John Henry Quinn

“ As Carlyle puts it "A big collection of books without a good catalogue is a Polyphemus with no eye in his head." Even an indifferent library can be made to render comparatively good service with a good catalogue. In order to compile such a catalogue it is essential that certain particulars be given descriptive of the books, and in so systematic a way that, while the entries will afford all reasonable information to the person well-versed in books, they shall, at the same time, be so clear and simple in character as to be understood without much effort by anyone of average intelligence. ”

“ It must clearly be understood that when a society is established for the publication of separate works upon subjects coming within the scope of the society's purpose, and not for the reading and discussion of papers, its publications require full cataloguing, as if each work had been issued independently, in addition to whatever entry is given under the name of the society. ”

“ The spread of education and reading nowadays would lead us to suppose that most people possess [Pg 20] a sufficient amount of general knowledge to enable them to make an intelligent use of a catalogue, provided it is compiled upon well-defined and logical principles. Should the compiler happen to have all the accomplishments named in Chapter I., and yield to the temptation to air them by the production of a highly scientific catalogue, he will find that his labours are unappreciated, and that he must adapt his work to the needs of the average "man in the street." ”

“ It is trite and commonplace to say that there is much reliable history written in the form of fiction, and a great deal of fiction in the guise of serious books: this being so, the cataloguer is well advised to reckon with it. Whether we shall notice all novels "with a purpose" opens too wide a question, but many are not only true to life but are real history, and meant to be so. ”

“ Those who put such questions, or offer such congratulations, are naturally astonished when told that the library affords enough work to employ all my own time, as well as that of twenty assistants; and astonishment is apt to rise to bewilderment when it is added that seventeen of these assistants are occupied chiefly with "cataloguing;" for, generally, I find, a library catalogue is assumed to be a thing that is somehow "made" at a single stroke, as Aladdin's palace was built, at intervals of ten or a dozen years, or whenever a "new catalogue" is thought to be needed. ”

“ Brevity is not only the soul of it, but is absolutely essential if a catalogue is to be kept within bounds. A note based upon a review should avoid any appearance of partiality, as reviewers are not invariably impartial. It is helpful to readers to get some rough idea of the amount of knowledge needed to understand a book—for example, a book [Pg 211] dealing with astronomy mathematically would be above the heads of most people, and when a work is of this nature it should be so stated. ”

“ No one style of catalogue, however, will answer all of these questions, but the one that will answer most of them with the least trouble and loss of time to the user is that known as the dictionary catalogue. It consists of an arrangement of author, subject, and (to a limited extent) title entries in a single alphabetical sequence, and is by far the most popular form. It is neither economical nor the most logical, but its [Pg 23] convenience for ready reference compensates for these defects. ”

“ Those who are possessed of even a little experience will know that it is impossible to compile a library catalogue in a haphazard fashion, and that clear and definite rules for guidance must be laid down before any part of the work is attempted, otherwise confusion and want of proportion will result, to say nothing of the likelihood of the loss of work already done. ”

“ A most commendable feature of modern cataloguing is the explanatory notes and other annotations appended to catalogue entries. These are for the most part to be found in the lists of additions to libraries published monthly, quarterly, or annually; such publications lending themselves readily to this descriptive form of cataloguing. The classified catalogue has also the advantage over the dictionary form for this purpose, because, rarely having more than a single entry for each book, the question as to where the note is to go does not arise. ”

“ It is a useful axiom for the cataloguer that he must ascertain clearly what is the definite subject of a book before he decides upon the proper subject-heading for it in the dictionary catalogue, as he is compelled to do before he can assign the exact place for a book in the classified catalogue. ”

“ The extent to which the work of dissecting and "indexing" the contents of books of a miscellaneous nature is to be carried out in a library catalogue depends largely on the nature and purpose of the library, though a limit must be set to it in any case. It would be unusual to index the proceedings or transactions of a society, or the contents of reviews, or other periodical publications, however valuable they might be. ”

“ If the cataloguer should stumble in his selection of the name under which he makes the entry, he has the satisfaction of knowing that he errs in good company, with the further consolation of believing that there will be few who know enough to discover his mistake, though these facts will be no justification, and should only serve to put him on his guard. ”

“ The classed catalogue is better suited also than any other to exhibit the richness of the library in particular departments."
Cutter, at the same time, proceeds to name some of the disadvantages of this style of catalogue. "A large part of the public are not pursuing general investigations. They want to find a particular book or a particular subject quickly; and the necessity of mastering a complex system before using the catalogue is an unwelcome delay or an absolute bar to its use." ”

“ The two most common forms of catalogues are the dictionary and the classified. For many years much controversy has arisen respecting their comparative usefulness, and there is much to be said in favour of both, each having merits, as already shown, not possessed by the other. The late C. A. Cutter points out the advantages of the classified catalogue, thus: "One who is pursuing any general course of study finds brought together in one part of the catalogue most of the books he needs. ”

“ The only possible advantage it has is that the latest published volumes are to be found at the end of the list, though this would not apply to new and revised editions if they had the old volume numbers. When economy of space is of some moment, as it too often is in the printed catalogues, there being a certain element of doubt as to the utility of these series entries, they can be dispensed with, upon the presumption that a person requiring a book will know either the name of the author or its subject, and the author-entry reveals if it is one of a series. ”

“ Books published anonymously—that is where the authors' names are not upon the title-pages, and no clue to them is to be found in the books—are more annoying to the cataloguer than pseudonymous works. At times a preface or a dedication in a book may bear the author's name or initials, or there may be something serving to reveal his identity in the text, and such evidence must be searched for. ”

