How to Catalogue a Library Part 15

[Decoration]

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 t.i.tles, and not under their family names, except in such cases as that of Horace Walpole, where a man is seldom known by his t.i.tle. 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 t.i.tle-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-t.i.tle, such as the t.i.tle of a novel, to be registered under the first word of that t.i.tle. [131]

19. Other anonymous works to be registered under the name of the subject which is prominently referred to on the t.i.tle-page, and in the language of the t.i.tle-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_ Ca.n.a.l, _English_ History, etc. [131]

THE t.i.tLE.

20. The t.i.tle 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 t.i.tle-page, it must be added between brackets whenever known. The name always to be given as it appears on the t.i.tle-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 t.i.tle-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 t.i.tle 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 t.i.tles 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 t.i.tle-page. [187]

29. When a book contains something which is not mentioned on the t.i.tle-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 t.i.tle which does not contain the information required.

[187]

30. References in an alphabetical catalogue should not be cla.s.sified. 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 t.i.tle in the reference but it will be often more convenient for the cataloguer to make a heading which may include several references.