CATALOGUING. The work of making cata logues and bibliographies, both of which deal with entire books as units. The cataloguing of books and literary material preserved in libraries is a matter of great importance. A large library contains a million or more different items. of which may be wanted quickly by sonic reader, and much of the value of the collection depends on good catalogues, without which the material is of little more practical value than so much •pi' in a printing-office. The seeker for some specific book may ask for such a work by such an author, or for a work of which only the subject is known, while not infrequently a reader has in mind some book which he has seen but of \aid] he can ;:ive accurately neither author, title, nor subject, remembering merely some accident of form, lan guage, size, binding. date, illustrations, or the literary form in which the subject is treated. While some libraries make many special cata logues and lists to enable them to answer un usual questions. only two catalogues are essential to meet all reasonable demands, that by authors and that by subjects. Most other questions call, by double reference. he answered by bibliogra phies, digests, and indexes, by finding in what book the desired matter is printed and then con sulting the catalogue to see if it contains that hook. See BIBLIOGRAPHY; DIGEST; INDEX.
The title of every book in a library has three essential parts: (1) author; (2) title proper (as copied from the title-page or condensed for brief work by the omission of unimportant mat ter but never by rewording) : (3) imprint and collation, or place, publisher, date, volumes, pages. illustrations, price, or other bibliographic details. The addition of notes, including contents, stand point of author• form of treatment or other facts, in the most condensed form, is a modern improve ment, gaining ground with great rapidity, as it is proved that nothing is a greater aid in getting into a reader's hands the work that is most valu able to him. These unit titles may be in manu script or printed and may be either in book form or on separate cards or slips standing on edge in drawers or trays. If written by hand, the up right 'library hand' is important for highest legibility and uniformity. Titles can be type written with recent improvements more quickly and eheaPly. and the greatly increased legibility and uniformity insure that hereafter most titles not regularly printed will be machine-written.
In recent years there has been rapid increase in the number of libraries that print titles.
CoiipF.RATIVE CATALoGUF.S. Since 1876 the American Library Association has conducted nu merous experiments seeking the great practical economy to be had from cataloguing a book in some central bureau, printing cards, and distrib uting them to all libraries buying that book, thus securing the highest grade of catalogue work and reducing cost in the department where it is most felt. The National Library in 1901 took up the systematic preparation air] printing of cards which are distributed at two vents each. Through this agency catalogues will be immense ly improved without increased cost. The great expense of satisfactory cataloguing is the item oftenest criticised, because least understood. The now properly demands not only convenient guides to the best books, hut also analyses of their contents. If what a reader needs is found in an article or chapter, it is just as important that he should he guided to it as to an entire hook. The publishing hoard of the American Library Association. endowed by Andrew Car negie. is constantly preparing practical aids to readers for the common use of libraries, utilizing the experience of all libraries and foealizing and puttlishing the results for the benefit of all. George lies of New York has borne the eo-t of much of this work and made possible several of the most valuable guides to readers ever print ed.
The most helpful hook is the A. L. A. Cata log. a. ela,silied and indexed list of the 5000 volumes most valuable for an average town li bra•y. This was prepared in the New York State Library. published by the Lnited States Bureau of Education in 1S93 for the Columbian Exposi tion, and while lacking the most important ele ments. the notes, has been of great service. A new edition has been undertaken for the Saha Louis Exposition with the director of the New York State Library as editor, in cooperation with the leading libraries of the country. The list gives not only the selection which represents the experience of prominent experts in books through out the country, but notes are added to show in the fewest words the scope, character, and value of each book, so that a reader can readily tell whether it is what he wants. The book is to be published by the Government. and many libraries will use it as a catalogue. marking copies to show what is on their own shelves.