Manchester section is guarantee that it will be well done. A great city like Manchester, with its many libraries and literary people, ought certainly to sustain a bibliographical section of a large literary club. We shall look with interest to the reports of what this section does. mendations of the Association. The committee will therefore rapidly consider the remaining questions, and recommend the best methods of which they can get knowledge. The secretary of the Association has undertaken to compile the manual, which will be carefully revised by the Committee, and those desiring can then get, in compact shape, complete directions for the details of organizing and administering a small library. Suggestions of any kind pertaining to the preparation of this manual will be gladly received by the secretary, Melvil Dewey, P. O. WHEN a college like Dartmouth finds it impossible to pay one person to manage its library alone, it is high time that its alumni took the subject into special consideration. There are many other colleges, in fact most colleges, that have not yet waked to the fact that no depart-260, Boston. ment needs more careful study and more faithful trained labor, and that no other department will yield so much fruit for the investment as the library. Those who appreciate this point should keep it prominent in season and out of season, till a board of trustees will no more think of making the librarianship an appendage to some chair of instruction than of giving the presidency to some student who needs work to help meet his expenses. It is bad enough when the librarian has sometimes to leave his work temporarily to give instruction to a class, but when the office is made merely an appendage to something else, what is to be expected from the library? AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. Covering Paper. Readers are requested to mail at once to the Co-operation Committee a list of the sizes which they find most convenient for covering paper. We propose to select from these lists a series of standard sizes, to have the best paper made expressly for library covers, and of a size to avoid the slightest waste in cutting up, and to furnish it at a low price to all libraries using paper covers. Many experiments have been tried to secure the best possible papers, both of a fine and very cheap quality, and it is believed that libraries may save trouble and expense by ordering their covers from the Supply Department. With the list of sizes sent in suggestions are also specially invited. All should be sent as soon as possible, as the report will be made up for the next issue of the JOURNAL. Library Manual. The number of requests for complete directions for organizing and carrying on small libraries has made it necessary to undertake a brief manual embodying the decisions and recom A. L. A. Catalog. After long consideration the Committee see the way clear to attempting the first edition of a general co-operative catalogue. This will be by far the most important co-operative step yet taken, and valuable results are confidently expected from it. The details of the plan, substantially that advocated in the article on "The Coming Catalogue" (v. 1, p. 423), will be submitted for criticism and suggestion in an early JOURNAL. In accordance with the recomciation, at its annual meeting held this month, mendation of the American Philological Assoit has been decided to spell the title Catalog. Width of Column for Catalogues. Experiment, computation, and experience indicate that the width of column easiest grasped by the eye, and, all things considered, best adapted for library work, is 6 cm. This is the width adopted by the JOURNAL, Publishers' Weekly, Uniform Title Slip Committee, etc., and is more largely used than any other in magazines and catalogues. Uniformity in this respect will make certain co-operative measures now under consideration much more practicable. Several libraries, using slightly different columns, have expressed their intention of changing to the standard recommended, thus making plates, printed titles, etc., in one library easily available for others. As the eye of a trained reader reads whole lines at once, and thus passes down the column rapidly, the line must not be so long as to compel the eye to go back from the end of one line to find the beginning of the next. On the other hand the line must not be so short as to waste space and make extra expense in justifying to make syllables come out even with the line. Index and Contents. The question being submitted as to the proper place in the make-up of a book, it was agreed that the contents, marking out the plan of the work, should precede it, and that the index, made as a key to the complete work, should be at the end. Sunday-School and Private Libraries. The question was submitted whether the Committee and Supply Department undertook matters pertaining to other than free public libraries. The wants of the different libraries overlap each other so much, and so much can be accomplished by guiding the growth and methods of all classes of libraries, that it was unanimously agreed that no distinction should be