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Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming / Use peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutdes lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6\6 film^s. Additional comments / Commentaires suppl6ment?>i- ROYAL SOCIETY Of IBCTION ^LITBRATURB, AkOUKILQft. >?«. NUkm Pisl|k libraries and tlidr B&tJbdt By MB. L4WRSNGB J. BURPEE i? ^ i. ye* *uM BY » |. BOf>ii •itom.otTikVfAi ths carV'CVAaK co, torokto sV^ 190a 11 ^b^ f "^t ^ f. .% f»/f* LxmM IL, It [•] ruM. R. 8. c. I.— JTmbrn PttWie Z^favriM and OMr Mdlud$. By M>. Lawukci J. Bdbtu. COBBranlMtod bj sir John Bourinot, ICCltO. (Km« lUjr ST, INl) The hiitory of libraries may be traced far back into dawical timet, bat none of these were public librariea, in the modem genie of the term, any more than were the Monastic librariea of the Middle Ages. The flrat use of the term bibliotheca puhlica is found in the fifteenth century, and the collection of manuBcriptg bequeathed by Niccolo Niccoli to the dty of Florence, with the distinct provision that they were to be devoted to the uae of the citizens, may perhaps be regarded as the first public library. This early progenitor of the modem free library was after- wards merged into the Lauranziana, and the original manuscripts, or most of them, may still be seen in that library. It was, however, but an isolated example, far in advance of its times, and had no legitimate successor until long after the invention of printing. After Gutenburg, Fust and Peter Schoefifer in Germany, Coster in Holland, and Caxton in England, had firmly established that greatest of all modem inventions, the Printing Press, libraries of all kinds became more common. They had previously been for the most part confined to the universities, the monasteries, and (in England) a few powerful guilds, such as the Corporation of London and the Kalendars of Bristol. They now spread among the . z wealthy and the less learned classes. Legal and medical libraries a re formed for the use of professional men ; the old monastic libraries were offset, in Protestant centres, by libraries containing the works of Luther, Melanchthon, Erasmus, etc. ; and in the castles of princes and great nobles were to be found collections of popular romances, chronicles, etc., such as came from the presses of Caxton, Wynkyn de Worde, and other early printers. Public Libraries of Great Britain.* The earliest traces of free town libraries in England belong to the beginning of the seventeenth century. The town library at Norwich, founded in 1608, is a characteristic example of a class of library peculiar to thi3 period. It is the oldest city free library with a continuous history to the present day. The Norwich library, and others of the same kind, were not provided by the community, as our modem free libraries are, ' For the following partlcutara regarding public libraries In the United Kingdom I am chiefly Indebted to Mr. J. J. Ogle's admirable little work on The f'rtt Librmrf, London, 1887. i F5^Q,h03.Fflt^l 4 ROYAL BOaKTY OF CANADA but were the gift of Mme wealthy townimun who, like Niccolo Niceoli of Florence, induitriouily collected books during hii lifetime, and when he died left them ai a legacy to hii fellow-citizen*. Five yean after the eatablishment of the Noi^wieh library, a city library was opened at Bristol. This library has since been absorbed by the new Bristol Free Library. A parochial free library was established in 1623 at Langley Marish, in Buckinghunishire, by Sir John Keder- minster. The town of Leicester opeaed a library in 1632 ; and in 1663 the Chetham Library at Manchester was founded, through the gener- osity of Sir Humphrey Chetham. Numerous grammar school libraries also dated from the end of the sixteenth and beginning of the seven- teenth centuries. In 1763 the «;reat('pt of all English librnries was established — the British Museum. The sultsequent history of free public libraries in Great Britain is closely identified with this gnat national institution. The influence of the Museum and its librariong has always been n powerful factor for good in the mouldinf,' of public sentiment towards free public libraries in every part of the United Kingdom, and each new development in the orj,anization and management of libraries has been carefully examined and tested at the ^luseum. The British Museum hfr." The I'ublic Libraries Act of 1850 allowed the cstablishmen. of librariesi and museums of art and ecience, together or separately, but applied only to municipal boroughs in England. "The mayor, on the jequest of a town council, was to ascertain whether the Act should be adopted by a poll of the burgesses, but a two-thirds majority w 's required for adoption." No provision was made, however, for buy ug book-i or specimens. These were left to the Hindom genero-^^ of Kome townsman or other. Several amending acts followed in the next few years, extending the operation of the Act of l<-.'>0 to Ireland and Scotland; providing for a penny rate in the pound j for the purchase of books and speci- mens: the nddition of news-rooms, etc. These latter ]>rovisions wen- embodied in .he Act of 18.55, which repealed the 1850 .\ct, and remained the principal .\et for England and Wales until 1893. The elTect of these Library .Vets was felt immediately throughout England. Ewart's first Act (1850) ha.^. been passed only aliout two month-' when the city of Norwich adopted its provisions by a. vote ' Sep '• EdwTtird Edwards, the chief pioneer of Municipal Public Llbrurlt^s," by Thomas Greenwood. London, 190" pp. 246. ■=K. 6 ROYAL BOCIBTY OF CANADA of IftO to 7. WinchMter followeil the next year; and in 18«io Bir- mingham, Bolton. Mancheiter and Oxford came into lino. In 185S Blackburn .jd Sheffield in the north, and Cambridge and Ipuwich in the eut, aeceptoti the new Act. Liver|iool had already come in undar u local act. Airdric in 8i-otland, and Cork in Ireland were the firit town* to adopt the Library Act out«ide of England and Wale^. Others followed during the next few vcarH. In 1869 Mr. Haine«, M.P., moved for a return of public librariei, which wai furninhcfl to Parliament in 1870. Thi^ Return nhowi, up to the end of 1868. torty-six adoptionn of the Act, or Imul acu c.iuiva- lent thereto: twenty-nine place* had eatabli*hed flfty-two libraries, with nearly half a r.iillion -.olumeit and a yearly circulation of 3.400,000 Toliime*. The amount raiiet libraries of Englond. The new central library was opened on the 1st June, 1888, when speeches were delivered by John Bright, Joseph Chamberlain, and others. It is perhaps worth mentioning that Mr. Bright had also taken a leading part in the inauguration of the Alanrhester free libraries, some thirty years previously, when, besides his owi, speeches were delivered by [K»ml MODERN PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND TIIEIU METI10D8 5 i 1 1 Dii'keiu, ThulcAray, Hulwer Lytton, Muuckton Milnpi, and other (reat men of the da.v Of the librurioD of tho I'nitod Kingdom, thi> Britith iruMum standi* head and Khoulrlor?' iiUni' all othfrn. It in the national library of (Jreat Kritain and In-land — of the British Kmpirc in fmt; und iu a ttill broader Kcn«e it may be r the library pttr tictllrnre nf the whole Engliith-«pt*akin)i{ world. It i* ^fovermd by a lM>ard of TruNtees or Dircctom. divide i: Oottonian and Townley. For the firwt sixty year^ of the MuneumV ei. .ince, the fundi nvnilable for purchases and tiiaiiagrment, outside of the initiol fundu iind gifts, did not average £500 per annum. Ijator, through the untir- ing efforts of Sir .\nthony I'anizzi, the famous head of the Museum, the fiovernment were induced to increase the annual grants, for a time, to £10,000. The Hritish Museum at fir*t consisted of three departments, — print I'd books, nuinusixipts. ond natural history; now there are twelve, — four covering natural history, four relating to antiquities, and four literary, i.e., printed hooks manuscripts, prints and drawings, nnd Oriental printe- books for the blind, (1857) ; and book-music (1859). .^ \':~ 1 [bubpm] modern public LIBRAWES AND THEIR METHODS 9 The Binningham library dates from 1860, when the Act was adopted by an overwhelming majority, in spite of much opposition. The reference library was opened in 1865. Some instructive remarks have been made by Dr. Ijangford as to the principles which guided the Birmingham Librarj- Committee in their choice of books — prin- ciples which might verj- well be recommended to the attention of other library committees and librarians : — " The Committee were guided by three principles: first, that the library should as far as practicable repreeent every phase of human thought and every variety of opinion; second, that books of permanent value and of standard interest should form the principal portion of the library, and that modem and popular books should be added from time to time as they are published ; third, that it should contain those rare and costly works which are generally out of the reach of individual students and col- lectors, and which are not usually found in provincial or private libra- ries." The third principle could, of course, only be carried out to a limited extent by any but the largest and wealthiest city libraries. There are now nine branches at Birmingham, besides the central libraries. The number of books at the end of 1895 was nearly 210.000 ; and the circulation in that year exceeded 1,200,000. The Leeds Library was established in 1870. Here the system of branches has been carried farther than iinywhore pIso in Enjrlanil. There are altogether some fifty-eight branches, thirty-seven school hranches and twentv-one other hranohes: with nhout 192.000 volumes. 