How to Catalogue a Library

Non-Author Headings.

12. Trials to be entered under the name of the defendant in a criminal suit, and of the plaintiff in a civil suit. Trials relating to vessels to be entered under the name of the vessel. [122]

13. Catalogues to be arranged under the heading of "Catalogues," and subdivided under the sub-headings of the objects catalogued. [123]

14. Records of voyages not entirely written by one author to be brought under the name of the vessel. [127]

15. All anonymous books whose authors are certainly known are to be registered under those authors' names. [130]

16. When an author is unknown, and the initials only are given on the title-page of a book, or at the end of the preface, dedication, or other preliminary matter, the book is to be considered as anonymous, and treated in accordance with the following rules respecting anonymous works. [145]

17. Anonymous works relating to a person or a place to be registered under the name of that person or place. [131]

18. Anonymous works with a catch-title, such as the title of a novel, to be registered under the first word of that title. [131]

19. Other anonymous works to be registered under the name of the subject which is prominently referred to on the title-page, and in the language of the title-page. An adjective is frequently to be preferred to a substantive as a heading. For instance, when it contains the point of the compound, as Alimentary Canal, English History, etc. [131]

The Title.

20. The title of a book when not long is to be taken in its entirety. When long curtailment must be undertaken with care, and dots should be inserted where words have been omitted. [133]

21. Information respecting the edition and the editor, and any additional matter, should be included in the catalogue slip. [160]

Place of Publication.

22. The place of publication must always be given, and if it be not found on the title-page, it must be added between brackets whenever known. The name always to be given as it appears on the title-page. Sometimes the place of printing, when different from that of publication, is added, but this is only necessary in rare cases. [163]

Date.

23. Dates are always to be given in a catalogue in Arabic numerals. It is important that the date should be discovered when it does not occur on the title-page. The date may sometimes occur as a chronogram, which should not be overlooked. [164]

24. Greek dates require special attention. For a table of these see Chapter IV., p. 167.

Size-Notation.

25. In books published before the use of machine-made papers, the size of books is to be distinguished by the signatures and the fold of the water-mark of the hand-made paper. In modern books demy octavo is to be considered as the standard of an octavo. All above that size to be styled large octavo, and all below small octavo. Quartos and folios to be so designated, except in those cases where they are either specially large or specially small, when they should respectively be described as large quarto or small folio. [168]

Collation.

26. In the case of rare books a collation should be added to the title slip; but all books, when only in one volume, should have the number of their pages added. [178]

Abstracts of Contents.

27. When the contents of a set of works are very varied, a short abstract of the contents of each volume may be added with advantage. When the contents are of a similar character, like a collection of plays, it will be more convenient to throw the titles into alphabetical order, and add the number of the volume to each entry. [206]

References.

28. All references should be in English, and the subject of a book must be referenced, even if it is not clearly expressed on the title-page. [187]

29. When a book contains something which is not mentioned on the title-page, it must be added either between brackets or in a note, and then a reference can be made to it; but no reference must be made to a title which does not contain the information required. [187]

30. References in an alphabetical catalogue should not be classified. Thus Gold should be under G, and Silver under S, instead of being grouped under Metals. Cross-references may be given from Metals to Gold and Silver. [188]

31. It is not necessary to follow the exact wording of a title in the reference but it will be often more convenient for the cataloguer to make a heading which may include several references. [187]

Arrangement.

32. Before arranging the entries of a catalogue it will be necessary to decide whether all the books are to be included in one alphabet; and if not, what are to be excluded. [209]

33. Pamphlets or tracts should not be catalogued separately from the other books, except in very special cases. [210]

34. If a library contains many magazines or journals, transactions of societies, or astronomical and other observations, it will be well to keep these distinct from the general catalogue; but if they are few, they can be included in the general alphabet. [211]

35. Transactions of societies should be arranged under the name of the place where the society holds its meetings, and these names should be arranged in alphabetical order. [219]

36. When a society has shifted its place of meeting, all its publications should be entered under the name of the existing place, with references from the names of the previous places of meeting. [223]

37. Journals should be arranged in alphabetical order under the first word of the title not an article. [225]

38. Journals not to be placed under the editors' names. [226]

39. Astronomical and meteorological observations should be kept distinct from transactions of societies, but they may be arranged in the same way under the names of the places where the observatories are situated. [226]

Alphabet.

40. The arrangement to be according to the order of the English alphabet. I and J, U and V, to be treated as separate letters. [198]

41. In German names ä, ö, ü to be treated as if written a, o, u. If it be desired to arrange them as ae, oe, ue, they must be so written. [199]

42. The prefixes Mr., Mc, St., etc., should be arranged as if spelt Mister, Mac, Saint, etc. [200]

43. When the word Saint represents a ceremonial title, as in the case of St. Alban, St. Giles, and St. Augustine, these names are to be arranged under the letters A and G respectively; but the places St. Albans, St. Giles, and St. Augustines should be found under the prefix Saint. [201]

44. Prefixes in proper names, even when printed separately, are to be treated as if they were joined. Thus De Morgan will come before Demosthenes, and De Quincey after Demosthenes. [203]

45. Headings consisting of two or more distinct words are not to be treated as integral portions of one word. [204]

Order of Sub-Entries.

46. The works of an author should be arranged in the following order:—

• a. Collected works.
• b. Partial collections.
• c. Separate works in chronological order, except in the case of plays or novels, which may be in alphabetical order.
• d. Translations in the same order as that adopted for the original works. [205]

Manipulation.

47. Slips of paper or thick cards should be used for writing the titles upon. A convenient size is that of a page of note paper used lengthways. The shelf-mark can be placed at the top of the right-hand corner. The author's name or heading should be written on a line by itself at the left-hand side, about an inch from the top of the paper.

48. The references may be written upon similar slips, so as to range with the titles.

49. Various directions as to sorting have been given, but the worker will soon find out for himself the most convenient mode. The arrangement should be made in regular sequence. Thus the slips must be sorted into first letters, then into second letters, and so on.

50. When the slips are sorted, it will be necessary to place them in boxes or drawers for safety.

51. If the slips are sent to the printer, they must be numbered; but when there are a large number, it is not necessary to put the full number on each slip. It will be sufficient to number up to one hundred, and then begin again, marking down each additional hundred. The alphabetical order of the slips will check the numbering.

52. When a catalogue is printed, lines of repetition must be used if the author's name or other heading is the same in several entries. This line should not be too long, as it is a mistake to vary its length to denote the length of that which is repeated. [201]

53. The usual form for the library copy of a catalogue is folio. If the catalogue is in manuscript, the left-hand page should in all cases be left vacant for additions, and the entries on the right-hand page should not be too closely written, as it is difficult to tell how many additions may be required before the catalogue is worn out. In the case of a printed catalogue, two pages of print can be pasted on one page, and here the right-hand column should be left blank for additions.