The Rudolph Indexer and Indexer Books. A Boon Especially for Librarians and Booksellers, ALSO FOR Large Newspapers, Official Recorders, Abstract Firms, Publishers, Courts of Law-in short, for all purposes where it is necessary to keep alphabetical lists of names to which new names are constantly being added. The only competitor of the RUDOLPH INDEXER SYSTEM is the OLD CARD CATALOGUE which was adopted about 40 years ago. Can you think of anything else in which there has been no improve ment in 40 years? Time saved over card system, say three-fourths. Money saved over card system, say two-thirds. Patience saved over the card system, beyond computation. Compare looking for a word and its meaning in an Unabridged Dictionary, and for the same word in the latest Card Index drawer, and you have about the difference between the old card system and the Rudolph Indexer. PLEASE SEND FOR CATALOGUE AND PRICES. THOMAS KANE & CO., 137 Wabash Avenue, Chicago. VOL. 20. AUGUST, 1895. No. 8 the broadening of its physical environment there will also be a broadening of the spirit of administration. It would seem that even before the present library is completely finished, the present congestion should be relieved by occupy may be suggested also that it would be very fitting should room be found in the basement of the new building for handling the government documents during the trying period when the vast accumulation stored here and there through THE board of women managers of the Cotton States and International Exposition, which is to open in Atlanta in September next, has appointed a committee, of which Anne Wallace is chairwoman, with special reference to library relations. This committee desires to make a modeling the space which is practically ready, and it library a feature of the exposition and it has been suggested that it would be proper for the Bureau of Education to loan the model library collected by the A. L. A. and exhibited in Chicago in 1893. Whether or not this be practicable, it is very desirable that this oppor-out Washington has to be sorted, distributed, tunity should be utilized to call the attention of the South to the importance of the public library movement. With the exception of the Howard Library in New Orleans, there have been few evidences that the South has caught the spirit of the modern library movement. There is no part of the country in which public progress could be better served by a development of free libraries than in the South, and it is to be hoped that all possible co-operation will be given to Miss Wallace, who is the librarian of the Young Men's Library of Atlanta, to show to the South what advantages may be gained by a local free library in each important centre of population. | or otherwise disposed of. Mr. Spofford has a splendid opportunity before him to do a large public service by making the most of his new building at the earliest possible date, and we trust he will not fail to improve it. THE work done by the University of the State of New York in furthering library development in that state is admirably set forth by Mr. Eastman in the present issue of the JOURNAL. New York has never ranked with Massachusetts and other New England states in number of libraries; but the work accomplished by the regents within the past three or four years has brought it to the front in organization It has been generally understood that the in- and efficiency. In that time they have sucvestigation on the part of the Treasury Depart-ceeded in establishing an excellent standard for ment of the affairs of the Library of Congress im- the libraries of the state, in largely awakening plies no reflection upon Mr. Spofford, except a public interest in the subject, in reorganizing failure to keep the accounts of the library in somnolent institutions and in establishing lithe accurate shape required by government rou- braries in many cities and towns. The admiratine. As the Publishers' Weekly has said ble example that has been set in this special "Mr. Spofford has always made the mistake of field by Massachusetts, New York, and other acting as his own office boy- or mailing clerk- states has within the present year had effect on overlooking the fact that no executive in charge several other states, and this influence will unof such extensive machinery as that of the li- doubtedly widen and strengthen with time. brary of Congress and the Copyright Office must There is, indeed, a wide field for such influence. be, can afford to do his own detail work." This State libraries, as a rule, fall much below acinvestigation is, however, doing some service in cepted library standards and fail to utilize the calling public attention to the fact that the possibilities before them. This has been shown methods of the Library of Congress are not fully with special force in the compilation of the up to the times. Now that the new building is bibliography of state publications, forming an nearly ready for occupancy, there will be no appendix to the American Catalog of 1890-95. longer the old reason for that library falling The preparation of this material has been below the modern standards of administration a labor of time and tribulation, and, though and usefulness, and it is to be hoped that with there has been a notable improvement over the conditions of five years since, the work on the the South, Southwest and West. Certainly the Communications. THE ASSISTANT-WHY ANONYMOUS? JUST a word in comment on the "Anonymous Assistant" article, with which I have much sympathy though not entire agreement. collection, organization, and arrangement of It seems to me very doubtful whether work of real originality and value is often hidden long