A SAVING OF TIME is, for librarians, a matter of no small consequence, and the existence of anything that will relieve them from the burden of answering again and again the stereotyped questions: "Is this a good book?" 'Do you know anything about it?" will surely be welcomed and appreciated. etc. THE LITERARY NEWS, now in its second year of issue as a monthly journal of current literature, aims to fill this want. Its plan is to present, each month, a full survey of the literary field, with brief reviews and notices of the latest books, sketches of authors, lists of the books of the month, The reviews and notices are selected with a view not only to guide by simple commendation, but to suggest and instruct, and, above all, to foster good home-reading. Thus, necessarily, prominence is given to just that class of literature which readers will look for at the libraries. The opinions quoted are, moreover, not individual, but are all from recognized journals or other authorities. One or more copies of the LITERARY NEWS always at hand in the library or reading-room for ready reference will not only prove of practical assistance to visitors, but will save the librarian many words and much labor. This particularly applies to the "Cues to Timely Topics," which give: 1-references to sources of reading on topics of the day; 2-classification of magazine contents; 3-references to the latest authority, as soon as recognized, on any subject of general interest; 4-approved reading-courses. The subscription price of the LITERARY NEWS is but FIFTY CENTS per year, postage paid,-a price so low as to place the journal within the reach of all, and enable libraries to provide several copies for use on the reading-tables. Sample copies mailed free to any address. F. LEYPOLDT, 13 & 15 Park Row, New-York. THE LIBRARY JOURNAL. VOL. 6. C: A. CUTTER, General Editor. JANUARY, 1881. F: LEYFOLDT, Managing Editor. Communications for the JOURNAL, exchanges, and editors' copies, should be addressed C: A. CUTTER, Boston Athenæum, Boston, Mass. European matter may be sent to the care of H: R. TEDDER, Sec. L. A. U. K., Athenæum Club, Pall Mall, S. W., London. Remittances and orders for subscriptions and advertisements should be addressed to THE LIBRARY JOURNAL, 13 & 15 Park Row (P. O. Box 4295), New York. Remittances should be made by draft on New York, P. O. order, or registered letter. The Editors are not responsible for the views expressed in contributed articles or communications, nor for the style of spelling, capitalization, etc., in articles whose authors request adherence to their own styles. Subscribers are entitled to advertise books wanted, or duplicates for sale and exchange, at the nominal rate of 5 cents per line (regular rate, 15 cents); also to adver tise for situations or assistance to the extent of five lines free of charge. WE commence our new volume in a new form, but with the old aims unchanged. We have not even any startling plans to lay before our readers. One additional feature, indeed, we hope will win their approval. We intend each month to publish a select list of books recommended to public libraries, with brief critical notes. The first list, prepared in some haste, appears in this number. Subsequent lists will be more critically annotated. We should like to make this a coöperative work. If any of our friends has observed any of his late purchases is especially liked by his readers, a postal card stating that fact, with any short characterization of the work that occurs to him, will be very acceptable to us. When we say "recommended to libraries," we mean to town and city libraries. We should not presume to recommend books to professional and other special libraries, nor to a college library, which is usually in the main a collection of special libraries, It No. 1. THE first annual report of the N. Y. Free Circulating Library is in some sense the most important that we have ever received. It marks the inception of a movement. The penetration of the free-library idea into a city of the magnitude of New York, is a very important step in its progress. may be, to be sure, the only report ever to be issued of a possible fiasco; but we do not fear that. We cannot believe that the people of New York will fail to support a charity capable of such incalculable good. It is true that New York has been singularly behind the times, and has hitherto shown the most complete indifference to the matter. She is not alone in that. The largest city in the country has for companions in “free-librarylessness "the whole South and some part of the West. But she is alone in the North, and she cannot long resist the contagious influence of her neighbors' customs. A New Englander or a Westerner