of a profession already much overbur- The fourth paper in the discussion by ADMINISTRATION OF A CATALOG DE- ER'S POINT OF VIEW The ideal of the modern library is serv- his wife's case, but she was still too ill to see him, so the attendant showed him some more improvements, which he had not seen the day before. The man was greatly impressed. The third day he returned and was told that his wife had died. When asked by a friend what disease had ended her life, he replied, "I don't know, unless it was the improvements." So the library has adopted progressive methods and among other improvements it has walled a room with the latest model of catalog trays filled with cards as silent guides to the collection of books. Printed signs, which no one reads, give intricate directions as to the use of this monster; a human assistant is rarely in sight. Has the library the right to expect the public to know how to use a catalog? A trained assistant should be stationed here, and who are better qualified for this service than the members of the cataloging staff? At this point is one of the opportunities for the cataloger's most efficient service to the community. The chief requisite of a well-organized catalog department is a corps of intelligent, educated, trained assistants who have had several years' experience. The raw recruit from the library school is an expense to the service because library school graduates find difficulty in adapting themselves to the existing methods of most libraries. This fault is sometimes individual but more often it is due to the different methods of cataloging taught in the various schools. There should be uniformity of method on this point, full cataloging should be taught in all the schools because it is far easier for the cataloger to learn omissions than to acquire a knowledge of full cataloging when the short form only has been taught in the school. Subject-heading work can be taught only in a general way. Years of experience are needed before an assistant is competent to assign subject headings, therefore a constantly changing staff is an item of expense worthy of serious consideration. Subject headings might be in the hands of a few assistants but there is advantage in having the views of many minds under the supervision of one reviser. An understanding of the community and of existing conditions within the library, added to a thoroughly assimilated knowledge of cataloging methods, increases the value of an assistant. Changes are usually due to small salaries, and to better financial conditions elsewhere, but adding a reasonable amount to the salary of a competent assistant is a good investment. To be sure, it foots up on the pay roll as a larger outlay than the substitution of a less experienced assistant at the same or a smaller salary. What the pay roll tells, however, is not borne out by the facts because on it there is no financial accounting for the time of the administrator of the department which is consumed in breaking in a new cataloger while the more important things wait, or go by default. Positions in the cataloging department should yield a financial return sufficient to make their incumbency more or less permanent for it is possible to accomplish more with a smaller staff of experienced assistants than with a larger number of those new to the business. When the library has gathered together the best staff of catalogers it can afford it should not put them, like a collection of expensive bric-a-brac, behind closed doors with only the regulation catalogers' tools as guides, and expect them to yield the best return on the investment. The best cataloger needs the stimulus of personal contact with the public as an aid to the most intelligent work. When the cataloging department has a sufficient number of well-trained, experienced assistants, a schedule of work which permits direct contact with the public for at least one-third of the time and a system of co-operation between departments with freedom from unnecessary interruptions to the routine as planned, the catalog is a labor saving tool reducing the net cost of production by the time saved to the circulating and reference departments. The cataloging for a large library system should be done at the central library for several reasons. The main cataloging offices are there with the collection of reference books and the official files showing what headings and entries have been used. The expert catalogers and revisers are better fitted for the responsibility of the cataloging than the assistants at the branches, distracted by other work. The enormous number of cards necessary for the various catalogs are more economically duplicated by writer press, or multigraph, than by hand or typewriter because time is saved in this way in the actual making of the cards, in numbering and putting titles on printed cards and in proof reading, or revising, for in revising typewritten cards, each card must be carefully scrutinized, while from the writer press only the first copy needs revision. When copies of the same title are to be purchased for several branches, the cost of cataloging is greatly reduced if all the copies reach the cataloging department together as time is thus saved in all the processes of preparing the books for circulation, from the accessioning to the pasting of the labels. In the case of fiction this is always possible but with other classes, while it is not always expedient to purchase for the main library and the branches simultaneously, the branch librarians and order department