'I'he public library at Kinsston-upon-HuU was established in 1892, after a long fight against hitter and determined opposition. There fire two central libraries and two branches ; the number of volumes being, in 1896, 52,588, of which 12,830 were in the two reference libraries. The Edinburjrh Public Lilirary owes its beautiful Imilflinsr to the generosity of that friend of libraries, Andrew Carnegie, who gave £50.000 for the purpose. There are now over 100,000 volumes on the shelves. The two free libraries in Dublin are comparatively unimportant as compared with the library systems of English cities of the same size. They are, however, only a temporary expedient, and are to be developed into a library worthy of the capital of Ireland. The chief library in Dublin is the National Library of Ireland, an institution which bears somewhat the same relation to Ireland as the British Museum does to England. This library is housed in a building which admirably combines architectural beauty with the requirements of modem librarianship. It is situated close to Leinster House, the home of the Royal Dublin Society. i I lO ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA The Belfart Libraiy d«t« from 1883. With its bnnches it now contsina about 36,000 volumes. Mr. J. J. Ogle, in his work on "The Free Library." estimaieM that in 1897 there were no fewer than six or sc '^ h • i'ed fi-ee libraries establiehed in 300 towns, parishes, or districts, under the Public Libraries Acts of the United Kingdom. These libraries then contained 6,000,000 volumes, and had an annual issue of from twenty- five to thirty millions. This estimate does not, of course, include the British Museum, the Bodleian, or other libraries not strictly coming within the class of municipal free libraries. The outstanding loans on free public library property, in England and Wales only, amounted to not less than £800,000, despite the fact of the very con- siderable gifts of buildings in every part of the country. "But" adds Mr. O^e "the end is not yet. The movement is yet young, and it is vigorous with the strength and activity of adolescence. The towns will yet show advances neither few nor small ; but the villages, the counties, have yet to reap the advantage the towns enjoy ; the metropolis has yet to do much to equal the provision of the larger provincial centres, whose libraries of twenty, thirty or forty years' formation are one of the glories of this mercantile age." ECBOFKAN LiBRABIES. One would need the compass of a large volume within which to describe the many famous libraries of Europe, and it is hopieless to attempt even a partial sketch of this wide field. All that can be done here is to mention a few of the more famous and representative libraries. As a matter of fact the public libraries of Europe, outside of England, whether supported by municipalities or by the state, hardly come directly within the scope of this paper, for, with a few notable exceptions, "-oy are in no sense modem, in architecture, methods, or in theii Jations to the community. On their shelves are found manuscripts, incunabula, rare editions and other priceless literary treasures, and in this respect the libraries of America can never hope to compete with them ; but in a majority of cases the libraries of Europe are still mediseval in their methods. They have not adopted the democratic principles of English and American public libraries. They make no special effort to throw their stores of books open in the fullest possible sense to the public. Of the French libraries, the most important is, of course, the Bibliotheque Nationale, whose history runs back to the days of King John and Charles V. Although this great library is generally counted to be the largest in the world, the question is not without doubt. ^ ? [BUBPM] MODERN PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND THEIR METHODS 11 Tt« only rival is the BritiBh MuBenm, but the number of books in the Museum library are known definitely ; while the contents of the French National Library have not been actually counted fcince 1791. Besides the Bibliothftque Nationale, there are fifteen other libraries in Paris each containing above 30,000 volumes. In the rest of France there are some 350 free public libraries, containing approximately 4,000,000 volume*, and 50,000 MSS. Germany has many libraries, seventy-two being counted in Berlin alone in 1875, with about 1,300,000 printed books. Munich contains several good libraries; and at Dresden there are about fifty. Stuttgart, Darmstadt, Gotha, are all strong library centres. In Austria there were in 1873-74 about 560 libraries, only 45 of which were however of a public character. Of the 550, Vienna alont' is credited with 101. The public libraries of Switzerland are numerous, but very small. Some 2000 were recorded in 1868, but of these only 18 had as many as 30,000 volumes. Italy boasts some of the most famous libraries of Europe, notably the Vatican Library at Borne, the Magliabecchiana and Laurentian libraries at Florence, and the Museo Borbonico at Naples. In 1865 a table of relative statistics was published by the Italian Government, which professed to show the remarkable fact that, with the exception of France, Italy possessed the largest total number of books of any country in Europe, the total contents of French libraries being 4,389,000, iind of Italian libraries, 4,149,281. In Belgium and Holland, gi-eat libraries are found at Brussels, Ghent, The Hague, Leyden, etc. Denmark, Norway and Sweden also boast of many notrie libraries. At Madrid, in Spain, and Lisbon, in Portugal, the Biblioteca Nacional contains several hundred thousand books and valuable MSS. covering the literature of their respective countries. In Russia, the chief libraries are at St. Petersburg and Moscow. LiBRABIES IN THE UNITED STATES The history of public libraries in the United States goes back to the early part of the nineteenth century. The Boston Public Library, in fact, claims to trace its existence back to the middle of the • aventeenth century, but it was not until nearly two hundred years afterwards that a public library in the modem sense of the term, was established there. In 1817 Dr. Jesse Torrey, Jr., published a pamphlet entitled '■ The intellectual torch," in which he made an earnest plea for " the tfa< 18 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA ■J: uniTenal diBsemination of knowledge and virtue, by means of free public libraries." This pamphlet is said to be a second edition of an earlier one entitled " The intellectual flambeau," published at Waahington in 1816. The iirst public library law in America was that passed by the State of Xew Vork in 1835. One writer,' indeed, states that it wa» " the first known law of a state allowing the people to tax themselves to maintain genuine, public libraries. The law did not establish libraries for :^chool8 (as some have supposed) but for the people, in districts of the size of a school district." In fact, the author of the Act, John A. Dix, Secretary of State for New York, distinctly stated that " The object was not so much for the bnefit of children attend- ing school, as for those who have completed their common school education. Its main design was to throw into school districts, and place within the reach of all their inhabitants, a collection of good works on subjects calculated to enlarge their understandings and store their minds with useful knowledge." This Act provided that : 1. The taxable Inhabitants of each school district In the state shall have power, when lawfully assembled at any district meeting, to lay a tiax on the dlErtrlct, not exceeding t20 for the first year, for the purchase of a dUtrict library, consisting of such books a« they shall in their district meeting direct, and such further sum as they may deem ne:e3sary for the purchase of a bookcase. The intention to propose such tax shall be stated in the notice required to be given for such meeting. 2. The taxable Inhabitants of each school district shall aJao have power, when so assembled in any subsequent year, to lay a tax not exceeding JIO in any one year, for the purpose of making additions to the district library. 3. The clerk of the district, or such other person as the taxable Inhabi- tants may at their annual meeting designate and appoint by a majority of votes, shall be the librarian of the district, and shall have the care and custody of the library, under such regulations as the inhabitants may adopt for his government. 4. The taxes authorized by this act to be raised, shall be assessed and collecte'' in the same manner as a tax for building a schoolhouse. Three years after the passing of this act, $55,000 a year was set apart by the State of New York for books and apparatus for school districts, provided the districts would give as much as their pro rata share. The example of New York was soon followed by other States cf the Union, both in the east and west, and eventually paved the way to a broader and better system of free public libraries supported by local rates. The school district library reached its highest develop- ment between 1838 and 1851. Early in the seventies it was found ' Dr. Homes, " Legislation for public libraries," Librarg Journal. July- August, 1879. Lbwpb] modern public LIBBAK1E8 AND THEIR METHODS 18 to have outlived its usefulness, and was gradually superseded by the present Bystera.* The centre of the free public library system of the State of New York is the State University at Albany, founded in 1784 " to encourage nnd promote higher education '. This unique university now includes P38 institutions and 610 affiliated institutions, making a total of 1448. Under the syst ii in vogue, when a town or village wishes to establish a public library, the local trustees obtain a charter from the university, which entitles them to a state grant (not exceeding $800) equal to the amount raised for the library by local effort. The library then becomes an integral part of the State University. The state library at Albany is the heart of the whole system. Here an eCicient Library School is maintained for the training of librarians and their assistants ; from here an Inspector visits the various libraries throughout the State, and keeps them up to a proper standard of efficiency; from here traveKinj; libraries are sent forth to various centres -»• there are now bbout 500 of these travelling libraries moving about the State. The various libraries are kept in touch with the central department, and every possible assistance is given to librarians and library trustees, by means of reports, circulars, bulletins, personal advict, assistance in planning library buildings, lists of best books, and public addresses and discussions. The public library movement in Massachusetts may be said to be almost as old as the colony. One Captain Robert Keayne, an eccen- xric tailor, founded the fi-st pubiie library in Boston by a legacy of books and money. This early progenitor of the present magnificent library was housed, in 1058. in a room in the markethou.-e. It was not, however, until 1848 that Boston secured legal authority to establish and maintain a public librarv. Gifts of books and money at once t)egan to conio in for the purpose, but the librarj- was :.ot formally established until 1852. The present splendid collection of books had for its nucleus a gift of about fifty volumee from the city of Paris in 1843, "through the efforts of an enthusiastic Frenchman named Vattemare, who proposed to build up librariee through a system of international "xclianges ". The Boston Public Library is now the largest and most thoroughly organized free public library '•' the world. Boston was the pioneer in library extension ii. thr e, but a general law was soon passed, which \,as rapidly taken outage of ' The district library system was adopted by Massachusetts and Michigan In 1837; Connecticut In 1S39: Rhode Island and Iowa In ISW; Indiana, 1841; Maine. 1S44: Ohio. 1S47: Wisconsin. 1547; Mlpsourt. IS.'i.l; California and Oregon, 18.S4: Illinois, 18,S5; Kansas and Virginia, 1870; New Jersey, 1871; Kentucky and Mlnnesot 1873; and Colorado, 1876. 14 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA fk''' throughout Massachusetts. In 1890, when the Free Public Librarie* Commission was established, there were 248 out of the 341 towns in the commonwealth, that enjoyed such privilege. In 1899 there were only seven towns that were still without a free library, and these com- prised loss than one-half of one per < nt of t'l: population. I have not the figures of the past year before me, but think it vory probable that even some of the benighted seven have ere this joined the enlightened majority by establishing public libraries in their midst. In the free libraries of Massachusetts there were, in 1899, some 3,750,000 volumes, with an annual circulation of 7,666,666, or over tliree volumes to every inhabitant. The amo. it given for libraries and library buildings in Massachusetts in the shape of gifts, and bequests, reaches in money alone the sum of over $8,000,000. In an exhaustive and very valuable monograph upon " Public Libraries and Popular Education." by Herbert B. Adams, Ph.D., IjL.D., Professor of American and institutional history in Johns Hopkins University, the foUowinsr list is jjivon. admirably illustratinjr the evolution of the American library. Dr. Adams calls it a " ?"