under the veil of anonymity, unless, indeed, the modesty which is, in itself, a symptom of inworker is possessed of a kind and degree of As a matter of fact the assistant has, to a certain extent, the stick in her own hands, to use the vernacular. If her trustees do not see that the value received is sufficient to warrant the expenditure involved in sending her to the A. L. A. meetings, let her go at her own expense, not only in money, but, if necessary, of the more precious vacation days. To do this may need self-denial; it will even, in some cases, involve real hardships; but it is, to my mind (and my experience too), a business investment for which hard-headed common-sense will see the ly find the way. When this has been done necessity, and for which it will consequentonce or twice, if she has real capacity, brightness and originality, the brethren of the profession (if not the sisters) will not fail to recognize and covet these qualities for their own staffs. This will involve for the assistant opportunities which will call the attention of her chief and her trustees to her real and her market value; or else send her to "fresh fields and pastures new," where the growing thing may have sunshine and room. In short, I haven't much opinion of the candle which doesn't burn the bushel. NEWS comes from Oshkosh, Wis., of a library bequest that is in a way a good example of "how not to do it." The sum of $50,000 is left to the town in trust, for the purpose of "founding and maintaining perpetually a public library," provided, however, that within three years an equal sum be raised by the city, the citizens, or any person or persons, to be devoted to the same purpose. Under this condition it seems unlikely that the bequest will ever be put to any practical use. The legacy in itself is enough to establish an attractive and adequate library building and leave something over for books, while a provision requiring future support by ONE WHO HAS BEEN THERE. the town with perhaps a minimum limit of inLIBRARY Advertising in streET CARS. come, would have fully met the problem of Is it not practicable to use the advertising maintenance. It is, of course, just and wise spaces in the street-cars as a means of bringing library matters before the public? Every one that the givers of important benefactions knows how wearisome it is to read again and should stimulate generosity in others by requir- again — in spite of one's determination not to ing additional bequests or local support, but do so- - the advertisements of patent medicines, such provisions when too onerous, will generally of the spaces to call attention to the location of soaps, ribbons, lamps, etc. Why not use some result in defeating the original purpose of the the library and the hours of opening and closing? giver. Indeed, it becomes more and more evi- Perhaps it would be possible, if the library is in a dent in all fields of public work that bequests, to town or small city where frequent changes would not be necessary, to bulletin some of the new be thoroughly effective, should be left as free as books, or books on a special subject. Ten or fifproper safeguards admit, a principle that finds teen titles, with their call numbers, could be given apt illustration in England, where the work of in the ordinary space allotted to a street-car adsome of the largest and best-intentioned chari-vertisement and in type easily readable to the ties is hampered and crippled by testamentary passengers sitting opposite. restrictions. In the Oshkosh case the condition will not improbably render the entire bequest void; though there remains the consoling possibility that the tentative legacy will awaken pub-libraries," (L. J., July), there is a misprint in lic interest in the subject and result indirectly in the establishing, through local effort, of a public library on a smaller but no less useful scale. | PUBLIC LIBRARY, Boston. MARGARET D. McGUFFey. A CORRECTION. IN the article on "The public use of college the paragraph on the University of Rochester. THE LIBRARY WORK OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.* By W: R. EAstman, Public libraries division, U. S. N. Y. THE University of the State of New York is a supervisory and administrative, not a teaching institution. It is a state department, and at the same time a federation of over 600 institutions of higher and secondary education. It visits them officially, and they report to the university. Their academic and professional work is tested by university examinations. The university law of 1892, besides being a compilation and revision of former laws, gave new and special prominence to the establishment of public libraries to be recognized as part of this educational system, and therefore to hold the charter and be under visitation of the university. An appropriation of $25,000 for the benefit of free libraries being voted the same year, the library work was, for the first time, definitely organized. This work is carried on along six lines: 1. Ascertaining library facts by annual reports and official inspection. 2. Giving advice and instruction on request. 3. Organizing and chartering libraries. 4. Distributing public library money. 5. Lending small libraries for a limited time. 6. Preparing and revising lists of best books. 