Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-27
SCRAPS AND CLIPPINGS.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE PREFERENCE
DEPARTMENT. OF A LIBRARY.

Tho Rev. John Todd's Index Rcrum," Its
Uses and Outgrowth--valuablc Coiicctios
Of Scraps Made by War Correspondent
Suggestions.
Every person who uses the Brooklyn
library to any extent Is cognizant of the
fact that its reference Department" is o
prominent feature OF that Institution. II
Is now proposed TO supplement the refer.
ence library by the addition of q collection
of carefully kept scrap books, and already
q portion of this collection Is ready for the
public's use. The attention Of reporter
was called to this addition to the librarys
usefulness not long since, and he called
upon Acting Librarian Bardwell to obtain
some further information In regard to 1t.
Mr.. Bardwell is quite an enthusiast upon
the subject Of keeping scraps, and when
questioned upon 1t thus expressed his
views:
1.-THE Rev. John Todd. Of Pittsfeld,
Mass" he said, ''some years ago published
an Index Rerum; or, Index Of Subjects:
intended asa manual to aid the Student
and Professional Man In preparing him
self for Usefulness This work, which
passed through over twenty editions, was
q blank book with an alphabet printed at
the head of the pages anG directions IL
Illustrating its utility and method Of use,
which consisted in jotting down important
facts or striking passages met with in
books, or in noting under the appropriate
subject in the index the volume and page
where the extract could be found when
wanted. William Writ says. There Is
not fact within the whole circle Of hu.
man observation, nor even fugitive an
ecdote that you read In newspaper or
hear in conversation, that will not come
In play some time or other; and occasions
will arise when they will, involuntarily,
present their dim shadows in the train Of
of your thinking and reasoning as belong.
ing to that train and you will regret that
you cannot recall them more distinctly
CDR Todd's index was for the purpose
of noting where an article might be found,
and served to some extent the same pur-
pose as the numerous books of quotations
and extracts that have been published In
recent years.
"The department of scrap books now In
process of development ut the Brooklyn
library bids fair to be an index rerum on
very extensive scale. 1t Is collection
of clippings and extracts from news
papers, commenced many years ago by
Mr.. Wilcox CH. X. W), a war correspon.
dent, who commenced clipping and fling
away extracts for his own personal use
These, as time passed on and the collec-
tion became larger, he divided into sub
jects and kept in boxes labeled according
to the contents of each box. At his death
he left his collection, the accumulation Of
more than twenty years, to the Brooklyn
library, where it is now being carefully
collated and arranged under O classifica-
tion similar to that Of the library cata-
logue. The clippings are being pasted on
sheets of MANILA paper, which after being
properly dried and pressed are arranged
by single sheets (not bound together, as
this would preclude the Incorporation Of
any further material in its proper place
under it's subject heading. as additions
arc made from time to time). These
sheets are kept in boxes that are labeled
on the back so as to indicate the subject
and the subdivision Of subjec, contained
in each box.
"The arrangement of the material thus
kept being strictly by subjects and their
various ramifications, and the whole be-
ing formed into one alphabet, no index Ia
required to guide the searcher for infor-
nation. All that is necessary is to look
ut the labels until tho subject needed Is
reached In the line. Then take down the
DOA JiluU COltulllS WI 10 Wullttu dIlu ubc
1t. AS time passes and the library collec-
ton is developed it is expected 1t will be
found of especial value to literary people
as containing much valuable material
which will be made easily available by its
arrangement under subjects, bringing to-
gether items Of information that would
otherwise be SO scattered as to be practi-
cally lost unless collected under some
such plan as this"
"What do you think, Mr.. Bardwell, of
the value of scrap collection in gen.
eral?"
"As TO the value Of material thus col
lected variety Of opinions may exist, but
80 far as possible tho source from which
the information was obtained is mentioned
as well as the date Of publication. The
question suggests itself whether every
literary person may not find it advantage
GUS to keep collection of scrap books
Items that appear from day to day may
prove exceedingly valuable In the future
and the only time to secure these Is while
the eye is upon them, as almost any ont
who has tried to locate paragraph hi
thinks he saw at an indefinite time, q few
months or even few days ago can testify
| If one has hunted through file papers
| for an extract he can appreciate the diff
Guilty and will probably wish he had savet
| the scrap.
| "One can make collection of his spe
cialty or can make a general collection o
any material he thinks would be usefu
in the future. He can include his owl
productions under their own subjec
headings, or he can include them all II
one volume marked Personal A literar,
man should bear in mind that he may on
day become famous, In which case col
lection of all the fugitive pieces he ha
ever had in print might prove valuable a
well as interesting. While there is II
limit to the subjects on which one ma
collect scraps, every one must be his owl
judge as to how large his collection shoul
be. and what range of subjects he vii
require, but, in any case, thorough al
rangement of the material by subject
will obviate any necessity of an index
II thoroughly classified in this way, th
collection viii be its own index, and ther
is no other way, SO far as can be seen q
present, that would DO so effective. Their
are other libraries beside the Brookly
that have some scrap collections. Som
college libraries have collections GOVERN
the history of their institution from th