\ect lis^ of original library types ":- 1. The private libraries of early colontets. 2. The Institutional or scholastic libraries of Harvard, Yale, William & Mary colleges, etc. 3. The church or parish libraries Instituted In North Carolina, Maryland, and the South by Dr. Bray, founder and Secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. 4. The co-operative or Joint-stock library, e.g., the Philadelphia Library Company, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731, which antedates by 25 years the first subscription library In England (Liverpool, 1756).' 5. The first theological library in America was that of St. Mary's theo- logical seminary of St. Sulpice, Baltimore, 1791. 6. The first law library was that of the Bar Association of Philadelphia. 1S02. 7. The first medical library was at Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, 1763. 8 The first scientific libraries were those of the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, 1743; and of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Boston, 1780. 9. The first State Historical Society library was that of MassEichusetts, founded at Boston, 1791. 10. The first foreign nationality to establish a library was the Oerman Society of Philadelphia, 1764. 11. The first town library was in Salisbury, Ct., 1803, or at Peterborough, N.H., 1833. ' This is incorrect. A subscription library was established in Edinburgh as early as 1725, and in London in 1740. The Liverpool (Lyceum) Library ■wvlb founded in 1758, not 1756. [Bcapn] MODERN PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND THEIH MUTHOUS 18 12. The Concrvulonal Library was founded at Waiblnfton in 1800. 13. The nnt fomml statt library was that of New Jersey, eatabli.,.'-.')) in 1796. 14. Toung men's mercantile libraries were founded In Boston and New Tork In 1820. 16. School district lii larles were authorized by law In 1833. 16. Endowed libraries were Instituted at many different times and places. 17. Tree public libraries, as proKresslve tr.stltuiions, belong to the lattvr half of the nineteenth century. 15. The federal or confederate type of public libraries, like those now grouped together In New York as the New Tork Public Library, by con- solidation of the Astor and Lenox libraries with the Tilden. 1». The travelling library 13 the late«t and one of the most popular types of public libraries. It best represents llbrnry extension. The American library wb'cli b: ".rs the closest resemblance to the British Museum, as a national institution, is the Library of Congress. This library has ha^ -^ chequered career. Established in 1800, it was burned, together with the Capitol, during the war of 1812, by the British army. In 1851 another fire destroyed all but 2Q.f">0 f the books. Since then the libraiy hap grown rapidly, and now numbers close upon a million books anr^ pamplilets. As in the case of the British Museum and the Bodleian Library at Oxford, the Library of Congres> is entitlwl by law to receive two copies of every publication which claims copyright. The magnificent new building in which the library is housed, is furnished with every modem convenience for the safety and convc lent use of the books. The Boston Public Library at present contains something over 750.000 volumes. It has been the recipient of many valuable gifts in books and money from its broad-minded citizens, the most notable being Joshua Bates, after whom the stately Bates Hall is named, Theodore Parker and George Ticknor the publisher. Josiah Quincy, mayor of Boston, gave the following graphic description of the librarj- and its work for the public, in the Saturday Evening Post (Philadel- phia), June 3rd, 1899: — " The work of our public library Is of such a comprehensive character that It pertakee very largely of the nature of a popular university, and cornea very near to constituting an example of municipal socialism carried into practice. Our library plant— building, books and equipment— represents an Investment of at least 15,000,000. Three hundred and fifty persons r.re employed In connection with its service, and it costs the city over a quarter of a million dollars a yecr to maintain it. Beeldes the central library, we have 10 branch libraries, containing Independent collections of l>ooka, and 18 delivery stations. There are outstanding 65,000 active cards for a popu- lation of 530,000 peof.-ie. 0\t?r 700 readers are generally to be found in the central building alon?, and about 1,250,000 l>ooks are annually lasued to card holders for use at I'.ome. The people of Boston contribute nearly half a 16 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA dollar annually per capita for th« support of thU great Institution, and I doubt whether a community can be found anywhere In the world which tazea Itself as heavily to provide library facilities, or which make* a larcer use of them." In addition to the 10 branches and 18 db.ivery Btationa mentioned by Mr. Quincy, there are also 3? other places— public schools, engine houses, etc.,— where books are .-egTilarly received on deposit. Thi* makes a total of 61 outlying agencies of the library.' The New York Public Library is a new institution, in which are merged the As lor, Lenox and Tilden Libraries. It is possible that before long the New York Circulating Library may also be included in the general scheme, thua constituting one of the largest libraries in Americ-a. Dr. John S. Billings,, a man of broad views and ripe experience, lias charge of the amalgamated libraries. A splendid library building is now in course of erection in Bryant Park, and Mr. Carnegie has offered an enormous sum for the establishment of branch libraries in every quarter of Greater New York. The popularity of the N"T; York libraries may be gauged from the fact that the daily cor.:i'. iCd average number of readers at the Astnr and Lenox Libraries was found in 1899 to be 488 ; while the average attendance at the British Museum, with over three times the number of books, was only 516. The New Y'ork Public Library, as at present con- stituted, contains in the neighbourhood of 700,000 volumes. The New York Free Oirculating Library was first incorporated in 1880. There are at present 10 branches, with over 100,000 books. No icntral library exists, but books are sent from one branch to another as required, and there is a general catalogue of all the branches. This library system is almost entirely supported by private subscriptions, but it is free to the public, notliing but a guarantee being reijuired for an intending card-holder. One of the most remarkable examples of a modem public library system is that of Philadelphia. Here the modern idea of supplementing the central librarj- by outlyinp branches has been carried a long step fu'rther by practically abolishing the central repository altogether, and relying upon the branches alone — going to the people in their own neighbourhoods, instead of making them travel to a distant central library. Travelling libraries are another popular feature of the Philadelphia system. At Philadelphia is also to be found the oldest proprietory or subscription library in the United States — the Library Company of Philadelphia. This project was originally set on foot by Benjamin ' It appears by a recent report that these 61 agencies have now (1902) been Increased to g". [■URPU] MODI-'HN PUBLIC UBKARl£ti AMU TIIEIU METHOM 17 Franklin in 1731. The collection combinM the dwncter of » public and a rabecription library, being open to the public for reference purposes, whil4 the booka circulate only among the aubacribing membera. It numbera at preaent about 130,000 booka. Other American proprietory librariea are the Mercantile Library Company of Philadelphia, the Boaton Athenaeum, the Mercantile Libraiy of New York, the Apprenticea* Library of New York, etc. None of theee, however, are, strictly speaking, free public librariea. The Buffalo Public Library was originally incorporated in 1837, but it waa a subscription library until 1897, when it was taken over by the city. It now containa in the neighbourhood of 100,000 booka, with about 10,000 pamphlets. The advantagea of a free public, over a subscription, library is forcibly illustrated by the fact that while the year previous to the transfer of the Buffalo library to the city, the entire circulation of booka waa only 142,669, in four months from the public iipening in September, 1897, it had increased to 262,232, and in 1898 to 768,028 volumes. An interesting feature ■*. the Buffalo library is its close connection with the public schoo system of the city. Mr. Elmenuorf, the superintendent of the library, in his annual report for 1897, says: "The library is in the closest co-operation with the high schools. An assistant visits each school before the opening hour on every school day, receives books to be returned and li.' iiresent footing in 1867. It contains about 150,000 books, besides pamphlets. The main library is a very handsome and well-equipped building, and therd are two branches beside^,. The Newberry Library, in Chicago, is chiefly notable on account of its unique plan for classifying and arrangind books, devised and ccrried out by Dr. Poole, the original compiler of that famous and indispensable work, " Poole's Index." In the Newberry Library the several branches of human knowledge are shelved in different rooms, arranged on a 8)rmmetrical plan, with provision for the addition or other rooms as the growth of the library should call for further sub- division. The building is simple in form, but substantially constructed, and provided with every modern library convenience. Carrying out Jlr. Poole's plan, the books are not shelved in stacks, but in a single [Mim> c] MUDEKN PUBLIC UBKAKIK8 AND TIIKiU M£TI1UM to tin oi cMM cuvtriiig tb« tloor at each room, with room for resden' tablM. Space will not permit me to describe the many other prominent librariei) of the Lnitod ^«tatt>H, Ruch as the Chicago Public Library, Siau FranciMo Public, the popular auU exceedingly energetic library at Denver, the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, the Peabody Institute at Bal- timore, etc. From a report issued by the United States Bureau of Education, it appears that in 1!)00 there were S,383 public, eociety and school libraries in the United States having one thousand Tolumeit or over. These librariog contained altogether 44.591,861 volumes and 7,603,588 pamphlets. The number of manuscripts is not stated, but outside of a few of the largest libraries they would be insignificant. Of the irdi vidua! states. New York ranks first, with 718 libraries, containing 7,490,509 volumea and 1,803,828 pamphlets. Massachusetta comes second, with 571 libraries, 6,633,286 volumes, and 1,160,277 pamphleta. Pennsylvania is third, with 401 libraries, 3,974,577 volumes, and .538,819 pamphlets. Illinois follows next, with 309 libraries; then Ohio, with S66; and California, with 212. Eleven other States have between 100 and 300 libraries each. The remainder run from 96 in Vermont down to Arizona and the Indian Territory, which pwjsess 6 and 3 libraries respectively. I will venture to sum up this hasty sketch of United States libraries by quoting from an address delivered by Mr. Melvil Dewey af Convocation of the University of the State of New York. 1888. Mr. Dewey said, speaking of the progress of libraries and librarianship in the United States : — We date active prosre«« from 1876. when, after a four days' nuccesBful conference In Philadelphia, the American Library Assoolatlon vrai organized. It hnl-l- nnnuni mpptlnir!.. mnrkefl amonx ronventlons by tho'r pr.T-tlcal work and emthtMrtawn. The same year we atarted an offlclaj monthly organ, the Library Jourval (now, 1902, In ltd 27th year). Shortly after followed that moBt Important practical factor In library vork, the Library Bur»-.i of Boston, which undTtakee to do for llbrarlM such work as Is not practlc«bl« for the amoclatlon or mairazlne. It equips larire or small libraries with fcveiythJnK needed (except books and i>erlodIoala) of the be« pottema devteed by or known to the officers and committees of the association, of which It Is the tangible representath-e for manufacturing and distributlnif Improved appliances and supplies. Ten years after the Journal, which, because of Its limited circulation, barely pays expenses at 15 a year, came Its co-labourer, Ltbrart Aolri, a quarterly magazine of librarianship. specially devoted to the modern methods and spirit, and circulated widely because of Its low price. L«at of thP ffreat steps' oaiirt.