from any of the large cities who goes to New York to live, feels at once that there is something wanting, and says so. The press, too, both daily, weekly, and monthly, is awake to the need-we might almost say to the disgrace; and, although there are those who think the influence of the press waning, influence it certainly has. We are justified, therefore, in hoping that this report will not be unique, but the first of a long series, in each of which the resources and the work reported shall exceed the previous one, till the issues shall be, not, as now, suitable to a small country town, but equal to or exceeding the million a year of Boston. MR. POOLE was no doubt somewhat surprised by the sentence in which we described him as having "secured a publisher," as if he had been this three years trying to find one. His publisher was secured, or perhaps we should say, a publisher secured his Index, before he sailed for England in 1877. Discussion. Report on progress of Poole's Index. William F. Poole, Librarian Chicago Public Library. Discussion on "Methods of securing the Multiplication of Free Libraries," to be opened by Dr. H. A. Homes, Librarian New York State Library. Paper on "The place of a Library in a system of Education." Dr. Charles Warren, U. S. Bureau of Education. Report on progress of the American Library Association Catalogue. Melvil Dewey. Notes and Queries. SECOND DAY. (WASHINGTON.) FEBRUARY 10. Thursday Forenoon. Third session, at 9 o'clock. Paper on "The Construction of Library Buildings.' William F. Poole, Librarian Chicago Public Library. Discussion. Statement on the Congressional Library Building. A. R. Spofford, Librarian of Congress. Discussion on "The Best Methods of Circulating Books in large Cities," to be opened by Mellen Chamberlain, Boston Public Library. Discussion on "Duplicates in Libraries," to be opened by Lloyd P. Smith, Library Company of Philadelphia. [NOTE. Should time be found for them, the following points are proposed for discussion in this connection: "A "The Presentation Central Clearing-house for Duplicates," of Duplicates to Southern Libraries," "The Deposit of one of the two Copyright Volumes' now sent to the Library of Congress, in the State Library of the Author's own State."] Notes and queries. Unfinished business, etc. Votes of acknowledgment, etc. Thursday Evening. Reception by the President of the United States. On Friday, February 11, the Association, by invitation of the President of the Johns Hopkins University, will visit Baltimore. The first session will be held in Hopkins Hall, corner of Howard and Ross streets, at II o'clock, A. M. There will be a recess, allowing time to visit the Peabody, Historical and Mercantile libraries, and afterward a social assembly. Further particulars will be announced at a later day. Messrs. J. W. M. Lee, P. R. Uhler, and W. H. Browne have consented to act as a committee of reception. Opening address, by President Gilman, Johns Hopkins University, on "Some features of the Johns Hopkins University Library." Paper on "The Relation of Libraries to College Work." O. H. Robinson, Librarian University of Rochester. Discussion on "Library Aids," opened by Justin Winsor, Librarian of Harvard University, and by S. S. Green, Librarian Worcester Free Public Library. Discussion on "The Training of Library Assistants," opened by Frederic Vinton, Librarian of the College of New Jersey. Notes and queries. [NOTE.-Should time be found for them, the following subjects will also be discussed during the sessions of the conference : "Library Lectures," "The Specializing of Reading for General Readers."] The place of meeting in Washington, it will be noticed, is 511 Tenth street, which will be considered the head-quarters of the Association during its sessions. The National Hotel, Pennsylvania ave. and Sixth st., has been engaged for the use of members:-$2.00 per day. Two railroads from the West will make reductions, provided a sufficient number of passengers be guaranteed in advance; and those who propose to use these lines are therefore requested to notify Mr. A. R. Spofford, Librarian of Congress, at once. OFFICERS. EXECUTIVE BOARD. President-Justin Winsor, Librarian of Harvard University. Vice-Presidents--A. R. Spofford, Librarian of Congress; William F. Poole, Chicago Public Library; Henry A. Homes, New York State Library; Lloyd P. Smith, Library Company of Philadelphia; Daniel C. Gilman, President Johns Hopkins University; James L. Whitney, Boston Public Library. Secretary-Melvil Dewey. Finance Committee-S. S. Green, Worcester Free Public Library; J. N. Larned, Buffalo Young Men's Library; F. M. Crunden, St. Louis Public School Library. Cooperation Committee-C. A. Cutter, Boston