Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-09-04
RECORD. Of BOOKS
Uncle Sam win Catalogue Any
Kind Of a Library.
Library Of Congress 10 Able to Do It
at Low cost-One Card or .
Complete Set Can BE
Bought Now.

braries. institutions and individuals
throughout the United States and
abroad are having their books cata-
logced for them by the government.
Catalogues Of books in the library
Of congress we're first printed In book
form. About 1854 cards were substi-
tuted. Not until numerous expert
ments were made and cards of various
aixes. texture and thickness were used
vas the present simple card. 7hx12h
eentimeters, adopted rs the standard
xize." In 1897 the library OF congress,
With the support and Endorsement OF
the American Library association, con-
eeived the idea of printing its own
cards, and at the same time printing
enough cards for any library that
might want them. In 1900 a branch OF
the government printing Office was In
stalled in the library, and within
year cards were being printed for all
the current accessions to the library
and for all books that we're re-cata-
logued from the old cards.
In October Of 1901 a circular was
sent out announcing that the library
would sell any card which It had
printed or might print. In the begin
ming orders for cards were restricted
TO libraries; now there is no restric-
ton whatever.
When a volume is received by the
library OF congress, either by pur-
chase or gift or through copyright, It
Is catalogued in the latest and most
approved manner. II book cat
alogued is popular. desirable, or liable
to be found in other libraries or pur-
chased by them, from one hundred to
fifteen hundred cards are printed for
1t, and the extra cards are kept in
stock.
What are called depository sets
tene copy for each card printed) are
now found in over fifty libraries,
chosen for their location, accessibility,
etc.
A number of bulletins and hand
books have been issued, giving de-
tailed directions for ordering cards
and the classes OF books for which
full sets are available.
Thousands of copies of the same
book acquired by hundreds OF IL
braries must go through the same
process In each library. Now all
this work and expense Is saved to
those institutions. 1t has been esti-
mated that the cost Of getting
single book into a library catalogue
q from INVENTIVE to thirty-hve cents.
In addition to printing and distrib-
uting cards for other libraries, the
library Of congress has been print
ing since 1910 q few thousand titles
Per year from copy obtained or books
borrowed from other American IL
braries. It also maintains = number
Of travelling catalogues collections
q car1s on history, government doc
uments. agriculture, etc.-that are
sent about the country to assist r.
braries In catalogu.lg their books.
II q card Is ordered by number
(which entails the least labor it is
two cents, and for each additional
card four cents. The proofsheets
which are first struck OF cost $25
year or $3.50 q month. The entries on
these sheets are classified by subject,
% that IT. 10 possible to order any one
class At & cent 4 sheet.
The number Of different titles in
ths collection Is approximately 600.-
go. During 1913 $4,000 new titles
were added. The stock of cards now
on hand is over 100000. The sub
scribers have increased from 200 in
1901 to over two thousand In 1914.
About three hundred individuals. and
Arms are now ordering cards for bibli-
ogIaphical purposes. The returns to
the government from the sale Of
cards have increased from about
$1,000 in the fiscal year 1902 to about
SIS, 900 in 1914.