- the school for training librarians and cata- loguers, which two years ago (1887) was opened at Columbia College, through the same Influence which had before started the Association, .Inumal Bureau and Nott». Tou w4io appreciate what Noronaa Schools are dal.-« to Imimive II^^J to HOYAL SOCIETY OK CANADA 1 :h our tMchlni will r»i»i#mb«r that llbwrlam itMd a limlnlng iclKiol -nor* IhM toMhar*. who h»v» had Iht •ipertwc* ot th«lr own ichool llf« mm a rattarn. for llbrarlajta till two y»ar» ago ntvar had ,ortunliy for tmlnlns, and cam* to th»lr work Ilka teacher* who had bwn Mlf-tautht. and not only had no normal •chool advantagM. but h»d n«vtr baan In a Bchool or claaa- room avtn ai puplU. Aa avld^nc of th« growth of th» Idea, w» may note that thl» library ichool, which began two year* ago with a twelva waaka oourta and provUlon for 6 to 10 puplla. haa In two yaara davtiopad to a couiw of full tv.o yarf with four timta aa many itudeDta at work, and H» •pita ct r»i>ldly Increaaad requirMnenta for atfmiUgton la to-4ay ambarra*** by nva tlm«a aa many candidate, ai It can receive. Thli mean, a recognl- tlon of the high calling of the modem librarian w*»o worka In the modam «]«r(t w»«> the hl«h Ideate wUrioh the aehool IwldB betere Ma pii»Ua. It should be mentioned that this plan for tt library whool origin- tttid with Mr. Dewey himself. 8om« eight y«iM before the \\n. library Hhool wa-* e^labli^h.•d in tiic Init.'d States, the British Library Association i«s«ed a resolution in favour of training library aaswtanU in the general principle* of their profegsion, but nothing practical came ot the susfRfstion al the time. Sinee then a library ■ummer •chool hog been established, under the auspices of the Library ABSociation of the United Kingdom, but it :^ inferior to the American schools in every way. We must look ou this side of the AtUntic for the most phenomenal protrress in thi.^ braricl- of h. ..rianship. Since the first Library School was established ai Columbia College, in IHsr. similar institutions have sprung np all over the Fnittd States. In 1889 Mr. Dew.y iraiisr.rred Ihe Columbia College School to the New York State Lil)rnrv at Albany. Here he organized the school upon a sound and permanent basis, Mith a strong faculty, and a thorough course of training, leading up to the degroo of B.L.S. (bachelor of libfar) science), given only to those students who pass the entire course with honours'. A summer course is nlso ollored liy this school, for the benefit of persons who already hold a librun position and wish t(. pain a broader conception of library work as a whole. Other library schools are those at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn; at the Drexel Institute, rhiladelphia: and at the University of Illinois, where library economy has been jjiven a regular place among the col- lege courses. At Madison, under the auspices of the State University, i- another school, the WisconMii Summer School of Library Sciehce. Professor Win. 1. Fletcher, whose valuable continuation of Poole's Index most of us know the value of. established a library school at Amherst College in 1891, which he personally conducts for fi^re weeks j^^ jj,;^j.„„„,,pr. Ijaatly may be mentioned the Washington School of Library Science, organized in 1897 at Columbian University, and in which instniction is given in every department of library economy and administration. [MBMHl] MODKKN I'l'Btll' t.lHKAKIM .\>0 TilKIK MI'rrhOi>S 81 PVBUC LiBBAUU or AUBTKALIA, BTC. To mention nierelj the namee of thv chief Australian and othi>r Colonial public librariet, outHide of Canuda, ii> altout ai> iiinch a« ran bo ittenipti'd here. The chief public library in Auatralia it that ui MoHiouriie, eytabli'hed in iHM. It now containi* conitiderably over lOO.doo volunim, with iibout 25,000 pamphlets. The library u itupporled by an annual l'iirlinin(>ntary vote of about £5,000 or £<}.000. Kcadert are admitted without i ly formality and have free acceaii to the xhelveii. Xext in importance to the Melbourne Library io that at Sydney, which ii xaid to contain the largest collection of workn on .\uittralaiiia. Other public libiariea hare been established in New South Wales, at Newcastle, Mathurst, Albury and elsewhere. There are xeveral other considerable libraries in Melbourne, in addition to the Public Library, and oiitnide of the capital, the State of Victoria contains public libraries at Hallurat. Ca«tle??iaine, (leeliuijj, and many other places. In Queensland, the chief public library is at Brisbane. There is also a flourishing librarj at .Xdelaide, in South Australia ; and another at Perth, in Western Australia. Tasmania contains public librarici* at Hobart and fiOu iceton; and New Zealand, at Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin and Wellington. I II Cape Colony, the most important library is that at Cape Town — the South African Public Library, which was established as long ago ac 1S18. It now contains 100,000 volumes, including the collection bequ(>athed by Sir George Gt % comprising besides MSS. and early printed b>>oks, an unrivalled c^iiection of works in the native languages of .Africa, Australia, etc. Outside of Cape To\.d, there are (if they have survived the war) public libraries at Cradoek, Ett**i London, GratF I'einet. Graliii 4o\vn, Kimber!ey, King Williamstown and Port Elizabeth. In Xatul there arepuu :e libraries at Pietermaritzburg, Durban, etc. ; and in Rhodesia, at nulawayo.' ' Tbe following Ust of South African lib arlee appeared In the February number ot 7'*e Library World, London, ISO!:— - Cape Colony. Same of Library. Etlah. No. of Book: Cape To «n 1818 100,000 Port Elizabeth 1848 36.216 Grahamstown 1863 1S,S87 Klmberley 1882 28,848 I It t ■« ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA In the West Indies, public libraries have been established at Antigua, Barbados, Nassau (Jamaica), Grenada and Trinidad. There is a public library at Port Louis, on the Island of Mauritius ; two at Colombo, Ceylon; one at Singapore, one at Malacca, another at Penang, and finally, one at Hong Kong. 'ri rh:! Canadian Public Libraries. The history of free public libraries in Canada is almost too recent for consideration at the present time. Outside of the Province of Ontario, they may be numbered upon one's fingers — ^with a good margin over. Of course if onb takes account of other than municipal free libraries — which is the especial field of this paper— the showing is a trifle more creditable. In a report published in 1893 by the Fnited States Bureau of Education, relating to public libraries, detailed statistics are given of the various libraries of Canada.* From these statistics it appeare that, in 1891, there were altogether some 202 public libraries in the Dominion,* containing 1,392,366 volumes and 86,644 pamphlets. Of these, 162 libraries, or over three-quarters of the entire number, with 821,198 books and 42,134 pamphlets, were in Ontario; 27 libraries, or over on-half of the remaining number with 469,781 volumes and 31,073 pamphlets, were in Quebec; and the remainder were scattered over the other provinces. Of the 202 libraries, only 17 were strictly speaking free public libraries. There Natal.. Same of Lihrary. Etiab. No. of Books. Pletermarltzburg 1851 11,261 Durban igsa 12,368 Verulam 1S57 2,794 Richmond In«t iggs 2,500 Ladysmith 1872 Pinetown 1873 1,100 Greytown Inst 1374 2,759 Ea«tcourt 1875 2,300 IXOPO 1880 2,310 Newcastle 188O 3,200 Islplngo 1880 Howick Jubilee 1883 1,022 Polela 1886 SOD Hardlngr Circulatins I886 400 Dunde« I891 Sterk Spruit 1896 450 Stanger iggs 413 ' Prepared by Mr. James Bain, Jr., Cliief Librarian of the Toronto PuWlc Library. ' These Include only libraries containing at least 1,000 velumes. [bcvu] modern public LIBRARIES AND THEIR METHODS 28 were 109 Mechanics Institutes, all in Ontario, with the exception of one at Sherbrooke, P. Q. (The Ontario Mechanics Iistitutes have since been transformed into pablic libraries by an Act of the Legislature of Ontario.) Of the rest, 37 were university and college libraries; 19 law libraries; 8 parliamentary; and the remainder medical, historical and scientific' The oldest library in Canada is that of Laval University, Quebec, founded about 200 years ago. It now contains over 100,000 vclumee, besides a large number of very valuable manuscripts relating to the early history of Canada. The earliest subscription or co-operative library in Canada was the Quebec Library, established in 1779.* On January 7th, 177a, the following advertisement appeared in the Quebec Oazette: — " A subscription has be«n commenced for evtabllshlnK a publlck library tor the city and district of Quebec. It has met with the approbation, of His Excellency the Governor-General and of the Bishop, and It Is hoped th -t the institution, so particularly useful In this country, will be generally encour- aged. A list of those who have already subscribed Is lodged at the Secre- tary's Office, where those who chuse It, may have an opportunity to add there names. The subscribers are requested to attend at the Bishop's Palace, at 12 o'clock, the 15th instant, in order to chuse trustees for the Library." The meeting was duly held, and resulted in the election of a board of trusties, and the passing of certain regulations for the govern- ance of the library. The subscription was placed at £5 on entering, and £2 annually afterwards. Books were only lent out to subscribers. The jiublic were assured that " no books contrary to religion or good morals, would be permitted." In 1883 the library had been removed from the Bishop's Palace and occupied rooms on St. Peter Street, in the Lower Town. There were then some 4,000 volumes on the shelves. In 1843 another library was established at Quebec, known as the Quebec Library Association. Sonic years afterwards the old Quebec Library amalgamated with the Library .Association. In 1854 the Parliament Buildings were destroyed by fire, and a large portion of the books of the Quebec Library Association, which had been housed there, were burnt. In 1866 a catalogue was printed showing 6990 volumes in the library; and the following year the books were sold to the Quebec Literary and Historical Society; and the Quebec Library ' See Appendix for further statistics regarding Canadian public libraries. ' A very interesting account of the origin and hl«tnry nt the library of the Literary & Historical Society, and of the Quebec Library, and Quebec Library Association, by Mr. Frederick C. WUrtele, will be found in the Transactions of the Lit. and Hist. Soc. of Quebec, No. 19, 1889, pp. 29-70. ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA .' ! '>).*'.•'■ I !' AgsocUtion, with the original Quebec Library, came to an end. The Quebec Literary and Historical Society, which was founded in 1834, chiefly through the instrumentality of the then Governor General, the Earl of Dalhousie, has been an important factor in the intellectual life of Quebec ever since. It has published a number of volumes of valuable transactions^ and its library now contains some 2S,000 books and pamphlets. The only other libraries of any importance in the Province of Quebec are those of McGill University, established in 1855, and now containing 89,000 volumes, besidee about 10,000 pamphlets (McOill is the only Canadian library using Cutter's Expansive System) ; the Eraser Institute, Montreal, endowed by Hugh Eraser, opened in 1886, and now containing 39,000 volumes; and the Sherbrooke Library and Art Union, the only remaining example of the one? popular tiechanics Institutes, which spread from England to An jrica many years ago, and in their day did good work. Their places are now, however, much more effectively in every way taken by public libraries supported ly municipal rates, and open to the public in the widest possible sense. Among Canadian libraries the premier place must, of course, be given to the Library of Parliament at Ottawa, an institution which bears (or ought to bear) a somewhat similar relation to Canada, to that occu- pied by the Library of Congress, and the British Museum, in their res- pective countries. It is housed in a building which may bo said without exaggeration to be the most beautiful library building in America, — if we except the mural decorations of the Booton Public Library, and of the Library of Congress. It is questionable, however, whether the Library of Parliament is, even relatively, of the same value to Canadian scholars and students as the great national libraries of England and the United States. This is not through any particular fault of the staff, who are almost uniformly courteous and obliging, but mainly because of the antiquated and cumbrous system by which the library is managed, and the absence of any desire on the part of the authorities to make the library one truly national in scope and helpfulness, rather than purely and simply a library for the use of members of Parliament during the few mont' ~ of the session. Surely, librarians and the friend* of libraries in Canada, are not unreasonable when they hope for the inauguration of a more effective and far-reaching poliov as respects the Library of Parliament; a policy which will make that library, with its really splendid collections of books, the centre for all that is best in modem librarianship, a source of inspiratidn and helptulnees to other Canadian libraries, and of wide usefulness tc [bcrpik] modern public LIBRARIES AND THEIR METHODS 28 Rcholan and students and all who may seek information from its increasing stores of books. It will then be in the truest sense a national library. Of public libraries, in the stricter sense of the term, the great majority, as has already been stated, are in Ontario, and the chief of these is the Public Library at Toronto, with its five very active branches. This library system, under the able direction of Mr. James Bain, is doing, in a perfectly unostentatious way, a splendid work in Toronto. It reaches, through its branches, every quarter of the city, and its reference library is one of the best in Canada. In its methods it aims to make the library of the widest possible helpfulness to the community, and to keep its books, not on the shelves, but in the houses of the people. There are now some 111,725 volumes in the main library and branches, of which 37.207 are in the reference department of the main library. Next in importance to the Toronto Public Library is that at Hamilton, in which several admirable features of modem library man- agement ha.e been adopted, with ample success. The books are classi- fied arcording to the Dewey System, and an indicator is in use for the assistance of readers. There are at present 28,000 books on the f-helves. The most important of the other public libraries in Ontario are those at London, Brantford, Guelph, Kingston, Preston, St. Catharines, Lindsay, Berlin, St. Thomas, Waterloo, Eamia and Stratford. In the Lower Provinces there are only two municipal free libraries. one at St. John, and the other at Halifax. Both are doing good work in tlieir respwtive eomiiiunities, and the Halifax Library, especially, has lately been re-organii'd and re-classified on a modern basis. A printed catalogue, arranged on the Dewey System, was published in 1900. There are at present some 13,000 volumes in the library. The St. .lohn Library contains about 11.000. The only public libraries in the west are those at Winnipeg, Victoria, Vancouver and New Westminster, 'ihese libraries are still in their infancy, but will doubtless prove a boon to the people, and lead to the establishment of similar libraries in other western Canadian towns. Two features' of the Ontario library system that are bound to bear an increasing influence upon the development and usefulness of public libraries in the province, are the existence of a carefully constructed Provincial Act governing the establishment and maintenance of public libraries; and the organization of the Ontario Library Association. The latter, although onl' a year or two old, is already making its influence markedly felt not only upon the libraries in the province, !i! ? !! 86 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA but indirectly throughout the Dominion, in encouraging the establish- mtnt of modem methods and applianceb, and generally making our public librariea of wide educational value. It would not be just to close this brief sketch of the present state of Canadian public libraries, without mentioning the munificent generosity of Mr. Andrew Carnegie. The same broad-minded spirit which has led Mr. Carnegie to build public libraries in almost every quarter of his adopted country, and throughout his native Scotland, now embraces Canada as well. j. i Ottawa, Halifax, Vancouver, Winnipeg and many other Canadian cities and towns, our people have good reason to appreciate the mimificence of the great steel maker.* Cataloottxs and Catalgotiino. Modem cataloguing dates from the famous code of ninety-one rules, prepared under the direction of Sir Anthony i^anizzi, greatest of modem librarians, and published in Hi.. These rules were pre- pared for use in the British Museum, of whirh Panizzi was then Keeper, but they have since been adopted, with certain changes and modifi- cations, by most of the libraries and librarians of England and America. When these rules were considered before the Royal Commission appointed in 1847 to inquire into the constitution and government of the Museum, some curious evidence was adduced. Even such eminent librarians as Mr. J. G. Cochrane, of the London Library, objected to the rules in toto, maintaining that " they were more calcu- lated to perplex and to mystify than to answer any useful purpose." When Mr. Cochrane was asked the question " Do you object to rules in ' The following: la a list of the grlfts of Mr. Carnegie to Canadian Ilbrarlee, up to the end of April, 1902:— Berlin, Ont $ 15,000 Chatham, Ont 15.000 Colllngwood, Ont 12,500 Cornwall, Ont 7,000 Goderlch, Ont 10,000 Guelph, Ont 20,000 Halifax, N.S 75,000 Lindsay, Ont 10,000 London, Ont 10,000 Montreal, Que 150,000 Ottawa, Ont 100,000 Palmenston, Ont 6,000 Pembroke, Ont 10,000 Sarnia, Ont 15,000 This makes a total of $826,500, to which may be added $60,000 for a library tn 8t. John's, Newfoundland. Sault Ste. Marie, Ont $ 10,000 Sherbrooke, Que 15,000 Smith's Falls, Ont 10.000 St. Catharines, Ont 20,000 St. John, N.B 60,000 St. Thomas, Ont 16,000 Stratford, Ont 12,000 Sydney, N.S 15,000 Vancouver, B.C 60.000 Victoria., B.C 60,000 Windsor, Ont 20,000 Winnipeg, Man 100,000 Yarmouth, N.S 4,000 Vv^xO, 'v^'* ^V^ I' wwr rvf j^r \~ [BiKPM] MODERN I'UBLIC LIBKARIE8 AND THEIR METHODS 27 any compilation of cutalogues?" He said, "Yes, very much." Many witnesses strongly objected to the rule that whoever winted a book must look it out in the catalogue, and copy the title on a slip with the prebs-mark before he could receive it— a rule i'liat has since been almost univer-^ally adopted in public libraries. Mr. Carlyle, with characteristic crankine*B, preferred to get his books elsewhere rather than submit to the rule. " I had occasion " he says, " at one time to consult a good many of the pamphlets respecting the Civil War piriod of the history of England. T feupposed these pamphlets to be standing in their own room, on shelves contiguous to each other. I marked on the paper ' King's Pamphlets ' such and such a number, giving a description undeniably pointing to the volume; and the servant to whom I gave this paper at first said that he could not serve me with the volume, and that I must find it out in the catalogue and state the press-mark, and all the other formalities. Being a little provoked with that state of things, I declared that I would not seek for the book in that form; that I could get no good out of these pamphlets on such terms: that I must give them up rather, and go my ways, and try to make the grievance known in some proper quarter." Professor Charles C'otlin Jewett, of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, prepared a code of cataloguing rules, which he published in 1853 in a pamphlet entitled " Smithsonian Report on the Conrtruc- tion of Catalogues of Libraries, end their Publication by means of Separate Titles, with Rules and iilxamples." Mr. Jewott's rules were founded upon those of the British Museum ; some of them are verba- tim ; others conform more to rules advocated by Panizzi but not finally sanctioned by the Trustees of the Museum. Jewett's rules are classified as follows: pp. 1-45, Titles; pp. 45-56, Headings; pp. 57-59, Cross- references; pp. 59-62, Arrangement; pp. 62, 63, Maps, engravings, etc.; p. 04, Exceptional cases. These rules, with some exceptions and modi- fications, were aft ards adopted by the Boston Pul)lic Library. Another c< rules founded largely upon Panizzi's. wns that drawn up at Ca, ige University— " Rukc to be obsencd in forming the Alphabetical Catalogue of Printed Books in the I'niversity Library." With the exception of som.e alterations made in 1879, these rules, forty- nine in all, now stand s\ihstantially as originally adopted. The rules of the Library Association of the