, 1876-11-18
THE LIBRARIANS CONFERENCE.
Mr.. W. r. Poolo on Popular Objections te
Public Libraries.

tuo"o .,'psHe'es' .,
Dutlne Inc Past month aGchefai CohIcrchceot
Philadelphia, aud much earnest mud efficient
,vorl VA. dnnr. 4. I'm Confrrcnec VIVA hc},1
,,.s, ~. ,".,u,. ~ 49,. .,,..si
aef'ns 'ae Duslest neF'ou o1 tto 1aso poi'tisa4
Western press than Il deserved. About seventy
five libraries, Including all tue larger institutions
NJ uo,,oc provI1cnro N,w uovs,, Nav Ynrt
pn,,a,ro,n,,,a .,aS,,,,,sra c,rI.no,, fna,,rnno.
n. ,'r "nI t:"iss .saro no,rgalcs
were also present from nearly ali the North
western States, wDcrc. outside OF Now England,
thoro - T., ,r.rs ,n,,,.rs ,Sn,, =,
.ncte - 'aote 'n.e'.s. m nDaS ula,to's s'.au ~
haps not generally known that there is scarcely
n town Of ony considerable stxc or outcrprtsc in
I,lfnn;,. W,,rons,u. Ioua. Miunesotn, Nchraskn.
.,I siI,,.s. ,.,,a.a t,,,.,., ~ a.,',,,, o.t 1..
not already been started, or EwhcFe such d project
Is not under consideration.
Tie Conference was III session t.rco days,
WILL, thrcu sessions day OF sovorc lu,lrs each.
Twelve papers wcro read by experienced libra.
paper being followed by q general discussion OF
tue subject, which brought out much Interest,"
Ing Information concerning library management
anu economy. A full report OF the papers and
Thu american Ls1Tarv journal, which Mr Ley.
poidt, Of tllel'uati.hsrs' 1ptekly, New York, has
l!ad tho enterprisc to start, aud of Which tie
, number s ds s{S1sy pgpFSa To ests1
e.ycly to library a!lalfs slows tic rapliy in-
errasing Interest III libraries now being deyGE-
opcA IN our country.
Among the subjects considered was scheme
books from central burca,., Nnl plan of CO.
opcrattou by which tho great uxpcusv of making
aud printing cataogucs of libraries miVI,t b9
reduced. The books In ono popular library are
brary Of similar slzc and character.
Instead Of cnch library being at thu
wlolo expense Of mnktng autl printing
its own catalogue, It was suggested TINT bY
cu-operation general catalogue might .bc prc-
purrd whirl, would answer Tor a Hundred ur
i,urc different libraries. The cxpcnsc of pre-
parlng and printing catalogues I,as Gecome 10
grrnt TINT the larger libraries, like tic Dostor,
Public Library, confess to M Inability to print
them, and give no protuisc of ever Issuing a
goucral catalogue Of their books. II has more
and 1noru beco,uo the fasNjou 10 oxpantl the
plans o{ catalogues, and bcsElcs the author and
subject rc[errnre, to give tho contents anI
analyses Of Volumes, numerous rross-re icrrnycs,
bibliograpflcul notes, aud information as to Ind
cotnpurutfye merits Uf works. Sul1,e retut,p,lIrs
hnyc even gono So for as TO Include subjects
trrated In tIu periodicals wl,icl, have Appeared
sinro Poole's Index was published, These rata.
logues nre usclul, but tey aru enormously TX
peuslye, Thc catalogue Vi the Quincy iAfussl
Public Library, which Is a model Of Ia kind.
and was gotten up under tho supervision Of
Charles Fruugis Albums, Jr.. il said IL
have cost 5000, and vet tho IL
bury contnins only 7.{OO yo}un,ps. fihrar,ca
ca,,nut Afford 10 my for such extensive cnta-
luslrs, Which tu growing COLLECTIONS aoo,l arc
out Ut date, mud thelr librarians lave mt thn
biIjiogrupll!cal truinin,. reouircd in making
them, 'Fhc (lndtnr-lista uf Thu Chtrago iui,I,t
Library, which runtuIil Ia classijici arransrc-
mctt t,c tltes Of its entire rnltnrtion ~ IN lin
Volumes. nud ia so at tl,s cost nrirr ri ia cnfs
A., III.
anil was Irspcctcl "a curios!tv nj rnrnnarinass
and ,sYInun,y. Thure IA MISC vast n,,ss,,nt NJ
valuable mnttcr ju Volumes III essays aud mis-
r.lAnics. ,n1erted wnrl,s ri anti,9ra' t,nncro1
Oiurrapl,ee. ctr,, which is now nrast}eafjv i.,st
tn rrmicrs from tha want Of a r.nrraI imIeY ~ ~
them.
,rlu continuation Of Poolo,s atndcr 10
Periodical Literature u was tic aubIest which
aliI WIS uu Inc tnlnla OF Iii urcsrns M w,,rts
thut must b. ucrun plsheI, The Drrit.li,ai H.
crature VI Tho past twcnty-fjye ycars, In whi.i
uii I'M in,ntrtant o1,"stinns w,,f'., inv" .,;enm
during thnt periud have been dis, t,sacd In imnr
cyssbc and almost useless frum t!,c wnnt AZ n
new c,iItIun Of lint irder. will, tj.o rcf"rrurc.
brought down tu tlio presrnt ttme. ri. nuthur
was present, ata was called upon 10 propose
uut, On ulI Sides Ire wns nrot,,tsrtl r.o1nrntinn
md ussistAncc. liz statrti tnat Ia I'M snnnt
fur wears ri lis jilu in mukins Tic eiitons If
lRA3 md in1, and Iai nryrr T,,."jre,j " Tf"i,or
watinE tIcsc many yenrs fur son,r nihrr ncrs1n
10 curry Uu the lndertnkInn viii thu snmc ,nf.
tivu at,,I man lie, Xn,e lrrua and was rn,,,v tn
turn over 70 !.inl ths materials H. had colieotcd
Tlr work Of imIeYnr tIn ncrndsni ri iitrppas,,ro
ut tl,e nast twenty.tiy. vpnrs was ;oo 1ar'sa y
burden to Inv upo,, one ii1,IiyLi,,aj. The Woyai
soelsty u London deemed tie indcxinx Of sc. T.
iarec resources. md ths result VAS s,r n,arto
vmii,mes III, nr,nusal ninn ~ ,.n.nn.rnt,te