Board appeared at the hotel with carriages and took them to the principal points of interest in the city the Public Library, the educational headquar- ters and museum, the Wellesley public school, Osgoode Hall and law library, University of Toronto and library, Rosedale, bringing up for lunch at the elegant residence of Ex-Alderman John Hallam, the first President of the Library Board. Plates were laid for about 50 guests; and Capt. James Mason, the President of the present Board, presided. At the conclusion of the banquet, he tendered the visitors a cordial welcome, and called up Mayor Howland, who made a graceful speech. Dr. Poole and other members of the visiting party responded to com- plimentary toasts; and finally Mr. Hallam, the generous host, and Mr. James Bain, Jr., the accomplished librarian of the Public Library, were brought upon their feet. To Mr. Bain the visiting librarians were greatly indebted for constant attentions during the whole trip. The party were then conveyed to the elegant steam yacht " Vivid," which had been placed at the disposal of the committee by Mr. Frank Poison, who had joined the party. The yacht steamed to the exhibition grounds, where an hour was spent in viewing the display of natural pro- ducts, arts, and manufactures of Canada. Then followed a harbor excursion, a sail around " the Island," and a collation of solid and liquid re- freshments in the cabin, which, with brief parting speeches, closed the day's delightful entertain- ment. The regret was frequently expressed by APPENDIX. 149 the committee that they had not the pleasure of entertaining all the librarians who met at Round Island. Taking a steamer the next morning, the party had a pleasant sail across Lake Ontario, and, arriving at Niagara, proceeded on to Buffalo, where Mr. Larned was in waiting with carriages to convey the party to the Genessee House. Here' an elegant dinner, with Mr. Larned as the host, awaited the visitors. Mr. Eidlitz, the architect of the new library building, joined the party at dinner. The afternoon was spent in examining, under Mr. Larned's guidance, the new library building, of which he may well be proud. In the evening the party separated, and took trains for their homes. THE NOVA SCOTIA EXCURSION. BY MELVIL DEWEY. [From " THE LIBRARIANS' HOLIDAY " in the Critic^ The Miramichi was held from Tuesday noon till night to accommodate the librarians who wished to see more of Quebec, and steamed down the great river on one of the most enjoyable thousand- miles trips conceivable. The scenery on the right for four days was picturesque in the highest degree, and the night stops at Mt. St. Louis, Madeleine, and other points where the French boatmen came off to the steamer for freight, and talked faster than they worked, gave a flavor of a foreign land. Stops of three to five hours each at Gaspe, Perce Summerside, Charlottetown, and Pictou gave delightful breaks in the voyage, which combined in a rare degree the bracing salt air of the ocean with the romantic scenery of a tourist's paradise. The feelings of the party on leaving the steamer were expressed in hearty resolutions which assured Captain Raquet that the trip had more than met all the sanguine expectations with which it was undertaken. A special car met the steamer at Pictou and carried the librarians across Nova Scotia to Hali- fax, where the two days were filled to overflowing. Besides the ordinary