United Kingdom were originally formed for the purpose of making a foundation for a gijiantic work suggested by the late Mr. Cornelius Walford, — a Catalogue of English Literature. The plan for this catnlogno foil tbrmigh,, but the rules remained, and were adapted to the purposes of a general lilirnry catalogue. They have been amended on several occasions since. .; ! II iip ■S ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA The I-ibrary AsBociation rales were at one time adopted for the catalogue of the Bodleian Library, but in 1888 Mr. Edward B. Nichol- son, the librarian, arranged and had printed a set of " Compendious Cataloguing Rules for the Author-Catalogue of the Bodleian Library," which has since been added to, and now numbers sixty rules. But the most "iportant of all these codes of cataloguing rules is undoubtedly Mr. t.aries A. Cutter's "Rules for a Printed Dictionary Catalogue," first published in 1876 as the second part of the " Special Report on Public Libraries in the United States." Mr. Cutter not only goes much more minutely into every division and sub-division of his subject than any of his predecessors, but he also sets out clearly and forcibly the reasons on which each rule is founded, making Ins work of inestimable benefit to the librarian, and especially to the cataloguer. Mr. H. B. Wheatley, the well-known English librarian, while strongly combatting many of Cutter's rules, and the arguments advanced in sup- port of them, acknowledges fully and frankly that " it would Iw difficult to find anywhere in so small a space so many sound bibliographical principles elucidated." Mr. Whcatley's own little book, " How to Catalogue a Library," is an extremely interesting and infctructive contribution to the available literature on the subject. It furnishes, in compact and lucid form, a statement of the first principles of cataloguing, with an impartial dis- cussion of the most notable codes, . jngligh and American. The American Library Association, like its sister body of Great Britain, has also put forth a collection of rules, entitled " Condensed Rules for an Author and Title Catalog." Another American work on the subject is Mr. F. B. Perkins' " Cata- loguing for Public Libraries," San Francisco. Two codes of rules for card catalogues arc Mr. Melvil Dewey's " Library School Card Catalog Rules " ; and Mr. K. A. Linderfelt's "Eclectic Card Catalogue Rules; Author and Title Entries." Mr. Linderfelt's elaborate work is l)ased on the German code of Dziatzko, librarian of the Breslau Library, compared with the rules of the British Museum, Cutter, Dewey, Perkins, and other authorities. In his article on " Cataloguing "—one of the " Papers Prepared for the World's Library Congress "—Mr. Wm. C. Lane, Librarian of the Boston Athenaeum, summarizes the points of general agreement in regard to a library catalogue. These points are briefly as follows :— 1. The necessity of a comprehensive and detailed card catalogue. If a carefully made and reasonably full printed cataJogue exists, the card catalogue may form simply a supplement to this, but If the printed catalogue be only a finding Itot, or short-title catalogue, the card catalogue should be complete In Itself. [buhprb] MODEKN public LIBRARIES AND TIIKIK METHODS 29 Ita (omta ars varloui: In drawen, lii trayi open on a counter. In ilidlnc trar'i in • Rudolph Indezer, or illpa mounted on tho Ieav3i of a book. In any caac the point to be provided for la the poas. 'Hy ot Inaertlnc new titlps IndeflaltfCly In itrlct alphabetic or other ipecifled oi . ^r. 2. On this catalogue every work should havp at least an author or (when this is imposeiblc, as in the case of anonyinouti works, periodicals, etc.) a title entry. A common ESnillah cuatom li to use for certain claraes of worki, form or •ubject entry oaly : auch are, almanaca, cataloaruea, society or academy publl- catlona, periodicals, etc. The nearly universal American usBg« Is to treat theae works like any other. 3. In addition to author or title entry most works should also be entered under the name of the subject of which they treat. 4. The author's name should if possible be given in the vernacular, unless all his works have been published in some other language than that of his own nationality. Latin must often be considered the ver- nacular of media}Tal names. 5. On author cards titles should be brief, and the author's name and bibliographic details should be given in full. On subject cards the title should be fuller and descriptive, but the author's name may be given with initials only, and some of the more technical or minute biblio- graphic details may be omitted. 6. In transcribing titles the words and spelling of the title-page should be strictly adhered to, any addition or deviation being plainly indicated by brackets. In addition to the above main points of agreement, there arc several smaller matters on which sulistantial unanimity exists. These are. as to the treatment of names with prefixes, eompounplenient. On cards complete. On slips pasted in volumes — the British Museum plan. On slips fastened in bunches like the leaves of a liook — the Leydcii plan ; which is also being tried at Harvard. The Hudolph Indexer or l>()oks. To these may be added ; printed finding-lists or other abbreviated forms of catalogues; and, printed bulletins of recent accessions. Of these forms, the printed and the manuscript, or a combination of both, are in chief favour in England; while the popular form in the TTnited States is the card catalogue. In Australia and in Canada the practice is some- what haphazard, opinion seeming to be impartially divided among all the various forms. so ROYAL SOCIETY OK CANADA The kinds of catalogues^ may be divided into two general classes— those in which author and subject entries are distinct and separate; and those in which author and subject entries are combined in a single alphabet The former class may be subdivided into four smaller groups : A. Subject cataloauM In dictionary form. B. Claisined on the decimal syatem (Dewey's). C. Clanifled on some other system (Cutter's, Harris', etc). D. Alphabetlco-claased subject catalogue, i.t , a cataloaue having general claasea In alphabetic sequence, with alphabetic lubdlvlBlons. Of the several systems of claseiiication, the decimal system devised by Mr. Melvil Dewey is most generally used. It has been adopted by a large majority of public libraries in the United States, and is mnkinjr considerable headway in England. It is also used in a few Canadian and Australian libraries. It hafc won the approval of several leading Euro- pwu librarians, but has as yet been adopted by very few, if any, libraries on the t ontinent. The decimal system has been fully described by Jlr. Dewey in an elaborate paper published in the " Special Heport on Public Libraries in the United States" (pp. G23-(j-18). Under this system the whole field of human knowledge is divided into ten classes ; each of tliese is then sub-divided into ten divisions of the main class; and each of these, again, is further sub-divided into ten. This sub-division may, of course, be carried out indefinitely, and thus provide for the most minute classification. It is this division into tens that gives the system the name of decimal. The main classes are: General Works, I'hilosopliv, Sociology, Philology. Natural Seienee. Usc^fnl Arts, l-'ine .\rts. T,itern- ture. History. The chief advantage claimed for the system is its adap- tability to the needs of any library, large or small, general or special. As an instance of the minuteness with which the classification may i)e carried out, take the case of a work on Strikes. The number for tlii-. would be .331.89; the first figure representing the general class Soci- o'ocy; the second, the division Political Economy; the third, the section devoted to Capital, Labour and Wages; the fourth. Labouring Classes; and the fifth. Strikes. The main classifieation only covers three figures, any further sub-division leirg carried beyond the decimal point. ' The late Mr. Justin Wlnaor gave this admirable advir'^ as to the use of cataloguing eystems:— " Each of two systems under proper conditions may be equally good, when both are understood and an equal familiarity has been acquired with eaclK Chooee that which you naturally take to; use it, and do not decide that the other is not perfectly satisfactory to him who chose that. Which- ever you ha- ■ choeen, study to Improve it, and you will probably do so, In so far as it becomes fitted more closely to the Individuality of yourself and your library." (mRMiB] MODERN PUBLIC LIBKAKII'>< AND THKIR MCTHODS 8J Mr. C. A. Cutter deviicd some years ago a sygtcm which h calli the Expansive Classification. Briefly it consists of seven tables oi classi- fication, of progressive fulness, designed to meet the needs of a library at its successive stages of growtli, and so arranged that the trnnsfcr from one classification to a closer or more minute one, can be made with com- part^' vely little trouble. The main classes are: General Works. Phil- osophy, Beligion, Biography, History, Geography and Travels, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Medicine, Useful ArU, Fine Arts, Arts of Communication by Language. Fiction, Poetry, etc., are included in the last section. From the point of view of the practical librarian, catalo^'ues are subject to still another division. In addition U> the elagses of catalojfuos which are open to the public, and with which we nrr nil fnrniliiir, there ure several which belong to the internal economy of the lil)rary, nnd are used only by the staff. The first of these is the Accession Catalogue, in which the history of every book acquired cither \e practically the advantages of every other kind ot"catalogue. It answers every legitimate question that the reader or student may ask as to the books of which it is the record. It is, therefore, if properly coni^tructed, of ii.cstiniable ben^ft to the constituents of any library, large or small. The arrangement of books upon the shelves nu y be roughly divided into two classes : the fixed location system ; and the relative location. The former has been adopted at the British Museum, the Bodleian, and most of the larger libraries of England and the Continent. About the only American library which uses it is that of Cornell University. The [M'M-u] MODKRN I'fBLIC LIBKAKIM AND TIIKIK MKIIIOlB* OB rt'litive location ii practically iinivorwil in the Unit«tl Stuti*; ami hai alio been adopted by tome of thi> modern English frci' libraries thi* newer portion! of the Cambridge Univeraity Library, and in the Bibliti- th*que Nationale. In the filed location nyatcm, the booki are arranged in definite book-caiea, each of which haa a number or letter which fomi» part of the preaa-mark of the book. In the relative location, the booka are arranged not with regard to any particular book-caie or ahelf, but with regard to each other. They run along the ahelvei, free from either the wuteful gapa, or inconvenient crowding, inevitable in the fixed location. •• If you mn troubled wna>; *n (ahelf lists); 4M (Hndlnc lists). 497 (printed catalogues); 512 (cetaloaulna oolleite llbrartes); 6«2 (printed or M88.?); 845 (subject catalogues); 648 (dictionary cataloKues); 667, 660 (classed rataloaues). I'aptr$ prtpared for World't lAb. t'oiiff., 826 rt »f». lAbrart Adm%ni»tratiim, by J. Macfarlane, London, 1S»8; p. 78. Mom »o Calalovse a I,i6rary, by H. B. Wheatley, London, 188». lH»ttr Hbrarg Hand-Bool; pp. .