The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-10-06
A CREDlIABlE WORK.

Library and Reading Room Asso-
citation. which should include all the
readers of the BULLETIN, will be in
terested in learning that the printed
catalogue which has been in course
of preparation for some time past is
substantially complete, and will be
issued in q few days. This cata-
logue, which embraces all the books
belonging to the Association, in both |
the reference and circulating depart
ments, up to the time of the last
sheet going to press-over five thou !
sand two hundred volumes in all
has been prepared and printed under
the supervision of a committee, con-
sisting of DR.. c. 7. Rodgers and
Mr.. III. A. Parmelee, who have
devoted to their task an amount not
only of time, but of patient and
painstaking labor, which can only be
appreciated by those who have had
occasion to undertake work of Il
similar kind. The result is book
which consists of one hundred and
sixty four double column pages, ex-
elusive of title page and preface,
and contains about twelve thousand
distinct entries.
The following brief extracts from
the preface will give II good idea of
the plan and arrangement of the
work: 1.-The catalogue, as indicated
on the title page, is divided into
three parts: first-a general cata-
logue embracing every department
of the Library except fiction;
second-a catalogue of works of
prose fiction; and third-an APP
pendiX consisting of such books as
were added to the library during the
preparation of this work, and too
late to appear in their proper places
in Parts l. and H.
The general catalogue is in what
librarians call one alphabet; that is
to say, all the entries whether by
author, title or subject, are in
cluded in one continuous alphabet
cal arrangement. The catalogue of
fiction is in too ulphdJetS, there
being, tirst-an alphabetical index
of authors, with the works of each
author arranged alphabetically,
under his or her name; and
secOndly-an alphabetical list of
the titles of all the stories. The
third part of the catalogue-the
appendiX-calls for no special re-
mark, the same arrangement being
used as in the body of the work. +"
10 those who have had no expe-
rience of such matters and have
given the subject no particular
thought, nothing may seem simpler
than to make an alphabetical list of
few hundred, or even few thou
sand books, but they who enter
upon the work of catalogueing on
any considerable scale, even after
study and preparation, will find
their path bristling with perplexities
and difficulties. All of these, the
committee have, so far as the cir
cumstances of the case and the
means at their disposal allowed, met
and dealt with in a very satisfactory
manner. 1t is no tlattery to say
that this, the first work of the kind
issued in this country, reflects credit
alike on the enterprise of the Asso-
ciation and the intelligence and
diligence of the gentlemen who
have had the immediate charge OF
the matter.
"A cafe1ul study OF this catalogue
will probably afford an agreeable
surprise to many, as showing the
general quality of the library to be
much higher and the number OF
really valuable works much larger
than they had supposed. Two
hundred copies are being bound in
paper covers and. will be sold at one
dollar each, which we are informed
is much less than the actual cost of
printing them, to say nothing of the
labor of preparing the work and
seeing it through the press. 1t is
to be hoped that the members of
the Library and especially those
who have been urgent in their
demands for printed catalogue,