Often, of course, there are reliable quarries from which one may fetch a block of notes, and then one's work is that of transit and acknowledgment only, but this is not always the case. Better, however, no note at all than misleading or inaccurate statements or than tran. scriptions of the utterly obvious. Some of the best quarry books for annotation purposes are the following: Allibone's Dictionary; Sargant and Whishaw's Guide Book to Books; Campbell's National and International Bibliography; Sturgis and Krehbiel's Bibl. of Fine Art; Leypoldt and Iles' Books for Girls and Women; Hall and Mansfield's Bibl. of Education; Bowker and Iles' Readers' Guide in Economic Science; Mill's Choice of Geographical Books; and for notes on subject-headings Acland's Guide to the Choice of Books. Summer School Entrants, The following paragraph from Mr. Dewey's report to the Chatauqua Conference will interest library assistants: "The New York State Library School is steadily raising its standards. We have voted to decline candidates for the summer school unless they have had considerable experience in library work. We are afraid of the people who come for a short course and delude themselves with the idea that they are professional librarians because they have attended a school for two weeks. The register of the school shows it has filled, during the ten years of its existence, 535 positions, more than half of them outside New York State, scattered through the entire United States and four or five foreign countries." When shall we have such a training school in Britain ? Lost Books. A Report on Open Shelves read to the last A. L. A. Conference devotes much space to minimising the importance of losses of books from libraries, and suggests reticence in reports as to losses. This may be necessary in American libraries where a much larger percentage of lost books is the rule than in British ones; but certainly an argument of the kind would have been more appropriate in another setting than its own. These remarks are made without prejudice to the policy of open shelves. Open shelves, by-the-bye, is a far better expression than open access. Librarians are very foolish who allow themselves to get angry over a question of policy, especially one started solely with a view to public advantage. Bulletins and Journals. Public Library Bulletins do not seem to be so generally taken up as one would expect. Assistants would do well to get samples of all the kinds issued in Britain and some of the American ones, which usually differ widely in character and appearance from English journals. The Public Library Journal of Cardiff and Penarth is easily first of the British ones. The first volume has just been concluded. Mr. J. Ballinger, it is clear, would have been equally successful as a journalist had he chosen that path of life instead of librarianship. In special articles of suitable length, news which really interests, pithy paragraphs, well set out entries of new books, clear and beautiful illustrations and general get up, the work is a model; but what an enviable parish is his that contributes 2700 buyers per quarter. Long live Wales I fear most towns find a difficulty in disposing of 500 copies by sale, even when the journal is strictly limited in contents to legitimate items from a library point of view, and advertisements are excluded. The principal legitimate items are : (1) Lists of books added to the shelves. (2) Transcripts relating to local history and literature. (3) Indications of the character of new books added, or of important older books in stock. (4) Articles on particular authors glancing at their books as possessed by the library. (5) Articles on particular classes of books. (6) Library news. (7) Illustrations of any of the above. All temptations to admit matter of interest in itself but not legitimately connected with the institution should be resisted; likewise any fussiness about members of committee and their doings, or about any living local magnate, or even about the editor-librarian himself. If advertisements are admitted, I am assured that a large size page is desirable, and the more illustrations the better, provided they are attractive in appearance. Charging Systems. Has any one noticed the underlying similarity of the card-pocket system of charging, and the charging part of the Cotgreave indicator? The card of the first is equivalent to the booklet of the second: it bears the book number as does the indicator block to which the booklet is fastened. When a book is out its borrower's card and the recording card (or booklet) are placed together; but the cards do not indicate to the public, though in the tray they do indicate, but not instantly to the librarian, the fact of particular books being already in use. In the Cotgreave system there is always a place for every booklet, and it is always in that place; but in the card and pocket system the card is always in one of two places-the tray or the inside pocket of the book to which it belongs. Individual preferences will cause now the adoption of one system and now of the other; but it is surely desirable to acknowledge the practical identity of charging method in both systems as this may tend to more tolerant discussion of their rival merits. The Dewey Classification. Would workers in British libraries where the Dewey decimal notation is adopted for lending library charging purposes let me know the fact that a list of such libraries may be drawn up? QUESTIONS. 