Part 25
The difficulty of the work increases almost in geometrical proportion as the dates approach the present era. The great increase of newspapers renders it necessary to divide the work into decades. I have chosen to carry it to 1815 on account of the importance to Louisiana history of the reports on the battle of New Orleans.
The particular feature in cataloging which I would fain see carried out in every library is the chronological conspectus, of which so admirable an example exists in Bolton's catalog of scientific documents, which is, or ought to be, familiar to all present.
It is exceedingly simple and easy to prepare and is of the greatest possible service, both to the librarian and the student.
Take any folio book ruled in wide columns with an ample margin. For my purpose I start by heading the first column 1800, and so on to the end of the page. Taking material from Mr. Galbreath's useful compilation, I find that in the libraries of Ohio there is only one title which will appear under this head, the _Western Spy_ in the collection of the Cincinnati Young Men's Mercantile Library. Enter in the marginal column the full details of the publication of this newspaper and draw a horizontal line across the column. The years 1802-3-4, etc., present an increasing number of titles. The horizontal lines in the columns present an immediate summary of all the newspaper literature on the subject.
Dr. G. E. WIRE read a paper on
SOME PRINCIPLES OF BOOK AND PICTURE SELECTION.
(_See_ p. 54.)
MELVIL DEWEY: I want to say a word about that New York list of pictures. When we printed that bulletin a great chorus of criticism arose from among the newspapers, and we smiled; we said it was characteristic of newspapers to discuss a thing without knowing at all what they were talking about. But I did not suppose that same characteristic would appear in this Association. Our bulletin states very distinctly what it is for, and it makes its own case absolutely infallible. We had to meet the problem in the state of New York, of circulating pictures bought with the taxpayers' money, to be put on the walls of the school houses--Jewish schools, Roman Catholic schools and schools of many denominations. Under those peculiar conditions it was a question whether we could carry the movement at all, and we selected about 50 people, whose judgment was most reliable, and asked them, out of several hundred pictures, to select 100 that would be open to no objection of any kind. There was no effort whatever to select the hundred _best_ pictures. They simply made a list that would pass the legislature. It included pictures that people ridiculed sadly; and yet we had on file letters from prominent people in the state to the effect that they would protest against certain well-known pictures, and we thought it wiser not to raise issues over minor details. Our bulletin is simply a list of pictures that have been passed by representatives of various religious and ethical interests. You may think it most absurd that certain pictures, perhaps the most famous, should have been voted out of such a list, but if you were to go through the schools of the state of New York or any other state you would find that there are conscientious mothers and fathers, who have had no opportunity for art training, who would get down on their knees and pray that some of these pictures might not be put on the walls of the school room. If you do not know that, you are not familiar with the sentiment in the rural districts. There was a specific purpose in our action; we heard all of these criticisms, and we did the thing that seemed right and best under the circumstances. There are about a hundred of us on the state library staff, but we do not yet, as a body, venture to feel as omniscient as some single individuals regard themselves. I strongly believe that it is not a bad thing to take the opinion of experts. We are perfectly willing to show respect to the specialist in his own field, and I think it is mighty unwise advice to give young librarians, when they are told not to ask the opinion of a good specialist, whose verdict commands the confidence of the public.
Adjourned at 12.05 p.m.
_FOURTH SESSION._
(LIBRARY HALL, MADISON, WIS., MONDAY AFTERNOON, JULY 8.)
President CARR called the meeting to order at 2.25 p.m., and in a few words expressed the appreciation of the Association for the delightful arrangements that had made "Madison day" so interesting and enjoyable.
Miss MARY W. PLUMMER then spoke on
SOME EXPERIENCES IN FOREIGN LIBRARIES[E]
Miss PLUMMER deprecated any desire to make a comparison between foreign and American libraries. They served so different a purpose, for the most part, that comparison was impossible. Libraries, like systems of education, were an outcome of the history, of the race-temperament and characteristics, and of the social conditions of a people. And it was according to one's point of view whether such a comparison would be favorable to one side or the other. One thing seemed almost predicable--that, wherever democracy was making its way, there the library supported by the people and for the use of the people had a tendency to appear patterned more or less after those of England and America.