can simplify the process by prompt decision as to the number of branches to which titles are to be added, so that all cards may be ordered or made at the same time. By this means one order for printed cards and one setting up of copy for writer press or multigraph is sufficient. When books come to the catalog depart ment singly and at odd times the labor of verifying author entries and subject headings is the same as for new titles, and the making of cards becomes a mechanical process only when they are to be made in large quantities. Every branch added to the library system increases the work of the cataloging department, a fact often lost sight of by the chief administrators of a library. There seems to be a popular delusion that each new addition to the library family means only a duplication of that books must be held until the cards are received. If there is co-operation between the order and the cataloging departments, books and cards may be ordered and will come to the cataloger about the same time. When they do not the books should be sent through on temporary slips. This adds slightly to the cost of handling, but saves the reputation of the library in the circulating department. The printed card should be accepted when it agrees with the title page, but when the card requires changes which mar its appearance it should be rejected. When the cards must be made by the individual library the extra bibliographical detail should be omitted for purposes of economy, and the catalogs would still be uniform and accurate in essentials. Entries must be accurate, uniform and as consistent as possible that the catalog may save the time of the reference librarian's, since effective reference work can be done only when the library is well classified and cataloged and quick service is possible only under these conditions. cards while the fact remains that most of the processes in the routine practically consume as much time and thought as if the title in hand were new in the library. In the case of shelf-listing it is obviously easier and takes less time to make a brand new shelf-list card for a book than it does to withdraw the card from the shelf-list, make an addition to it and refile the card. If the main building is so arranged that one card catalog can be used conveniently by all departments much expense will be saved. But if there must be department catalogs, author and subject entries should be uniform so that the individual catalogs may be simply duplicates of certain divisions of the general catalog. Subject headings in the public library should be simple enough to be within the comprehension of the average reader. To simplify headings for children is a useless expense and an insult to the child who is often more intelligent than many adult readers. public library being "an integral part of public education" should not be guilty of senseless simplification even though the kindergartners may accuse us of "taking away the joy of childhood." If the socalled simplified headings are used they can not be filed with other headings, therefore two separate catalogs in each branch must be maintained at extra expense. The All non-essentials should be eliminated from the mechanical processes of preparing books for the shelves. The time of high-priced service should be used for the scholarly work, duplication of cards and routine clerical work do not require a college education nor library school training. Printed cards should be purchased whenever possible. It is not necessary to become hysterical over the superfluity of information on some of the Library of Congress cards because the average user of a catalog in a public library does not read beyond the first line of the title, and therefore is not confused by bibliographical details. On the other hand, this same detail is valuable to the few readers who need it. Another groundless objection to the use of these cards is the statement The plan to combine the catalog and reference departments, the assistants working one-third of their time in reference work, brings excellent results. In the first place the assistants come in direct contact with the public for part of every day. The knowledge of books gained by examination for full cataloging can be made directly useful to the public. On the other hand, the demands of the reader, his peculiarities of expression and his general attitude toward the library give inspiration to the work in the cataloging department as to subject headings and analyticals to be made. The change of work is restful and enables the assistants to accomplish much in a day without becoming weary of either line of work. The efficiency of the assistants depends upon their ability to bring the book and the reader together and as the cataloger has the advantage of studying the books she should therefore bring this knowledge to the public through personal contact. Emphasis is put on the increased useful ness of the staff by reason of the ability to appreciate the relation between the library and the public and to bring into the daily life of the community the increased knowledge of books. What has been said is not intended as a criticism of any method of administering a cataloging department, but is an effort rather to present a plan which from practical experience has proved successful. The discussion was then thrown open to the floor, with the suggestion from the chairman that it take the following lines: 1. Is the catalog department too confined in its organization and too distinctly separated from other departments? 