made by the committee. They will act upon all questions for all libraries, and through the Supply Department will furnish at the lowest practicable price every thing needed for the best administration of any library, large or small, public or private, school, sabbath-school, circulating or proprietary. Carrying out this decision, labels for private and Sunday-school libraries have been put on the list, printed, trimmed, and ready gummed like postage stamps. A blank line is left to write in the special name of the S. S. or person. Per 100, 25 C. FIFTH MONTHLY MEETING. THE fifth monthly meeting was held at 8 P.M. on July 5th, at the London Institution. Present-Mr. B. R. Wheatley in the chair; Messrs. Bone, Brace, Frost, Knapman, H. B. Wheatley, and the Secretaries (H. R. Tedder and Ernest C. Thomas). The American and foreign members of the Conference of last October, whose names were printed on p. 154 of the June JOURNAL, were elected Honorary Members of the Association. After the formal business had been disposed of, Mr. H. B. Wheatley read a paper on "Indexing," the substance of which will be shortly printed by the Index Society. The meeting then adjourned. COMMITTEE ON A GENERAL CATALOGUE OF ENGLISH LITERATURE. The third meeting of this committee was held on July 5th, at 6.45 P.M., at the London Institution. Present-Mr. B. R. Wheatley in the chair; Mr. H. B. Wheatley, and the Secretaries. Mr. Tedder, in introducing the question of titles, thought that though absolutely full titles were desirable, we must content ourselves with having them as full as possible. Mr. B. R. Wheatley thought that full titles, even if possible, were not desirable. Many old titles it would be absurd to print at length, and even in modern times the length of a title was in inverse ratio to the size of the book, as in the case of pamphlets. Mr. H. B. Wheatley thought that full titles may be desirable for special bibliographies, but not for a general catalogue. Moreover, the titles which in an actual book have the advantage of type and spacing are not so easily understood when printed in a catalogue. Mr. Tedder then asked what rules are to be followed in cataloguing the titles-those of the British Museum, or those, for instance, of Mr. Cutter. Mr. H. B. Wheatley thought we should settle rules for ourselves, preserving as much agreement as possible with established systems. Mr. Tedder supposed we must follow the Museum and other catalogues, and not recatalogue from the books themselves. We ought to ask the Museum to print a catalogue of their English books, which would considerably lighten our labors. Mr. Thomas thought it a mistake to print lists of books in a particular library. Catalogues should be made of literatures, not of libraries; and the Museum should be urged to incorporate the titles of the books they have not got, in their proposed list of their English books down to 1640. He proposed the following resolution : "That the British Museum be urged to make their proposed list of English books to 1640 cover the whole literature of the period, and that the secretaries be instructed to communicate with the Museum authorities." This was seconded by Mr. H. B. Wheatley and unanimously carried, after which the committee adjourned. THE INDEX SOCIETY. JUNE MEETING. AT a meeting of the committee, held at the Society of Arts on June 18, various questions relating to printing, binding, etc., were discussed, and it was decided that the publications should be printed on paper of a small quarto size, to range with the Camden Society's series, and be issued in cloth binding. It was reported that progress was being made with the Royalist Confiscation Acts, and that in order to facilitate reference the printed page had been divided into four portions marked respectively by the letters a, b, c, d, in the left-hand margin. The Index will be made by Miss Mabel Peacock, and an introduction by Mr. Edward Peacock will complete the volume, which will be of great value to all interested in the history of the commonwealth period. Mr. Wheatley proposed to add to his pamphlet on indexes, which is now in hand, a preliminary list of indexes of the contents of books published separately in English. It is intended to prepare at a future time a full bibliography of indexes in all languages, and the assistance of those who can supply titles of such works (particularly such as are buried in journals and transactions of societies) is requested. Mr. Gomme offered the committee an index to municipal corporation offices, drawn from the report of the Commissioners for England and Wales of 1835, by Mrs. Alice B. Gomme, which was accepted. A specimen of an Index to the Household books was submitted to the committee, and other indexes were suggested, such as a List of References to neglected Biography, more particularly of topographical writers, a Local Index of Engravings arranged according to counties, and indexes to Hutchins's History of Dorset, and Ruskin's Modern Painters. A design for a device to be placed on the title-page of the various indexes was submitted by Mr. Fenton, which was ordered to be engraved. It was resolved that certain