How to Catalogue a Library

"While in foreign countries it is the custom to subdivide and deposit in different custodies the several classes of MSS. after their kind, in England the Museum is the only national institution where MSS. of all descriptions are purchased for the public use. In the Department of MSS., accordingly, may be found every kind of MS., from papyri dating back to the second century before Christ down to the correspondence of our own day on which the ink is scarcely dry. Papyri, ancient and mediæval MSS. of all periods and in all languages from the fifth to the fifteenth century and later, illuminated MSS., literary works of all periods, state papers and literary and private correspondence, charters and rolls, seals, casts of seals, and bullæ—all these are brought together under the custody of the keepers."34

Now very few of these rare objects will be found in ordinary libraries. The manuscripts to be found there will probably be literary works, historical and literary correspondence, and perhaps some deeds or family documents. If the manuscripts consist only of a few unprinted literary works or original manuscripts afterwards printed, these may well be included in the general catalogue of printed books. When there are autograph letters and miscellaneous MSS., these must be kept separate. The cataloguer must then consult the best catalogues of collections of manuscripts, and choose the plan best suited to his particular purpose. A collection of autograph letters will best be catalogued under the names of the writers, arranged in alphabetical order; while a series of historical documents will often be more conveniently arranged in chronological order.

The usual mode of cataloguing adopted is to register the contents of the particular collection of manuscripts in the order which it stands, and then to make a full index. The result of this plan is the production of a series of volumes of great interest to the reader. Many a pleasant and instructive hour may be spent in the turning over of the pages of such catalogues as that of the Harleian Collection, or of the various volumes which contain the descriptions of the additional manuscripts in the British Museum.

There is, however, a great want of a general catalogue or general index to the vast collections of the British Museum. The production of such a work would cause so large an expenditure of labour that perhaps we can scarcely expect it to be produced; but I venture to think that something might be done to bring the very miscellaneous collection of catalogues into some more uniform system than it is at present. The subject index which can be referred to in the MS. room is a work of the greatest value, and he who turns over a few pages of a few of the volumes of which this subject catalogue consists will obtain a more vivid idea of the exceeding richness of the MS. Department of the British Museum than by any other means. This classified catalogue we owe to Mr. Bond, formerly Keeper of the MSS., and late Principal Librarian, and every scholar must feel deep gratitude to him for this great gift of knowledge. If this were printed, it would form a work of immense value; but probably before this could be done it would be necessary to re-catalogue on one system a large number of the entries.

With the present catalogues at the Reading Room table, when a certain known manuscript is required, the searcher goes at once to the special catalogue, and he has little or no difficulty. If he wants to find a manuscript upon a particular subject, he can look at the subject catalogue; but if he wants to find all the manuscripts of a given book, he will have to look up the separate indexes of the different collections. This will be a long and tedious undertaking, and the searcher will usually need the assistance of the gentlemen of the Department—assistance which is always freely and courteously rendered.

Catalogues of certain classes of manuscripts have been produced which are of monumental value; but I think a great desideratum is a catalogue of all the distinct works in the Manuscript Department, with information respecting the printing of such as have been printed. Possibly such a work, by which can be found the MS. copies of the works of our great authors,—and, for the matter of that, of our small ones too,—is being prepared. It will be a work of great labour, and if the Department prepare it, the learning of the country will be placed under a lasting obligation.

We may look forward to a time when a national bibliography of our literature shall be produced, in which manuscripts will be registered as well as printed books. One great characteristic of manuscripts is the permanence of their reference numbers. Printed books are moved and change their shelf-marks, but the number of a manuscript is always the same. Sometimes the manuscript is known by the name of the collection with its number, and sometimes the reference is to a former shelf-mark; but if originally a shelf-mark, it is continued as a part of the manuscript, however much the original position in the library may have been changed.

Catalogues of manuscripts are more distinctly literary works than are catalogues of printed books. Thus Mr. G. F. Warner's Catalogue of the Manuscripts and Muniments of Alleyn's College of God's Gift at Dulwich (1881) forms an indispensable portion of any Shakespearian or dramatic library. The various catalogues of manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, and the Catalogue of the Cambridge University Manuscripts,35 are additions to general literature of a very high character.