1. Draw up a list of six titles of books and provide each title with a brief annotation suitable for printing in a popular catalogue. 2. Mention a popular book on (1), seismology, (2) thermodynamics, (3) ichthyology, (4) demography. 3. What do you understand by Iconographies? Where would you place them? Answers should reach me by the 12th of the current month. Comments may then be expected in next month's issue. LIBRARY ASSOCIATION: PROCEEDINGS AND NOTICES. MONTHLY MEETING, 12TH DECEMBER, 1898. THE Second Meeting of the Session was held at 20 Hanover Square, with the Rev. Canon Milman, Vice-President, in the Chair, there being an attendance of thirty-six members with some visitors. Mr. Frank Campbell, of the British Museum Library, in a short paper submitted a proposal for the formation of a REFERENCE LIBRARY FOR THE USE OF THE ASSOCIATION, of which the following is a brief outline : He referred to the apparent unanimity of opinion that the Library Association should possess a Reference Library of its own; but pointed out that there would scarcely be any real enthusiasm for the object unless members realised more vividly the nature of the benefits which would accrue from its establishment." Such a Library would be of special value I. To those who wished to study the subject of Library Administration in all its branches. 2. To the Librarian-Bibliographer. 3. To the Lecturer on Library matters (who was at present greatly handicapped owing to the absence of a proper supply of text-books for use). All who had theories of their own to propound, or who wished to examine and criticise other men's theories, would be able to obtain there the materials they required. A Reference Library of the kind proposed should include: 1. All the Official State Papers relative to the rise and progress of the Free Public Library Movement (including also Foreign Official Reports on the same subject). 2. The Lives and connected Writings of all who had identified themselves with the Library cause. 3. The leading Journals Home and Foreign) relating to Library Economy and to Bibliography. 4. All the Publications of the Library Association and of the American and Australasian Library Associations. 5. A representative collection of works relating to Library Economy and Bibliography. 6. All the Publications (if required) forwarded to the Editor of the Official Organ of the Association for review. 7. Reports and Publications of Public Libraries. Mr. Campbell then referred to the housing of the Library. It was a real difficulty to know where to obtain sufficient space for it. Unless suitable space could be obtained at headquarters, the only alternative was to look elsewhere for some spot in the Metropolis, as central as possible. Regarding this latter point and the rules and regulations of the Library Mr. Campbell invited special discussion, and concluded with an expression of hope that the establishment of the Library would not continue to remain a visionary matter, but would quickly assume a tangible shape. Observations were offered by Messrs. MacAlister, G. Potter, H. Jones, L. S. Jast, T. Mason, A. Clarke, H. R. Tedder, R. A. Peddie, F. Pacy, H. Guppy, and the Chairman. The discussion turned principally upon the question of space, which was admittedly the chief difficulty; and upon the desirability of confining the efforts to the establishment of a purely reference collection, or of extending those efforts to the formation of a Library for lending purposes in addition. The opinion of the meeting appeared to be largely in favour of the former course. It is to be hoped that there will be some practical outcome of the paper and discussion, in the shape of an early commencement of such a Library as suggested. A vote of thanks to the reader of the paper was accorded on the motion of Mr. MacAlister, seconded by the Hon. Secretary. Mr. Peddie, having given due notice, proposed, Mr. Kettle seconded, and it was resolved : "That this meeting requests the Council to take steps to secure, either in the form of a Parliamentary Return, or a Report of the Intelligence Bureau of the Education Department, full information as to the connection of Public Libraries with the State and Local Authorities in Foreign Countries and British Colonies and Dependencies. Such information to consist of, if possible, the full translated text of any general Library Law, and