of the society's publications should be sold to the public as well as distributed to the members. JULY MEETING. Ar a meeting of the committee it was announced that a donation of one hundred guineas had been received since the last meeting from one who is deeply interested in the promotion of the objects of the Society. The advisability of commencing the preparation of an index to the Gentleman's Magazine was then discussed, and the hope was expressed that further assist ance from other sources might be obtained for this important object. The opinion of the members was divided as to the best mode of proceeding with this work, and the questions whether the index should be produced as a whole, extending to several volumes, or whether it would not be better to issue it in such divisions as Biography, Topography, etc., were discussed. A third view expressed was that the value of the index would be increased if it were published in divisions and references on each subject were added from other journals of the same date. The first part of Mr. H. B. Wheatley's "What is an Index? a few Notes on indexes and Indexers" was ordered for printing, and it was reported that four sheets of the Royalist Composition Acts were in type. The rules for indexing were again discussed, and it was decided to print them at the end of the pamphlet on indexes, with the following preliminary note: These rules have been drawn up by the committee in order to obtain uniformity in the compilation of their indexes. They are not considered as final, and can be added to as occasion may require. In some few points the respective rules for cataloguing and for indexing are identical, but in the majority of instances the rules made for the former will not apply to the latter. Those who require rules for cataloguing should obtain the British Museum rules, Mr. Cutter's full rules (forming the second part of the Special Report on American Libraries), and the short rules drawn up by a Committee of the American Library Association." The committee then adjourned until October. POOLE'S INDEX IN ENGLAND. The chairman of the subcommittee of the U. K. Library Association issued in June the following printed circular, which was sent to all the members of the Association : "POOLE'S INDEX TO PERIODICAL LITERATURE. "LONDON LIBRARY, 12 ST. JAMES Square, London, S. W., "SIR: The Subcommitttee appointed by the Conference of Librarians to consider the question of co-operation in completing a new edition of the above-named work, has desired me to ask your friendly assistance by kindly undertaking to index one or more of the periodicals named on the other side. Those marked with an asterisk have already been taken up. You will find the rules for indexing laid down by the American Committee in the printed volume of the Transactions of the Conference of Librarians,' pp. 199–206. "I am, sir, your obedient servant, Mr. Harrison, under date of June 29th, has sent to Mr. Poole a revised list on which some changes were made, and those which at the last date were assigned are marked with an asterisk. The following is the list revised, the place of publication (all being published at London except the Calcutta Review), and the abbreviations being omitted: THE MILWAUKEE LIBRARY LAW. THE Milwaukee (Wis.) Public Library was opened to the public on the first of July, Mr. Joshua Stark being President of the Board of Trustees, and Mr. Henry Baetz Librarian. The Young Men's Association of Milwaukee transferred to the city its library of about 15,000 vols., on the condition that the city would assume its care and maintenance. The Legislature of Wisconsin authorized the transfer, and enacted a special law for the maintenance of the new organization. The law, in its main features, is the same as the general law of Illinois, but with several variations, which are noteworthy changes and one an obvious improvement. The first is in the selection and appointment of the board of nine trustees. Of this board, two (the president of the school board and superintendent of schools) are ex officio members. Four members are appointed from citizens at large (the four original members being named in the act), to hold office for four years, and their successors to be appointed by the board from the citizens at large. The three other members are aldermen, appointed by the city council, and holding office for three years, one going out each year. Another and more important change is that the law vests in the board of trustees the authority of deciding the amount of tax which shall be levied for the support of the library, within the limit of one-fifth of a mill on the dollar valuation. The Illinois law places this power in the city council, who know more about paving and bridge-building than running libraries. The point has been discussed in the Library Association whether it was judicious to recommend the enactment of a State law fixing the amount of taxes to be levied for the support of libraries, which the city council could not change. Such a law passed five years ago, when business was active and values were inflated, would have fixed a rate of taxation which to-day, when all