CHAPTER VIII.

RULES FOR A SMALL LIBRARY. 36

Headings

AUTHOR.—1. All books to be entered under their authors' surnames; when there are two or more authors, the first is to be taken as the leading name. [75]

2. Foreign compound names to be arranged under the first name. English compound names under the last, except in those cases where the first is known to be a true surname. [76]

3. Proper names of foreigners to be alphabetically arranged under the prefixes Dal, Del, Della, Des, Du, Le, La; but not under the prefixes D', Da, De, Von, Van, Van der. English names to be arranged under the prefixes De, De la, Van, Mac, O', etc. [80]

4. Peers to be arranged under their titles, and not under their family names, except in such cases as that of Horace Walpole, where a man is seldom known by his title. Bishops, deans, etc., to be sought under their family names. [87]

5. Sovereigns, saints, and friars to be registered under their Christian names. [91]

6. Latin authors to be registered under their nomens, except in those cases where the agnomen has been popularly adopted. [101]

7. Oriental names to be registered in accordance with the system adopted by a recognized authority on the subject. [95]

8. When an author has changed his name, he is to be registered by the last one adopted. [97]

9. Married women to be registered under their married name, except in those cases where they have only written under their maiden name. [98]

10. When an author has adopted several pseudonyms at various times, all are to be brought together under the author's true name. When an author has consistently used one pseudonym, and is solely known by that name, he can be registered under it, with a reference from his true name. [146]

11. Christian names of authors are to follow their surnames, within parentheses, and are always to be written in full. [95]

Non-Author Headings

12. Trials to be entered under the name of the defendant in a criminal suit, and of the plaintiff in a civil suit. Trials relating to vessels to be entered under the name of the vessel. [122]

13. Catalogues to be arranged under the heading of "Catalogues," and subdivided under the sub-headings of the objects catalogued. [123]

14. Records of voyages not entirely written by one author to be brought under the name of the vessel. [127]

15. All anonymous books whose authors are certainly known are to be registered under those authors' names. [130]

16. When an author is unknown, and the initials only are given on the title-page of a book, or at the end of the preface, dedication, or other preliminary matter, the book is to be considered as anonymous, and treated in accordance with the following rules respecting anonymous works. [145]

17. Anonymous works relating to a person or a place to be registered under the name of that person or place. [131]

18. Anonymous works with a catch-title, such as the title of a novel, to be registered under the first word of that title. [131]

19. Other anonymous works to be registered under the name of the subject which is prominently referred to on the title-page, and in the language of the title-page. An adjective is frequently to be preferred to a substantive as a heading. For instance, when it contains the point of the compound, as Alimentary Canal, English History, etc. [131]

The Title

20. The title of a book when not long is to be taken in its entirety. When long curtailment must be undertaken with care, and dots should be inserted where words have been omitted. [133]

21. Information respecting the edition and the editor, and any additional matter, should be included in the catalogue slip. [160]

Place of Publication

22. The place of publication must always be given, and if it be not found on the title-page, it must be added between brackets whenever known. The name always to be given as it appears on the title-page. Sometimes the place of printing, when different from that of publication, is added, but this is only necessary in rare cases. [163]

Date

23. Dates are always to be given in a catalogue in Arabic numerals. It is important that the date should be discovered when it does not occur on the title-page. The date may sometimes occur as a chronogram, which should not be overlooked. [164]

24. Greek dates require special attention. For a table of these see Chapter IV., p. 167.

Size-Notation

25. In books published before the use of machine-made papers, the size of books is to be distinguished by the signatures and the fold of the water-mark of the hand-made paper. In modern books demy octavo is to be considered as the standard of an octavo. All above that size to be styled large octavo, and all below small octavo. Quartos and folios to be so designated, except in those cases where they are either specially large or specially small, when they should respectively be described as large quarto or small folio. [168]