“ In some catalogues the full names are given, in others only the initials, and in a few rare instances of "index-entry" catalogues the surname alone. For an average catalogue to give the name in its fullest possible form is more than is required, and is wasteful of space, while the bare initials do not enable us to discern whether the author is a man or a woman. It is more helpful to give the first or other important forename, and to do so does not lengthen the catalogue to any appreciable extent. ”

“ He is then expected to select and purchase the books as well as produce a printed catalogue of them within a few weeks: the conception being that a library can be selected, arranged, and listed in bulk as goods are bought, displayed, and ticketed in a shop, and in as short a time. The cataloguing, then, has perforce to be delegated to an assistant, who possibly has no training whatever. For this reason and others the catalogue of a new public library can seldom be taken as representing the knowledge or ability of the librarian as a cataloguer. ”

“ The purpose of the catalogue has a bearing upon the nature of the stationery required. A catalogue cannot be written into a book like an inventory; each item—even books by the same author or upon the same subject—must be upon a separate paper slip or card cut uniformly to any size fixed upon. Paper slips serve quite well for manuscript, or "copy" as it is termed, for the printer, but tough cards of good quality are needed for a catalogue on cards to be handled by many persons. It is a good plan in any case first to prepare the catalogue upon slips or cards for office use ”

“ The "Life of a prig" is already sufficiently disposed of, though it is not a story, but is more or less in the nature of a satire recounting the troubles of an Oxford man, uncertain as to whether he should belong to the Anglican or Roman Church. It is marked for the classified catalogue as a satire of the late Victorian period. This is a type of book that is the bane of the cataloguer's life, and he is not to be blamed if he summarily disposes of it under any heading or title that does not altogether relegate it to obscurity. The last is
and is the sole entry for this book. ”

“ Advertisers do not regard a catalogue as a good medium for this purpose owing to the small number in an edition; the fact that it is in constant use does not weigh much with them. If advertisements can be dispensed with so much the better, as they detract from the appearance of a catalogue even if they do not actually disfigure it. The extent of the library catalogued also enters into the matter. ”

“ Their choice of books is usually made from certain kinds of literature or classes of subjects. Some like poetry or essays or plays [curiously he omits novels] ; others like religious works, or philosophical works, or scientific works, not caring about the particular subject of the book [Pg 24] so much as whether it be well-written or interesting. To these persons it is a convenience that their favourite kind of reading should all be contained in one or two parts of the catalogue, and freed from the confusing admixture of titles of a different sort. ”

“ For this reason, when the number of books is large, and the separate catalogue, therefore, of considerable size, such miscellaneous collections should be dealt with ("indexed") as if each item were a separate work. If it is essential to index the contents of other books of a miscellaneous character, it is doubly necessary for miscellaneous music, more especially as it brings all the works of a composer together according to the nature of the compositions. ”

“ Summed up, the whole object of an annotation is to assist in the choice of a book, and to elucidate the treatment of its subject, though it may be said that the purpose is defeated in these days when so many opportunities for examining the book itself exist. ”

“ There is no doubt that it is mainly responsible for the revival of this form of catalogue. The system was planned or invented by Mr. Melvil Dewey, when librarian of Amherst College, U.S.A., and was in the first instance intended for cataloguing and indexing purposes, though it is now more commonly used for classifying and numbering the books upon the shelves. It was the result of a good deal of careful study of library needs and, on the face of it, is simple and practical. As to this Dewey says "in all the work philosophical theory and accuracy have been made to yield to practical usefulness. ”

“ If a poetical work has a general title, as "Poems" or "Poetical Works," then there is no need to do more than enter it under the author's name; if it has a distinctive title, a title-entry is given in addition. This also applies to dramas and dramatic works, and to volumes of sermons, letters, or essays. The method of dealing with volumes of essays has been more definitely shown in Chapter VI., and with works of fiction in other chapters. Volumes of letters or sermons bearing upon a definite subject are entered for subject as any other books, the form not signifying. ”

“ As a rule there is no occasion for the cataloguer to notice the illustrator, except for books of this special character. Where the artist is famous and his illustrations lend value to a book, or where books are likely to be required because illustrated by a notable artist, it is well to mark the fact either by entry or reference. ”

“ There is at least one example of an author publishing works of fiction under both his real name and a pseudonym, viz., J. E. Preston Muddock, who writes some stories under his true name, and his detective stories under that of "Dick Donovan." The right course to pursue in this case is to enter all under Muddock. Unless there is strong objection to placing books by one writer in two places, there is no reason why the separate entries should not appear under both names. While introduced here to show a possible method of treatment, it must not be taken as recommended. ”

“ If there are many entries under such a heading it can be sub-divided to simplify reference—divisions as "General," "Greek and Roman," "Italian," "British," suggest themselves, though the amount of sub-division usually depends upon the material to be arranged. The heading need not necessarily be the geographical one (Italy) , as here shown; a term more direct, say "Italian Art," might be chosen.
In any case a book of this definite character would not be entered under "Art" in the dictionary catalogue, sculpture being but a branch of the Fine Arts, as also are painting and architecture. ”

“ There is a great tendency among cataloguers to overdo the title-entries in a dictionary catalogue, thereby adding to its bulk and cost without gaining any compensating advantage. One of the chief objections to the dictionary catalogue is superfluous first-word title-entries. To give a title-entry is an easy method of disposing of a book when its precise subject is not readily discerned. ”

“ Those who make any large use of the Dictionary of National Biography know how troublesome it is in this respect, invariably entailing two references. For the catalogues of popular libraries, entry under the latest and highest title is by far the most convenient and satisfactory, while no possibility of mistake can arise if references are given in doubtful cases from the family name to the title, or from an earlier and lower to a later and higher title. ”