The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-30

are drawn and accounts kept will probably OBJ
viate some confusion on the opening day. The
borrower selects q book from one of the cata-
logues on file and presents his card, at the same
time asking by number for the book desired.
Each book has pocket on the inside of the first
cover, and when the book is taken out this card
is retained in the library. 1t bears not only the
number of the book it represents, but the date
the book goes out and the number OF the bor-
rover in the register. The clerk who loans the
book puts the card in a charging case with all
the others received the same day This case has
fourteen compartments-one for each day of the
two weeks that book is allowed out. Every
morning all OF these cards will be shifted over
from one section to the next one farther on, and
those in the fourteenth section, unless renewed
or exchanged that day, will be delinquent the
next morning and the borrowers will have to
pay 8 cents per day for the use of each book.
At present no printed catalogue win be issued,
but dozen very neatly printed typewriter
shelf lists have been made, which will be quite
as handy as printed catalogue. The addition
OF 1000 volumes, soon to be made, and other
contemplated additions, would soon render a
printed catalogue valueless, while the type
written lists will be kept up with the additions
OF each day. The lists will show the numoer
and title of each book, the authors name and
the number of the acquisition.
The books are classified and arranged in an
ingenious and labor-saving manner. The clas-
sidcation is such that borrower, if he studies
the system carefully, may be able to tell what q
book is about by its number. 1t is called the
Dewey Decimal system. and it supposes the
books to be divided into ten groups, called
classes. These classes are numbered and
named as follows: 0, General Works;
l, Philosophy: 2, Religion; 3, Soci-
ology; 4, Philology; 5, Natural Science; 8,
Useful Arts; z, Fine Arts; s, Literature: 9, His
tow Eaa nj Ca ;xiIa ,,,x1 d;us.;
each of these divisions may be further divided
into ten or more sections as desired The sew
eral classes, divisions sections are placed ac-
cording to their relationship, and in the num-
bers used to represent them figures inlhundred's
place stand for classes: in tens place for divi-
sions and in units place for sections Thus, in
the number "512," "5 denotes the fifth class of
natural science; 81" denotes mathematics, the
first division of natural science, and '.2' alge-
bra, the second section of mathematics. BY the
use of the decimal point and additional figures
classification may be extended to any degree of
minutenes.
In natural science the divisions are: 500,
natural science; $40, mathematics; 520 astron-
omy; $50, physics $40, chemistry; $50, geology;
$50, paleontology; $40, biology; $50, botany; 500,
zoology. Each of these divisions is subdivided
into ten sections, and physics, one OF these
sections, Is divided and numbered as follows:
$50, physics; 5Sl, mechanics; $50, liquids, n.y.
draulics; 5S3. gases, pneumatics; 534, sound,
acoustics; 535, light, optics; $50, heat; 5S7,
electricity; 53S, magnetism; $780, molecular
physics Every division of each class Is SINH
larly divided and numbered. In addition each
book is numbered in the order of its acquisition
by the library. Several copies of the '.Relative
Index" or key to the Dewey system Of number
ing, can be consulted at the library
In the shelf list of books there are now about
5000 volumes. divided as follows.