Collation

26. In the case of rare books a collation should be added to the title slip; but all books, when only in one volume, should have the number of their pages added. [178]

Abstracts of Contents

27. When the contents of a set of works are very varied, a short abstract of the contents of each volume may be added with advantage. When the contents are of a similar character, like a collection of plays, it will be more convenient to throw the titles into alphabetical order, and add the number of the volume to each entry. [206]

References

28. All references should be in English, and the subject of a book must be referenced, even if it is not clearly expressed on the title-page. [187]

29. When a book contains something which is not mentioned on the title-page, it must be added either between brackets or in a note, and then a reference can be made to it; but no reference must be made to a title which does not contain the information required. [187]

30. References in an alphabetical catalogue should not be classified. Thus Gold should be under G, and Silver under S, instead of being grouped under Metals. Cross-references may be given from Metals to Gold and Silver. [188]

31. It is not necessary to follow the exact wording of a title in the reference but it will be often more convenient for the cataloguer to make a heading which may include several references. [187]

Arrangement

32. Before arranging the entries of a catalogue it will be necessary to decide whether all the books are to be included in one alphabet; and if not, what are to be excluded. [209]

33. Pamphlets or tracts should not be catalogued separately from the other books, except in very special cases. [210]

34. If a library contains many magazines or journals, transactions of societies, or astronomical and other observations, it will be well to keep these distinct from the general catalogue; but if they are few, they can be included in the general alphabet. [211]

35. Transactions of societies should be arranged under the name of the place where the society holds its meetings, and these names should be arranged in alphabetical order. [219]

36. When a society has shifted its place of meeting, all its publications should be entered under the name of the existing place, with references from the names of the previous places of meeting. [223]

37. Journals should be arranged in alphabetical order under the first word of the title not an article. [225]

38. Journals not to be placed under the editors' names. [226]

39. Astronomical and meteorological observations should be kept distinct from transactions of societies, but they may be arranged in the same way under the names of the places where the observatories are situated. [226]

Alphabet

40. The arrangement to be according to the order of the English alphabet. I and J, U and V, to be treated as separate letters. [198]

41. In German names ä, ö, ü to be treated as if written a, o, u. If it be desired to arrange them as ae, oe, ue, they must be so written. [199]

42. The prefixes Mr., Mc, St., etc., should be arranged as if spelt Mister, Mac, Saint, etc. [200]

43. When the word Saint represents a ceremonial title, as in the case of St. Alban, St. Giles, and St. Augustine, these names are to be arranged under the letters A and G respectively; but the places St. Albans, St. Giles, and St. Augustines should be found under the prefix Saint. [201]

44. Prefixes in proper names, even when printed separately, are to be treated as if they were joined. Thus De Morgan will come before Demosthenes, and De Quincey after Demosthenes. [203]

45. Headings consisting of two or more distinct words are not to be treated as integral portions of one word. [204]

Order of Sub-Entries

46. The works of an author should be arranged in the following order:—

a. Collected works.

b. Partial collections.

c. Separate works in chronological order, except in the case of plays or novels, which may be in alphabetical order.

d. Translations in the same order as that adopted for the original works. [205]

Manipulation

47. Slips of paper or thick cards should be used for writing the titles upon. A convenient size is that of a page of note paper used lengthways. The shelf-mark can be placed at the top of the right-hand corner. The author's name or heading should be written on a line by itself at the left-hand side, about an inch from the top of the paper.

48. The references may be written upon similar slips, so as to range with the titles.

49. Various directions as to sorting have been given, but the worker will soon find out for himself the most convenient mode. The arrangement should be made in regular sequence. Thus the slips must be sorted into first letters, then into second letters, and so on.

50. When the slips are sorted, it will be necessary to place them in boxes or drawers for safety.

51. If the slips are sent to the printer, they must be numbered; but when there are a large number, it is not necessary to put the full number on each slip. It will be sufficient to number up to one hundred, and then begin again, marking down each additional hundred. The alphabetical order of the slips will check the numbering.