•» (card catalogues); 108-111 (what questions ii catalogue should answer, etc.) ; 117-120 (dictionary catalogue). W»»o»« in Liirarianfkip, by Dr. H. Oarnctt, London (1899). pp. 83, 84, 109-114 (British Museum catalogue). The free Lihrarg. by J. J. Ogle, London (1897), p. 125. Home Kduralion Hrporl (Univ. of State of N.T.), 189B, p. '9 (card catalogues). Classiflcation: hne. BrUt, III., 661. How to Catalogue a hibrarg (Wheatley), 47. Krport l.S. Ubrariei, 492, 623 ft frq. Drnrer Library Uand-Book, 112-115, 124. Ubrarf Adminiitratinn (Marfarlane), 148. Httayi in Librariamhip (Gamett), 210 el teq. prfparcd 8«1. At p. S9?. win be found a very full list of references on claesiHcation. Sec. II., l»02. 3. &k UoYAL WXIKTY OK CANAIlA Tut: Oi>t:.N' Suttr 8ystev. Thi» »ysti'm is out- of the nnwt recent dovflopmcut* in library •ilminiitnition. While the ideu ititeif i* not very new, it« di*tincti»c application Iwlongit to tiie pant dt-cadf. and the initiation of the *y«lem iiiuit be credited to American iibrarie* and librarian*. In a limited ^^■n^le, open acccM to the book uhelve* ha'l« US reportfil to bv a itrouuuucod »uctt«»B. In the New Vor': Circulutiujf Librery the iiyvteiu ban Iwen extvudud to ucarly all it« numerous brancbca tbruughout th« city, and freu Atxctta to tbe ithi'lve* u pt-r- iiiittod t'vcn to children over nine year* of age. At Hutralo a large room i* devoted to the purpoHeii of o|wn acce«». Here i-ome 11,000 Itooka are clait»i(ifd in c««en around tin- wulU. A iiunik-r "f rinding tal)le8 till the wntre of the room, and the reader may forage around, pi.king out what he wantn from thf shelve*. In the Jlutfalo l^ihrary, ax in most of the American librarie., tliut have iidoptcd the (ijHn Acieu System, llie Imoka arc not put back on the •helven by readern, Imt are lefi on a central table, to be rcplaird by thu altcndaiilc. Thin obviatcx one of the chief objectionn to the ny!»tem niioed by Kiijflish librarians, that (he book* would become hop«'Ie.<.tly mixed Ihr igh the jarebt-rinegg of readers in not returning thoin to I heir pro j.ju.'es on the -helves. Jn th, Keyi'olds Library at Kochoster, a gimilar arrangement is m existence. On the ground floor there is a reference or study library with gome 3.000 books most in demand, which arc directly acci-ssible to the public. Here, as in other American libraries, "a reference librarian is always on hand, to advise and assist readers, but in no way to interfere with their free access to the shelves. Many other cases might be cited of American libraries which have adopted this admirable system, as, for instance, the Cleveland Library, where it is claimed to have increased the circulation of the books •;<• ]wr cent in a very short time. From |>rcscnt indicatirms the Mstem is bound to grow in favour, on both sides of the Atlantic. In hi.s admirable article on "College Library Administration," forming part of the voluminous report on " Public Libraries in the Inited States," Profesgor Ottis H. Robinson made a strong plea fo.- the Open Access System as applied to college librarioH. and his argu- ment is equally applicable to the case of a public library. Tlie plea hat in a public library such a privilege would be taken advantage of by frivolous or careless readers, to the great detriment of the books, is not borne out by the experience of those libraries that have tried the experiment. It t s been found — as any thoughtful man might have predicted — th,,. the classes of people who take advantage of the privilege arc the serious-minded readers, the students, the genuine seekers after knowledge. As for the idle or frivolous reader, he still prefers that the library attendants should relieve him from the task of choosing a book. And ever .f this were not so, is it not better .and wiser to take chances of a few book.s being lost or dam.'jged, rather than deny to serious readers the immense advantage of personal con- fact with the books as they lie classified on the shelves? The tinw 86 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA spent in browsing around among the books is never lost. As for the further objection that Open Access will prove an added temptation and opportunity to evil-dispoeed persons, it need only be stated that a reasonable supervision should in any event be kept over rooms where books are made freely accessible to the public, and if this is done there need be no great fear of book thieves. " Remove the barriers," says Professor Robinson, " and make familiarity with well chosen authors as easy as practicable. No habit is more uncertain or more capricious than that of a student in a library. He wants to thumb the books which he cannot call for by name. It is not an idle curiosity. He wants to know, and has a right to know, a good deal more about them than can be learned from teachers and catalogues. Deny him this, and he turns away disap- pointed and discouraged; grant him this, and his interest is awakened, his love for books increased, and the habit of reading will most likely be formed." Open Shelf vs. Indicator. In England the question has developed into one of Open Shelf vs. Indicator. The use of indicators is ver>' wide.<;pread in Great Britain; but the device is practically unknown in the United States. In Australia and in Canada it has found a few adherents. In England the rival system of " open access " is steadily gaining ground, and there seems reason for believing that it will ultimately displace the indicator. The Indicator is an arrangement for showing whether or not a given book is in or out. There are a number of varieties in use in English libraries, but by far the most popular is what is known as the " Cotgreave Indicator," from the name of its inventor. This indicator is in use in over sixty libraries in London alone, besides many in other parts of the Kingdom. The following description is taken from Macfarlane's work on " Library Administration," in Dr. Garnetfs Library Series : — "It consists of an upright framework of wood or metal, fitted with minute zinc shelves without ends, which is placed in the library so that one side (protected with {ilasa) is visible to the ]iublic, and the otiier accessible to the s' ,lf. On tiii' shelves are placed title-ledgers of blank forms, in metal cases with ends, coloured red and bhie r('s])ectively, and bearing numbers. When a case is inserted so that the blue i-nd meets the public eye it is to Ik- understood tliiit th( bonk lienrinir the number shown is 'in ': when the red end is seen it is 'out'. The borrower having found in the catalogue the number of the book he requires, and seeing by the colour exhibited on his [HiiHiKK] MODEKX PtrBLIC LIUR.VKIF>1 AND TllKIU METHODS 37 side of the Indicator that it is ' in,' hands in a request for it, together with hi8 'horrower's ticket.' The library assistant removes the .■orrespondmg ledger from its .helf. enters it in the number of the -orrowcr'b ticket and the date of the loan, places the ticket in the i'^av;«^r. H„;l replaces it so as to exhibit the 'ont' colour to the public " Despite li,- popularity of the Indicator in England, one finds it hard 10 'tie li.r^ there can be any question us to the superiority of the «.'pf-i Sh.lf System, combined with the modem charging system of onrds ai.d trays. ' I'he lirst Knglish public library lo adopt the Open Shelf System, or Open Access" as it is callod in England, was that at Clerkenwell. M^hose l.brnr.an, \fr. James P. Ilrown. T»-as sent over to tho Unito.l >tate8 at the time of the Chicago Exhibition, by hi8 unusually generou. and fur-.iglutd Library Committee, to study modern American library mothoils^ Mr. Brown prefers the term "safeguarded accc-ss" ns applied to the Open Shelf System, it being, he considers, more accurate, since It IS admitted that various checks on readers and borrowers are neces- sary At Clerkenwell the system applies to the circulating. l,„t not to the reference library. The public "enter the library at one side of an encosed counter in ^^luch an assistant > placed, and leave witli lum Ihe books they are returning. After choosing a volume from the opin sh.lves they bring it to the other side of the counter, where It 1.S booked for them, and they then leave the librarv bv a different door from the one by which they entered. The book-sllelves are placed erd on with (be issue counter, so (bat an assistant s(a(iono.l there can »ee between each, and has full control of the whole library." A limited form of " open access " was tried at the Liverpool Publj.. ].ibrary a few years ago, but has since been discontinued on account of the loss of the books. That this loss was not due to anv weakness in tb.> system so much as to defective supervision, is proved by the fact that the books were shelved in alcoves, where anything like adequate supervision would be impossible. The system has been adopted in the Croydon Public Library, where it has proved eminently satisfactory, the librarv building having been arranged to suit the system. In the Wigan Free Librarj-, a special building for boys was opened m 1896, and here also a system of open shelving has been adopted. At St. Martin's, London, open access is in vogue, but, reversing tue Clerkenwell plan, it applies only to the reference department. An mgcnious device is also in use here to keep readers informed as to recent additions to the library. It is known as the " wheel catalogue," and is placed under glazed portions of the counter. Bv means of 88 HOYAL SCX^IhTTY OF CANADA a lever it is made to revolve and bring sucoesgively into view a long list of new book-titles arranged on the circumference of the wheel. At Birmingham a limited form of open accegs is in operation, a large number of works of reference, now filling nearly fifty shelves, being made liee to the public. This system applies also to the Aber- deen Library. At Cardiff, in Wales, the open shelf system has been tried in fmir of the brand es, l.iit unfortunately the plan has been abused by systematic look thieves and consequently discredited. The general experience, both in the Fnited Stati and England, seems to have been that, with proper precautions, the loss of books is very small. The experience of the Boston Public Library has certainly been very unfortunate, for out of a juvenile library of 5,000 books, several hundred were lost in one year, but this was admittedly the result of a lack of reasonable supervision. The Minneapolis Public Library, on the other linnd, issued several hundred " free access" permits in a year, and only lost three volumes from the reference shelves and a few odd numbers of i>eriodicals. The experience at Philadelphia and New York has been practically the same. The losses from English libraries adopting the system have as a rule been very insignificant — at Clerkenwell about three volumes in a year. At the British Museum experience has shown that the only books at all likely to be purloined are the snmll nortable volumes, of comparatively slight value. TTntil recently a set of " ^furray's Ouides "' was placed in the reading room of the .Museum for the use of readers, iiul these "used to vanish — not quite unaccountably — about the month of Auirn^t. and eitlier remain away, or come back in October stained with much trouble." Now "Murray" reclines upon a remote shelf, and one must send an attendant for him. On the whole, the 0[»en Shelf .System would seem to have come to stay. It is only from the librarian's point of view, as custodian of the books, that there can be any question as to the desirability of the- plan. From the reader's standpoint the .system is one of incstimabK benefit. And it must always be remembered, that it is not so much the convenience of librarians or libraries that is to 1k> considereper," to wit, "to keep the publick stock of learning, which is in Hooks and Manuscripts, to increas it, and to propose to others in the waie wliiili iiiny be most useful unto all"; from which ine gathers that John Durie was a man several hundred years in advance of his age. Among other things, he recommended a " Catalogue of Additionals," to be printed every three years. An English librarian of our own times, Mr. Henry Bradshaw, gives in a single sentence an admirable definition of the ideal librarian. •'A librarian," he says, " is one who earns his living by attending to the wants of those for whose use the library tmdcr his charge exists; his primary duty being, in the widest possible sense of the phrase, to save the time of those who seek bis services." And to this might be added the qualification suggested by an American libr-arian, Mrs. M. A. Sanders — herself a striking example of the success of her theory — " the librarian should meet the reader in the position of a host or hostess welcoming a jnicst." Unfortunately, even in these latter days there are rot wanting people, and educated people too, whose conception of the librarian and his work is a conception that belongs to the seventeenth or eighteenth century. According to their idea, his chief duty consists in handing books, over a counter to ihe library's customers. How sur- prised they would be to be told that the conscientious librarian— the librarian who has the best interests of his library at hear —gives, and must give, not an hour or two daily, but his whole waking tho ughts, 1889, 14: 213-14; 1899, 14: 46S-'.i; 1SS9, It: 281; 1891. Ifi: :32 246; 1891, 16: 334-4; 1S93, 18: 42. IS'.il. 1«: <'."il-2; 1891, 16: [BOKPW] MODERN I'lBLlC LI»I{ARIJ> AND THEIR METHODS 43 to the innumerable problems that confront him from morning till n,ght Trained intelligence, a genuine love for and wide knowledge of good liU-rature, businc** atunun, native courtesy and helpfulness, tact and discrimination, a good ...o.nory, pationco. l.roadth of view; these are some of the essential characteristic- of the successful modern 111 .-ian. The day has happily gone when the office of a librarian was mereh a refuge for some broken-down politician, unsuccessful school-teacher, or man who had made a failure of his profession, whatever it might be. T-ibrarians-hip is now an honourable profession, the w.rld over. Careful study and preparaiiou is re.juired ol those who aspire to the position either of a librarian or library assistant; and it IS even beginning to be recognized by Library Committees that a man or a woman possessing the requisite qualifications is entitled to a fair remuneration. . . • ^ t We are merely upon the threshold of a new era in the history of public libraries. What the present century may see, in the direction of increasing and broadening their mission us factors in the educationa life of the community, it would be difficult to foretell, but that that influence wll bo deep and lasting, everjone who has studied the recent development of public libraries, especially in the United States ai.-l England, must feel heartily assured. .MM'KNDIX. For I he i-rnefit of tho.se who inifrht he .ufficiently interested in ihe suljcct .f Caiiadiim iibrsui*?, tie writir prepared a list of ques- tions, which were submitted to the librarians of all the mor,' iinportant public libraries throughout the Dominion. Through the courtesy of these officers, very complete answers have been secured to the several .|uestions .submitted, the st.bstance of which will Ik> found below. Xo attempt has been made to procure datii from all th<" Ontario libraries, of which the last Report of the Minister of Eduout.on for that Province (1!)01) records 432 in existence, divided into 303 " 1 ubli.- Libraries " and 120 " Free Libraries," but a certain number ot tb.> larger and more representative Ontario libraries were selected, as to which somewhat fuller particulars have been [>, . ured than are to be found in the tables of the Education Report. Th^> latter tables con- A series of works that will be found of Inestimable a.lvantage to librarians, library assistants, and tho*.e who may he preparins themselves for the pro- fession. is Ih,- Library SrnVK, edited by Dr. Richard r.arnett. formerly of the Rritdsh Museum. The series Is in five volumes, each devoted to a particular branch of library work : construction, administration, etc. The books are published by Geortre Allen, London. England. 44 KOYAL 8rc T How la it supported ? What »• the total Income ? How many on the ataff ? What nalartes paid T Have you any brancbe* ? How many aaalitanta In each ? How many booka at present ? How many pamphlets ? What catalogues used— <'ar.!, printed, or msuiuairlpt ? What system of claaslflcatlon ? Do you prefer any other ssrstem ? Do you uae any and If so, what Indicator ? Do you publlah bulletins of new books— On a board In the Library ? Or In the newspapers ? Have you any special rule tor buying Action T What is your annual circulation of books ? How does circulation of Action compare with total circulation ? Do you permit readers to have access to the shelves 7 Do you approve of It ? Is your library open on Sunday ? Have you any special provision In your library— For children 7 For school pupllf » Have you any connectilon with the public schools ? Have you any special collections of books 7 Do you keep scrap-booksi, for clippings, prints, etc. ? Are there any flttlnfrs or other conveniences peculiar to your library T Outside tlio province of Ontario, there are at present not more than half a dozen free public libraries in the Dominion. These are at St. John, N.B., Chatham, X.B., Halifax, N.S., Winnipeg, Man., Victoria, B.C., \'nneouvor, B.C., and Neiv Westminster, B.C. To these have been nddcd two endowed free libraries, the Fraser Institute, Montreal, and the Portland Library, St. John, N.B. MODKRN IMBUC MKKAKII-y AND TIIKIIJ MCTIlullS J I j=.S i 2 is i r E = 9 4t «l ««5 = ■■g_"'i iiil a II 1^1 I *<&*•* • ^"51 J- '•- J. i sSiSufS S ^ ;g !1 e < "2 St 4B §11 SgS!i§iSS§iiil§iix§ ^ ^ rf 2 ^ «• «r rf jij rf t-- M «f 3 1- ?• W I 3SS! SSSSSSSS .SSSSISSsS -»r »f-J — -• — ti I'- 3 S S S l; 3 is Si I ?l 5 2 g i I- 115 — 56 \Mii S 3 5 i P . 5 § r. _• -• _■ -- : 1- JB 11 ll iUMUWiUVi'iUliUiU 2 S- sec « d s £ 5 £-2 5 = 3 . 1^ S3 Si l! e.' 1-; 40 UOYAL BDCIKTY OK CANADA It will bv iccn from the foregoing table that the ny^teni of elaDiiifl- lution in iiuwt gt-niTal une — if it may lie iligiiiiii>d with the name of a nvKtem — u tlie one prcucrihed hy the Kilucation Department of Ontario. Several libraries U(>e nyiitem* of their own, generally a Dimple alphabetical arrangement by uutborx under u few geni-ral headings. The Dewey Decimal SvHtem iit irnvd in the Hamilton 'iibrary. the C'itizerM* Free Library of Halifax, the London Public Library, and, in a modifiiHl form, in the llelcrence Department of tin- Toroutit I'lililic. It ia aUo u^ed in neveral Canadian college iilirariei*. Cutter'* Expan- ^ive System i» uned in only one Canadian library, that of McUill I'niveritity. The great majority of Canadian librarief u.te a print4'd catalogue, with |»>riodical DUpplementx. Curd calulogues arc u.-cd in thr Kraner Inntitute, Montreal, in the Ueference Department of the Toronto liibrary, and, in conjunction with a printed catalogue, at Fjondoa, Hrockviile, St. Thomas, and in one or two other t»ntario libraries. The conm'niiiUH of opinion among Canadian lilprariam* and iilirary (ommitteei* seems to be somewhat dividi-d on the question of permit- ting readers to have access to the shelves, under what is known as I lie Open Shelf, or Open Access, System. The system has been adopted, under various restrictions, in the following libraries: — Berlin (to all books except fiction and juvenile), Dumlas (to a limiti'd extent), Elora, Halifax (for rtlerence purposes only), Hamilton (under certain restrictions), Niagara, Paris, Sarnia (not at present, but pro- pose doing so in new library), Stratford (absolutely unrestricted, • xcept us to fiction and juvenile), and Victoria. Vancouver replies: '• The open access system was tried here and found very unsatisfactory." It might Ik; added that in a large majority of the college libraries of Canada, students are permittetl to have either full or partial access to the book shelves. Another important point upon which information was obtained, is, whether any special provision is made for children, or school pupils. Here, again, opinion seems to be somewhat divided, although it may at once be said that, in the sense of the larger and fully organ- ized children's departments of United States libraries, there is at present no such thing as special provision for children in Canadian libraries ; that is to say, there are no rooms specially constructed and tet apart for children, no fittings or furniture specially adapted to the needs of children, no library attendants whose special duty it is to look after the wants of the children, and, except to a very limited extent, no attempt to provide a special, carefully selected and class- ified, juvenile section in the library, with its own catalogues. The ]iublic library of Victoria provides " certain library shelves for [HiKi-M] MODKKN ITBLK' LlitKAUIKJ* ,\M» TIIKIK MKilloDS 47 thildren'H Iwwikn. ti> lio M-loctcd Imt not n-ml in tln' lilmirv"; Vun- couvor liat " no .•iH>rial prnvUion for ihildren at proni'iil. Imt intcndu to do .xo in the new l)uildinj{ now under coiiiitniiiion tliroii};li the generosity of Mr. Curnexif"; at St. Thoniu» " ilu' Hiwrd liui \>\mM l:ooki» in tin- M'liooJ!* for cupiiU'nu'nlury readinff. under the teaidu-nt' »u|H'rvision "; Berlin replien; " Not ut prcitent. I»ut in onr new huild- ir.ff, whifli is In-ing built thi> liuminer, u ohddrun'.i depurtntent will le includiMl"; Lindsay ha« ''a (tpecial folkvtion of juvenile books, h|H'einlly l•l«!<^i(ied "; HrfM'kville "would have special provision if we hud proper ueconinuHlation "; Surnia also pU-ud- " lack of room"; St. John, X.H., has no special provision, but "aims at it"; Stratford ' i.' arranjrin); for a special children's readin>;-room in the new l>uildin){." So far, only one Canadian library has reached the stage where the establishment of branches becomes necessary or desirable. Toronto possesses five t'.ourishinjf branches, in connection with the central reference and circulating? library. Indicators, generally a simplified form of the " Colgreave," are used in the following libraries: Toronto, Hamilton, London, Herlin, Grand Trunk (Montreal), Hrockville and Collingwood; Vancouver " intends to procure one," while St. John replies, " No, they are obsolete." The Citizens' Free Library of Halifax is distinguished from all other Canadian libraries by po.ssessing a bindery of its own, in which nil necessary binding and repairing is done. The binder receives 9t34.66 i)er month, and an assistant gets $13.00 per month.