drives and sight-seeing, there was a general attendance at the garrison church to hear the military band and several hundred soldiers render the Anglican service with a volume not to be forgotten ; a special yacht trip through the Northwest Arm, to the Dingle and Melville Island, through the harbor, and into the wonderful basin; and on Monday night a delightful evening at the Waverley Hotel, where the literary Hali- ms welcomed the Americans. Tuesday was i to the Evangeline country, and, as through- out the trip, there was perfect weather ; and special courtesies were extended which are neither asked by nor granted to an ordinary excusion. At Grand Pre the train was stopped opposite the site of the old church, the 52 excursionists were smuggled ingeniously through the barbed-wire fence, which proved more formidable than any custom-house officers, and a photograph of the party was secured at Evangeline's church. Another feature of the day was a railroad lunch extemporized by the secretaries. Instead of the expected mad rush for the lone doughnut and muddy coffee of a country lunch-counter during a ten-minutes' stop, all hands were warned to sit still, while from the rear car came white paper napkins, tin cups, big baskets of delicious fruits, sandwiches, eggs, cakes, biscuits, etc., and more ginger ale and fresh milk than the car-load could drink. When the train stopped at stations, a favorite episode was a song or a full chorus, which even the noise of the train had little effect in stilling, or a speech, the happiest efforts being by Mr. J. T. Buhner, of Halifax, and Judge Chamberlain, of the Boston Public Library. Altogether it was a red- letter day among a series ; and as the bookmen lunched while passing the basin of Minas, where the tides rise from 60 to 70 feet, the spirits of the party kept pace with the salt water. Captain Colby held the steamer New York to allow a short visit to the old fort, and then the last day on board ship began in the beautiful Annapolis Basin. By invitation of the captain, the whole party took the pilot's deck, and with sea-chairs and rugs went into camp for a last "old-fashioned sing." The Bay of Fundy had no terrors on this trip, which was varied from the straight course to Boston, going round the Grand Manan in the early evening, past Mt. Desert, and down the New England coast. The program called for separation at Halifax into three parties one for New York direct, another through St. John; but the days were so full of good fellowship that no one could be found willing to break away, so that there landed at the dock in Boston every one who had started eight days before from the dock at Quebec. On leaving the steamer, the Association was called to order, and passed unanimously votes of thanks (i) "to Capt. A. Raquet for the success- ful efforts of himself and his associates in making our trip enjoyable beyond our anticipations," and (2) "that we bear our united testimony to the unexpected pleasure of the trip down the St. Lawrence, as combining great variety of beautiful scenery on land with the enjoyment, without the ISO THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. discomforts, of the ocean voyage, and that we gladly commend it as one of the pleasantest excursions on the North Atlantic Coast." THE SAGUENAY TRIP. BY GREGORY B. KEEN, Librarian of the University of Pennsylvania. Wednesday, Sept. 7, at j% A. M., the members of