52. When a catalogue is printed, lines of repetition must be used if the author's name or other heading is the same in several entries. This line should not be too long, as it is a mistake to vary its length to denote the length of that which is repeated. [201]

53. The usual form for the library copy of a catalogue is folio. If the catalogue is in manuscript, the left-hand page should in all cases be left vacant for additions, and the entries on the right-hand page should not be too closely written, as it is difficult to tell how many additions may be required before the catalogue is worn out. In the case of a printed catalogue, two pages of print can be pasted on one page, and here the right-hand column should be left blank for additions.

APPENDIX.

LIST OF LATIN NAMES OF PLACES

The cataloguer will often find it difficult to tell where a book was printed in those cases where the name of the place is given in its Latin form. Although books have been compiled to give this information, they are not always at hand, and a list of the Latin names of some of the most important places where books have been printed will probably be found useful. The same place has often several Latin forms, as will be seen by this list:—

Aberdonia, Aberdeen.

Abredea, Aberdeen.

Abredonia, Aberdeen.

Amstelœdamum, Amstelodamum, or Amstelredamum, Amsterdam.

Andegavum, Angers.

Andoverpa, Antwerp.

Andreapolis, St. Andrews.

Antverpia, Antwerp.

Ardmacha, Armagh.

Argentina, Argentoratum, Strasburg.

Athenæ Rauracæ, Basel.

Augusta Taurinorum, Turin.

Augusta Trebocorum, Strasburg.

Augusta Trevirorum, Treves.

Augusta Vindelicorum, Augsburg.

Aurelia, Aureliacum, Orleans.

Aurelia Allobrogum, Geneva.

Bamberga, Babenberga, Bamberg.

Barchino, Barcino, or Barxino, Barcelona.

Basilea, Basel.

Bathonia, Bath.

Berolinum, Berlin.

Bipontium, Zweibrücken.

Bisuntia, or Bisuntium, Besançon.

Bononia, Bologna.

Brixia, Breschia.

Brugæ, Bruges.

Bruxellæ, Bruxelles.

Burdigala, Bordeaux.

Burgi, Burgos.

Buscum Ducis, Bois le Duc, or Hertogenbosch.

Cadomum, Caen.

Cæsar Augusta, Saragossa.

Cæsarodunum Turonum, Tours.

Cameracum, Cambray.

Cantabrigia, Cambridge.

Casurgis, Prague.

Cluniacum, Cluni.

Coburgum, Coburg.

Codania, Copenhagen.

Colonia Agrippina, C. Claudia, C. Ubiorum or Colonia simply, Cologne.

Colonia Allobrogum, Geneva.

Colonia Julia Romana, Seville.

Colonia Munatiana, Basel.

Complutum, Alcala de Henares, famous as the place of printing of the Polyglott Bible of Cardinal Ximenes, called the "Complutensian Bible."

Confluentes, Coblentz.

Cracovia, Cracow.

Curia Rhetorum, Coire.

Dantiscum, Dantzig.

Daventria, Deventer, in Holland.

Derbia, Derby.

Dordracum, Dordrecht, or Dort.

Dresda, Dresden.

Duacum, Douay.

Dublinum, Dublin.

Durocorturum, Rheims.

Eboracum, York.

Edinburgum, Edinburgh.

Erfordia, Erphordia, or Erfurtum, Erfurt.

Etona, Eton.

Exonia, Exeter.

Florentia, Florence.

Forum Livii, Forli.

Francofurtum ad Mœnum, Francofortium, Francphordia, Frankfort-on-the-Maine.

Francofurtum ad Oderam, or Francophordia cis Oderam, or Francofurtum Marchionum, Frankfort-on-the-Oder.

Freiberga Hermundurorum, Freiberg, Saxony.

Friburgum Brisgoviæ, Freiburg im Breisgau.

Friburgum Helvetiorum, Fribourg, Switzerland.

Ganabum, Orleans.

Gandavum, Gand, or Ghent.