the actual usage of the Local Authority.' Mr. Peddie asked a question as to whether the Council have considered, and, if not, will they consider the advisability of applying to the Committee of the International Conference of 1897 for a portion of any balance which may exist, to be used for the extension of the professional Library of the Association. The Chairman replied that the Council would consider the advisability of making application to the Committee of the Second International Library Conference for a grant towards the funds of the Library Association when in their opinion the proper time has arrived. Other questions were asked by Mr. B. Kettle as to the possibility of separately issuing the financial statements, and publishing a return of the attendances of members of the Council. These having been answered by the Hon. Secretary, a vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the proceedings. NOTICE TO MEMBERS OF THE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. THE THIRD MONTHLY MEETING of the Session will be held at 20 Hanover Square on MONDAY, 9TH JANUARY, at 8 P.M., when Mr. HERBERT JONES, Librarian of the Kensington Public Libraries, will open a discussion on "Recent and Proposed Legislation as affecting London Public Libraries". The following candidates for membership of the Association, having been approved by the Council, will be balloted for : Mr. Charles Leigh, Librarian, Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society. Mr. F. Darwin Swift, Tutor, Denstone College, Staffs. NOTE.-The Hon. Secretary desires to draw the attention of the authorities of Libraries and other Institutions paying the membership subscription to their right, under the provision of bye-law I, of nominating a delegate, who, if approved by the Council, may attend the meetings of the Association, and, on behalf of the Institution which he represents, will be entitled to all the privileges of ordinary member. ship. Inattention to this requirement for the formal nomination and approval of delegates has, in the past, resulted in the loss to some Institutions of their votes and other privileges, and it is thought well to draw special attention to the matter at this time, when the subscriptions for the year 1899 are due. Any Library or Institution which may not already have duly appointed a delegate can obtain the requisite nomination form on application to the Hon. Secretary. 27th December, 1898. FRANK PACY, Hon. Secretary. Visitors will be welcome to the meeting. Light refreshments will be served at the commencement of the proceedings. ANNUAL MEETING, 1899. The next annual meeting of the Library Association is to be held, for the second time, in the city of Manchester. Under the presidency of the late Rev. H. O. Coxe, Bodley's Librarian, the Association met at Manchester in 1879, and many of those who were privileged to be present on that occasion will look forward to the pleasure of again visiting that great centre of industry, and renewing acquaintance with its libraries and other educational institutions, while those who have yet to see them will undoubtedly be impressed by their number, interest, and importance. The Manchester Public Libraries are extensive and numerous, the Reference Library, located in the old Town Hall being a truly magnificent collection of books which has outgrown the accommodation of the building in which it is housed. Every librarian must be looking forward with the keenest interest to inspecting the treasures which have been accumulated in the great Rylands Library. A large and representative Reception Committee has been formed, with Alderman Rawson, a past president of the Library Association, as Chairman, Councillor Plummer as Treasurer, and Messrs. Sutton (Chief Librarian to the Corporation, E. Gordon Duff (Librarian of the Rylands Library), and B. H. Mullen (Chief Librarian of the Salford Public Libraries) as Secretaries. An Executive Committee formed from the larger body is already at work. Representatives of Salford have joined themselves in the work preparatory to the meeting, a fact which gives promise that opportunity will be found for including in the programme of proceedings a visit to that borough and an inspection of its museum and libraries. MR. ALMA TADEMA'S GIFT TO THE ASSOCIATION OF A DESIGN FOR A CORPORATE SEAL. The Association has received an acceptable gift from Mr. Alma Tadema, R.A., in the shape of a very beautiful design for a corporate seal. The drawing and the following letter were submitted to the Council by Mr. Tedder at a recent meeting : "DEAR MR. Tedder, "17 GROVE END ROAD, "ST. JOHN'S WOOD, N.W., "When last summer the Secretary' of the Library Association offered me an opportunity of assisting in the noble work of your Association, by making a design for a crest or a seal, I gladly undertook to put my art at your service. I found it difficult to symbolise the 1 Mr. J. Y. W. MacAlister. |