the Association who had decided to take the trip up the Saguenay River started down the St. Lawrence upon the steamboat Union. The day opened unpropitiously with showers of rain, but we soon realized that fleeting clouds and inter- mittent sunshine afforded finer effects of light and shade than are obtained in clearer weather. After gazing awhile in admiration at the distant Falls of Montmorenci, which some of us had seen the day before and others hoped to visit on returning to Quebec, we skirted the southern shore of the large Isle of Orleans, pleased with its constant succes- sion of old French villages, cultivated farms, and wood-crowned cliffs. The mountain promontory of Cape Tourmente next met us, and was followed by the lofty granite peaks of Cape Rouge and Cape Gribaune. About noon we entered the exquisite St. Paul's Bay, and passed the charming Isle aux Coudres; a little later touched at the village of Les Eboulements, remembered for its high mountain, and at 4 o'clock stopped a few minutes at the well-known summer resort of Canadians, Murray Bay. Here we left the north- ern bank of the St. Lawrence, and began to cross the river. Nearing Riviere du Loup, we enjoyed a superb sunset, and, turning back toward the Sague- nay in the twilight, arrived at Tadousac soon after dark. The transition was very marked from the broad expanse of the lake-like stream we had been navigating all day to the narrower waters and gloomy heights which now surrounded us, a con- trast rendered the more striking when the moon rose in great beauty just after 9. The stars seemed very bright for so light a night, and it was pleasing to note the clear reflection of them in the dark river near our bow. We were loth to leave such beauty for the needed repose of our state- rooms, and when we fell asleep it was to the music of rich Canadian voices singing French choruses below our deck. We were roused be- times next morning, for at 5^ we had reached the limit of our journey, the town of Chicoutimi. We went ashore in a shower of rain, some visiting the large cathedral, others driving to the falls. Re- turning to our boat, we began the descent of the river, the captain indicating points of interest on our way. Ha-ha Bay especially charmed us, where we climbed a hill to the parish church, and sat down to rest at a hotel which commanded a particularly fine view of the Saguenay. Proceed- ing thence, we noted many curious rocks and chasms, among others " Le Tableau," with its broad limestone face, and the gothic cave of " Statue Point." We were more and more fasci- nated with the grandeur of the scene until we reached the acme of sublimity at Cape Trinity and Eternity Bay. St. John's Bay next impressed us with its beauty, and the prospect up the Saguenay at the Island of ' St. Louis. Farther down the stream we observed its abrupt turning, after pursuing short, straight courses between palisade- like banks, which came very close together at Pointe la Boule. On arriving again at Tadousac we saw the fish-ponds and the old chapel of the Jesuit mission founded 200 years ago. The place itself, too, pleased us by its picturesque situation at the juncture of two rivers so utterly dissimilar in character and effect upon the mind. As we re- entered the St. Lawrence we were struck with the green color of its waters as contrasted with the black Saguenay, as well as their difference in level, producing a long ridge