Evening star., 1901-10-15
TALDGUE CARDS
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then there is the work of the transcriber,
If you multiply copies of the card by tran
scription or by typewriter. If you print
there is the cost Of composition and press
work. The stock would cost the same
whether you transcribe or print. But the
two most costly factors are the work of
the cataloguer, the expert, and the work of
the compositor ior transcriber 1t has been
estimated that on the average the total
catalogue is from % to 35 cents. Not
single volume. of course. A book may be
in hundred volumes, and yet represent
only one title to be handled: 1t may be in
to be handled; but on the average the cost
Is from 70 to 10 cents for each book or
what the librarians refer to as title
Multiplying Expense.
Now, the interesting thing is that until
now libraries have been in effect duplicat-
ing this entire expense; multiplying It, in
fact. by each one undertaking to do the
whole work individually for itself. There
are thousands of books which are acquired
by hundreds of Enthusiastically the same
books, having the same titles, the same
authors and contents and subject to the
same processes. But each library has been
doing individually the whole work of cata-
loguing the copies received by it, putting
out the whole expense. Forty years ago
Prof. Jewett, then librarian of the Smithso-
nian, conceived the notion of a central bu-
reau which might attend to these pro-
cesseS, the most expensive part of them,
once for all, and make available its results
to the various libraries receiving Identical
material, but the project never came to
anything.
''There have been distributions of nrinted
cards on a small scale or covering special
subjects. The United States Department
of Agriculture distributes it's card indexes
to subscribers paying the cost of the ex-
ira copies provided for the purpose and is
thus making generally available in conven-
lent form. at nominal cost, information
OF great value to investigators. The Amer
lean Library Association (not as a scheme
for profit, since 1t is not a commercial
body, but merely as a measure of profess
slonal co-operation) has issued cards index
ing certain scientific serials and even cards
cataloguing certain current books But the
association has no library nor any corps of
expert cataloguers. For the material to
be catalogued it had to depend upon vol
untary gift or loan from the publishers
The cards issued did not cover enough titles
TO interest large library; they covered too
many to interest small one. Yet sub
scription had to be required for the entire
series. There were never more than a hun
dred subscribers.
Since the Library of Congress moved in
TO the new building expectation has turned
to 1t. 1t has already the largest collection
OF books on the western hemisphere: it is
increasing more rapidly than any other
single collection 1t receives without cost
Two copies of every book entered for copy
right in the United States 1t receives
these on or before the date of publication
and thus in advance of any other library
1t receives an enormous mass of material
through exchange. And it is buying a mass
OF other books, current and non-current
which includes a large portion of ma
terial in current acquisition by the other
Libraries of the United States 1t is classt-
Tying and cataloguing this material on it's
own account. 1t is printing the results in
the form of cards. 1t is reclassifying and
recataloguing its existing collection lex
Guiding duplicates over 100000 books and
pamphiets), and is printing these results
also on cards. q These cards are of the
standard form, size, type and method of
entry the library has been in consultation
for over year past with a committee of
the American Library Association-a COM
mittee Of experts-in order to arrive at
standards, and We have now arrived at
what. might be called standard in all
these respects). What it prints Is an au-
thor card. 1t prints by way of memoran-
dunn on the card the subject headings that
1t will use on the copies destined for SUBJ
Ject cards. The cost to it of the first au-
thor card, including the work of the cata-
loguer. Is doubtless over 80 cents for each
book, But second copy Of the card can
be run off for fraction of a cent.
Extra Author Cards.
Now 1t is receiving this urgent appeal:
To permit other Libraries to order extra
copies of the cards which will cover books
that they are acquiring; just as they are
permitted to secure extra copies of the
card indexes Of the Agricultural Depart
ment, or, indeed, OF any government pub
l1cation. paying the cost plus 10 per cent.
The Library of Congress would be put
ting out no greater expert labor than be-
forei the government would be fully reim-
bursed for the additional mechanical work
and material; and the other libraries of
this country would be saved an expense.
which In the aggregate is now an enor-
nous expense, of duplicating, indeed of mul-
tiplying many times over, the outlay on
the two factors of cost which are the large
factors, the work of the cataloguer and
the work of the transcriber or compositor.
Between 1891 ana 1896 there were 1000, 600
volumes added to 4000 Libraries in the
United States. These may have represented
100000 different books or titles The cost
to catalogue these once, at 35 cents title,
would have been but $115,OOO. They were
catalogued many times over; how many
times can only be guessed. for, Of course,
some books were acquired by only one
library, others by hundreds of libraries.
Assuming that on the average each book
was catalogued only six times, the total
cost to the 1000 libraries was 1,O50, 600.
Could they have acted a unit, having
the books catalogued and the cards printed
at some central bureau and multiplying
copies to supply the need of each, the total
cost would certainly have been kept within
100000. The saving effected during this
short period alone would, therefore, have
been two-thirds of the total; on the basis
assumed, over 100000.
American instinct and habit revolt
against multiplication of brain effort and
outlay where multiplication of results
can be achieved by machine. This appears
to be a case where it may. Not every re-
suit, but results so great as to effect a
prodigious saving to the libraries of this
country. The Library of Congress cannot
ignore the opportunity and the appeal. 1t
is, as 1 have said, an opportunity unique,
presented to no other library, not even to
any other national library. For in the
United States alone are the library inter-
ests active in cooperative effort, urgent to
'standardize' forms, methods and processes,
and willing to make concession of individ-
ual preference and convenience in order to
secure results of the greatest general bene-
fit.
Distribution May Begin Soon.
1.-The distribution of cards for the cur
rent publications may begin very shortly