Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-09
'ublic duty, but lacking in requisite ex-

Public duty. but lacking in requisite ex
perence.
1T was because of the desire to maintain
the traditions and the integrity Of the
library that few changes were made in the
old staff. OF the forty in service upon TAX
ing office. but five have thus far been
changed-thI ee because of supeI1lnnUation,
and this with regret, becaIse the gentle
men in question had in their day done good
service and should have retired upon
pension. such as approximation and faith
full work receive in other national libraries.
The remaining changes seemed for the in
terest of the library.
TWENTY-FIVE per cent of the appoint
ments consist of women. With few excep-
lions, women have not had service in the
library. and. therefore, the nominations
were an experiment. Il was believed that
as there were various features of the
library work apparently suitable for wo-
men, theyewere entitled to recognition
The Copyright Department.
The copyright department is the most
important office. It's growth may be esti-
mated when it is noted that while in six
months of 1870 the copyrights were 5,6OO-
IN 1876, 4,4IO were entered. This means
a steady rather than a spasmodic growth
Thus in 1870 there were, as we have seen.
5000 entries; in 1875. 14.36i: in 1880 70, GS6;
in 1885. 2S.410; in 1890. ~. 15S, and in 1896
l2.4iO. With the exception of the years
of business depression, this increase has
neen sure and never at a greater ratio
than at present. These figures are in
struction. not alone showing the i'm
portance of the copyright department, but
as indicative of the immense growth of
music literature and the art. A few
months since the average daily receipt OF
letters was 140. The letters received daily
from October y to December 3, for an ex-
ample. average 1T9, with an increase from
month to month. And already there are
tnfy 60 81
the copyright bureau as to an insufficient
stan and the necessity of extra hours of
labor to keep the work in hand. The rela
tive numerical Importance of the copyright
toward the other departments of the gov
eminent may be understood that while the
patent office has 24.o00 entries annually
there were in 1896, 72,47O in the copyright
office"
amendments to the law, he says:
The Catalogue Department.
"A library without a catalogue is as
ship without a rudder. To use the words
of Carlyle in describing the British Mu-
scum: "A library is not worth anything
without catalogue. 1t is a Polyphemus
without any eye in it's hand, and you must
front the difficulties, whatever they may
be, of making proper catalogues. The worst
catalogue ever drawn up by the hand of
man was greatly preferable to no cata-
logue at ALL
Building UP dictionary catalogue, as
well as a system of classification is
undertaking of magnitude and requiring
technical knowledge. The science of cata-
loGuing has had for centuries a literature
of its own. Not TO speak of ancient sys
tems-we have the Baconian, upon which
our own is founded. Laying down the
dogma that learning comes from three
sources-memory, imagination and reason
Bacon divided a catalogue into three
chapters-history, which comes with mem
Dry; poesy, the experience of imagination,
and philosophy, the fruit of reason. There
can be- he adds, no other nor no more, for
history and experience We take for one
and the same, We do philosophy and
science. Bacon divided his classes as fol-
lows: History embraced natural and civil
history, ecclesiastical well literary,
and, likewise orations. letters and apoth-
egms. Philosophy, the second class, in
GUIDED the science of god. the science of
man and the science of nature. In this
were to be found physics and metaphysics,
natural philosophy and magic Poetry was
divided into drama, narration and allegory.
This classification was accepted by Dugald
Stewart as with all it's imperfections, the
only one Of which modern philosophy has
yet to boast We have had other modern
systems, but, as a rule. they were amph-
fications Of that of Bacon. The classified
ton of Thomas Jefferson was based upon
that of Bacon, and remained as that of
the library until the administration of Mr..
Spofford There were the three Baconian
divisions, under the heads respectively of
history. philosophy and fine arts. These
were subdivided into forty chapters. Under
fine arts were embraced poetry. fiction,
logic, rhetoric and language. Mr. Spofford
made some radical changes. The forty
chapters of Jefferson were enlarged to
forty-four.
THE two points to he noted in the cata-
logue Of the library like that of Congress
are firstly, readiness of access to facili-
tate speedy delivery of books to the read
ers. and, secondly, thoroughness as a work
of reference to authors and subjects.
'1n the delivery of books it would be
difficult to improve upon our present meth
cd. 1t has been shown thai a dozen books
cred at the Capitol in ten minutes. AS this
involves searching the shelves for the
hooks and a quarter of a mile transit by
tunnel. 1t may be said to have exhausted
the resources of engineering science.
We have a card or manuscript author
catalogue. kept up TO date and useful as a
manual for the attendants We have also
eleven different volumes of printed cats-
logues, published frcm time to time and of
relatives value. In subject catalogung we
are in arrears and have been since 1867
That was interrupted by the addition of
the very necessity of its requirements,
had the right CT way over the real library
work The bringing of this catalogue up to
date ard at the same time introducing
more scientific methods is among our pres
ent problems. For practical reading room
service nothing better can be expected than
our present arrangement. By this is will
be understood that every work of sub
stantial value that has a vital place in our
literature is catalogued. This does not in
clude trivial books like dime novels and
similar publications. Their exclusion is
temporary. a part of tho present exigen-
cies. it being the intention to catalogue
every publication, however unimportant.
and give it due place.
Minor Librarfes.
There are in the District Of Columbia
outside of the Library Of Congress, thirty
libraries directly under the control of the
government or receiving government aid
This does not include the public school H.
braries, which are purely local. These per-
manent libraries are estimated as contain
Ing S41 ,465 books. $4,000 pamphlets and
81 1a5 maps
These various libraries being. as has
been shown. under government favor,
might fifty be called, The National Ii
brary- In their development the govern
ment should keep in mind that the Library
OF Congress. with accommodations for four
and nalf millions of volumes, fireproof
is the home for such national collections
as are net of practical use in the admins
tration of affairs.
In other words this library, now among
the frst lii Importance and character. and