Athenæum; S. H. Scudder, Harvard College Library; F. Jackson, Newton, Mass. Councilors-J. S. Billings, Surgeongeneral's office; R. R. Bowker, London; Mellen Chamberlain, Boston Public Library; Robert Clarke, Cincinnati; John N. Dyer, St. Louis Mercantile Library; John Eaton, U. S. Commissioner of Education; John Edmands, Philadelphia Mercantile Library; Weston Flint, U. S. Patent Office; Samuel F. Haven, American Antiquarian Society; Miss C. M. Hewins, Hartford Library; S. B. Noyes, Brooklyn Library; Miss Lucy Stevens, Toledo Public Library; Addison Van Name, Yale College Library; Thomas Vickers, Cincinnati; A. E. Whitaker, San Francisco Mercantile Library. COMMITTEES. On On the Distribution of Public DocumentsJ. W. M. Lee, A. R. Spofford, S. S. Green. Cooperative Cataloguing-C. A. Cutter, A. R. Spofford, S. S. Green, J. N. Dyer, L. E. Jones. On Poole's Index-Justin Winsor, W. F. Poole, C. A. Cutter. On Publishers' Title-slips—Justin Winsor, R. R. Bowker, Melvil Dewey. On an Index to Subject Headings-C. A. Cutter, F. B. Perkins, W. I. Fletcher, S. B. Noyes, R. R. Bowker. COMMITTEES ON THE 1881 MEETING. Washington Reception Committee-A. R. Spofford, J. S. Billings, T. F. Dwight, Weston Flint, E. S. Holden, Lester H. Ward, William McLeod. Baltimore Reception Committee-J. W. M. Lee, P. R. Uhler, W. H. Browne. Committee on Programme-Justin Winsor, W. F. Poole, W. E. Foster. All communications relating to the programme should be addressed to the Secretary of the committee, W. E. Foster, Public Library, Providence, R. I. Communications relating to matters in Washington and Baltimore should be addressed respectively to A. R. Spofford, Library of Congress, Washington, D. C., and to W. H. Browne, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. United Kingdom Association. DECEMBER MONTHLY MEETING. HELD Friday, Dec. 3, 1880, at 8 P. M., Mr. B. R. Wheatley in the chair. Mr. H. J. Adams was elected a member of the Association. Mr. E. C. Thomas then read a paper, written by him and Mr. H. B. Wheatley, on "A Proposed Subject-Index to Bibliologies and Bibliographies." The writers state that, while a good deal has been done in England for bibliography and bibliology, it has been done sporadically and unsystematically; the most glaring defect in the unsatisfactory lists of Power, Sabin, and others is the absence of an index of subjects and of the references to the fugitive bibliographies scattered through bibliographical and other periodicals, or appended to many treatises; Petzholdt is not complete enough for English bibliography, and does not embrace the labors of England and America during the fourteen years since the publication of the book; the forthcoming list of bibliography, " Museum Hand-List," prepared under the direction of Mr. Porter, though provided with a subject-index, only includes the substantive bibliographies in the reading-room without any reference to the scattered bibliographies. Every one knows, for instance, "Hamst's Hand-book of Fictitious Names," but few his special bibliographical lists of Lord Brougham and Sir William Blackstone; Mr. Cutter is known to devote special attention to diabolical literature; a "Bibliotheca Diabolica" was published at New York in 1874, but few could recall the contribution to the bibliography on the subject in Notes and Queries, etc., etc. The proposed index is to include, as a matter of course, all substantive bibliographies and bibliologies, but with the addition of references to all similar lists contributed to such journals as the Serapeum, Petzholdt's Anzeiger, Techener's Bulletin, Notes and Queries, Trübner's Record, the Bookseller, the Harvard Library Bulletin, etc., etc.; also to those appended to monographs; also to catalogues of special collections, exclusive, perhaps, of nonscientific sale catalogues. The writers are still undecided whether to include foreign bibliography and suggest a selection. The arrangement should be an alphabet of subjects, and the order under each subject chronological, to show the progress and the latest work at a glance; the best books perhaps printed in a bolder, type. Whether to include science and technical matter in the same index with general literature, or to separate them, is left an open question. Mr. Bailey, at Edinburgh, had proposed a separate scientific index, which he might consent to edit as a companion to the one now proposed; he had stated that by far the most important lists of books are those generally printed after a special monograph in some of the Scientific Transactions, and the student could often be directed at once to a list that contains only books on the subject of his search. The index should be a joint publication of the Index Society and the Library Association, and