English libraries were not touched upon, but the leading collections of Germany, France and Italy were briefly described. At the Bayreuth and Nuremberg libraries books were secured without formality, and all privileges were extended to the visiting colleague, with entire trustingness and fraternity. In Italy more formality was required, the libraries being government institutions for reference use, but courtesy and a desire to be of service prevailed throughout. Considering the question, "What do people do who want to read fiction in Italy--the same people who are always wanting the new novels in this country?" Miss Plummer said: "Apparently, these people do not exist in sufficiently large numbers to be considered in the libraries. If a work of note comes out, such as a new novel by d'Annunzio or Fogazzaro, it can be had at the book shops in paper for two lire or two and a half, _i.e._, 40 to 50 cents, and people buy it and lend it. In some of the little book shops books circulate for a small fee, but not by any means the best class of books. The government libraries may purchase the novels of such authors as those I have mentioned, but they do not make haste about it, and in one library (a municipal, circulating library) no book can go out that has not been in the library's possession three months. The novel-reading class is chiefly composed of visiting or resident English and Americans, and in all Italian cities of any size there is a subscription library where books in English can be had."
At Florence, when one discovers the large and enterprising subscription library which the Viesseux, father and son, have carried on for several generations, one's troubles in getting books seem ended, for they have all the books that the government libraries cannot and do not buy--a large subscription list of periodicals, open shelves, late books separated from the rest, and they will get what one asks for if they haven't it already. If American publishers sent their lists regularly to Viesseux one would probably find more American books there. Further than this, one's subscription entitles one to a book or books by mail to any place in Italy or in the surrounding countries where one may be staying. Of the Florentine libraries, the Marucellian is the nearest our ideal of a modern reference library in its collections as in its methods. It has, as its chief field of purchase, the best modern books in belles-lettres, and as it is open in the evening its rooms are often crowded with students and readers until closing time. It has a card catalog by subjects and a duplicate card catalog of part of the collection of the National Library of Florence; a ms. catalog in book form by author, which is accessible to readers; a room set apart for women students, with a woman, a university graduate, to preside over it. The National Library is a much greater collection and older, in its 87 rooms; and its periodical room is the most modern of all, with its magazines from all countries, even our own _Harper_ and _Century_ showing their familiar faces on the racks. A special room here is devoted to the catalogs, which were partly in ms. book form and partly on cards, and students were always searching the pages or the cards without let or hindrance.
At Rome the Victor Emanuel Library had a small room shelved with the Leyden catalogs, in constant consultation. As in most of the government libraries, there was a table reserved for women, though it did not seem to be much used.
Among the Paris libraries described were the Ste. Geneviève, the Sorbonne, and one of the ward or "arondissement" libraries. The latter was in the Mairie, and open at 8 p.m. only. The books were in floor cases, with a counter between them and the people, and on the counter lay small pamphlet finding lists. It is not hard to keep these up to date, since the libraries themselves are far from being so, and new books are not often added. The librarian, who had some other occupation during the day and served here in the evening, to add a trifle to his income, got books and charged them in a book as people asked for them. Use of the library was permitted only after obtaining as guarantor a citizen living in the same arondissement with the would-be borrower. While this kind of library is of course much better than none, and the situation in Paris is that much better than in Italian cities, the fact that the hours of opening are only in the evening is a barrier to much usefulness. On the other hand, a library to each arondissement is a fair allowance, and no one has to go very far to reach his library. For the most part they are patronized by the small tradesmen of the neighborhood and their families. A large proportion of our reading public is missing from these municipal libraries--they buy their own books, in paper, at the department stores, and make no use whatever of the government libraries or of these small circulating centers.
In conclusion, Miss Plummer said: "If I were asked what sort of library was most needed in France and Italy, I should say first _good_ libraries for children and young people. The children of these countries read earlier than ours, the language presenting fewer difficulties of spelling and pronunciation, and many of them are fond of reading. Good material is not plentiful, and what there is the child has no help in getting hold of. Bad reading there is in abundance, in the shape of so-called comic papers, etc., at every turn and for an infinitesimal price. One is ready to say that it is better not to know how to read than to be induced by one's knowledge to make such acquaintance as this."
Dr. J. K. HOSMER followed with an amusing fable, entitled
FROM THE READER'S POINT OF VIEW, AND THE ERA OF THE PLACARD.[F]
The subject was presented in the form of a clever parable, satirizing the present-day "booming" of popular books, and the unseemliness and vulgarities of modern advertising methods. It concluded with an "imaginary conversation" between a librarian and a reader, as follows:
"'A fellow-librarian?' said I.
"'Not quite that,' said he, 'but one who uses libraries--a reader, in fact.'
"I felt a sudden thrill of satisfaction. Here at last I had found my reader, and I faithfully proceeded at once to get at his point of view. 'Well,' said I, 'is it not an inspiration to live in the era of the placard; and what do you mean to do for the Great American Bill Board Trust?'