of waves where their tides met. At the same time we saw a school of white porpoises, which abound at this point. On leaving Riviere du Loup we beheld a brilliant rainbow, followed by a golden sunset. Reaching Murray Bay in the evening, we remained there a couple of hours, interested in the work of some Indians, and watching the mode of catching smelts. We enjoyed another moonlight night, and soon after daybreak Friday morning arrived -at Quebec. ATTENDANCE REGISTER. ATTENDANCE REGISTER. THOUSAND ISLANDS MEETING. ABBREVIATIONS. A., Assistant; C., Cataloger; F., Free; L., Library; Ln., Librarian; P., Public. The letter after the address shows on which of the Post Conference excursions each went. Blank means only the Thou- sand Islands and return ; Mtl., Montreal; Q., Quebec; M., Miramichi ocean trip Quebec to Boston; S., Saguenay River; O., Ottawa and Toronto. All Q.includes Mtl., and all M., O., and S. include both Mtl. and Q., as all went via Montreal and Quebec. Adams, Prof. Herbert B., Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore. Q. Adams, Harriet A., P. Ln. Somerville, Mass. M. Allan, Mrs. J. T., Omaha, Neb. Q. Allan, Jessie, P. Ln. Omaha, Neb. Q. Allen, E: G., L. Agent, 28 Henrietta St., Covent Garden, London. Q. Allen, J. W., Worcester, Mass. . M. Ames, Harriet H., C. Brookline, Mass. Q. Atwater, Jennie S., Chicago, 111. M. Bain, Ja., Jr., P. Ln. Toronto. O. Baldwin, H.. S., A. Normal Inst., Hampton, Va. Bassett, H. F., Ln. Silas Bronson L., Water- bury, Conn. Bassett, Mrs. H. F., Waterbury, Conn. Bean, M.. A., P. Ln. Brookline, Mass. Q. Beatty, Ella O., A. Ottendorfer L., N. Y. City. Biscoe, Walter S., A. Columbia College L., N. Y. M. Bovvker, R: R., Ed. L. journal, N. Y. Mtl. Brown, Arthur N., Ln. U. S. Naval Acad., Annap- olis, Md. S. Brown, Walter L., Bookseller (Peter Paul & Co.), Buffalo, N. Y. Bullard, Martha A., Ln. Seymour L., Auburn, N. Y. Burr, G: L., Ln. White L., Cornell Univ., Ithaca, N. Y. Carr, Mrs. Edith Wallbridge, Grand Rapids, Mich. O. Carr, H: J., P. School Ln. Grand Rapids, Mich., O. Chamberlain, Hon. Mellen, P. Ln., Boston. M. Chase, Alice, Worcester, Mass. M. Chase, C: Augustus, Worcester, Mass. M. Clark, G: T., A. Univ. of Cal. L., Berkeley, Cal. Prof. J. Scott, Syracuse Univ., N. Y. G: W., A. Columbia Col. L., N. Y. M. ;, Mrs. G: W., Columbia College L., N. Y. M. Cooke, H. H., Bookseller (McClurg & Co.), Chica- go, 111. Q. Crunden, F: M., P. Ln. St. Louis, Mo. M Curran, Mrs. M.. H., P. Ln. Bangor, Me. M. Cutler, Louise S., Florence, Mass. (Columbia L. School.) M. Cutler, M.. Salome, C. Columbia College L., N. Y. M. Cutter, C: A., Ln. Boston Athenaeum, Boston. S. Cutter, Roland Norcross, Winchester, Mass. S. Daniels, Prof. Jos. L., Ln. Olivet College, Mich. Davidson, H. E., Manager Library Bureau, Bos- ton, Mass. M. Davidson, Mrs. S.. Coolidge, Melrose, Mass. M. Denio, Lilian, A. Columbia College L., N. Y. Dewey, Mrs. C.. A., Oneida, N. Y. Q. Dewey, Joel, Oneida, N. Y. Dewey, Melvil, Chief Ln. Columbia College L., N. Y. M. Dixson, Mrs. J. E .,C. Columbia College L., N.Y. O Dorr, H: S., Fremont, O. M. Dorr, Mrs. M.., Fremont, O. Q. Dudley, C: R., Mercantile Ln. Denver, Col. Mtl. Dunton, C. A.., P. Ln., N. Adams, Mass. Eddy, M.. A., F. P. Ln. Coldwater, Mich. O. Edmands, J:, Ln. Mercantile L. Co., Philadel- phia. Q. Ellison, F: P., Waltham, Mass. M. Ellison, S.. E., A. P. L., Bangor, Me. M. Fletcher, W: L, Ln. Amherst