2. How much mechanical work should be done by expert catalogers? Who should do the mechanical work and where should it be done? 3. What should be the relations between the catalog and the shipping departments? Mr. Hodges, of the Cincinnati public library, said that each library had to use a system suited to its individual needs, that in Cincinnati there was no head of the order department, that he considered the use of catalogers in the reference department during rush hours a good plan as they were usually well fitted for the work, that in his library there was a single head of the catalog and reference departments. Miss Hitchler, superintendent of cataloging of the Brooklyn public library, said that co-operation could be effected between departments without interchange of assis tants. Mr. Hopper said that the obstacle to combining the heads of the catalog and order departments in one person was that a knowledge of cataloging and a knowledge of the book trade were seldom combined in one person. During the discussion of the second point -that of scientific management within the department-Miss Van Valkenburgh raised a laugh by inquiring where we are to draw the line in keeping track of our efficiency. Mr. Martel, of the Library of Congress, in answer to the charge made against cata. logers of over-elaboration, as for example in the matter of periodical records, said that under-elaboration often proved quite as expensive as over-elaboration. SECOND SESSION Friday, June 29. The second session of the Catalog Section was held on Friday afternoon, June 29, Miss Gooch presiding. Miss Van Valkenburgh, Miss Hiss, and Miss Dame, were appointed as nominating committee by the Chairman. The session took the form of an informal discussion on simplified forms of typewrit ten catalog cards, and was held at the desire of the committee of the Professional Training Section on uniformity of forms of catalog cards. This committee was appointed in January, 1912, and consists of Helen Turvill, Chairman, Agnes Van Valkenburgh, Harriet B. Gooch. The Chairman directed the discussion by taking up point by point the form of card recommended by the committee for the practice work of the library schools. Typewritten cards for a public library of about 50,000 volumes, to be filed with L. C. cards, were taken as a basis of discussion. Among the details considered were the following, with the decisions which seemed most generally favored by those present: Brackets. Omit brackets for material inserted in heading but use in title and imprint. Initial article. Use initial article, unless including it would entail repeating author's name in the title. Initial possessive. Omit author's name in the possessive case at the beginning of a title, and cancel it when used on L. C. cards. Editor, etc. In the title use the name of the editor, translator, etc, in the form given on the title page. Imprint. Include place, publisher and date of publication together with inclusive copyright dates if they differ from the Collation. Give main paging, illus., Secondary cards. Give author and title only on secondary cards. (Main subject cards are not considered secondary cards.) Other details discussed were use of points of omission, form of series note, tracing cards, headings in joint-author entries, the place for paging in an analytical note, entry under pseudonym versus real name, entry for adapter. At the close of the foregoing discussion, the matter of having a permanent A. L. A. committee on cataloging was brought forward, and upon Miss Van Valkenburgh's motion, it was determined to request the Executive Board of the A. L. A. to appoint a permanent catalog committee to which questions in cataloging may be referred for recommendation. Miss Sutliff then suggested that an A. L. A. code of alphabetizing would also be welcome. Mr. Martel, in response to a question by the Chairman, said that the Library of Congress followed the Cutter Rules, but had working notes that might be helpful. A motion put by Mr. Keogh was then passed that the Executive Board of the A. L. A. be asked to send a request to the Librarian of Congress to furnish the code of alphabeting used in the Library of Congress for publication. An amendment to the foregoing to inIclude the words "with changes for small libraries" failed of passage. The nominating committee then submitted its ticket: Chairman, Charles Martel, Chief of the Catalog Division, Library of Congress; Secretary, Edith P. Bucknam, Chief of the Cataloging Department, Queens Borough public library. After the election, the meeting adjourned. SECTION ON LIBRARY WORK WITH CHILDREN FIRST SESSION The first session of the Section on Library Work with Children was held in the ballroom of the Hotel Kaaterskill, at 2:30 p. m., June 24th, with the Chairman, Miss Power, in the chair. In the absence of Miss Lawrence, Miss Ida Duff acted as secre tary. Two papers on the subject of "Values in library work with children" were read; the first by Miss CLARA W. HUNT, superintendent of the children's department, Brooklyn public library. VALUES IN LIBRARY WORK WITH You are probably familiar with the story of the man who, being asked by his host which part of the chicken he liked best replied that "he'd never had a chance to find out; that when he was a boy it was the fashion to give the grown people first It will doubtless be looked upon as heresy During the scant quarter century which has seen the birth and marvelous growth of modern library work with children, the "new education" has been putting its |