The following table shows that this index is intended to cover reports
of library commissions, state libraries, university libraries and the
public libraries of the United States and Canada.
When reports of a library were found to contain material of general
interest, sufficient to warrant their inclusion in the index, all the
years examined were listed in the table, although, as in some instances,
a number of reports in the series are not represented by references in
the index.
Several small yet exceedingly live libraries are not included, because
the activities of these libraries appeared in short paragraph reports,
no subject being fully treated; and the plan of this work did not allow
minute indexing.
The object has not been to provide an exhaustive index of any one
library--one for the benefit of the library indexed--but to make
available matter of general interest.
The person seeking references, we will say, to work with children, will
possibly find only one or two in the reports of a particular library,
but it has been presupposed that one desiring a thorough acquaintance
would not limit his study to the entries appearing in the index.
Financial statements, lists of donors, routine reports upon the work of
a library have not been included, nor have lists of books purchased,
unless these were of bibliographical importance or formed regular
supplements of a catalogue.
The index aims to include legislation, historical sketches, monographs
upon any subject, bibliographies, biographical sketches, memorial
tributes, addresses, dedication ceremonies, plans and descriptions of
library buildings, by-laws, rules and regulations, names of librarians,
maps, portraits, illustrations, all divisions of library economy when
fully treated, many features of library work, original or unique, and
curious items; in short, all unusual material and all matter not common
to all reports.
With reference to donations an explanation may be necessary. The
indexing in one instance of a donor of $10,000 and the failure to record
a similar gift in another may appear inconsistent, but it was
impossible to note every gift or legacy mentioned in reports, hence
gifts have been indexed, as a rule, when they were treated in the
reports as matters of importance.
For brevity’s sake many references are not bibliographically precise.
For instance, in the case of illustrations and maps references are made
to the pages which they face, omitting the word facing.
A prophetic knowledge of the future development of libraries would no
doubt give large significance to certain omitted items.
Direct access to very early reports of certain libraries has been
impossible, and these reports have been examined for the indexer by
persons connected with those libraries. In a number of instances full
information could not be obtained.
In addition to the list of libraries indexed there is given an
alphabetical key and a list of abbreviations used.
Katharine Twining Moody.