College, Mass. Flint, Weston, A. Scientific L., U. S. Patent, Office, Washington. M. Flint, Mrs. Weston, 1101 K St., Washington. M. Foote, Harriet S., Buffalo, N. Y. Foster, W: E., P. Ln. Providence, R. I. Garland, C. H., P. Ln. Dover, N. H. Q. Cast, Mrs. Harriet A., Ln. Birchard L., Fremont, O. Q. Godbold, S.. C., Ln. East Boston Branch P. L. Mass. 152 THOUSAND ISLANDS CONFERENCE. Green, S: S., F. P. Ln. Worcester, Mass. M. Greene, Caroline S., Boston, Mass. Griswold, Mrs. H. S., Bangor, Me. Q. Griswold, W: M., A. Congressional L., Washing- ton, D. C. Q. Griswold, Mrs. W. M., Washington, D. C. Q. Guild, Olive L., Providence, R. I. Guild, Reuben A., Ln. Brown Univ. L., Provi- dence, R. I. Hagar, Miss K.., 323 College St., Burlington, Vt. Mtl. Hagar, M.. L., Burlington, Vt. Mtl. Hagar, S.. C., Ln. Fletcher F. L., Burlington, Vt. Mtl. Hall, Lizza H., A. Library Bureau, Boston, Mass. Harding, Julia, C. Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass. M. Harris, Grace, Fremont, O. Q. Hayes, Rutherford P., Trustee Birchard L., Fre- mont, O. M. Higgins, Mrs. A. R., Bangor, Me. Q. Hild, F: H., P. Ln., Chicago 111. Q. Hill, Frank P., Lowell, Mass. Hills, G: W., Bridgeport, Conn. Hills, W. ]., Supt. P. L., Bridgeport, Conn. Houghton, Alice E., C. Elyria, O. Howard, Julia M., Boston, Mass. M. Jaquith, Mrs. O. B., Ln. Norman Williams P. L., Woodstock, Vt. Jencks, C: W., Providence, R. I. Q. Jencks, Ella M., Providence, R. I. M. Jenkins, M.. A., A. Lower Hall P. L., Boston, Mass. M. Jenks, Rev. H: F., Canton, Mass. M. Johnson, Miss Sumner, P. Ln., Waltham, Mass. S. Keeler, Lucy E., Fremont, O. Q. Keen, Gregory B., Ln. Univ. of Penn., Phila- delphia, Penn. Q. Kephart, Horace, A. Yale Univ. L., New Haven, Conn. Mtl. Kephart, Mrs. Horace A., New Haven, Conn. Mtl. Koopman, H. L., C. Univ. of Vt. L., Burlington, Vt. Mtl. Lake, R: C., Aurora, 111. Lamed, J. N., Supt. Buffalo L., N. Y. Linderfelt, K. A:, P. Ln. Milwaukee, Wis. O. Linderfelt, Mrs. Margie E., Milwaukee, Wis. O. Lockwood, J: S., Purchaser for P. L., 82 Equita- ble Building, Boston, Mass. Q. Mann, B: Pickman, Bibliographer, 1918 Sunder- land PI., Washington. M. Mann, Mrs. L.. C. F., Ass't Bibliographer, 1918 Sunderland PL, Washington, D. C. M. Miller, Eulora, A. P. Ln. Lafayette, Ind. M. Miller, Maude, Lafayette, Ind. M. Milman, Rev. W: H., Ln. Sion College, Victoria Embankment, London. Moore, Etta B., Fremont, O. Q. Morse, Mrs. H.. J., Methuen, Mass. Q. Morse, J: H., Methuen, Mass. Q. Moyan, Mrs. S.. M., Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Mtl. Murphy, E. Kate, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Mtl. Nelson, C: Alex., C. Astor, L., N. Y. Nolan, Dr. E: J., L. Acad. of Nat. Sciences, Philadelphia. M. Norton, Gen. C: B., Bibliographer, Boston, Mass. Nutting, M.. O., Ln. Mt. Holyoke Seminary, So. Hadley, Mass. Oakley, Minnie M., Ln. F. L. Madison, Wis. O. Patten, F. C., A. Columbia College L., N. Y. Mtl. Peck, A. L., Ln. Levi Parsons L., Gloversville, N. Y. Q. Peoples, W: T., Mercantile Ln. N. Y. M. Perkins, Norman C., A. P. L. Detroit, Mich. Peters, Annie C., Bangor, Me. Q. Peters, Fannie R., Bangor, Me. M. Peters, Mrs. J: A., Bangor, Me. Q. Phinney, H. K., A. Univ. of Rochester, N. Y. Plummer, M.. W., C. Columbia L., N. Y. M. Poindexter, C:, State Ln. Richmond, Va. Mtl. Poole, Mrs. F. M., Evanston, 111. O. Poole, Reuben B., Ln. Y. M. C. A., N. Y. Poole, W: F:, Ln. Newberry L., Chicago. O. Poole, Mrs. W: F:, Evanston, 111. Porter, Mrs. Ruth, Waterbury, Conn. S. Pratt, H: A., Director Levi Parsons L., Glovers- ville, N. Y. Q. Presnell, H., Ln. U. S. Bureau Educ., Washington. Rice, Mrs. D. Hall, Brookline, Mass. Rice, P. C., P. Ln. Fitchburg, Mass. Rice, Rev. Dr. W:, Ln. City L. Assoc., Spring- field, Mass. Mtl. Richardson, Ernest C., Ln. Theol. Seminary, Hartford, Conn. Ropes, Ja. Hardy, Andover, Mass. M. Rule, E.. E., A. P. L. Lynn, Mass. M. Sanders, Mrs. M. A., F. P. Ln. Pawtucket, R. I. M. Sargent, Abbie L., A. Middlesex Mechanics Assoc., Lowell, Mass. *Sargent, J: F., F. P. Ln. Paterson, N. J. Sargent, M.. E., Ln. Middlesex Mechanics Assoc., Lowell, Mass. Schaffer, C:, M.D., 1309 Arch St., Philadelphia. Q. Scott, Laura E., 1336 nth St., N. W., Washing- ton, D. C. Shaw, Ja., P. Ln. Aurora, 111. Sickley, J: C., City Ln. Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Mtl. * Died Sept. 37, 1887. Succeeded by his predecessor, Frank P. Hill, of Lowell ATTENDANCE REGISTER. 153 Sickley, Mrs. J: C., Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Mtl. Winsor, Constance, Cambridge, Mass. Q. Simpson, Medora J., P. Ln. Chelsea, Mass. Winsor, Justin, Ln. Harvard Univ., Cambridge, Sleeper, Lydia, Woodstock, Vt. M. Mass. Q. Smith, Sarah L., 1304 L. St., N. W., Washing- Winsor, Mrs. Justin, Cambridge, Mass. Q. ton, D. C. Q. Yates, Ja., P. Ln. Leeds, Eng. Mtl. Smith, Zelia A., Ln. Lawrence Univ., Appleton, Zimmerman, Mrs. G: Fremont, O. Q. Wis. Soule, C: C., Law Bookseller, Boston, Mass. Southworth, Myra F., P. Ln. Brockton, Mass. M. c IT / r, T ii7 /- SUMMARIES BY SECRETARY. Sperry, H.., C. Bronson L-., Waterbury, Conn. S- BY POSITIONS AND SEX. Stechert, G. E., Foreign Bookseller, 828 Broadway, Men Women. N - Y - Chiefs 43 19 Stevens, Lucy, C., 495 Summit St., Toledo, O. M. Assistants 13 23 Stott, Janet E., A. F. Circulating L., N. Y. M. Officers S Swift, Lindsay, A. P. L. Boston, Mass. Q. Booksellers and publishers ... 5 Truesdall, Mrs. Nette, Fremont, O. Q. Others 21 48 Tuttle, E.., A. L. I. Hist. Soc. L., Brooklyn, N. Y. Q. 87 90 Tuttle, G:, Brooklyn, N. Y. BY G EOGRAFICAL SECTIONS. Tuttle, Mrs. W. S, Brooklyn, N. Y. 9 of the 9 No. Atlantic States . . . . ir 9 Tyler, 'Arthur W., Ln. Job Male L. ( Plainfield, g g Lake ^^ ^ Mg -? " 9 So. Atlantic States ... 13 Utley, H:M, P. Ln. Detroit, Mich. I u * Mountain States 3 Utley, Mrs. H: M., Detroit, Mich. M. , g Pacific States i Van Name, Addison, Ln. Yale Univ., New Haven, Q ,r g tates Conn. O. England 3 Van Name, Mrs. Addison, New Haven, Conn r d 2 Van Zandt, Margaret, A. Columbia College, N. Y. 177 Q- BY STATES. Waldo, Prof. Clarence A., Ln. Rose Polytechnic M ^ & ^ Carried forward, 157 Inst, Terra Haute, Ind. N Y 34 Ind 3 Ward, Rev. Julius H., Boston Herald, 23 Linwood , . n N T 2 St., Boston, Mass. M. ~ , f , Conn 12 Md 2 \\ard, Mrs. Olive E., 23 Linwood St., Boston, ~r\ r q Va 2 Mass " M - 111. 8 Neb.' ' ! 2 West, Theresa H., A. P. L. Milwaukee, Wis. . 7 N H i Whelpley, A. W., P. Ln. Cincinnati, O. M. y ' ^ l^ o x Whelpley, Mrs. A. W., Clifton, Cincinnati, O. R 'j 6 Col j M> Mich. ... 6 Cal I White, Sophia E., A. City L. Springfield, Mass. Wig England 3 Whitney, Solon F., F. P. Ln. Watertown, Mass. penn 4 Canada \ \ \ / 2 'Wing, J. N., Bookseller (C: Scribner's Sons), 743 Broadway, N. Y. 157 177 ERRATUM. Page 118-21 for C. S. Woodward read C. J. Woodward. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 30112051214564