the members hope to receive not only their approval of this scheme, but also assistance in the con 6 struction of this index. After a discussion upon the subject of the paper, in which the chairman and Messrs. Tedder, Nicholson, Wheatley, Frost, Welch, and Overall participated, a vote of thanks to the writers of the paper was carried unanimously. JANUARY MONTHLY MEETING. Held Friday, Jan. 7, 1881, at 8 P. M., Mr. W. H. Mr. S. Sanders was elected a member of the The following gentlemen, engaged in library administration, were reported by Mr. Scarse as having joined the Association:-Alderman R. Chamberlain, Mayor of Birmingham; Mr. J. T. Bunce, Birmingham; Mr. W. Bragge, Birmingham; Dr. J. A. Langford, Birmingham; Mr. E. W. Badger, Birmingham; Dr. B. Foster, Birmingham; Mr. H. S. Pearson, Birmingham; Mr. C. J. Woodward, Midland Institute, Birmingham; Mr. J. C. Woodhill, Birmingham; Rev. F. Wagstaff, Librarian, Wednesbury; Mr. G. Wakeling, Sub-Librarian, Birmingham Free Libraries; Mr. W. H. Smith, Librarian, Free Library, Constitution Hill, Birmingham; Mr. G. Harris, Librarian, Free Library, Deritend, Birmingham; Mr. F. S. Herne, Birmingham Library, and Mr. T. G. Johnson, Librarian, Medical Institute, Birmingham. Mr. W. R. Douthwaite, Librarian of Gray's Inn, then read a paper entitled "Notes on the Gray's Inn Library." After a discussion upon the subject of the paper, in which the Chairman and Messrs. Tedder, Conybeare, Brace, Frost, and Thomas took part, a unanimous vote of thanks was given to Mr. Douthwaite. Communications. THE LIBRARY COMPANY OF PHILADELPHIA. TO THE EDITOR: You ask me what we are library a million of dollars for a fire-proof building being that no "lectures, public orations, or oral addresses or exhibitions of any kind are to be delivered, given, or to take place on the said lot, of ground, or in the said building. from the quiet, unostentatious, and disinterested It is character of its directors and of their management, that I have drawn the motives which have induced me to choose the Philadelphia Library Company as the heir to my estate." boni operis seems to have met its reward, even in In this case patientia this life; and there is reason to think that Philadelphia will, in the future, have a library somewhat more in accordance with its greatness as a city than it has had in the past. There are three things needed by a public library. The first is Money. The second is Money. And the third is More Money, and Plenty of it. The Library Company has always had to struggle with inadequate resources, illustrating the truth that "slow rises worth by poverty oppressed." Now, thanks mainly to the late Joseph Fisher, its circulating department is in a fire-proof building; and thanks to Dr. Rush, the reference department is in another, while the income available for the purchase of books will in future be considerably increased. In addition to the Ridgway Branch, the Library Company has recently acquired the private library of the late Dr. James Rush, containing about 5000 volumes, rich in illustrated books relating to antiquities and the fine arts. It includes also a few rare Americana-among others, Franklin's" Reflections on Courtship and Marriage" (Phil., 1746; the only other copy which I know of was in the Brinley sale), and The Constitutions of the several Independent States of America," published by order of Congress, in 1781, for the use of its members. This copy was that of Dr. James Rush's father, Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Dr. Rush's library is now all catalogued, and is kept, in accordance with his will, in the Memorial-room at Branch. About a thousand volumes were purthe Ridgway chased in 1878, at the sale of the late Henry D. Gilpin's library, out of the funds of the latter institution, including 474 volumes of pamphlets, containing about 8,500 titles. The whole are now catalogued, and turn out to be of great value, giving the very form and purpose of the time in which Mr. Gilpin, some time Attorney-General of the United States, flourished, say 1824 to 1854. The Library Company has also recently received a bequest of the private library of Paymaster King, U. S. N. (about 1000 v.), including that of Judge Edward King, of this State; also, a legacy of $1000, from the late Persifor Frazer, Esq. Its January Bulletin will give most of the readers of the LIBRARY JOURNAL an idea of the character of the recent additions to the Phila. Lib. LLOYD P. SMITH, Librarian. THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY offers the sum of twenty dollars to every one of her free public schools, with which to start a library, provided the district raises as much more. Ten dollars is added yearly, upon the same conditions. |