other expenses are reduced, might seem oppressive, and might raise a prejudice against the library. On the other hand, to fix the rate now would starve the library in the future. It is evident that there should be a power somewhere to adjust the rate of taxation to the exigencies of the times; and the special act for Milwaukee seems to have struck the happy mean in placing this power in the board of trustees. But a most vicious feature has been inserted in the law, which will prove to be a root of per petual discord unless it be stricken out. In the Illinois law the directors have the exclusive control of the expenditure of the library fund, the appointment of librarian and employés, and of fixing their salaries. Under the Wisconsin law the trustees may appoint the librarian, but his salary is fixed by the council. The trustees may also "appoint assistants and employés and fix their compensation, subject to the approval of the council." A conflict arose at the first send-off in Milwaukee. The trustees appointed a librarian at a salary of $1,500. The council fixed it at $1,200. The trustees made appointments of assistants and other employés, and fixed their salaries. The council vetoed their action, and assumed the responsibility of prescribing the salaries of each. The real appointing power has thus been placed outside of the board of trustees. The special act is so good otherwise that it ought to be re-enacted as a general law. W. F. POOLE. COMMUNICATIONS. THE FICTION QUESTION AND SUBSCRIPTION LIBRARIES. SAN FRANCISCO, March 25, 1878. THE dissimilarity of the various associations represented in our own conference has frequently been forced upon my attention, and was again unfavorably suggested by reading, in a recent report of an Eastern librarian, that “it is unquestionably true that, by a careful selection of the most popular works of fiction, the circulation of any public library would be tripled or quadrupled. . . . This artificial stimulus, however, has not a single commendable feature, and would never be tolerated except in a subscription library." Free from intent this undoubtedly is, but librarians who are in charge of subscription libraries can hardly fail to feel the misfortune (?) that has placed them there to pander thus freely to the common, novel instincts of human nature, with hands tied, since payment for the service comes out of the individual pocket instead of the public treasury. To such the librarian of a public library, in his independence of administration, is, indeed, an object of envy. While the patron of the public library must accept whatever the management deems fit to supply, the subscriber, in his institution, is, in fact, a power, and he expects and insists that pabulum of his own choosing shall be furnished, and that VOL. III., No. 5. in quantities to suit, or he withdraws his name, which, in this connection, means his support. He must be guided, if at all, with a loose rein. Fines for detention of books cannot be insisted upon; damages for injury to works must be as sessed with great discretion. In view of these and many similar facts with which your readers are, perhaps, too familiar, are the managements of subscription libraries so culpable in their lavish purchases of fiction? Are their librarians wasting their energies and their lives, with motives beyond question, in a mistaken use of means which "has not a single commendable feature"? But I think statistics of the two classes of libraries mentioned hardly lead one to the conclusion stated. I fail to see that very startling results have been reached in our great public libraries, in spite of the controlling influence they are enabled to exert over this class of reading, more especially if no other means more effectual have been resorted to. Perhaps in some future number of the JOURNAL some librarian will suggest some other means as effectual in retaining subscribers as a plentiful supply of popular literature, that managers and librarians may persevere in their worthy efforts, no longer subject to so unpleasant an imputation. ALFRED E. WHITAKER. THE ATHENEUM CATALOGUE. BOSTON ATHENÆUM, July 31, 1878. MR. POOLE in his article on the symposium has fallen into the natural mistake of supposing that the catalogue of the Boston Athenæum represents my ideas of a perfect catalogue. I would let this pass, were it not that numerous kindly letters received from readers of the "Special report" appear to indicate that a similar misapprehension is general; so that it may be well now to make a brief correction. Circumstances which will be stated in the proper place, but would take altogether too long to explain here, have made it extremely difficult to carry out my own views entirely therein, and consequently it does not correspond to, and is not to be taken as an example of, the "Rules for a dictionary catalogue," nor can any inference of what I should consider the best disposition of headings and references for the index be drawn from the Athenæum practice. But my experience of the difficulty of completing and revising a catalogue, compiled in large part by another, only as it passes through the press, in 21 |