"We walked down the street arm in arm, and this is the rather unsympathetic monologue in which the reader indulged:
"'The bill-board--and I mean by the bill-board coarse and obtrusive advertising in general, whether shown in this defacement of natural objects, road-signs, street car panels, or in newspaper columns--an evil from which even the public library is not free--the bill-board is an evil, but after all only a minor evil. If we had nothing worse than that among our social problems to vex us, we should indeed be fortunate. Advertising is a legitimate incident of commerce. The merchant who has wares to sell may properly make his commodities known. I own I study the advertising pages of my _Century_ and _Scribner_ with scarcely less interest than I do the text. But the world is so full of bad taste! There is no sanctity or silence through which the coarse scream of the huckster may not at any time penetrate. The loud bill-board is but the scream of the huckster transmuted so that it may attack still another sense. The wonder is that this bill-board, and its fellow enormities in the street car panel and the newspaper columns, do not repel instead of attract. In the case of refined minds certainly repulsion must be felt. Now for myself,' said the reader, and here I thought he spoke conceitedly, 'the fact that a thing is coarsely and loudly advertised is a strong, almost invincible reason for my not buying it, however necessary it may seem. With the world in general, however, the standard of taste is low. Coarseness does not offend; also, it pays to use it.
"'I have sometimes seen on library walls placards sent in with the demand, 'Please display this prominently,' that have exercised upon me an immediate deterrent effect. Still,' said the reader, with his superior air, 'do not think me ill-natured. The best thing we can do is to keep our temper, stamp down as we can what becomes too outrageous and indecent, and labor and pray for the refinement of the world's taste. This no doubt will come very slowly.'
"'Can we help the thing forward at all?' said I, falling in for the moment with his humor.
"'Only as we can promote in general the diffusion of sweetness and light,' said the reader. 'If a man should be aroused to attack directly I believe he might strike a more effective blow through ridicule than through denunciation. Keep denunciation for the more weighty and ghastly evils that beset us; a mere annoyance it is better to laugh away if we can do it.'"
Adjourned at 3.30 p.m.
_FIFTH SESSION._
(FOUNTAIN SPRING HOUSE, TUESDAY MORNING, JULY 9.)
The meeting was called to order by President CARR at 10.20 a.m.
The president announced the receipt in pamphlet form of the
REPORT ON GIFTS AND BEQUESTS.
(_See_ p. 87.)
This was read by title, and filed for publication in the Proceedings.
W. I. FLETCHER presented the
REPORT OF THE A. L. A. PUBLISHING BOARD.
(_See_ p. 103.)
Mr. DEWEY: I wish to remind some of you who were with us 25 years ago in Philadelphia, when we organized the A. L. A., and who, during that whole period, have studied its interests so closely, that the time has come at last when we are really on the way to secure one of the things we have always thought most important--co-operative printed catalog cards. This will make for all of us less drudgery and more inspiration, for there is not much inspiration in writing out author's names; it will relieve us of a considerable burden; it will produce economy and increase efficiency; and it appeals strongly to our trustees and business men. It is perhaps the most important thing we have to do, and there have been apparently insuperable obstacles to success; but we have always hoped for one complete solution. And this was that it could be done at the National Library in Washington, with its printing presses, post-office facilities, copyright department and great central collection. You remember that when the Pacific railroad was built, and as the ends came together to make the connection, a great celebration was held through the country, a thrill that the work was at last done; and I feel to-day, now that we hear in this able report that printed catalog cards are really to be undertaken at the National Library, that what we have waited for over 20 years and what we have been dreaming about has come to pass at last. After serving my term on the Publishing Board--this is my valedictory--I feel to-day that I must say just this: Now that we have reached this point, that every one has hoped for so long, we must see to it that this agency is utilized and appreciated. Every one of us ought to watch those printed cards, and make suggestions as to their use. If we utilize them, and prove their value and their economy, we can rely on the great support of the National Library in many other movements.
The secretary read a letter from the Hon. Secretary of the
LIBRARY ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM,
inviting the A. L. A. to be represented at its annual meeting, to be held in Plymouth, England, Aug. 27-30, 1901; and, on recommendation from the Council, it was voted that members of the A. L. A. abroad at the time of the English meeting be authorized to represent the American Library Association on that occasion.
The president announced that the polls would be open for
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
in the library exhibit room at the Fountain House from 8 to 10 Tuesday evening, and that J. I. Wyer and J. G. Moulton would serve as tellers.
In the absence of F. J. TEGGART, chairman, the secretary read the
REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON HANDBOOK OF AMERICAN LIBRARIES.