Gedanum, Dantzig.

Genua, Genoa.

Gippesvicum, Ipswich.

Glascua, Glasgow.

Granata, Granada.

Gratianopolis, Grenoble.

Gravionarium, Bamberg.

Hafnia, Copenhagen.

Haga Comitum, The Hague.

Hala Saxonum, Hala Hermundurorum, Hala Soraborum, or Hala Magdeburgica, Halle, in Saxony.

Hamburgum, or Hammona, Hamburg.

Harlemum, Haarlem.

Heidelberga, Heidelberg.

Helenopolis, Frankfort-on-the-Maine.

Herbipolis, Würzburg.

Hispalis, Seville.

Holmia, Stockholm.

Insulæ, Lisle.

Juliomagum, Angers.

Koburgum, Coburg.

Leida, Leyden.

Leodicum Eburonum, Liege.

Leodium, Liege.

Lipsia, Leipzig.

Londinum, Londinium, London.

Lovanium, Louvain.

Lugdunum, Lyons.

Lugdunum Batavorum, Leyden.

Lutetia Parisiorum, Paris.

Madritum, or Matritum, Madrid.

Mediolanum, Milan.

Moguntia, Mentz, or Mayence.

Monachium, Munich.

Mons Regius, Königsberg.

Moscua, Moscow.

Mutina, Modena.

Neapolis, Naples.

Neocomum, Neuchatel.

Norimberga, Nuremberg.

Œnipons, Innsbruck.

Olyssipo, Lisbon.

Oxonia, or Oxonium, Oxford.

Panormum, Palermo.

Papia, Pavia.

Parisii, Paris.

Patavium, Padua.

Pons Œni, Innsbruck.

Portus Lusitaniæ, Oporto.

Praga, Prague.

Regiomontum, Königsberg.

Remi, or Rhemi, Rheims.

Rhedones, Rennes.

Rhodopolis, Rostock.

Roma, Rome.

Rostochium, Rostock.

Rothomagum, Rouen.

S. Albani, St. Albans.

Sanctandrois, St. Andrews.

Sylva Ducis, or Sylva Ducalis, Bois le Duc, or Hertogenbosch.

Tarvisium, Treviso.

Taurinum, Turin.

Thermæ Antoninæ, Baden-Baden.

Ticinum, Pavia.

Tigurum, Zürich.

Toletum, Toledo.

Trajectum ad Mosam, or Trajectum superius, Maestricht.

Trajectum ad Rhenum, or Trajectum inferius, Utrecht.

Trajectum ad Viadrum, Frankfort-on-the-Oder.

Trecæ, or Tricasses, Troyes.

Tridentum, Trent.

Treviri, Treves.

Tubinga, Tubingen.

Turones, Tours.

Ubii, Cologne.

Ultrajectum, Utrecht.

Ulyssipo, Lisbon.

Urbs vetus, Orvieto.

Vallisoletum, Valladolid.

Venetiæ, Venice.

Vesontio, Besançon.

Vicentia, Vicenza.

Vienna Austriæ, Vienna.

Vienna in Delphinatu, Vienne, France.

Vigornia, Worcester.

Vindobona, Vienna.

Vratislavia, Breslau.

Westmonasterium, Westminster.

Wirceburgum, Würzburg.

These names have mostly been taken from Dr. Cotton's valuable lists:—

A Typographical Gazetteer, attempted by the Rev. Henry Cotton, D.C.L. The Second Edition. Oxford, 1831. 8vo.

At page 332 is an index of disguised, falsified, or fictitious places.

At page 336, a list of the names of certain academies, etc., which sometimes are found on the titles of books (particularly on academical dissertations), without further specification of the place to which they belong.

A Typographical Gazetteer, attempted by the Rev. Henry Cotton, D.C.L. Second Series. Oxford, 1866. 8vo.

At page 335 is a revised list of fictitious places.

1

Dublin Review, October 1846, p. 7.

2

Dublin Review, October 1846, p. 12.

3

Dublin Review, October 1846, p. 6.