1. Reports. Acquaintance with the facts is the foundation of all scientific work. The law provides that every library exempt from taxation shall report to the university. Exemption means that the state recognizes the public library as a public benefit, and this implies an undoubted right on the part of the state to know whether each collection of books claiming the privilege is a true public library or not. If it is a private business carried on for gain, it has no more claim on the favor of the state than the business of a bookseller. The report blank used by the university covers the following facts: the name, location, and date of foundation of each library; the present number of volumes and number of additions by gift and purchase during the past year; the number of volumes issued for home use and for reference; the number of days the library has been open during the year, and the number of hours of opening fixed by rule for each week; the receipts of money and from what sources; the *Read at meetings of N. Y. L. A., New York, Jan, 11, 1895, and Buffalo, May 17, 1895, payments of money and for what general purposes; class of books, ownership and control, support, terms of use, and name of librarian. These facts are by no means exhaustive, but when obtained they will enable us to count the libraries by classes, summarize their total volumes, additions and circulation, and, looking over the state, to locate its library resources and needs with some intelligent idea of the situation. The next step was to compile a mailing list. A number of partial lists of New York libraries have appeared in the last few years, but not one that was entirely reliable. From all sources accessible an experimental list was made and used, with the result of sending report blanks to many institutions that had no libraries to speak of, and would not have been asked to report if the facts had been known. On the other hand, a great many libraries have been omitted, for, after three years of collecting statistics, a week seldom passes without bringing to notice some library not previously known to the department. It is esteemed a kindness when correspondents send in the names of unrecorded libraries. Returns from 700 libraries having each 300 or more volumes will soon be published. The failure to obtain more complete returns will be understood by any collector who has tried to gather statistics by mail. In some cases the circulars of inquiry reach the library when officers are absent on vacation, and afterwards are overlooked through stress of work. Some librarians find it difficult to make their own accounts conform to the end of the academic year and postpone answering till too late. Some find their accounts in so loose a condition that they do not care to report. Some reports are written by librarians, referred to treasurers, pigeon-holed by trustees, and forgotten. Some may be lost in the mail. Now and then objection is made from a constitutional dislike to give account, or an ill-defined dread of acknowledging responsibility to the state; and many misunderstandings of the purpose and scope of the report hinder the full response for which we look. The aim of the university is to secure, for the common good, an accurate account of library facts — no more and in this attempt it bespeaks the good-will and co-operation of the librarians of the state. The study of these returns will bring out some points of marked interest. A prominent fact is that the great number of public libraries in this state are to-day in the care of the school authorities. The legislation of 1835 and 1838, when New York began to push the public library idea by way of the school districts, is responsible for this. The libraries then founded | were district libraries; as really public as the town libraries of New Hampshire or Massachusetts; and the most important of them, as they now exist, at Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Binghamton, Rochester, Brooklyn, Oswego, Owego, etc., while managed by the school boards, are practically city libraries. But more have come to be regarded as school libraries only, in which the public have little or no share. Out of 704 libraries reporting for 1894, 321 are public; that is, controlled by the voters or their representatives. Of these, 280 are in charge of school authorities, 128 more are connected with academies, 51 with colleges, and 86 with other institutions. This leaves 159 to include all those managed by the public independent of the schools, the endowed and mercantile libraries, and professional and technical collections of all sorts. The great libraries of the state belong to the class of endowed or mercantile. tory work and promises for the coming year, Inspection. Besides the ascertainment of facts Counting by libraries, not by volumes, our books are still in the hands of the teaching institutions, and, to a large extent, are gathered and administered with reference to the needs of the schools. There are great possibilities for good in just this situation, and, at the same time, there are public interests liable to be overlooked. An important feature of the legis-sült with boards of education, talk over library lation of 1892, repeated in the consolidated school law of 1894, was a provision for dividing district libraries in two parts; one to be kept by the school as a part of its equipment, and the other, the circulating part, to be put in charge of independent trustees as the beginning of a true public library. This law has contributed to the situation with which the university has had to deal. In comparing the reports of the last year with those previously received, it has been interesting to note in many cases a serious falling off in the number of volumes, indicating, not a loss of books, but a tendency to count more carefully and to discriminate against worn and mutilated books and broken sets that were no longer fit for service. There appear also in the reports frequent apologies for imperfect and unsatisfac possibilities, and so prepare the way for a popu- 2. Advice and instruction. Under the law the 1 |