Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-03-12
The City Library aud its New Catalogue


The Ellsworth City Library j. now cata-
logued. classified. aud arranged according
to the Dewey System, which is in use to
day in al, the principal libraries in Maine.
This i, the only system which admits #
giving a separate mum yer to each book, cN-
pre>sive Of it, proper place IN the library.
such that we're thousand new books to
be added To- the library. no old munlber
would have 10 be altered, and HE nrw
books would fall naturally intD their prop
er places in the classification. 1t ha> to
be decimal classification. because with
decimals only can YOU always make nvw
number ranking In value between tao 9th
ers Thus 90 l. les Than 921 , hut Ne
tween th,m w can make go lbs and be-
tween each of thl- last series an equal mum
Der, ?22 II ~ etc. In this system the
number Of each book consists Of three in
Ic:ers. followed by a. many drcimai> A.
may be necessary 10 express the c,as-idci-
ton, or the whole numbers may suffice.
All Knowledge j. divided rfp ten sections;
oo0-O9a General Works Bihlipgraphy,
Cvclppsv iia~ Periodicals. & 100 -l93
Philosophy 200-2@9 Religion; BOO 800
Sociology Statistics Political Science,
Law, Education &r. 100 -ia9 Pathology;
800 800 Natural Science; GpO-G99 Useful
Arts 7oO-199 Fine Arts; sOo-,?9 Liter
ature; ?Oo-999 History Geography, BIZ
pgraphy, &c the elaboration Of the
system i, seen when we analyz- long
go is biography, 922 j. religious BIZ
ography. 6 i dennminational number for
Baptlst, Indicates America, - United
States, and 50 92267J can mean nothing
but the biography of a Baptist of our coui-
try, say Adpniram Jud>pn or Francis Way
lani p", 80 "..i,-- II j. nn, oft..a -.~~f,
IN biography that the numbers need b. 30
long. Works on hygiene are Gl5., on ma
terra medica 6lj on engineering GEO on
political economy $50, on Law 80 yet
each Of these topics may be >ubdivlded to
any extent. Il j. however not al all he
ce>>ary for the patrons OF the library to
understand this system in order to get the
full benefit of the calal que aud classitica-
iion, in helping them To ind al! that there
is BIZ any author or on any subj ct
Still a few suggestions may not be out Of
place here All books, except biographies
are II be found III the catalogue under
both author aud subject. Geographic, are
under subject only unless the author he
deemed worthy of notice, then under both.
Novels poems, and the like are under
author and title. since this is the way in
which the authors have expressed their
their first significant word, not "A" or
The" History, travels. literature. art,
Institutions, e., should be looked for uu-
der the name Of the country. Perhaps the
suhjecr most frequently studied is some
more or less we'll known man. Pains has
been taken to render the catalogue re-pon-
siye to this Kind of inquiry. Now If YOU
should buy hammer Of your respected
lie NDuiu Recommend W
YOU a Maydole hammer such a. | still pos
sess in consequence of his Endorsement.
Should you wonder why this name is a
guarantee Of excellence, 90 to the library
and at 923 sPl find in Partou- Captains Of
Industry, who David Maydole was. of
course the III IRE celebrated the man. the
more entries YOU will find in the catalogue
under his name. Thus, Di>raeli has three.
not counting reference To review Of I.o-
THAR; Gladstone has four Coleridge four;
and W ord>worth no less than nine. Sim
liar numbers Of cards will be found under
many great names, such a. SHAKESPEARE,
Milton. Chaucer Carlyle, Emerson. As
books on history and travels are closely
related SO are their numbers. By insert
ing IL after the first 49, of any history
number you convert it into the number for
travels in the same country. This is worth
remembering, because in studying a coun-
try both history and travels must be con-
suited. So 942 is English History, 9l4 2
Travels in England 95l is Chinese His
tory, 9l5.l Travels in China. 1t will be
noticed that many of the references in the
catalogue to subjects on which there are
several, sometimes many, books, are made
simply by number. Thus Spain. History,
see 946. This means that all the books
wholly or chiefly on the history of Spain
may be found together with 946 on the back
of each. If the same subject is found as
subordinate pirt 10 other books, these are
referred to by separate card, under the
same head in the catalogue. The numbers
run consecutively all round the library.
the larger number following the less 10
decimal values. The great point is that
all books on the same subject are placed
together, and so infinitely arranged that
each volume has its only place between
the one which precedes and the one which
follows. )nsequently. if you take
book from the shelf, unless you are abso-
lutely certain between which two Others it
stood, the only way to save the library
from confusion and the librarian from
much trouble is to lay the book on the ia
not try to put books back onto the shelves
The Ellsworth City Library is a remark
ably good one of its size, and 1t is hoped
that the new catalogue and classification
will extend and deepen its usefulness to
its many intelligent patrons.
&. J. H. ROPES.