Since its appointment this committee has worked steadily towards the accomplishment of the object of the handbook. Specifically this object is the collection of the statistics, history and bibliography of all libraries in the United States having 10,000 or more volumes on Dec. 31, 1900.
While about 80 per cent. of the circulars sent out in 1899 were returned, the cases in which the bibliographical and historical data was supplied were too few in number to be of much assistance. The work which has therefore fallen on the chairman of this committee is neither more or less than the preparation of a check list of all the publications of American libraries. The need of this work must be apparent to any librarian who considers that there is at present no bibliographical source in which information regarding library publications may be found. The "American catalogue," for example, ignores such publications altogether.
In beginning this work the chairman of your committee indexed the set of the _Library Journal_ and all available bulletins and catalogs of libraries for library publications, and cataloged the similar material existing in the libraries of San Francisco. Approximately the list now includes between 8000 and 9000 cards.
This large body of material has been reduced to shape, and the greater part has been typewritten on sheets. What now remains to be done is that some person conversant with the library literature of a state or city should take the sheets representing that district and carefully compare the entries with the books themselves, supplying omissions and correcting errors. This certainly is no light piece of work, but it is essential to the success of the undertaking.
The historical notices have been prepared in part, but the statistics obtained in 1899 must of necessity be renewed to bring the entire work down to the end of the century.
As the manuscript can be completed by Jan. 1 next, there is every reason to believe that this large piece of work can be presented in completed form to the Association in 1902, with one proviso. When the committee was appointed in 1899 it was given a general authorization to incur expenditure--in fact, without doing so no work could have been done. Again, in 1900, an authorization for expenditure was passed by the Association. Up to the present the chairman of the committee has expended directly on this work on postage and printing about $150. Owing apparently to the general terms in which the authorizations for expenditure were made at previous meetings, the officers of the Association have not so far made any appropriation towards this amount, and it would seem proper that some definite provision should be made by the Association at this meeting to cover a part at least of this expenditure if the handbook is to be considered an "A. L. A." undertaking.
FREDERICK J. TEGGART, _Chairman_.
C. W. ANDREWS: As the third member of the committee, I may supplement this report, and state that the matter of obtaining the consent of the Bureau of Education to undertake the publication of this handbook was left to me, and that I have pleasure in informing the Association that there seems every prospect that at least a portion of this material will be published by the Bureau of Education, and that we may hope to have made available in this way a much-needed tool for practical use and a mass of information which cannot fail to be of value outside of this country.
W. I. FLETCHER: The matter of the publication of this handbook was referred to the Publishing Board, but if the plan for its publication by the government is carried out, the Publishing Board understands that will take the publication out of its hands. I move that the executive board be requested to inquire into the matter of the expense incurred by Mr. Teggart, and provide for meeting it, if this is found possible. _Voted._
The secretary read the by-laws to the constitution, prepared by special committee and adopted by the Council, as follows:
BY-LAWS.
§1. The annual dues of the Association shall be $2 for individuals and $5 for libraries and other institutions, payable in advance in January. Members who are one year in arrears shall, after proper notification by the treasurer, be dropped from the roll of membership.
§2. Nine members shall constitute a quorum of the Council for the transaction of routine business, but no sections of the Association shall be established and no recommendations relating to library matters shall be promulgated at any meeting at which there are less than 17 members present. The records of the Council, so far as of general interest, shall be printed with the Proceedings of the Association.
§3. In case of a vacancy in any office, except that of president, the Executive Board may designate some person to discharge the duties of the same _pro tempore_.
§4. No person shall be president, first or second vice-president, or councillor of the Association for two consecutive terms.
§5. The president and secretary, with one other member appointed by the executive board, shall constitute a program committee, which shall, under the supervision of the executive board, arrange the program for each annual meeting and designate persons to prepare papers, open discussions, etc., and shall decide whether any paper which may be offered shall be accepted or rejected, and if accepted, whether it shall be read entire, by abstract or by title. It shall recommend to the executive board printing accepted papers entire, or to such extent as may be considered desirable.
§6. The executive board shall appoint annually a committee of five on library training, which shall investigate the whole subject of library schools and courses of study, and report the results of its investigations, with its recommendations.
§7. The executive board shall appoint annually a committee of three on library administration, to consider and report improvements in any department of library economy, and make recommendations looking to harmony, uniformity, and co-operation, with a view to economical administration.
§8. The executive board shall at each annual meeting of the Association appoint a committee of three on resolutions, which shall prepare and report to the Association suitable resolutions of acknowledgments and thanks. To this committee shall be referred all such resolutions offered in meetings of the Association.